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Put Down The Horn: Jazz's Unlikely Singers

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MUSIC CLIP - OSCAR PETERSON, "MOONGLOW"

Welcome to Afterglow, I’m your host, Mark Chilla.

There is no shortage of great jazz singers out there, and on Afterglow, I try to highlight as many of the greats as I can. But what about those unlikely jazz singers? The ones who made their living playing horn, or piano, or drums… but when a microphone was put in front of them, they could sing as well as any of the greats? That’s what I’ll be focusing on this hour. Coming up, we’ll hear from some notable part-time singers, including Chet Baker, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, and Oscar Peterson.

It’s Put Down The Horn: Jazz’s Unlikely Singers, coming up next on Afterglow

MUSIC - CHET BAKER, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS"

From the album Chet Baker Sings and Plays from 1955, that was Chet Baker with “You Don’t Know What Love Is”

MUSIC CLIP - CHET BAKER, "MY OLD FLAME"

Mark Chilla here on Afterglow. On this show, we’re looking at jazz instrumentalists who, on occasion, stepped behind the microphone to sing. We’ll hear from a few unlikely singers this hour, including Buddy Rich and Roy Eldridge, but I want to start with one of the most famous examples, Chet Baker.

Chet Baker might actually be as famous as a singer as he is as a trumpeter, but the records that he plays trumpet on far outnumber those where he was a vocalist. In fact, Baker only sang on a few dozen songs in the mid-to-late 50s, and much less frequently past 1960 (possibly because he was plagued by injury and drug addiction for most of the later part of his career.)

Both Chet Baker’s trumpet tone and voice were hushed and mellow, a perfect example of the West Coast cool jazz sound. But his voice was something special. It was limited, for sure, but Baker had such vulnerability and innocence in his voice that it was nothing if not emotive. His sensitive singing style coupled with his good looks made him a hit among the ladies, although not everyone was a fan. The late jazz critic Nat Hentoff once wrote that Baker’s vocal prowess made “Rex Harrison sound like a bel canto virtuoso.” Harrison, if you recall, talked his way through the songs of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.

Here’s Chet Baker with the first tune he recorded on his first all-vocal record in 1954. This is Gershwin’s “But Not For Me,” on Afterglow

MUSIC - CHET BAKER, "BUT NOT FOR ME"

MUSIC - CHET BAKER, "I'M OLD FASHIONED"

Trumpeter Chet Baker, putting down the horn, and singing a few songs. That was the Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer song “I’m Old Fashioned” from his 1958 album It Could Happen to You. Before that, we heard him on one of his first vocal sides, the Gershwin tune “But Not For Me” from 1954.

Chet Baker once said “I don’t know whether I’m a trumpet player who sings or a singer who plays the trumpet. I love to do both.” Well, this hour, we’re exploring those jazz musicians who on occasion did both… play and sing.

This phenomenon of the “occasional” singer seemed to flourish in the big band era, when whichever horn player had the best voice got up from the bandstand to sing a song or two. That’s what happened with Glenn Miller’s saxophonist Tex Beneke, who not only played the solos on “In The Mood”... 

MUSIC CLIP - GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA, "IN THE MOOD"

…but also sang the solos on “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” And then there were also the instances where the bandleader himself would take up the role of the part-time vocalist, as was the case for clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman. 

Let’s hear some selections now from a few multitasking big band vocalists. First in this extended set is Tex Beneke and the Glenn Miller Orchestra with “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” on Afterglow.

MUSIC - GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA FEAT. TEX BENEKE, "CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO"

MUSIC - BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA, "TAIN'T NO USE"

MUSIC - STAN KENTON ORCHESTRA FEAT. RED NORRIS, "DO NOTHING TILL YOU HEAR FROM ME"

MUSIC - WOODY HERMAN, "I WON'T DANCE"

A few big band instrumentalists, taking their turn as singers. We just heard clarinetist and alto saxophonist Woody Herman singing “I Won’t Dance,” and leaving his instruments behind for a 1957 vocal album called Songs For Hip Lovers. Before that we heard Stan Kenton’s saxophonist Red Norris performing the Duke Ellington song “Do Nothing TIll You Hear From Me.” Before that, the very first vocal side for clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman. That was him  “apologetically” singing “T’Ain’t No Use,” in 1936, in the absence of his regular singer Helen Forrest. And starting that set, saxophonist Tex Beneke singing “Chattanooga Choo Choo” with Glenn Miller’s Orchestra.

While some instrumentalists took their part-time singing careers seriously, others seemed to sing just to have fun. Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is in that latter camp. He didn’t have any “vocal records” per se, but there exists a handful of tracks throughout his career where he sings, at least the best he can. These range from simply singing the title of the song, like in his bebop tune with Charlie Parker called “Salt Peanuts”

MUSIC CLIP - DIZZY GILLESPIE, “SALT PEANUTS”

…to him joking his way through a novelty song. Let’s hear one of those novelty numbers now.

Here’s Dizzy Gillespie with his sextet in 1959 performing “The Umbrella Man,” on Afterglow

MUSIC - DIZZY GILLESPIE, "THE UMBRELLA MAN"

From the album The Ebullient Mr. Gillespie, that was Dizzy Gillespie in 1959, with the 1930s British novelty song “The Umbrella Man.” We’ll have more of jazz’s unlikely singers in just a bit.

MUSIC CLIP - DIZZY GILLESPIE, "MOONGLOW"

I’m Mark Chilla, and you’re listening to Afterglow

MUSIC CLIP - DIZZY GILLESPIE, SONNY ROLLINS, AND SONNY STITT, "ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET"

MUSIC CLIP - BUDDY RICH TRIO, WITH LESTER YOUNG, "I WANT TO BE HAPPY"

Welcome back to Afterglow, I’m Mark Chilla. We’ve been exploring the jazz instrumentalists who have taken a turn behind the microphone as a singer this hour, hearing from such multi-talented musicians as Chet Baker and Dizzy Gillespie. Now, you may be noticing that I’m omitting some well-known singer/instrumentalists like Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Nat King Cole, Jack Teagarden, and Jack Sheldon—people who were known almost as much for their singing as their playing. Instead, I want to focus on those who only sang occasionally: those unlikely jazz singers.

You may only know Buddy Rich as the brash, energetic drummer from Tommy Dorsey’s band, but in the late 1950s, it was discovered that Rich also possessed a rich baritone voice, perfectly suited for ballad singing. Who knew? He recorded only a handful of vocal albums, among his finest is a set of all Johnny Mercer songs he made for Verve in 1956. 

Here are two tracks from that record now, beginning with the Mercer and Whiting song “Too Marvelous For Words,” on Afterglow.

MUSIC - BUDDY RICH, "TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS"

MUSIC - BUDDY RICH, "THIS TIME THE DREAM'S ON ME"

Drummer Buddy Rich, taking his turn as a ballad singer. That was “This Time The Dream’s On Me” and “Too Marvelous For Words,” both from the 1956 album Buddy Rich Sings Johnny Mercer.

Our next two part-time jazz singers also made their bread and butter in the rhythm section, but also happened to possess lovely voices that weren’t featured often enough. Kenny Burrell is considered one of the great guitarists from the jazz world, but his 1960 album Weaver Of Dreams also showcases his vocal talent, something that remained hidden both before and since. I’ll follow this up with a vocal side from pianist Oscar Peterson, who clearly was raised in the Nat King Cole school of pianists who can also sing. 

First, here’s Kenny Burrell with “The More I See You,” on Afterglow

MUSIC - KENNY BURRELL, "THE MORE I SEE YOU"

MUSIC - OSCAR PETERSON, "I'M GLAD THERE IS YOU"

Two jazz instrumentalists taking their shot behind the microphone. That was pianist Oscar Peterson, singing the Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Madeira tune “I’m Glad There Is You.” That’s from his album Romance: The Vocal Styling of Oscar Peterson, one of his very few vocal albums. Peterson apparently abandoned singing mostly because he was compared too often to Nat King Cole. Before that, guitarist Kenny Burrell from his one vocal album Weaver of Dreams from 1961, performing “The More I See You,” by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon.

Trumpeter Roy Eldridge is another one of jazz’s unlikely singers. Eldridge sang occasionally in the 1930s when he played with Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra, but then abandoned it altogether. That is until he suffered a stroke in 1970. Just before then, he had taken up residence at Jimmy Ryan’s jazz club in Manhattan. His health prevented him from playing too much trumpet, and not wanting to leave his new post, he began to sing more and more often.

Here’s Roy Eldridge with the Oscar Peterson Trio in 1975, singing and playing on “Making Whoopee,” on Afterglow.

MUSIC - ROY ELDRIDGE, "MAKIN' WHOOPEE"

Trumpeter Roy Eldridge singing and playing, alongside the Oscar Peterson Trio in 1975, with “Makin’ Whoopee.”

As I close off this hour of jazz instrumentalists turned occasional jazz singers, I must remind you that not every jazz instrumentalist was blessed with a velvet voice. Some, like trumpeter Clark Terry, simply had to work with what they had, which sometimes wasn’t much. 

Case in point, here’s Clark Terry again with the Oscar Peterson Trio, singing a blues song that he wrote simply titled “Mumbles,” on Afterglow.

MUSIC - CLARK TERRY, "MUMBLES"

Thanks for tuning in to this edition of Afterglow.

Afterglow is part of the educational mission of Indiana University, and produced by WFIU Public Radio in beautiful Bloomington, Indiana. The executive producer is John Bailey.

Playlists for this and other Afterglow programs are available on our website. That’s at indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow.

I’m Mark Chilla, inviting you to tune in next week for our mix of Vocal Jazz and popular song from the Great American Songbook on Afterglow

playsandsings

From left to right: drummer Buddy Rich, trumpeter Chet Baker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and pianist Oscar Peterson (Album Covers)

On this episode of Afterglow, I'm highlighting some jazz musicians who made their living playing horn, piano, or drums, but who could also sing when the occasion called for it. It's a look at jazz's part-time, unlikely singers, including trumpeter Chet Baker, drummer Buddy Rich, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Oscar Peterson, clarinetist Benny Goodman, trumpeter Roy Eldridge, guitarist Kenny Burrell, saxophonist Tex Beneke, clarinetist Woody Herman, and trumpeter Clark Terry.

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