Louis Metcalf (February 28, 1905 - October 27, 1981)
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 who played for a short time 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 ...
.
Early life
Metcalf was born in
Webster Groves, Missouri
Webster Groves is an inner-ring Greater St. Louis, suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 24,010 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
The city is home to the main campus of Webster Universit ...
, United States.
As a youth he first trained on the drums but switched over to cornet permanently. As a teenager in
St. Louis,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
he played with
Charlie Creath.
Career
Metcalf moved to New York City in 1923 and participated in the fertile jazz scene there, playing with such musicians as
Willie "The Lion" Smith,
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe ( Lemott, later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz ...
,
Benny Carter and
King Oliver.
In 1926, Duke Ellington hired Metcalf to play in his seminal orchestra,
where his mellow tone contrasted with
Bubber Miley's. In the 1930s, Metcalf led his own bands and joined
Fletcher Henderson's.
In 1946, Metcalf moved to
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada, and formed the International Band, the first to play the nascent
bebop
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...
style in Canada. Under his leadership the Café Saint-Michel was the hub of the jazz scene in Montreal for a few years, with local musicians such as the young
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...
and visiting Americans such as
Art Pepper
Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...
,
Fats Navarro and
Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians.
In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...
sitting in with the band.
A drug bust prompted Metcalf to return to New York City in 1951. He released an album entitled ''I've Got The Peace Brother Blues'' in 1966, where he demonstrated that his style had indeed evolved since his days with Ellington.
Death
Metcalf was less active after falling ill in 1968 and died in 1981.
Metcalf was survived by his wife, Shirley Metcalf, and his children, Louis Metcalf, Charles Metcalf, Jay Metcalf, Patrick Metcalf, and Savannah Metcalf.
References
1905 births
1981 deaths
People from Webster Groves, Missouri
American jazz trumpeters
American male trumpeters
Duke Ellington Orchestra members
20th-century American musicians
Jazz musicians from Missouri
American male jazz musicians
20th-century American male musicians
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