Frankie Newton
William Frank Newton ( called Frankie Newton, born January 4, 1906 in Blacksburg in Emory, Virginia, † March 11, 1954 in New York) was an American jazz trumpeter of the swing.
Life and work
Frankie Newton toured with the orchestra by Lloyd W. Scott and moved in 1927 to New York. Here he was in 1929/30 in Cecil Scott and in the 1930s with Elmer Snowden (1931 ), Chick Webb, Sam Wooding, from 1933 to 1935 with Charlie Johnson, 1936/7 with Teddy Hill, in 1937 John Kirby and 1937/8 Lucky Millinder. Then he led his own small combos in New York (including the Onyx Club ) and Boston, with whom he also recorded and where he, among other things with James P. Johnson ( 1944/5 ), Sid Catlett (1947 ) and Edmond Hall played. He also took up with Mary Lou Williams, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Teddy Wilson, Charlie Barnet, Mezz Mezzrow, Buster Bailey and Big Joe Turner. 1948 destroyed a room fire his trumpet and his belongings; In 1950 he had a last appearance in Boston's Savoy Club, then retired for health reasons from the music business and painted. He became involved in jazz workshops for underprivileged youth and was active early on the side of civil rights. The game of Newton was admired by Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. The friend of his jazz critic Nat Hentoff, who saw him frequently in Boston, ruled over him, that he was only achieved by Miles Davis in the "intimate expression of his lyrical ballad style".
He accompanied Bessie Smith in their last recordings in November 1933, Maxine Sullivan in her hit song " Loch Lomond " and Billie Holiday on " Strange Fruit " at Cafe Society in 1939 (recordings at Commodore ).
Politically Newton was known as a Communist. In recognition of the Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm it chose the pseudonym Francis Newton to publish his jazz reviews in the magazine The New Statesman and his 1959 book, The Jazz Scene.
Disco Graphical Notes
- Frankie's Jump ( Affinity, 1937-39 ) with Pete Brown, James P. Johnson, Tab Smith
- Frankie Newton 1937-1939 ( Classics ) with Edmond Hall, Mezz Mezzrow, Russell Procope, Tab Smith, Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Al Casey, John Kirby, Cozy Cole, Sid Catlett, Slim Gaillard
- Billie Holiday: The Complete Commodore Recordings