Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Alphonse “Alphonso” Trent was born on August 24, 1905 in Fort Smith, Arkansas and played piano from childhood, working in local bands in Arkansas through his youth.

He led his first band in the mid-1920s, possibly as early as 1923. In 1924 he played with Eugene Cook’s Synco Six, then took over leadership of the band until 1934. They played mostly in the American South and Midwest, as well as on steamboats.

Despite success in New York around 1930, Trent chose not to work further on the East Coast. He left music in the mid-1930s but returned with another band in 1938. His sidemen included Terrence Holder, Alex Hill, Stuff Smith, Snub Mosley, Charlie Christian, Sweets Edison, Mouse Randolph, and Peanuts Holland.

 As a leader he only recorded eight sides: four in 1928, two in 1930, and two in 1933. His small recorded legacy has made him a somewhat obscure figure today, but the sophistication of his arrangements and the precision with which they were executed inspired awe in contemporaries.

Pianist and territory band leader Alphonso Trent, who performed in the biggest and finest hotels in the South, died on October 14, 1959.

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