Earl Bowman Swope (August 4, 1922 – January 3, 1968) was an American jazz trombonist.

Early life

Swope was born in

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...

, on August 4, 1922. His family was musical: his parents, a sister and two brothers were all musicians. One of his brothers was Rob Swope.

Later life and career

When he was 20, Swope played with Sonny Dunham; he was then with

Boyd Raeburn Boyd Albert Raeburn (October 27, 1913 – August 2, 1966) was an American jazz bandleader and bass saxophonist. Career He was born in Faith, South Dakota, United States. Raeburn attended the University of Chicago, where he led a campus band. H ...

(1943–44), Georgie Auld (1945), and Buddy Rich (1945–47). From 1947 to 1949 he worked with Woody Herman and also recorded in small groups with

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

and Serge Chaloff. In 1950–51 he was with

Elliot Lawrence Elliott Lawrence Broza (February 14, 1925 – July 2, 2021), known professionally as Elliott Lawrence, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Son of the broadcaster Stan Lee Broza, Lawrence led his first dance band at age 20, but he pl ...

, then worked freelance in New York and Washington, D.C. Later in the 1950s he returned to big band work, playing with Jimmy Dorsey (1957) and

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

(1959). In the 1960s he played locally in Washington, D.C.; he died there on January 3, 1968.

Playing style

"He was one of the few trombonists in the 1940s to develop a style that was not influenced by

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

; he played in a modern barrelhouse style".

Discography

With

*''

The Brilliant Bellson Sound ''The Brilliant Bellson Sound'' is an album by American jazz drummer Louis Bellson featuring performances recorded in 1959 for the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1959) With

Charlie Byrd Charlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 – December 2, 1999) was an American jazz guitarist. Byrd was best known for his association with Brazilian music, especially bossa nova. In 1962, he collaborated with Stan Getz on the album '' Jazz Samba' ...

*'' Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros'' (Riverside, 1962) With

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

*'' One Night in Washington'' (Elektra/Musician, 1955 983 With Lester Young *''

Lester Young In Washington, D.C. 1956, Vol. 5 Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name * Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic * Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American artist from Wisco ...

'' (Pablo, 1999)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swope, Earl 1922 births 1968 deaths American jazz trombonists American male trombonists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trombonists Jazz musicians from Maryland 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians