Charles Edmund Andrus Jr., best known as Chuck Andrus (November 17, 1928 – June 12, 1997) 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 ...

double-bassist. Andrus was born in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

, raised in New England, and studied at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

. In the late 1940s he formed his own ensemble in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

which included

Sal Salvador Sal Salvador (November 21, 1925 – September 22, 1999), whose name was originally Silvio Smiraglia, was an American bebop jazz guitarist and a prominent music educator. He was born in Monson, Massachusetts, United States, and began his profession ...

and

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began t ...

. He played with

Charlie Barnet Charles Daly Barnet (October 26, 1913 – September 4, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His major recordings were "Nagasaki", "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", "In a Mizz", and "South ...

in 1953, then with

Claude Thornhill Claude Thornhill (August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You". Early years Thornhill was the son of J. Chester Thornhill ...

through the middle of the decade. While with Thornhill he met

Terry Gibbs Terry Gibbs (born Julius Gubenko; October 13, 1924) is an American jazz vibraphonist and band leader. He has performed or recorded with Tommy Dorsey, Chubby Jackson,Theroux, Gary"Gibbs, Terry".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. R ...

, and the two frequently played and recorded together in subsequent years. As a freelance musician in New York, Andrus worked with Don Stratton, Bernard Peiffer, and

Jim Chapin James Forbes Chapin ( ) (July 23, 1919 – July 4, 2009) was an American jazz drummer and the author of books about jazz drumming. He is in the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame and was posthumously inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of ...

; he also recorded extensively with

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) 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 roo ...

Discography

With

* ''Swing Low, Sweet Clarinet'' (Philips, 1962) * '' Woody Herman–1963'' (Philips, 1963) * ''1963: The Swingin'est Big Band Ever'' (Philips, 1963) * ''Encore'' (Philips, 1963) * ''My Kind of Broadway'' (Columbia, 1964) * ''The Swinging Herman Herd-Recorded Live'' (Philips, 1964) * ''Woody Herman: 1964'' (Philips, 1964) * ''Woody's Big Band Goodies'' (Philips, 1965) * ''1963 Live Guard Sessions'' (Jazz Band 1991) * ''Live in Stereo 1963 Summer Tour'' (Jazz Hour 1991) With others *

, ''The Jim Chapin Sextet'' (Classic Jazz 1977) * Bernard Peiffer, ''Bernie's Tunes'' (EmArcy, 1956) (Herbie Mann) Early Mann (1954)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrus, Chuck 1928 births 1997 deaths American jazz double-bassists American male double-bassists 20th-century American double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians People from Holyoke, Massachusetts