Leon Merian (17 September 1923 – 15 August 2007) was an American jazz trumpeter and teacher.
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 ...
described his playing as "One of the most beautiful sounds you'll ever hear."
Merian was also a French teacher and public school administrator.
Life
He was born Leon Megerdichian
in South
Braintree, Massachusetts, on 17 September 1923, to Armenian immigrant parents.
Merian learned trumpet from
Georges Mager.
He was a sidesman to
Lucky Millinder, touring with his band in the
segregated south
In the United States, racial segregation is the systematic separation of facilities and services such as housing, healthcare, education, employment, and transportation on racial grounds. The term is mainly used in reference to the legally or so ...
, where, not welcome at either "white" or "colored" establishments, he ended up sleeping on the tour bus.
Merian moved to
20th Century Fox Records
20th Century Fox Records (also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century Records, or simply 20th Century Fox Film Scores and Fox Records) was a wholly owned subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox. The history of the label covers three dis ...
in November 1958.
He later had his own band; one member of it was
Herb Phillips
Herbert Daly Phillips, known professionally as Herbie Phillips (April 20, 1935 – September 13, 1995), was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He spent much of his life working in Las Vegas. He played trumpet in bands led by Lou ...
.
His publications included the well known ''Trumpet Isometics''. He wrote an autobiography that was published in 2000.
Merian died on 15 August 2007, in
Sarasota, Florida.
Discography
As leader
* ''The Magic Horn'' (Decca)
As sideman
*
Specs Powell, ''
Movin' In
''Movin' In'' is a 2010 comedy film.
Plot
''Movin' In'' is a comedy about a young man from Switzerland who travels to Los Angeles to escape his dead-end life and to reconnect with a female pen pal with whom he has lost touch.
Everything falls ap ...
'' (Roulette, 1957)
*
Tito Puente, ''The Essential Tito Puente'' (RCA, 2005)
*
Pete Rugolo, ''
Rugolomania'' (Columbia, 1955)
Lucky Millinder Orchestra
With the
Lucky Millinder Orchestra
Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical ...
:
Gladys Bruce
With
Gladys Bruce
Gladys may refer to:
* Gladys (given name), people with the given name Gladys
* ''Gladys'' (album), a 2013 album by Leslie Clio
* ''Gladys'' (film), 1999 film written and directed by Vojtěch Jasný
* Gladys, Virginia, United States
* ''Gladys t ...
:
Alan Freed Rock 'n' Roll Band
Bibliography
* ''Trumpet Isometrics''
* ''Leon Merian, The Man Behind The Horn'', Leon Merian with Bill Bridges, Diem Publishing Co,
Bradenton, Florida, 2000, 287 pp.
References
External links
Obituary
1923 births
2007 deaths
American jazz trumpeters
{{Jazz-musician-stub