Jimmie Lunceford

James Melvin " Jimmie " Lunceford ( born June 6, 1902 in Fulton, Missouri, † July 12, 1947 in Seaside, Oregon ) was an American jazz musician (alto saxophone) and bandleader.

Life

Lunceford went to Denver to school, studied at Wilberforce Whiteman ( the father of Paul Whiteman ) and then at Fisk University ( Master of Arts degree in 1926 ) and at the City College of New York music. Between 1924 and 1926 he played with Elmer Snowden and Wilbur Sweatman. In 1927, when he taught sports at the high school in Memphis, Tennessee, he formed a school band, the Chickasaw Syncopators which spawned Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra later. The orchestra made ​​its first recording in 1927 and worked for several years on tour. The first successes celebrated in the early 1930s in Buffalo and then appeared in the New York area; first recordings were made at this time for Victor, but sold poorly. Initial success in the charts he had 1934/35 with the rehearsed for Decca Ellington numbers " Mood Indigo " (# 19) and " Black and Tan Fantasy" (# 19). His only number 1 hit was In May 1935 Lunceford composition " Rhythm Is Our Business ", which was one of the signature tunes of the orchestra from now on.

1934 Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra solved the after there in 1933 successfully occurred, the band of Cab Calloway as the house band at the famous Cotton Club from what Lunceford was the breakthrough. His arranger was from 1934, the trumpeter Sy Oliver; in the autumn took the orchestra for Decca; these records made ​​it known in the United States. Your " Lunceford two beat" Swing at a moderate pace later became the model for other bands like Tommy Dorsey. For the band included, inter alia, the tenor saxophonist Joe Thomas, trombonist Trummy Young ( 1937 ), alto saxophonist Willie Smith, drummer Jimmy Crawford and Eddie Durham (trombone and electric guitar ). Several band members also sang alongside the main singer ( and saxophonist ) Dan Grissom. To the great popularity of the band and their manager Harold Oxley added; every major tour, he announced with postcards to the dance promoter.

1937 Lunceford undertook an extensive European tour. 1940 Sy Oliver left the band to work for Tommy Dorsey (who offered him $ 5,000 more per year ) and was replaced by Gerald Wilson. Lunceford put less on radio appearances as the other swing bands, but toured the average 40,000 miles a year, which led many band members to the limit. Moreover, since he did not pay particularly well, leaving other members of the band; Lunceford, however, already received in 1940 a fee of $ 500 for a one- nighter. Jimmie Lunceford died unexpectedly in 1947 of cardiac arrest during an autograph session in Seaside, Oregon. For a while tried Joe Thomas and pianist Eddie Wilcox ( the arranger of the band was ) still unsuccessful, continue with the band.

Lunceford himself not only played saxophone, clarinet, flute and trombone, but also guitar. It is rare to listen to recordings of the band ( as on a recording of " Liza " (1939 ) on the flute).

Importance

The Jimmie Lunceford band led by one of the most outstanding of the swing era. Big-band historian George T. Simon even calls her the most exciting big band of all time, less because of their music as their showmanship in which they were the other swing top bands to Simons far ahead. The band was known for their perfect shows and humorous lyrics. Relevant part of the success also had the arrangements by Sy Oliver and a legendary discipline and precision that characterized the interplay between the musicians, and was responsible for mainly the former teacher Lunceford.

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