Blue Mitchell

Richard Allen " Blue" Mitchell ( born March 13, 1930 in Miami, Florida, † 21 May 1979 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American jazz trumpeter.

Life and work

At the beginning of his career as a musician Blue Mitchell worked with Paul Williams in 1951 and as a freelance musician in New York in 1952. Afterwards it was until 1956 with Earl Bostic on tour and from the end of 1958 a member of the quintet of Horace Silver. With Curtis Fuller, Johnny Griffin, Wynton Kelly, Wilbur Ware and Philly Joe Jones in 1958 he took his first album under his own name, Big 6 for Riverside Records. In 1961 he participated in Elmo Hope Album Homecoming! with; In 1964 he founded with musicians from the Silver Ribbon own combo, the first and Chick Corea belonged and which he headed until 1968. In 1969 he became a member of the orchestra of Ray Charles, 1971-1973, he worked at John Mayall and then worked as a studio musician in Los Angeles.

Its influenced by Clifford Brown and Kenny Dorham playing can be heard on plates with Julian Cannonball Adderley, Lou Donaldson, Johnny Griffin, Philly Joe Jones and Sam Jones, Red Mitchell and Whitey Mitchell, Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons and on their own plates.

Mitchell died at the age of 49 years to cancer.

Discography

Collection

• The Complete Blue Note Blue Mitchell Sessions ( 1963-67 ) - ( Mosaic - 1998 ) - 6 LPs, 4 CDs with Joe Henderson, Leo Wright, Herbie Hancock, Gene Taylor, Roy Brooks, Junior Cook, Chick Corea, Al Foster, Harold Mabern, Billy Higgins, Julian Priester, Jerry Dodgion, Pepper Adams, Cedar Walton, Mickey Roker, Burt Collins, McCoy Tyner, Melba Liston arr, Jimmy Heath arr, arr Don Pickett, Duke Pearson arr,