Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Paul Bascomb was born into a family with nine siblings on February 12, 1912 in Birmingham Alabama. From an early age he felt the urge to create music and by his late teens he was an accomplished clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. Attending Alabama State Teacher’s College he was a founding member of the Bama State Collegians, a respected regional swing band that stayed together from the mid-thirties on assuming leadership under Erskine Hawkins. Paul was a part of this band till the mid 40’s, save a stint with Count Basie’s band from 38-39. During this period he co-wrote the tune Tuxedo Junction with Hawkins but by 1945 left the band a co-led small combos with his brother Dud.

1946 saw Bascomb in New York recording with a small combo for Alert records. A year later he moved to the Jersey based Manor label recording a series of sides for them, went to the London label and recorded Pink Cadillac and in ’48 did a session with The Riffs who eventually became famous with King Pleasure.

In 1950 Paul relocated to the Midwest and began a long association with the Chicago and Detroit nightclubs where owners were allowing black and white musicians to play together. By 1952 he started recording extensively with United Records and later for Mercury as he ventured into the R&B world.

By the late fifties he demand changed and took a job with the city of Chicago. He returned to music in the late 70s, was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979, and played well into the 80s for well receiving European audiences. It was the last hurrah for tenor saxophonist Paul Bascomb, who passed away at 74 years old on December 2, 1986.

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