Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Charles Cyril Creath was born on December 30, 1890 in Ironton, Missouri and at an early age was playing in traveling circuses and in theater bands in the decade of the 1900s. He moved back to St. Louis, Missouri around 1919 and there he led bands playing on the Streckfus company’s riverboats traveling on the Mississippi River between New Orleans, Louisiana and St. Louis.
His ensembles became so popular that he had several bands under his own name at one time in the 1920s. A young Gene Sedric, later a mainstay of Fats Waller’s combo and orchestra, played with Creath on riverboats in the 1920s, and perhaps early 1930s. He co-led a group on the SS Capitol in 1927 with Fate Marable.
Late in the 1920s Charlie suffered from an extended illness, and primarily played saxophone and accordion instead of trumpet afterwards. He and Marable played together again from 1935 to 1938, and toward the end of the decade he opened a nightclub in Chicago, Illinois. He worked in an airplane manufacturing plant during World War II and retired in 1945. His last years were plagued with illness.
Aside from his brother-in-law, Zutty Singleton, members of Creath’s bands included Ed Allen, Pops Foster, Jerome Don Pasquall, Leonard Davis, and Lonnie Johnson. He recorded as a leader for Okeh Records between 1924 and 1927 billed as Chas. Creath’s Jazz-O-Maniacs, which were some of the hottest and most collectable jazz items recorded for OKeh’s race 8000 series.
Trumpeter, saxophonist, accordionist and bandleader Charlie Creath passed away on October 23, 1951, in Chicago.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Willie James Humphrey was born on December 29, 1900 in New Orleans, Louisiana into a musical family, the son of prominent local clarinetist and music teacher Willie Eli Humphrey. His brothers Earl and Percy also became well known professional musicians.
After establishing himself with such New Orleans bands as the Excelsior and George McCullum’s band, Humphrey traveled north, playing with Lawrence Duhé, and King Oliver in Chicago, Illinois. In the 1920s he made his first recordings in St. Louis, Missouri.
Returning to New Orleans, he played for many years with the Eureka and Young Tuxedo Brass bands, the bands of Paul Barbarin and Sweet Emma Barrett, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Clarinetist Willie Humphrey, whose playing remained vigorous and continued to grow more inventive in his old age, passed away at 93 on June 7, 1994.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
René Compère was born in Brussels, Belgium on December 28, 1906 in and by the time he was 17 he was working with the Billy Smith Brussels-based band. He then went on to found his own ensemble, the New Royal Dance Orchestra. However, as a member of Smith’s group, he met Charles Remue, with whom he worked for several years and Jean Omer who also played in Compère’s orchestra.
He recorded with Fernand Coppieters in 1929, then joined Josephine Baker’s backing band for several European tours in the first half of the 1930s. He was hired to play aboard the ship SS Normandie for transatlantic voyages. In 1937 he played at the Paris Exposition with Django Reinhardt, then worked in France with Joe Bouillon and in Belgium with Joe Heyne. During World War II he recorded with Eddie Tower.
Trumpeter René Compère, who never recorded as a leader, passed away on April 24, 1969 in his hometown.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Johnny Frigo was born on December 27, 1916 in Chicago, Illinois and studied violin for three years beginning at age seven. In high school he started to play double bass in dance orchestras. In 1942 he played with Chico Marx’s orchestra and performed a comedy routine on violin with Marx on piano.
Entering the United States Coast Guard during World War II, he played in an Ellis Island band with Al Haig and Kai Winding. After his brief turn at active service near the end of the war he moved to New Jersey and from 1945 to 1947 he toured with Jimmy Dorsey’s band. He later formed the Soft Winds trio with Dorsey’s guitarist Herb Ellis and pianist Lou Carter. During this time he wrote the music and lyrics to Detour Ahead and I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out.
In 1951, returning to Chicago, Johnny primarily worked as a studio bassist and arranger. He also led the band at Mr. Kelly’s, and until 1960 he played fiddle hoedowns and novelties with the Sage Riders, WLS radio house band for the National Barn Dance. Then in 1961 WGN revived the show and he played with the Sage Riders for another fourteen years.
He went on to work with Chicago jazz vocalist Anita O’Day in live and studio recordings. In the mid-1980s Frigo largely abandoned playing bass and concentrated on violin. He performed as a jazz violinist at festivals worldwide. Frigo also was a published poet and artist and played flugelhorn. He wrote and performed the 1969 Chicago Cubs fight song Hey Hey, Holy Mackerel.
Violinist and bassist Johnny Frigo, who was also a composer, lyricist, published poet and artist, passed away of cancer on July 4, 2007 at age 90.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
William Fredrick Bean was born on December 26, 1933 into a musical family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother played the piano, his father was an amateur singer and guitarist, and his sister sang professionally. He started on guitar at the age of twelve.
His father taught him some of the basics on guitar before he received lessons from Howard Herbert. He went on to study with Dennis Sandole for a year. During the late 1940s and 1950s, he performed at venues in the Philadelphia area, until in the mid-Fifties he moved to New York City and recorded with Charlie Ventura and Red Callender. By 1958 he was moving to the West Coast and settling in Los Angeles, California to record for Decca. In Los Angeles, he worked with Buddy Collette, Paul Horn, John Pisano, Bud Shank, Milt Bernhart, Les Elgart, Herb Geller, Lorraine Geller, Calvin Jackson, and Zoot Sims.
Returning to New York City in 1959 after accepting Tony Bennett’s offer to join his band, Bean remained with Bennett’s band for less than one year. Hal Gaylor, who had been Bennett’s bassist, assembled a trio with Bean and pianist Walter Norris, calling themselves The Trio. They recorded an album for Riverside Records in 1961. Finding it difficult to find work, the trio disbanded shortly after recording.
Bean performed with Stan Getz, Herbie Mann, and John Lewis, recording albums with Mann and Lewis. He co-led six recording albums and another 16 as a sideman. Returning to his hometown of Philadelphia, guitarist Billy Bean retired in 1986, and passed away on February 6, 2012.
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