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.

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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