Jake Porter

Jake Haven Vernon Porter ( born August 3, 1916 in Oakland, California, † March 25, 1993 in Los Angeles ) was an American jazz trumpeter, songwriter and music producer.

Biography

Porter first learned violin at age seven and joined with nine for cornet. He began his career in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he played 1931-1939 with Melvin Parks, Lionel Hampton and Saunders King, before he moved to Los Angeles in 1940. He worked there from 1940 at Cee Pee Johnson, Slam Stewart and Slim Gaillard; during his military service 1942/43, he played in a band at Camp Lockett in San Diego. After his discharge from the army he worked in the bands of Benny Carter, Fats Waller, Noble Sissle, Fletcher Henderson, Lionel Hampton (1945 /46), Horace Henderson, Benny Goodman ( briefly in 1947 ) and Mel Powell ( 1947). End of this year, he led his own combo, with which he appeared in Los Angeles in the Downbeat Room Cafe. In 1949, he also headed an existing all-female ensemble musicians, with whom he toured in 1949 by the Southern United States. In 1950 he had an engagement in Norbo grill.

In 1951 Porter founded the label Combo Records, which was active until 1961, mainly rhythm and blues, doo-wop and some jazz recordings published, among others, Ernie Fields, Peppermint Harris, Chuck Higgins, Smokey Hogg, Joe Houston, Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Betty Hall Jones, Jack McVea and Johnny Guitar Watson. Most of the material was in Porter's basement apartment; in addition, he worked as a songwriter for some of these shots. As a bandleader, he went in the 1950s continue on tour; in the 1960s he worked as a freelance musician in California. In 1964 he worked with Mike Porter in Canada. In his later years he was less active as a musician, but remained in the music business, he worked in the 1970s in the Musician's Union. In 1976, he participated in recordings of Big Joe Turner ( The Midnight Special); In 1978 he again went on a European tour and was still active in the 80s as a musician.