Artist:Red Rodney
Song:Red Wig
Album:Prestige First Sessions Vol. 3
Trumpeter Red Rodney is best known as part of Charlie Parker's band during a key period. But he also recorded his own great music and made a comeback in the 80s. He was born Sept. 27, 1927 in Philadelphia. He started out as a teen in various big bands emulating his idol Harry James. Hearing Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker inspired him to embrace the bebop sound. After stints with Gene Krupa, Claude Thornhill & Woody Herman, Rodney was a member of the Charlie Parker Quintet from 1949-51. Drugs got him into trouble and he was in and out of jail for most of the 50s. Red Wig is from Rodney's 1951 debut album as a leader Broadway. Musicians are Jimmy Ford on alto sax, Phil Raphael on piano, Phil Leshin on bass and Phil Brown on drums. Prestige First Sessions is a series of CDs chronicling Prestige Records sessions from 1950-51. It contains the entire album Broadway along with music by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Dizzy Gillespie & Bennie Green. It's a must for jazz fans. Red Rodney left jazz after he got out of jail and played in Las Vegas shows for several years. He returned to New York in 1972 and eventually formed a band with sax player Ira Sullivan. This band was very successful in the 80s and after it ended, Rodney formed a new band with young sax player Chris Potter. Red Rodney died on May 27, 1994 at age 66. Red Rodney was very important in the formative years of bebop and it's good to see that he still made great music in his later years. Here's Red Rodney performing in the early 80s.
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