Casper Reardon

Casper Reardon ( born April 15, 1907 in Little Falls, New York, † March 9, 1941 in New York City ) was an American classical and jazz harpist.

Casper Reardon studied classical harp at the Curtis Institute of Music and worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, but also worked on recordings by Jack Teagarden for the jazz label Brunswick Records ( Junk Man, 1934) with and undertook experiments, the harp music in to integrate a jazz orchestra. In 1937 he had a film role as "Cousin Caspar " in the film You're a sweetheart. In 1938 he played the harp in the Broadway musical I Married an Angel.

Reardon took on plates with Paul Whiteman and was also a member of the band of Teagarden, which in 1946 was in a jazz club ( and steak restaurant ) Hickory House obliged. He is regarded as the first musician who used the harp as a jazz instrument and before the modern jazz as the only male harpist important. In Time magazine from 1936 Reardon was named "World's Hottest Harpist ".

Auswahldiskographie

• Jack Teagarden: A Hundred Years from Today ( Conifer, 1931-34 ), 1934-1939 ( Classics )
• Paul Whiteman: The Famous Paul Whiteman ( RCA, 1920-36 )