Cyrus St. Clair (1890 – 1955) 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 ...

tubist and double-bassist.

Early life

St. Clair was born in

Cambridge, Maryland Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,096 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Ma ...

; both his father and uncle were tubists. He played locally as a cornetist before switching to tuba.

Career

St. Clair relocated to New York City in 1925 and played with Wilbur De Paris, Charlie Johnson, Clarence Williams, and

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

in the second half of the 1920s. He worked briefly in 1930 with

Cozy Cole William Randolph "Cozy" Cole (October 17, 1909 – January 9, 1981) was an American jazz drummer who worked with Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong among others and led his own groups. Life and career William Randolph Cole was born in East Ora ...

before rejoining Williams, with whom he recorded copiously until 1937. He also played with Leroy Tibbs and

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wro ...

. St. Clair then left music for a period, though in 1947 he returned to performing, working as a double-bassist with Tony Parenti and Knocky Parker and performing on

Rudi Blesh Rudolph Pickett Blesh (January 21, 1899 – August 25, 1985) was an American jazz critic and enthusiast. Biography Blesh studied at Dartmouth College and held jobs writing jazz reviews for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' and the ''New York ...

's radio program ''This Is Jazz''. He died in New York City in 1955.

References

;Footnotes ;General references *"Cyrus St. Clair". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at ...

, 2004 American jazz tubists American jazz double-bassists American male double-bassists 1890 births 1955 deaths Jazz musicians from Maryland 20th-century American double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians People from Cambridge, Maryland {{US-jazz-musician-stub