Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Doc Severinsen was born Carl Hilding Severinsen on July 7, 1927 in Arlington, Oregon. Nicknamed “Little Doc” after his father who was a dentist, he originally wanted to play the trombone, which he discovered at neighbor Art Fletcher’s home, but his father urged him to study that instrument instead. Insisting on the trombone, he had to settle for the trumpet, as it was the only horn available in Arlington’s small music store. A week later, with the help of his father and a manual of instructions, the seven-year-old was good enough to be invited to join the high school band.

At the age of twelve, Severinsen won the Music Educator’s National Contest. While still in high school he was hired to go on the road with the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra, however, his stay with the group was cut short by the World War II draft. After serving in the Army he made his broadcasting debut playing live popular music on KODL radio in Dalles, Oregon.

In 1952 during Steve Allen’s tenure as host of the Tonight Show, Doc played first trumpet in the band directed by Skitch Henderson. He actually joined the band several months before Johnny Carson became host in October 1962. Severinsen took over as bandleader in 1967 and soon became noted for his flashy fashions. It gave him the opportunity to update many well-known swing music and jazz standards including classics by Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie and others.He remained the bandleader until Carson’s retirement in 1992.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Doc released a number of albums of jazz standards. He recorded with the Enoch Light Comand Records label, with Tito Puente, Clarke-Boland Big Band, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis band, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Henry Mancini and Don Caneva’s John Hersey High School Bands.

Over the course of his career he has conducted the Phoenix, Milwaukee Minnesota and Pacific orchestras, the Buffalo Philharmonic, his recording of Abblasen has been use as the theme for CBS’s Sunday Morning, he has scored films, co-wrote hit single with Mac Davis, was named Distinguished Visiting Professor of Music and Katherine K. Herberger Heritage Chair for Visiting Artists at Arizona State University. He still performs regularly with the San Miguel 5 playing gypsy jazz, Latin, American ballads and classical Spanish styles.

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