Darnell Howard (July 25, 1895 in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

– September 2, 1966 in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

) 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 ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

ist and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist.

Early life

Howard began playing violin at age seven, picking up clarinet and saxophone later in his youth.

Career

He played professionally with John H. Wickcliffe's Ginger Orchestra from 1913 to 1916, then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1917, where he played and recorded as a violinist with

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...

. From there he headed to Chicago, where he led his own band, played with Charlie Elgar, and then joined

James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...

Plantation Days ''Plantation Days'' (1922) was a touring musical revue with Sam Wooding and James P. Johnson as musical directors at different stages of the tour. Produced by Morris "Maury" Greenwald,London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1923. The next year he toured Europe again as a member of the Singing Syncopators, and also played in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

with this ensemble later in the decade. While in Chicago he played with

Carroll Dickerson Carroll Dickerson (November 1, 1895 – October 9, 1957) was a Chicago and New York–based dixieland jazz violinist and bandleader, probably better known for his extensive work with Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines or his more brief work touri ...

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 ...

, and

Erskine Tate Erskine Tate (January 14, 1895, Memphis, Tennessee, – December 17, 1978, Chicago) was an American jazz violinist and bandleader. Biography Tate moved to Chicago in 1912 and was an early figure on the Chicago jazz scene, playing with his ...

. He led a quartet in 1928, and also played with

Jimmy Wade James Frederick "Jimmy" Wade (March 13, 1897 – October 12, 1933) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Wade began leading groups in the Chicago area about 1916. He played in California and Seattle, Washington with Lucille Hegamin ...

's Dixielanders that year. From 1929–1930 he played with

Dave Peyton Dave Peyton (19 August 1889 – 30 April 1955) was an American songwriter, pianist, arranger, orchestra leader, and music critic columnist for the ''Chicago Defender''. Peyton first began as a pianist in the trio of Wilbur Sweatman, along with ...

, then worked briefly with Jerome Carrington before being hired by

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

, with whom he played clarinet, alto sax and violin from 1931 until 1937.liner notes for Earl Hines, ''Swingin' Down'' and ''That's a Plenty'' Howard's jazz violin is featured on the Hines band's February, 1933 recording of the Earl Hines/Jimmy Mundy swing composition "Cavernism". In the late 1930s, Howard freelanced, then played with

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical ...

and

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first ...

at the beginning of the 1940s. He put together another band in Chicago from 1943 to 1945; he played with

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, Trombone, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of Music of New Orle ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

for part of 1945, then returned to Chicago and played with

Doc Evans Paul Wesley "Doc" Evans (June 20, 1907 – January 10, 1977) was an American jazz cornetist. Evans was born in Spring Valley, Minnesota. the son of a Methodist minister. He learned piano and drums as a child, and played saxophone in high school. ...

, among others. In 1948 he was once again in California with

Muggsy Spanier Francis Joseph "Muggsy" Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist based in Chicago. He was a member of the Bucktown Five, pioneers of the "Chicago style" that straddled traditional Dixieland jazz and swi ...

, playing with him until 1953. Howard's only recordings as a leader were done while he worked with

Bob Scobey Robert Alexander Scobey Jr. (December 9, 1916 – June 12, 1963) was an American jazz trumpet player of traditional or Dixieland music based originally in the San Francisco area and later in Chicago, Illinois. He was born in Tucumcari, New Mex ...

in 1950, amounting to only four sides. He also played with Jimmy Archey early in the 1950s, then rejoined

to play

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

in San Francisco from 1955 to 1962. He was with

Don Ewell Donald Tyson Ewell (November 14, 1916 – August 9, 1983) was an American jazz stride pianist. He worked with Sidney Bechet, Kid Ory, George Lewis, George Brunis, Muggsy Spanier, and Bunk Johnson. Biography Born in Baltimore, Maryland, ...

on his 1956–1957 albums. After 1962, Howard suffered a prolonged illness, and after recuperating he played with

Elmer Snowden Elmer Chester Snowden (October 9, 1900 – May 14, 1973) was an American banjo player of the jazz age. He also played guitar and, in the early stages of his career, all the reed instruments. He contributed greatly to jazz in its early days as bo ...

Burt Bales Burton Franklin Bales (April 20, 1916, in Stevensville, Montana – October 26, 1989, in San Francisco) was an American jazz stride piano, stride pianist. Bales began to play piano at age twelve, and played in hotels and nightclubs in California i ...

, and his own groups. Around 1964 or 1965, Howard could be found playing weekends at a pizza joint called LaVal's on Euclid Avenue in Berkeley. He played largely with a pick-up band of local amateur musicians (often including the San Francisco comedian

Mal Sharpe Malcolm Sharpe (April 2, 1936 – March 10, 2020) was an American television and radio personality with roots in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. In the early 1960s, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-born Sharpe collaborated with Jim Coyle t ...

on trombone). On some nights Howard was joined by

Pops Foster George Murphy "Pops" Foster (May 19, 1892 – October 30, 1969) was an American jazz musician, best known for his vigorous slap bass playing of the string bass. He also played the tuba and trumpet professionally. Biography Foster was born to Ch ...

). In 1966, Howard toured Europe as a member of the New Orleans All-Stars, then fell ill again and died later that year.

References

;Footnotes ;General references *

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

Darnell Howard Darnell Howard (July 25, 1895 in Chicago – September 2, 1966 in San Francisco) was an American jazz clarinetist and violinist. Early life Howard began playing violin at age seven, picking up clarinet and saxophone later in his youth. Career ...

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 ...

1895 births 1966 deaths American jazz clarinetists Musicians from Chicago 20th-century American musicians Jazz musicians from Illinois {{US-clarinetist-stub