Daily Dose Of Jazz

Sid Phillips was born Isador Simon Phillips on June 14, 1907 in London, England into a Jewish family. He learned violin and piano as a child, and played reeds in his teens as a member of his brother’s European band. He got his start in the music business as a publisher and director for Edison Bell.

In 1930, Phillips began writing arrangements for Bert Ambrose, and joined Ambrose’s ensemble in 1933, remaining there until 1937. Towards the end of the decade he was playing in the United States on radio and freelancing in clubs.

During World War II, Sid served in the Royal Air Force, then put together his own quartet in 1946 and wrote several pieces for the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He led a Dixieland jazz band of his own formation from 1949, and his sidemen variously included George Shearing, Colin Bailey, Tommy Whittle, and Kenny Ball.

Phillips’s first recordings under his own name were made in 1928. In 1937 through 1938, a number of his recordings were issued in the United States, through a contract he signed with Irving Mills and issued on Mills’ Variety label, as well as Vocalion, Brunswick and Columbia labels, though most of his recordings were made in England.

Clarinetist, arranger and bandleader Sid Phillips, who continued to record as a leader well into the 1970s, passed away on May 23, 1973 at aged 65 in Chertsey, Surrey, England.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

William T. Lewis, born Willie Meria Tawlton Lewis on June 10, 1905 in Cleburne, Texas. Growing up in Dallas, Texas and played in variety shows as a teen. He attended the New England Conservatory of Music, then played in Will Marion Cook’s orchestra. When Cook’s band was taken over by Sam Wooding, he traveled with him on his tours of Europe, South America, and North Africa, remaining until Wooding disbanded the orchestra in 1931.

Following this he put together his own band, Willie Lewis and His Entertainers. They featured some of Wooding’s old players and played to great success in Europe. Among those who played in his band were Herman Chittison, Benny Carter, Bill Coleman, Garnet Clark, Bobby Martin, and June Cole. His Entertainers recorded for French label Disques Swing.

In 1941 Willie disbanded the Entertainers and returned to New York City. He played sparsely after this but found some work as an actor, but took up bartending as his fortunes declined.

Clarinetist and bandleader Willie Lewis passed away on January 13, 1971 in New York City, at age 65.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

John W. Russell was born on June 4, 1909 in Charlotte, North Carolina but was raised in New York City. He began on violin at age nine, later picking up saxophone and clarinet. He played in both capacities with Jimmy Campbell in 1926, then worked at the Strand Danceland under Earle Howard.

While continuing to play violin in live settings, there are no known recordings of him as a violinist. In the early 1930s after working with Harry White, he replaced Chu Berry in Benny Carter’s ensemble in 1933-34, then joined up with Willie Bryant in 1935-36. Johnny toured with Bobby Martin’s orchestra in Europe in 1938, and played with this group on the soundtrack to the 1938 Erich von Stroheim film, L’alibi; it is for his solos in this recording that he is best known.

Following this Russell remained in Europe to play with Willie Lewis from 1939 to 1941. Upon his return to the U.S. he played with Garvin Bushell briefly before being drafted. He played in military bands, including Russell Wooding’s, during World War II, then played following the war with Cecil Scott in 1945 and Eddie Cornelius.

Tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and violinist Johnny Russell, who stopped playing full-time later in the 1940s, but occasionally did club dates later in his life,  passed away on July 26, 1991 in New York City.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Orie Frank Trumbauer was born on May 30, 1901 in Carbondale, Illinois, Trumbauer grew up in St Louis, Missouri, the son of a musical mother who directed saxophone and theater orchestras. His first important professional engagements were with the Edgar Benson and Ray Miller bands, shortly followed by the Mound City Blue Blowers, a local group that became nationally famous through their recordings on Brunswick.

Trumbauer recruited Bix Beiderbecke for Jean Goldkette’s Victor Recording Orchestra, of which he became musical director. After leaving Goldkette, he and Beiderbecke worked briefly in Adrian Rollini’s short lived New Yorkers band, then joined Paul Whiteman in 1927. In 1927, he signed a contract with OKeh and released a 78 recording of Singin’ the Blues. Originally recorded and released by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1920, the Okeh recording became a smash hit. Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra would record it in 1931 in the Trumbauer-Beiderbecke version.

He played with Whiteman for eight of the following nine years. Frank had a separate contract with OKeh from 1927 through 1930, where he recorded some of the most legendary small group jazz recordings of the era with Brunswick, Columbia, and Victor.

Leading The Three T’s, featuring the Teagarden brothers in 1936, two years later  he and Mannie Klein co-led a band. In 1940 he left music to use his pilot skills to join the Civil Aeronautics Authority.  Frank became a test pilot during World War II he was a test pilot with North American Aviation, and trained military crews in the operation of the B-25 Mitchell bomber. He continued to work for the CAA after the war, and also played in the NBC Orchestra. After 1947, although he continued to play and record, he earned most of his income in aviation.

Saxophonist, bassoonist, clarinetist and composer Frank Trumbauer, who was the influence for Lester Young, passed away of a sudden heart attack on  June 11, 1956 in Kansas City, Missouri, age 55.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Albert Nicholas was born on May 27, 1900 in New Orleans, Louisiana and his  primary instrument was the clarinet, which he studied with Lorenzo Tio in his hometown of New Orleans. Late in the 1910s he played with Buddy Petit, King Oliver, and Manuel Perez.

Spending three years in the Merchant Marines, he then joined Oliver in Chicago, Illinois from 1925 to 1927. After time in East Asia and Egypt, he returned to New York City in 1928 and played with Luis Russell until 1933. During this time in the city Albert played with Red Allen, Charlie Holmes, and J. C. Higginbotham. He would later play with Chick Webb, and Louis Armstrong with Russell and Jelly Roll Morton.

The Dixieland jazz revival of the late 1940s reinvigorated his career, playing with Art Hodes, Bunk Johnson, and Kid Ory. Nicholas had a regular gig with Ralph Sutton in 1948. In 1953 he moved to France and except for recording sessions in the U.S. in 1959-60, he remained there for the rest of his life.

Clarinetist Albert Nicholas, who was active from his teen years until his death, passed away on September 3, 1973 in Base, Switzerland.

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