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Joseph Christopher Columbus Morris (June 17, 1902 – August 20, 2002Obituary at Jazzhouse.org
/ref>), better known as Crazy Chris ColumboRye, Howard (2002)
"Chris Columbus."
''
Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...
''. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
or just Chris Columbo, was an American
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
drummer. He was sometimes credited as Joe Morris on record, though he is no relation to
free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...
guitarist Joe Morris or trumpeter Joe Morris.


Career

Columbus was active as a jazz musician from the 1920s into the 1990s, and was a father figure to
Sonny Payne Sonny Payne (May 4, 1926 – January 29, 1979) was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with Count Basie and Harry James. Biography Payne's father was Wild Bill Davis's drummer Chris Columbus. After early study with Vic Berton, ...
. He led his own band from the 1930s into the late 1940s, holding a residency at the Savoy Ballroom for a period. Chris Columbusat
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
During the mid 1940s he also began drumming behind
Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...
, remaining with him until 1952. In the mid-to-late 1950s, Columbus backed Wild Bill Davis's organ combo, and he recorded with
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
in 1967. He worked again as a leader in the 1970s, in addition to doing tours of Europe with Davis. While in France he played with Floyd Smith, Al Grey, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson,
Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All Ab ...
, and Milt Buckner. Prior to a stroke which partially paralyzed him in 1993, Columbo was the oldest working musician in
Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...
.Kent, Bill (1996-08-04).
A Jazz-Age Survivor
, ''
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''.
David Schwartz (Mon, February 2, 2009).
The Time Keeper
".
Columbo got his first professional gig playing with Fletcher Henderson in 1921. Between the 1920s and the 1960s, he played at most of the city's nightclubs, and led the Club Harlem orchestra for 34 years until 1978, when the club shut its doors. Thereafter, Columbo's band went on to perform at practically every Atlantic City
casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
. At the time of his stroke, he was playing regularly at the Showboat. Columbo worked, recorded, and toured with prominent jazz artists including
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
,
Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...
,
Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...
,
Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
, Wild Bill Davis, and
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...
. Columbo did an album on the Strand label called ''Jazz: Re-Discovering Old Favorites'' by the Chris Columbo Quintette including a version of "Summertime" featuring organist
Johnny "Hammond" Smith John Robert "Johnny Hammond" Smith (December 16, 1933 – June 4, 1997) was an American soul jazz and hard bop organist. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he was a renowned player of the Hammond B-3 organ so earning "Hammond" as a nickname, wh ...
. This record (with flip side an uptempo minor blues called "" ) was fairly successful on radio in the early 1960s. Columbo flipped his sticks in the air, bounced them off the floor and often leaped from a motorcycle seat which was his drum throne. Columbo also appeared in the 1945 film ''It Happened In Harlem'', based on the Harlem nightclub Smalls Paradise, and the 1947 film ''Look Out Sister''.


Family

Chris is survived by two daughters, Yvette Mathison and JoAnn Morris, grand daughters Sheril Plunkett and Tana Lee, and great grand-children Dylan Plunkett, Kacie Mae Plunkett and Chance Lee.


Death

Columbo suffered a stroke in 1993 and died in 2002; he was 100 years old. To recognize his contributions to the history and music of Atlantic City, a section of Kentucky Avenue, home of Club Harlem, was renamed Chris Columbo Lane in 2005.


Discography


As leader

* "Lonely Street" // "Dancing On My Heart" (Double AA 114, 1955) * "Floyd's Guitar Blues" // "Wishy Washy" (
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
4991, 1956) – with Johnny Grimes-trumpet/vibes, Jimmy Tyler-alto/tenor sax, Nick Palmer-tenor/baritone sax, John Wiegand-organ, Floyd Smith-guitar. * "Oh Yeah!, Pt. 1" // "Oh Yeah!, Pt. 2" (King 5012, 1957) – with Gil Askey-trumpet, Jimmy Tyler-tenor sax, Johnny Hammond Smith-organ, Floyd Smith-guitar. * Stranger on the Shore" // " You Can't Sit Down" (Battle 45904, 1962) * ''Jazz: Re-Discovering Old Favorites'' (Strand SL-1044, 1962) – reissued as ''Summertime'' in 1963 (Strand SL-1095). * "Summertime" // "Minerology" (Strand 25056, 1963) – with Johnny Hammond Smith. * "Minerology" // "Summertime" (Casino 1305, 1963) – reissue * "I Can't Stop Loving You" // "Mr. Wonderful" (Maxx 327, 1964)


As sideman

* ''Here's Wild Bill Davis'' (
Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
LG-1004 0" LP 1954) * Wild Bill Davis: ''On The Loose'' (Epic LN-1121 0" LP 1954) * ''Wild Bill Davis At Birdland'' (Epic LN-3118, 1955) – reissued as ''Lullaby Of Birdland'' in 1972. * Wild Bill Davis: ''Evening Concerto'' (Epic LN-3308, 1955) *
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
/
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...
/
Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...
: ''The Greatest Jazz Concert In The World'' (Pablo 2625-704, 1967 el. 1975 – Columbus is the Ellington orchestra's drummer at this
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...
concert. * Wild Bill Davis: ''Impulsions'' (Disques Black & Blue 33.037, 1972) * '' Al Grey & Wild Bill Davis'' (Disques Black & Blue 33.041, 1972) – with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. * Floyd Smith: ''Floyd's Guitar Blues'' (Disques Black & Blue 33.046, 1972) * ''
Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All Ab ...
& Wild Bill Davis'' (Disques Black & Blue 33.054, 1972) – reissued on CD as ''Broadway'' in 1987 by Black & Blue (233.054). * Milt Buckner: ''Black And Blue Stomp'' (Disques Black & Blue 33.061, 1973) * Al Grey: '' Grey's Mood'' (Disques Black & Blue 33.085, 1973–1975 el. 1979


References


External links


Profile of Columbus's son, Sonny Payne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Chris 1902 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American musicians American men centenarians American jazz musicians People from Greenville, North Carolina Jazz musicians from North Carolina