Jiggs Whigham

Jiggs Whigham ( born August 20, 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio, Oliver Haydn Whigham III real name ) is a trombonist, band leader and university professor. His trumpet playing is characterized by a large, warm tone and flexible phrasing. In addition, he is "one of the most experienced orchestra leader on the European scene, and - as a pioneer in Germany - an institution in the field of jazz education at universities. "

Life and work

Whigham had from the age of seven piano and harmony lessons at the Cleveland Institute of Music. At age eleven, he began playing the trombone; he was engaged in his school days already for concerts and even recordings. Only 17 years old, he was first a solo trombonist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Ray McKinley, two years later with Stan Kenton. In addition, he completed a study of composition in Cleveland.

After a year of engagements in New York studios and Broadway musicals, he came to Germany in 1965 as a soloist for jazz orchestra by Kurt Edelhagen at WDR in Cologne. He received the first prize in 1966 at the first competition for Modern Jazz in Vienna. Since the 1970s he played with Peter Herbolzheimers Rhythm Combination & Brass. In 1976 the first album under his own name, Niels -Henning Ørsted Hope with Pedersen and Grady Tate. In 1989 he recorded the album The Jiggs Up with guest musicians such as Bud Shank, George Cables, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton. From 1971 to 1981 he worked regularly with The George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band.

In 1979 he became professor and head of the jazz department of the Academy of Music in Cologne. End of the 1970s, Jiggs Whigham was reinforced by trombonist Bill Watrous, Albert Mangelsdorff and Kai Winding Trombone Summit group, with the 1980, he made ​​a plate holder for the German label MPS. In 1982 he worked with the WDR Big Band and recorded the album The Third Stone, with arrangements by Bill Holman. Between 1988 and 1992 he went with a guided with Bud Shank band (The Jiggs Up, 1989) several times on tour. From 1995 until the fall of 2006 was Jiggs Whigham Professor and Head of the Department of Popular Music at the Academy of Music " Hanns Eisler" Berlin and its spin-off Jazz Institute Berlin. Also he headed from 1995 to 2000 RIAS Big Band Berlin. Currently Whigham directs the BBC Big Band in London, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra Brandenburg ( LaJJazzo ) and - together with Niels Klein - the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Due to his experience as a teacher, instrumentalist, bandleader and arranger published Jiggs Whigham numerous books and sheet music, including Jazz Trombone - Concepts, Ideas and Exercises (London 2006, German as a jazz trombone - Concepts, playing techniques, exercises, Mainz 2007, Schott), Basic Steps - warm-up, phrasing and style for wind instruments ( Mainz in 2011, along with Renold Quade and Bernhard G. Hofmann ), Suite for Trombone and Piano ( Mainz 2011) and Hills for alto or tenor saxophone ( trumpet in Bb ) and Piano (Mainz, 2012).