Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Theodore Malcolm Nash Sr. was born on October 31, 1922 in the Boston suburb of Somerville, Massachusetts. His goal was to become a classical flutist until he began playing saxophone in his early teens. He started playing professionally when he went on the road with a succession of dance bands. In 1944, he became tenor saxophonist for the Les Brown big band.

The late 1940s had him married and settling in Los Angeles, California where he became an active session musician in the Hollywood movie and television studios. In 1956, he recorded with Paul Weston’s orchestra the album Day by Day, with vocals by his former colleague and close friend, Doris Day.

He was the featured soloist on The Music from Peter Gunn soundtrack, performing the alto saxophone solo on the theme and on the second bridge of Dreamsville. Through the 1950s and 1960s, he worked as a sideman for June Christy, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Nancy Wilson. During the 1970s, he worked with Judy Collins and Quincy Jones.

Retiring in the 1980s, saxophonist, flutist and clarinetist Ted Nash Sr. died on May 12, 2011.

More Posts: clarinet,flute,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone