Charlie Green (musician)

"Big" Charlie Green (also called " Big Green " or " Long Boy", * 1900 in Omaha, Nebraska; † February 1936 in Harlem, New York City ) was an American blues and jazz trombonist. He was considered an excellent blues musician, who has also dominated the swing.

Life and work

Green, who was unusually large with over 2.20 m, started his career as a musician in local Carnival and brass bands in the Omaha area, such as the Red Perkins ( 1920-24 ) before settling in July 1924 ( just before Louis Armstrong ) the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra joined. He remained until April 1926 in Henderson, later followed by a second commitment (1928 /29). One of the first recordings Greens in Henderson include Hard Hearted Hannah, The Gouge of Armour Avenue and A New Kind of Man (1924 ); used in the last two tracks Green plunger damper. The trombonist was a soloist of the Henderson Orchestra in recordings such as He 's the Hottest Man in Town and Shanghai Shuffle; he showed his lyrical skills (recorded in 1924 for Vocalion ) in titles like Words. In the same year also made recordings of blues singer Bessie Smith, 1925 Perry Bradford, Ida Cox, Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, Clara Smith and Trixie Smith.

During this time, Green fought with his friend, trombonist Jimmy Harrison a number of cutting contests that meant that Harrison was considered a leading New York jazz trombonist and finally Green replaced with Fletcher Henderson. Green continued to work until 1926 with Henderson; In the following years, inter alia, with Louis Armstrong, June Clark, Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. Among his most famous sessions located amongst the recordings in March 1927 with Bessie Smith ( Trombone Cholly ). In 1928 he returned for a year in Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra; He also played with Fats Waller and James P. Johnson in the orchestra of the revue "Keep Shufflin ' ". 1929 came other recordings with Bessie Smith, and he played with Zutty Singleton.

In the following years, Green worked at the local level, inter alia, with Elmer Snowden, Jimmy Noone, Charlie Johnson and 1932 with Don Redman, 1929-31 and again in 1933 with Benny Carter. In 1932 he replaced the terminally ill Jimmy Harrison at Chick Webb. In its orchestral sessions were held with Louis Armstrong, in which Green is occasionally heard as a soloist, as in Hobo, You Can not Ride This Train and You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born. Alcohol dependence led to interruptions in his career, as he had increasingly health problems. In the field of jazz, he participated 1922-1935 in 102 recording sessions.

The jazz researcher John Chilton, in his book Who's Who of Jazz that Green on a cold February night in 1936 froze to death on the stairs of his apartment building in Harlem, after he had slipped. Frederick J. Spencer has this but in his book Jazz and Death. Medical Profiles of Jazz Greats questioned; according to his research, Green died in a hospital in Harlem to tuberculosis.

Sources and links

• Richard Cook, Jazz Encyclopedia. London 2007 ISBN 978-0-141-02646-6
• Portrait and discographical notes at Jazz.com
• Charlie Green at Allmusic (English)