Shorty Baker

Harold " Shorty" Baker ( born May 26, 1914 in St. Louis ( Missouri), † November 8, 1966 in New York City ) was an American jazz trumpeter of the swing. He became famous for his play in the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

" Shorty" Baker first learned drums and began his career in the late 1920s as a trumpet player in the band of his brother, trombonist Winfield Baker. He played in the early 1930s with Erskine Tate and Fate Marable, then in 1932 with Eddie Johnson, from 1935 to 1937 with Don Redman, 1938 briefly in the Duke Ellington Orchestra; additional stations were the bands of Teddy Wilson 1939-40, Andy Kirk 1940-42, where he met Mary Lou Williams in 1942, whom he married then. From 1943 to 1951 he played again with Duke Ellington and toured with him in 1950 through Europe, made ​​recordings for the label Swing in Paris. In 1952, he again played in Teddy Wilson and Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges with 1954-55 and 1957-59 again with Duke Ellington ( Blues in Orbit ). Then Harold Baker founded his own quartet, played in the Embers and was accompanist at the Metropole Cafe.

Bakers more lyrical style of play is, inter alia, to listen to the recordings Elli ngton "Trumpet No End " in 1946, "New York City Blues " in 1947, " Time's A Wastin - ' " in 1949, as well as on the Johnny Hodges "Time On My Hands " in 1954. Besides these orchestras Baker made ​​recordings with musicians such as Harry Carney 1945 and Nelson Williams in 1950, also with Doc Cheatham, Ella Fitzgerald and Russell Procope on the plate Giants of Small Band Swing, Vol 1 ( OJC ).