Richard Durant Cary (July 10, 1916 – April 6, 1994) 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 ...

trumpeter, composer and arranger. He was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, United States. Cary earned a bachelor's degree in music from Wesleyan University in 1938 and started working in Connecticut and New York. He landed full-time solo work at Nick's in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

in New York City in 1941 (through 1943) and played with Joe Marsala in 1942. In 1943, he also worked as a staff

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

for

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

and played with the Casa Loma Orchestra and Brad Gowans. During a stint in the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

in 1944-46 stationed on Long Island, he managed to continue recording with Muggsy Spanier and Wild Bill Davison among others. After his discharge he worked with Billy Butterfield, then was pianist in the initial formation of

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 ...

's All-Stars in 1947–48. In 1949–50 he was in

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peopl ...

's orchestra, and in the 1950s worked with Eddie Condon, Pee Wee Russell, Max Kaminsky, Bud Freeman, Jimmy McPartland, and starting in 1957 a long-term collaboration with

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was a versatile American jazz musician who played swing music, Dixieland jazz and mood music, now called easy listening, on trumpet, cornet, and guitar. He played Swing with the bands ...

at the Henry Hudson Hotel in New York. When that engagement ended in 1959 he moved to Los Angeles, where he became an active freelance, touring, and studio musician. He also began writing and arranging music for the Tuesday Night Friends, who convened at his home every Tuesday for decades, a tradition that continued following his death. The band was rarely heard by the public except for annual appearances at the Los Angeles Classic Jazz Festival and Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. In the latter days of his life some of these rehearsals were recorded, forming the basis of the posthumous release ''Dick Cary and His Tuesday Night Friends Playing Dick Cary Originals''. The ongoing group, directed by Dick Hamilton, recorded the album ''Dick Cary's Tuesday Night Friends: Catching Up'' in 1997. Cary also provided an extended interview to Floyd Levin in 1991. His life is the subject of the bio-discography ''Strictly a Musician: Dick Cary'' by Derek Coller, published in 2012. Dick Cary died in April 1994, in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, at the age of 77.

Discography

As leader * ''Dixieland Goes Progressive'' (Golden Crest, 1957) * ''Hot and Cool'' (Stereo-Craft, 1958) * ''Dick Cary & His Dixieland Doodlers'' ( Columbia, 1959) * ''The Amazing Dick Cary'' (Riff, 1975) * ''California Doings'' (1981) * ''Dick Cary & His Tuesday Night Friends'' ( Arbors, 1996) * ''Catching Up'' (Klavier, 1999) * ''Got Swing?'' (Arbors, 2001) As sideman * 1947 ''Town Hall Concert: The Unissued Part'',

* 1950 ''Dixie by Dorsey'',

* 1953 ''Jam Session: Coast to Coast'', Eddie Condon * 1954 ''Satchmo at Symphony Hall'', Louis Armstrong * 1955 ''Bixieland'', Eddie Condon * 1955 ''Jazz Great'',

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an United States, American jazz Trombone, trombonist and singer. He led both of his bands himself and was a sideman for Paul Whiteman's orchestra. From 1946 to 1951, he played ...

* 1956 ''Barbara Lea'', Barbara Lea * 1956 ''My Memories of You'', Maxine Sullivan/Jack Teagarden * 1956 ''We're in the Money'', Pee Wee Russell * 1957 ''

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a popular music, pop music ...

'' * 1957 ''Dixieland Heaven'', Lee Castle * 1957 ''Gotham Jazz Scene'',

* 1958 '' Rendezvous with Rex'' Rex Stewart (Felsted) * 1958 '' Henderson Homecoming'' Rex Stewart (United Artists) * 1959 ''Rumpus on Rampart Street'',

Edmond Hall Edmond Hall (May 15, 1901 – February 11, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. Over his career, Hall worked extensively with many leading performers as both a sideman and bandleader and is possibly best known for the 1941 cha ...

* 1960 ''Play TV Themes'', Jimmy McPartland * 1962 ''Midnight in Moscow'', Eddie Condon * 1964 ''In Japan'', Eddie Condon * 1965 ''That Happy Dixieland Jazz'', Jimmy McPartland * 1973 ''Clarinet Gumbo'',

Barney Bigard Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980) was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone. Biography Bigard was born in New Orleans to Creoles of color, Cr ...

* 1978 ''Midnight Believer'',

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

* 1980 ''Pee Wee in Hollywood'', Pee Wee Erwin * 1994 ''1936–1942'', Joe Marsala

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cary, Dick 1916 births 1994 deaths American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from Connecticut 20th-century American male musicians United States Army personnel of World War II Columbia Records artists Arbors Records artists