JP Jazz Archive /Redferns. He was identified with such tunes as I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues, St. In the Pollack band, in particular, he worked with some of the most famous jazzmen of the time, including Benny Goodman, Bud Freeman and Jimmy McPartland. From that moment he was the acknowledged master of his idiom. Looks like we don't have interesting facts information. 1940. Updated April 25, 2019 - Doug Ramsey. It was a steady, well-paying job, for which Teagarden was apparently grateful; he seems to have been perpetually unlucky with both women and money, and had already experienced some personal financial problems. My cymbalom player was truly a fine artist but he did not protest his ignoble reduction to book binding. What he did that day with a trombone became part of the living legend of Teagarden, a feat that replaced the amused smiles with a deep respect that has been felt since by nearly every jazz buff who ever heard Teagarden jamming his special kind of music. While still in his childhood he moved to Oklahoma. Jack Teagarden, byname of John Weldon Teagarden, (born August 20, 1905, Vernon, Texas, U.S.died January 15, 1964, New Orleans, Louisiana), American jazz trombonist, unique because he developed a widely imitated style that appeared to have arrived fully formed. Performer: JACK TEAGARDEN And His Orchestra; Jack Teagarden Writer: Victor Young; Joseph Young; Ned Washington Fox Trot ; Vocal Chorus by. Lots of clips of Jack, including home movies, as well as interviews with musicians who worked with him, . All the music I've played has finally paid off, he said. He made his first recording in 1927 as a member of the Kentucky Grasshoppers, an offshoot of Pollacks group. The Teagarden brothers (Jack and trumpeter Charlie) are generally considered the only interesting jazzmen to have been part of it, and yet Jack also felt a little out of the limelight. "@type": "Person", What he heardhelped shape his style. Teagarden was also an excellent singer and developed a respected blues vocal style. Jack Teagardens most important recordings include the recording with Benny Goodman of Basin Street Blues, with Teagarden on both trombone and vocals, which included extra lyrics written by himself and Glenn Miller that later became a standard (and usually unattributed) part of the song lyrics. After years of hard touring and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, for one, calls him the finest of all jazz trombonists.. With their eyes, their movements, their notes, each inspires the other to sound new depths, to scale new heights. Jack Teagarden Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 - January 15, 1964), known as "Big T" and "The Swingin' Gate", was an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, regarded as the "Father of Jazz Trombone". It was studded with many highlights. Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Although he once sang a blues line that testified he was born in Texas and raised in Tennessee. Among his most famous recordings areThe Sheik of Araby, Stars Fell on AlabamaandBasin Street Blues. Teagarden was one of the musicians on the first interracial recording session, organized by Condon. New Orleans-style trombonists tended to play in the lower range of the instrument, where it is simply impossible to change notes as quickly as a trumpet or clarinet does; entire arms cant move as fast as a single finger. Teagarden was not a successful band leader, which may explain why he is not as widely known as some other jazz trombonists, but his unusual singing style . Each position causes the instrument to be a slightly different length, and the instrument can play a (different) harmonic series at each length. Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories and includes a local jazz events calendar. After Teagardens band failed, Bing Crosby brought him back to New York, and he eventually joined Louis Armstrongs All-Stars in 1946-47 as a featured soloist. His nickname was Little T. Born in Vernon, Texas, Teagarden worked locally in Oklahoma before he and Jack joined Ben Pollack's Orchestra in 1929. The musicians thought he was some kind of gag. James Infirmary, and W. C. Handy's Beale Street Blues. But like most blues singers, he was capable also of improvising a lyric if the moment was right. Teagarden was born in 1905 in Vernon, Texas. In past due 1933, when it appeared as though jazz could not capture on commercially, he authorized a five-year agreement with Paul Whiteman. Jack said, When I blow a big noise out of that old horn, then I feel peaceful. Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Its a rare day when he opens his trombone case and hauls out his horn without moving a book or two on electronics or some phase of mechanics out of the way first. Beginning on trombone at age seven, Teagarden was entirely self-taught. His father was an amateur brass band trumpeter and started him on baritone horn; by age seven he had switched to trombone. Corrections? He places placards, printed at his own expense, on tables wherever he appears as a player but not a singer. Jacks fluency on the trombone has continued to amaze everyone. June 1934. The fact that the 56-year-old singer-musician has survived the chameleon-like disposition of the public is largely due to the tremendous impact of his personalitystrong-jawed, smiling, and graciously charming. 78_somebody-loves-me_eddie-condon-and-his-orchestra-jack-teagarden-bobby-hackett-billy_gbia0195458b Location USA Scanner Internet Archive Python library 1.9.0 Scanningcenter George Blood, L.P. He performed with Eddie Condon, Bix BeideIbecke, Paul Whiteman, the Dorsey brothers, Bob Crosby, Eddie Lang, Peck Kelley, and others. [2] In late 1951, Teagarden left to again lead his own band. This may be overstatement, but it does underscore a fact that all sources seem to agree on; like his trombone style, his singing style seems to have been both uniquely his own and authentic bluesy jazz. [2] According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 1940s and "one of the best jazz singers too". Pollack's recordings were Teagarden's first. To a guy like Jack, I suspect that was more important than almost anything else in the world. He wouldnt be Jack Teagarden if it came out any other way. Besides his brother Charlie. January 30, 2023 Louis Armstrong, himself in poor health, was so grief-stricken at Teagardens death, Atwell says, that his doctors forced him to bed and wouldnt allow him to attend the funeral. something many trombonists emulated. Jack Teagarden played trombone with a relaxed style and a unique He was just downing the dregs of it when the door of the dive opened and in burst a very cute little blond. [2] In the mid-1920s he started traveling widely around the United States in a quick succession of different bands. The band featured Teagarden on trombone, brother Charlie on trumpet and Frank Trumbauer on sax as The Three Ts.. All these guys include legendary musicians like Bigard, Earl Hines, Bing and Bob Crosby, the Dorsey brothers, and even Walt Disney, who shared Teagardens lifelong love of steam engines and model railroads. Hit hard by both the war and the competition from bebop, several of the more famous big bands called it quits in 1946, and so did Teagarden. In 1947, he left the bigband business entirely, playing in ensuing years with Louis Armstrong and with groups he himself headed. These days, he leads his own combo, one he has traveled successfully with to the Far East for the U.S. State Department. [3] Teagarden's early career was as a sideman with the likes of Paul Whiteman and lifelong friend Louis Armstrong. One such occasion was recounted by Jimmy McPartland in Hear Me Talkin to Ya, a book telling the story of jazz in the words of the musicians who live it. Among the vintage giants of jazz, Jack port Teagarden had not been only the very best pre-bop trombonist (taking part in his instrument using the simple a trumpeter) but one of the better jazz performers too. Jack Teagarden was a famous jazz trombone player. No accompanist, just neat. He sang like he played, one observer said, in a smooth, sleepy Texas drawl. Two sons from his marriage, Jack Jr. and Gilbert became musicians. He was 58, the wire story said, and he had run up a lot of mileage since the year he left Texas at 15. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. From 1947 to 1951 he toured with the Louis Sep. 8, 2021. He About 1923 he briefly attempted to enter the oilfield business in Wichita Falls but soon gave up the venture and returned to music. Having grown up in an area with a large black population, Teagarden developed an early appreciation of black music, especially the blues and gospel He was one of the first jazz musicians to incorporate blue notes into his playing. Miller and Teagarden collaborated to provide lyrics and a verse to Spencer Williams' "Basin Street Blues", which in that amended form became one of the numbers that Teagarden played until the end of his days. Teagarden had a mechanical bent and a life-long interest in tinkering with things, and he invented the water glass mute effect, in which the bell section of the trombone is removed and an empty water glass placed over the end of the instrument tubing (of the mouthpiece section). He After drifting across the Southwest, he eventually arrived in New York City in 1927 and made his recording debut. He performed with Eddie Condon, Bix Beiderbecke, Paul Whiteman, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Bob Crosby, Eddie Lang, and many others. In New York, Teagarden became enthralled by Harlems black nightclubs, where he was often invited to join late-night jam sessions. In 1931, Teagardens early orchestra recorded the tune Chances Are with Fats Waller playing piano and Jack singing and playing trombone. I asked, Do your really want a fur coat that much?, She stared and then she laughed bitterly. So my Hungarian friend went on the book-binding project but he toted his cymbalom along and the book bindery became the most melodious WPA project that never got off the ground. His tonewas unbridled, rich and raw.. At various times in teagardens career, his siblings played in the same band. But perhaps the best introduction to Teagarden at his most brilliantly melodic, Williams wrote, Is a solo on Pennies from Heaven that he played with Louis Armstrong at a concert at New Yorks Town Hall (RCA Victor, LPM 1443). In addition, he was an inventor, redesigning mouthpieces, mutes, and watervalves and inventing a new musical slide rule. Jack spent considerable time as a youth listening to the music and the hymn singing at Negro religious meetings. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Unfortunately, this band also cannot really be considered a success. The Texas town in which Teagarden grew up had a large black population, and he must have heard spirituals, work songs, and blues from a very early age; in fact, revivals were commonly held within earshot of his home. Teagardens first vocal recording was made with Condon, and also the first recording featuring his use of a water glass as a mute. I have run into Jack from time to time, because he never did stop blowing that big sliphorn and he never did stop going to night clubs. His technique was almost entirely selftaught; until he was 14, his parents kept him isolated from other musicians and even from other children interested in music. "image": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/e0e7e2a4dbeb66bf0ce1964893bdd.jpg", Although it was not as important an influence as his trombone playing, Jack Teagardens approach to singing was also unique and influential. He has a disposition as easy-going as the languid phrases he blows so often, and as sunny as the warm grin which cracks his face into scores of merry wrinkles. I got to keep moving., Finally, in the sixth successive joint, I demurred. I dont want a coat, she wailed. I tried to get him on the WPA symphony where he deserved to be but the stinking little bureaucrat who directed the symphony refused to recognize the cymbalom as a civilized instrument. Structural Info Facts Pictures Filmography Known for movies Although he never achieved commercial success, he retained his full powers until the end of his life. In 1938 he left Whitemans band to form his own. This is a Teagarden album like nothing else in his 40-year discography. See the article in its original context from. His widow, Addie, a pioneer woman aviator and big band manager, eventually moved from Broward to South Dade, and then back to Fort Lauderdale, where she lived with Atwell until she died penniless in 1997. Weve been hearing a lot about you. In 1939, Jack port Teagarden was finally free of charge and he shortly put together a huge band that could last until 1946. Sorry! Musical Family. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Well, I took her back to Jacks hotel and I have never, come to think of it, seen the lady since. Yet much as people like the easy-going Big T, they like even more the music that, hour after hour, pours languid, unaffected, strangely absorbed, andsometimeslonesome and full of plain earthy sadness, into a thousand city nights.. . It was this background that was probably the greatest influence on all of Teagardens work, both vocal and instrumental, and his use of the blues idiom was so convincing that Fletcher Henderson apparently suspected that Teagarden was colored. and inventing a new musical slide rule. 29, 1905, Teagarden learned trombone by the age of 10. After departing Armstrong, Teagarden was a head of a progressively working sextet through the entire remainder of his profession, playing Dixieland with such talented music artists as sibling Charlie, trumpeters Jimmy McPartland, Don Goldie, Potential Kaminsky, and (throughout a 1957 Western european tour) pianist Earl Hines. Born in Vernon, TX in 1905, trombonist and singer John Weldon "Jack" Teagarden was the most accomplished and ultimately best-known member of a very musical family. Crosby helped Teagarden deal with his financial complications, and from 1947-1951 he was a celebrity sideman with Louis Armstrongs All-Stars; their collaborations on Rocking Seat are traditional. In addition, he has won legions of musicians as fans, not only because of his playing but also because of his untiring battle against the percent tax, which has kept him from singing at many club engagements in the last decade. As mentioned above, by the summer of 1928, Teagarden was playing with Ben Pollacks orchestra, and he stayed with Pollack, performing and recording, for nearly five years. Using alternate positions and an embouchure that was apparently extremely flexible (meaning he could change the pitch of a note using only small changes in his lips, mouth, and face muscles), Teagarden could play in the way that appealed to him. Mr. Teagarden was christened Weldon John, but he was known to jazz fans as Jack or or Big Gate or Big T (to distinguish him from his brother, Charlie, a trumpeter, who was known as Little T). 1936. Another interesting aspect of the recordings of this period is that they show very clearly that, unlikely many other jazz musicians of the time, Teagarden was a true improviser, giving notably different solos on different takes of the same piece " even when the recordings were made on the same day. With abuse heaped upon him, Teagarden became the first white musician to travel on the road with an all-black band. Made in 1962, precisely two years before his death, it reflects much that was important about the man and musician; the uncanny precision and languorous passion of his trombone playing, the intimacy . This article about a United States jazz musician is a stub. See also Traveling with Teagardens band, with her mother as band manager, Atwell remembers 21 straight days of one-night stands, playing in three states in one week, driving as much as 300 miles to play the next nights engagement. } Atwell, divorced and mother of four children, moved from California to join them. He is generally considered the greatest jazz trombonist ever. Jack Teagarden discography and songs: Music profile for Jack Teagarden, born 20 August 1905. While still in His birthplace was Vernon, Texas, and the date was August 20, 1905. We had to agree with Pee Wee, wed never heard anyone play trombone like that. His brother Charlie was a fine trumpeter, sister Norma could tear up a piano, and Clois Lee "Cub" Teagarden played drums on some of Jack's Columbia recordings in 1939. But they could not keep him from sitting on a fence near his home and listening to theNegroes singing in a church next door. The listener knows she is in the presence of something rare and wondrous and magical two spirits soaring to the beat of one drummer, a drummer no one else can hear. Trombonist Jack Teagarden, right, records with Louis Armstrong, left, in 1948. All four Teagarden children became prominent musicians. [2], Teagarden sought financial security during the Great Depression and signed an exclusive contract to play for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra from 1933 through 1938. Privacy Policy | We do not sell or share your personal information | 2023 All About Jazz & Jazz Near You . She became a fighter for integration in Broward in the 60s, and active in civic affairs. His father, an amateur comet player, worked in the oilfields, and his mother was a local piano instructor and church organist. Teagarden particularly made some noteworthy contributions while working at this time with Eddie Condon. small band for the most of his career. My Jack Teagarden Research at the IJS. It was the first time I became aware of segregation, she says. Sorry! He was an admired recording artist, featured on RCA Victor, Columbia, Decca, Capitol, and MGM discs. Come to think of it, that sounds like Jack. Reset your passwordClick the eye to show your password. Jack Teagarden. Fine, we said. Tony Weitzel, Chicago Daily News, January 17, 1964. After leaving Armstrong in 1951, Teagarden worked with his own By 14, Teagarden was playing professionally. Weldon Leo Teagarden was born in Texas and raised in Oklahoma. T. documented frequently numerous groups including systems going by Roger Wolfe Kahn, Eddie Condon, Crimson Nichols, and Louis Armstrong (Knockin a Jug). TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. "@context": "https://schema.org", Always an innovator, Teagarden made history by removing the body of his horn and, using only his slide and mouthpiece, played an empty water glass stuck on the end of the tubing. Jack said, Lets get out of here. Nevertheless, it had been rather past due to be arranging a fresh orchestra (your competition was brutal) and, although there have been the right musical moments, non-e from the sidemen became popular, the preparations lacked their very own musical character, and by enough time it split up Teagarden was facing personal bankruptcy. Weldon Leo (Jack) Teagarden, jazz musician, known also as Jackson T., Mr. T, and Big Gate, was born in Vernon, Texas, on August 20, 1905, to Charles and Helen (Geinger) Teagarden. Jack Teagarden: Think Well of Me. Tall, gangling, his horn wrapped in newspaper, Teagarden asked for an audition. This has a practical effect on trombone playing: in the lower register of the instrument, there are fewer notes in any given position, and often only one position in which a note can be played. Many critics believe that Teagardens best years were over when he left Armstrong in 1951 to form his own group. 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