Henry Coker

Henry Coker ( born December 24, 1914 in Dallas, † November 23, 1979 in Los Angeles ) was an American jazz trombonist of swing and modern jazz.

Coker learned music at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. He began not with the trumpet, his first instrument was the harp, for he was but already teased at school. In addition to the trombone, he played piano for practice.

Coker's first professional engagement was with John White in 1935, over two years, he has built up a reputation, and therefore, was hired by Nat Towles for his best- leading Territory band from Omaha, the mid- western United States, with which he worked from 1937 to 1939. He then worked in Hawaii with Monk McFay, but came back home when Pearl Harbor was bombed.

The mid-1940s he spent with various studio and recording jobs and in bands of Benny Carter ( 1944-1946 ), where he gained experience, Eddie Heywood ( 1946-1947 ), Illinois Jacquet or (1951 ) were conducted. He also played during this period with Charles Mingus, which is recorded on the recording West Coasting. After two years of illness, he played around 1951 with Sonny Rollins. 1952, he joined the Basie band, should hold a gig of a decade until 1963. He played hundreds of challenging and good sounding solos. Through collaboration with Basie he took his leave with many jazz fans, but most of all with his trombone colleagues. Coker anyone stole the show, he shared the solos with Al Grey, leaving the novice Grover Mitchell the leading voice, partly as a prank but also to show what had for a great sound of young players. The trombonist and bandleader Tommy Dorsey was impressed by Coker's game, as he went once in the band and played with Coker's instrument had only then let him be more appropriate instrument than to play and then gave. " This is a good horn, but I do not think that there is something for you. Try this horn. Play it and see if you like it, "he said to Coker.

Coker played since this shorter smooth 3 B trombone with a 19.05 cm wide cup with a clear sound, in addition to a larger 6 H Conn. For the shorter tuning slide, he had to relearn. He says it is usual easy hochzustimmen under the trombone trombone for a more brilliant tone for Kreuztonseite.

He played with Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughan. In the meantime, he had opportunity with rhythm and blues bands to play as Johnny Otis and Eddie " Cleanhead " Vinson.

Coker was a lot on tour. He opted more for studio and recording sessions in the 1960s. At that time he lived in New York and worked a lot on the East Coast until 1966, when he joined Ray Charles, with whom he regularly worked until 1971. Until his death in the mid - 70s Coker was busy with film and television music in Los Angeles, but he played again in the meantime with Ray Charles and Count Basie. The drummer, singer and bandleader Osie Johnson dedicated the trombone solo on Cokernut Tree, on the album Osie 's Oasis.

In the rare cast of ten trombones on JJ Johnson's Trombones Incorporated Coker played with, including even Bennie Green, Frank Rehak, Eddie Bert, Benny Powell, Melba Liston and Bobby Brookmeyer.

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