Nathan Peck (January 13, 1925 – October 24, 2015) 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 ...

trombonist.

Early life

Peck was born in New York City on January 13, 1925. His father was a cinema projectionist. Peck began playing the trombone as a teenager.

Later life and career

After leaving high school Peck was drafted into the army and became part of

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

's band. He remained with the band until after World War II ended. He played with

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 teacher ...

in 1947. He studied classical music at the

Paris Conservatory The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

from 1949 to 1951, while playing and recording with leading jazz musicians such as Coleman Hawkins (1949), James Moody (1949–50), and

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...

(1950). In the 1950s Peck played on television in New York, and in 1953 he recorded 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 improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

. Peck shuttled between Paris and New York until 1957, when he married dancer Vera Tietz and settled in France. In France, Peck played with

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, jazz pianist, and singer. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to ma ...

, André Hodeir and

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 ...

. Peck spent some time in England and Germany, working as a staff musician at Sender Freies Berlin and playing with

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

and the Clarke-Boland Big Band (1963–69). He relocated to London in 1965, where he became active in the studios, film, and television. He played with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

in 1970–72 and with Peter Herbolzheimer in 1979. Latterly, Peck worked mainly as a contractor with his company, London Studio Orchestras. While this led to him ending his playing career, he shifted his talents to putting together the best blend of session musicians that he could find. 'The Italian Job', 'Yentl', 'The 3 Muskateers', and many more great films, especially with French composers Michel Legrand and Philippe Sarde. He died on October 24, 2015.Nat Peck, jazz trombonist - obituary
/ref> His death left trumpeter

Ray Anthony Ray Anthony (born Raymond Antonini; January 20, 1922) is an American retired bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor. He is the last living member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Biography Anthony was born to an Italian family in Bentleyv ...

as the last living member of Glenn Miller's band.

Discography

With the

Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band The Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band was a jazz big band co-led by American drummer Kenny Clarke and Belgian pianist François "Francy" Boland. They were one of the most noteworthy jazz big bands formed outside the United States, featuring top ...

*'' Jazz Is Universal'' (Atlantic, 1962) *'' Handle with Care'' (Atlantic, 1963) *'' Now Hear Our Meanin''' (Columbia, 1963

965 Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tarsus and Mopsuestia. The Muslim resid ...

*'' Swing, Waltz, Swing'' (Philips, 1966) *'' Sax No End'' (SABA, 1967) *'' Out of the Folk Bag'' (Columbia, 1967) *'' 17 Men and Their Music'' (Campi, 1967) *'' All Smiles'' (MPS, 1968) *''

Faces The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect the ...

'' (MPS, 1968) *''

Latin Kaleidoscope ''Latin Kaleidoscope'' is an album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring performances recorded in Germany in 1968 and released on the MPS label in Europe and also released in the US on Prestige Records. Reception AllMusic awarde ...

'' (MPS, 1968) *'' Fellini 712'' (MPS, 1969) *''

All Blues "All Blues" is a jazz composition by Miles Davis that first appeared on the influential 1959 album ''Kind of Blue''. In the original liner notes, pianist Bill Evans describes the piece as "a 6/8 12-measure blues form that produces its mood throug ...

'' (MPS, 1969) *'' More Smiles'' (MPS, 1969) *'' Clarke Boland Big Band en Concert avec Europe 1'' (Tréma, 1969

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as far south as Germany and Korea. Euro ...

*'' Off Limits'' (Polydor, 1970) *'' November Girl'' (Black Lion, 1970

975 Year 975 ( CMLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor John I raids Mesopotamia and invades Syria, using the Byzantine base at Antioch to pres ...

with

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretati ...

With

*'' Dizzy Digs Paris'' (Giant Steps, 1953

006 Alec Trevelyan is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye,'' portrayed by actor Sean Bean. Bean's likeness was also used as the model for Alec Trevelyan in the 1997 video game '' GoldenEye 007' ...

References

External links

Peck featured
on BBC radio's '' Last Word'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Peck, Nat American jazz trombonists American male trombonists Musicians from New York (state) 1925 births 2015 deaths American male jazz musicians Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band members Glenn Miller Orchestra members United States Army personnel of World War II