Dallas Elmer Chambers, also called Frog and Muffle Jaws Chambers (1897, Bayonne, New Jersey - ca. 1952, Jersey City, New Jersey) 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

trumpeter. Chambers played in

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ...

s while serving in

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, where he met bandleader Sam Wooding. He played with Wooding in Atlantic City,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, but left his service before Wooding's tours abroad. In 1923 he began playing with Fletcher Henderson in both large and small ensembles, and played on recordings behind the blues singers Alberta Hunter, Rosa Henderson, Clara Smith, and Ida Cox. He played with Louis Armstrong, and recorded with him on sessions for Decca, Verve, and

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. While with Armstrong he played alongside

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Don Redman Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Biography Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teach ...

, Buster Bailey, and Joe Smith. Chambers left Henderson in 1926 and played subsequently in the bands of

Ellsworth Reynolds Ellsworth may refer to: People *Ellsworth (surname) * Ellsworth P. Bertholf, US Coast Guard commodore *Ellsworth B. Buck, American politician *Ellsworth Bunker, American diplomat *Ellsworth Burnett, American politician *Ellsworth Cunningham, also ...

(1926), Billy Fowler (1926–27), and

Russell Wooding Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia * Russell, Australian Capital Territory * Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) ** ...

(1930). He played in pit orchestras, in touring revues, and with Fats Waller,

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important Solo (music), soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His ...

, and

June Cole June Lawrence Cole (1903, Springfield, Ohio – October 10, 1960, New York City) was an American jazz bassist, tubist, and singer. Cole's first major employment in music was with the Synco Jazz Band in Ohio; this group later became McKinne ...

before going into semi-retirement in the 1930s.

References

* Elmer Chambersat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

*Howard Rye, "Elmer Chambers". '' Grove Jazz'' online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Elmer American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Musicians from Bayonne, New Jersey 1897 births 1952 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians