Wilbur Odell "Dud" Bascomb (May 16, 1916,

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

– December 25, 1972,

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 ...

) 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, best known for his tenure with Erskine Hawkins. Yanow, Scott. Dud Bascomb biography

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 ...

He was a 1979 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

Early life

Bascomb was born the youngest of a family of ten children, another of whom was future tenor saxophonist Paul Bascomb. He played piano as a child but settled on trumpet, and first played with Hawkins at the Alabama State Teachers' School (now Alabama State University) in 1932, where Hawkins led the Bama State Collegians band.

Career

He remained in Hawkins's employ until 1944, and soloed with him on many of his most well-known recordings. Bascomb eventually left Hawkins to play in his brother's septet, which became a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

later in the decade. He played briefly 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 1947. In the 1950s, Bascomb played for three years at Tyle's Chicken Shack in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, leading a quintet which counted Lou Donaldson among its members. He toured

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

three times with Sam Taylor and Europe with Buddy Tate in the 1960s, in addition to touring and recording with

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

. He recorded sparingly as a leader; his Savoy Records sessions in 1959-60 were not issued until 1986.

Discography

, ''Out Of Sight'' (Smash, 1965) * James Brown, ''Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud'' (King, 1969) * Freddie McCoy, ''Listen Here'' (Prestige, 1968) * Buddy Tate, ''Buddy Tate and His Celebrity Club Orchestra'' (Black and Blue, 1969) * Buddy Tate, '' Unbroken'' (MPS, 1970)

References

External links

Wilbur "Dud" Bascomb at Alabama Music Hall of FameOfficial website of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bascomb, Dud 1916 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American musicians American jazz trumpeters American male jazz musicians American male trumpeters James Brown Orchestra members Jazz musicians from Alabama Musicians from Birmingham, Alabama Savoy Records artists 20th-century American male musicians Bama State Collegians members