
Wendell P. Talbert (died 1950), better known as Wen Talbert and sometimes performing as the Sultan of Jazz, was an American pianist, cellist, and jazz bandleader.
Talbert attended
Wilberforce University and
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the latter for seven years.
Early in his career, Talbert was a member of the
Four Harmony Kings,
a vocal group that performed in the Broadway musical ''
Shuffle Along
''Shuffle Along'' is a musical composed by Eubie Blake, with lyrics by Noble Sissle, and a book written by the comedy duo Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles. One of the most notable all-Black hit Broadway shows, it was a landmark in African-America ...
'' (1921). He later led a band called Wen Talbert's Chocolate Fiends;
he was playing
vaudeville shows with the Fiends as of 1926, when they appeared at the
Pantages Theatre in San Francisco. During the 1920s, he recorded with
Rosa Henderson and
Lethia Hill.
In the 1930s, Talbert led the Negro Chorus of the
Federal Theatre Project
The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United ...
, which performed in several Federal Theatre productions including ''Bassa Moona'' and ''How Long Brethren?'' (1937), a dance by
Helen Tamiris
Helen Tamiris (born Helen Becker; April 24, 1905 – August 4, 1966) was an American choreographer, modern dancer, and teacher.
Biography
Tamiris was born in New York City on April 23, 1902. She adopted Tamiris, her stage name, from a fragment ...
. During World War II, he worked as a musical director of the
United Service Organizations.
Talbert was briefly married to
Florence Cole Talbert
Florence Cole Talbert-McCleave (born Florence Cole, June 17, 1890 – April 3, 1961), also known as Madame Florence Cole-Talbert, was an American operatic soprano, music educator, and musician. Called "The First Lady in Grand Opera" by the Nati ...
; they were separated as of 1916.
He died in 1950.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Talbert, Wen
1950 deaths
20th-century American musicians
Oberlin Conservatory of Music alumni
Vaudeville performers
Wilberforce University alumni
Year of birth missing