baltimore jazz legends
FROM THE LAND OF PLEASANT Living
To those of us who live here, Baltimore will always be associated with the Land of Pleasant Living. Maybe it’s because of our proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and the ample supply of steamed blue crabs and cool blue water. Maybe it’s because of our beer brewing heritage, featuring the likes of Gunther, American, Pabst and, of course, National Bohemian – forever known to locals as Natty Boh. We remember the original Colts football team -- the Baltimore Colts -- and one of the greatest quarterbacks of the game, Johnny Unitas. And then, there was the golden age of Baltimore Oriole baseball: Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Cal Ripkin, Jr. and Eddie Murray. (At some later date, I’ll address the pink flamingos above … then again, maybe not.)
I never gave any serious thought to Baltimore’s musical heritage until I stumbled upon a website called Baltimore Jazzine, an online source for promoting the appreciation of jazz. There, right in front of me, was a webpage filled with photos of people who made significant contributions to jazz, and each one had a connection to my hometown. I couldn’t have been more surprised if the Orioles made it to another World Series!
I never gave any serious thought to Baltimore’s musical heritage until I stumbled upon a website called Baltimore Jazzine, an online source for promoting the appreciation of jazz. There, right in front of me, was a webpage filled with photos of people who made significant contributions to jazz, and each one had a connection to my hometown. I couldn’t have been more surprised if the Orioles made it to another World Series!
Billie Holiday
Not all of these names were familiar to me, an admitted jazz novice. At least one of them should be familiar to everyone: Billie Holiday. Billie moved from Philadelphia to Baltimore when her mother sent her here to live with an aunt. An in-depth look at her life and career can be found under “Artist Profiles”.
So what about the other names listed on that website? Like Billie, not all of them were born here. But at some point in their lives, they passed through this mid-Atlantic city. How did Baltimore become a well-recognized scene among jazz fans, producing a number of local performers who would gain national reputations? Let’s look at the last question first.
beginnIngs
Historic site and monument of Royal Theatre
In the field of 20th century popular music, Baltimore was first a major center for the development of East Coast ragtime, producing the renowned performer and composer, Eubie Blake. Later, Baltimore became a hotspot for jazz, and a home for such legends in the field as Chick Webb and Billie Holiday. The city's jazz scene can be traced to 1917, when the genre first spread across the country. Performers played on Baltimore Street in an area known as “The Block,” at the time known for its burlesque houses, located between Calvert and Gay Streets. Jazz audiences flocked to music venues in the area and elsewhere, such as the amusement parks around Baltimore. Some of the more prominent venues included the Richmond Market Armory, the Old Fifth Regiment Armory, the Pythian Castle Hall and the Galilean Fisherman Hall. By the 1930s, however, The Ritz was the largest club on Pennsylvania Avenue, and was home to Sammy Louis' band, who toured to great acclaim throughout the region.
the royal theater
It was the Royal Theatre, however, that was the most important jazz venue in Baltimore for much of the 20th century, and produced one of the city's musical leaders in Rivers Chambers, who led the Royal's house band from 1930 to 1937. Chambers was a multi-instrumentalist who founded the Rivers Chambers Orchestra after leaving the Royal, and became a favorite of Maryland's high society. As bandleader of the Royal, Chambers was succeeded by the classically trained Tracy McCleary, whose band, the Royal Men of Rhythm, included Charlie Parker at one point. Many of the Royal's band members would join with touring acts when they came through Baltimore. Many also had day jobs in the defense industry during World War II, including McCleary himself. The shortage of musicians during the war led to a relaxation in some aspects of segregation, including in The Royal's band, which began hiring white musicians soon after the war. McCleary would be the Royal's last conductor, while Chambers' Orchestra became a fixture in Baltimore and came to include as many as thirty musicians, who would sometimes divide into smaller groups for performances. Chambers had collected many musicians from around the country, like Tee Loggins from Louisiana. Other performers with his Orchestra included trumpeter Roy McCoy, saxophonist Elmer Addison and guitarist Buster Brown, who was responsible for the Orchestra's most recognized song, "They Cut Down That Old Pine Tree," which the Rivers Chambers Orchestra would continue to play for more than fifty years.
a few pioneers
Frederick Douglas High School
Baltimore's early jazz pioneers included Blanche Calloway, one of the first female jazz bandleaders in the United States and sister to jazz legend Cab Calloway. Both the Calloways, like many of Baltimore's prominent black musicians, studied at Frederick Douglass High School with William Llewellyn Wilson, himself a renowned performer and conductor for the City’s first African American symphony. Baltimore was also home to Chick Webb, one of jazz's most heralded drummers, who became a musical star despite being born hunchbacked and crippled at five years old. Later Baltimoreans in jazz include Ethel Ennis, Ruby Glover and Elmer Snowden. After Pennsylvania Avenue declined in the 1950s, Baltimore's jazz scene changed. The Left Bank Jazz Society, an organization dedicated to supporting live jazz, began holding a weekly series of concerts in 1965, featuring the biggest names in the field, including Duke Ellington and John Coltrane.
Home-Grown Saxophonists
Mickey Fields
Baltimore is also known for jazz saxophonists, having produced recent performers like Antonio Hart, Ellery Eskelin, Gary Bartz, Mark Gross, Harold Adams, Gary Thomas and Ron Diehl. The City's style combines the experimental and intellectual jazz of Philadelphia and elsewhere in the north with the more impassioned and freeform Southern tradition. The earliest well-known Baltimore saxophonists include Arnold Sterling, Whit Williams, Andy Ennis, Brad Collins, Carlos Johnson, Vernon H. Wolst, Jr. The most famous, however, was Mickey Fields. Fields got his start with a jump blues band, The Tilters, in the early 1950s, and his saxophone playing became the most prominent part of the band's style. Despite a national reputation and various opportunities, Fields refused to perform outside the region and remains a local legend.
The Hammond B-3 Organ
Jimmy Smith and the B-3
In the 1960s, the Hammond B-3 organ became a critical part of the Baltimore jazz scene, led by virtuoso Jimmy Smith. The Left Bank Jazz Society also played a major role locally, hosting concerts and promoting performers. The popularity of jazz, however, declined with an aging and shrinking audience, though the City continued producing local performers and hosting a vibrant jazz scene.
Below is just a small sampling of the legendary jazz musicians who, at one point or another, graced the City of Baltimore with their distinctive musical gifts.
Below is just a small sampling of the legendary jazz musicians who, at one point or another, graced the City of Baltimore with their distinctive musical gifts.
Blanche Calloway
(February 9, 1904-December 16, 1978)
Blanche Calloway
When most people hear the name “Calloway,” their thoughts probably turn to Cab, but his older sister had an impressive resume in her own right. Blanche Calloway had a strong and influential career as a jazz singer, bandleader and composer. Although Calloway was not as well-known as her brother, she may have been the first woman to lead an all-male orchestra. She fronted the Andy Kirk band for a short period of time, which gave her the momentum to form her most famous orchestra, known as Blanche Calloway and Her Joy Boys. During her touring years, her bands often performed songs she had written. As a composer, she penned “Growling Dan,” “I Need Love,” and “Rhythm of the River.” In the 1950s, Calloway moved to Florida becoming a DJ for WMBM radio. The same station later hired her as Program Director, a position she held for 20 years before moving back to her former hometown, Baltimore, where she spent the last years of her life. Blanche Calloway died on December 16, 1978.
Cab Calloway
(December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994)
Cab Calloway
Best known for the song "Minnie the Moocher," Cab Calloway was a famous singer and bandleader beginning in the 1920s, and he remained active in music throughout his golden years. Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of most popular African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the late 1940s. His band featured performers including trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, New Orleans guitar ace Danny Barker, and bassist Milt Hinton. He was born in Rochester, New York and lived there until 1918, when his family moved to Baltimore. After graduating from Frederick Douglass High School Calloway, he joined his older sister, Blanche, in a touring production of the popular black musical revue Plantation Days. (Cab would often credit her as his inspiration for entering show business.) When the tour ended in Chicago in the fall, Calloway decided to remain in Chicago with his sister, who had an established career as a jazz singer in that city. He spent most of his nights at the Dreamland Ballroom, the Sunset Cafe, and the Club Berlin, performing as a drummer, singer and emcee. While performing at the Sunset Cafe with Louis Armstrong, it was the great “Satchmo” who taught him to sing in the "scat" style. The Cotton Club was the premier jazz venue in the country, and Calloway and his orchestra (he had taken over a brilliant but failing band called "The Missourians" in 1930) were hired as a replacement for the Duke Ellington Orchestra while they were touring. Calloway quickly proved so popular that his band became the "co-house" band with Ellington's, and his group began touring nationwide when not playing the Cotton Club. Their popularity was greatly enhanced by the twice-weekly live national radio broadcasts on NBC at the Cotton Club. Calloway's was one of the most popular American jazz bands of the 1930s. In his later career, Calloway appeared in a number of films and stage productions that utilized both his acting and singing talents. Calloway's appearance in the 1980 film, “The Blues Brothers,” gave him the opportunity to perform "Minnie the Moocher" for an audience young enough to be his grandchildren. Dressed in a white suit with tails, he made the song the highlight of the film. Critics praised Calloway and his popularity soared. Calloway continued to perform into his eighties, sometimes joined by his daughter Chris. The Philadelphia Inquirer observed that "his moves have slowed a bit since the '30s.… But every bit of his voice is still there -- and every bit of the style and grace that made the legend." That legend, Cab Calloway, died on November 18, 1994, five months after suffering a stroke.
ethel ennis
(born November 28, 1932)
Ethel Ennis
Critics have hailed her as the “most accomplished jazz singer performing today.” That stature was earned by her magnificent voice, her brilliant compositions, her joyful performances, and her collaborations with the finest musicians. Born in Baltimore, Ethel Ennis first won national recognition for her recording “Lullaby for Losers” in 1955. She won international acclaim in 1958 when she was selected by Benny Goodman as the female vocalist for his all-star band which toured Western Europe. Later, she was chosen as a featured singer on the Arthur Godfrey Show where she worked for eight years. She wowed them at the Monterey Jazz Festival in duets with Joe Williams. Ennis returned to her hometown to perform in concerts with the Count Basie Band and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. During the same period she shared the bill with Cab Calloway at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre and played supper clubs and concert halls all over the country, including appearances in Las Vegas. She originated the practice of singing the National Anthem a capella at Richard Nixon’s 1973 presidential inauguration. She also performed at the White House for both the Nixon and Carter administrations. The late Ella Fitzgerald praised Ethel as her favorite singer; Billie Holiday personally encouraged her; Frank Sinatra described Ennis as “my kind of singer,” and Joe Williams called her “little sister.” A Chicago Sun-Times critic raved about her “…smoldering jazz contralto with phrasing that leaps, lifts, and melts in to a lovely dying fall…” A Downbeat reviewer said it best: “her voice runs deeps, exuding the personality of a sage who has lived many lives.”
Ruby Glover
(December 6, 1929-October 20, 2007)
Ruby Glover
Standing only 5 feet tall, Ruby Glover may have been small in size but she was a giant in eyes of the Baltimore jazz community. Growing up in East Baltimore, she attended Dunbar High School, where she began singing at dances and talent contests. She was well-known in the jazz clubs on Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1940s and 1950s, when the 24-block center of Black Baltimore pulsed with the vibrancy of jazz life. Glover shared the stage with many of Baltimore's, and the nation's top jazz musicians including Art Blakey, Sonny Stitt, Andy Ennis, Doug Cane, Fuzzy Kane, Whit Williams, Moe Daniels, and Mickey Fields just to name a few. She was a wondrous musical element of Baltimore jazz for more than 50 years as a performer, organizer, and lecturer. For many years, she contributed to the staging of the annual Billie Holiday competition for young vocalists. Her own voice has been described as smoky with bluesy overtones, and she has been compared favorably to the vocals of Billie Holiday. Glover was a resident of the Oldtown neighborhood of Baltimore, not too far from where she was born. Still going strong at 77, she was performing at the Creative Alliance in East Baltimore for the benefit of the House of Ruth and was thrilled by the packed house. The audience, in turn, gave her a thrilling welcome. With her silver cropped hair, she was a radiant and polished professional. She sang two standards, backed by the Tom Reyes Trio, but was unable to make it through a third. Confused she turned her back to the audience and collapsed. Ruby Glover died the following day, on October 20, 2007.
Roy “Tanglefoot” McCoy
(April 30, 1920-January 29, 2001)
Roy "Tanglefoot" McCoy
Roy L. McCoy was a jazz trumpeter whose career took him from the stage of Baltimore's Royal Theater to New York's famed Apollo. The 6-foot-4-inch trumpeter wore size 14 shoes, earning him the nickname "Tanglefoot" after the big-footed horse of that name in Mickey Mouse cartoons. An integral part of the Baltimore music scene for more than 60 years, McCoy played with some of America's greatest jazz artists, including Louis Armstrong and Lionel Hampton. In addition to the famed Royal on Pennsylvania Avenue, he played the Ritz, the largest club on The Avenue, and other local clubs. In an oral history recorded for the Peabody Conservatory of Music, McCoy reflected on his career. "I played for Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway ... Flip Wilson, Little Richard, the Drifters, the Coasters, Moms Mabley and Harry Belafonte. I used to play rock 'n' roll, and I played for James Brown," he said. McCoy "could make a trumpet growl in the old blues tradition, trying to make it imitate a voice. He could play a straight melody so well that you thought you were in church, and he could start a slide and always end up on the right pitch," said Dr. Reppart Stone, a retired Howard University musicologist. Born in Stanton, Virginia in 1931, McCoy moved to Dolphin and Division Streets in Baltimore. After seeing Louis Armstrong play at the Royal, the trumpeter's performance inspired him to take up the instrument. "[The horn] was just shining," he recalled, "and the notes were just coming out, and I thought, this is what I'm going to do." He saved money he earned as an Afro-American newsboy and bought a used trumpet. McCoy’s break came at age 16 when a trumpet player quit Sammy Louis' band, which played at the Ritz, and he took his place. By the late 1930s, he was a member of the Royal Men of Rhythm, the house band at the Royal led by Tracy McCleary, who hired him. "Tanglefoot developed into a really fine trumpet player and was a consummate musician," McCleary said. Roy McCoy died on January 29, 2001.
Elmer Snowden
(October 9, 1900–May 14, 1973)
Elmer Snowden
Born in Baltimore, Elmer Snowden was a banjo player in the jazz age. He also played guitar and, in the early stages of his career, all the reed instruments. He contributed greatly to jazz in its early days as both a player and a bandleader, and is responsible for launching the careers of many top musicians. However, Snowden himself has been largely overlooked in jazz history. Unable to get a booking, Snowden sent for Duke Ellington, who was with the group when it recorded three test sides for Victor that remain unissued and are, presumably, lost. Ellington eventually took over leadership of the band, which contained the nucleus of what later became his famous orchestra. Very active in the 1920s as an agent and musician, Snowden at one time had five bands playing under his name in New York. Regrettably, most of his bands were not recorded, but a Snowden band that included Eldridge, Al Sears, Dicky Wells and Sid Catlett appeared in a 1932 film, “Smash Your Baggage.” Snowden also made numerous appearances as a sideman on almost every New York label from 1923 on. Unfortunately, he rarely received credit, except for two sides with Bessie Smith in 1925, and six sides with the Sepia Serenaders in 1934. Though Snowden continued to be musically active throughout his life, after the mid-1930s he lived in relative obscurity in New York. He continued to play throughout the 30s, 40s and 50s, but was far from the limelight. After a dispute with the musicians union in New York, he moved to Philadelphia where he taught music. Snowden was working as a parking lot attendant in 1959 when Chris Albertson, then a Philadelphia disc jockey, came across him. In 1960, Albertson brought Snowden and singer-guitarist Lonnie Johnson together for two Prestige Records’ albums, assembled a quartet that included Cliff Jackson for a Riverside session, “Harlem Banjo,” and in 1961, a sextet session with Roy Eldridge, Bud Freeman, Jo Jones, and Ray and Tommy Bryant, released on the Fontana and Black Lion labels. In 1963, with his career boosted, Snowden appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. He toured Europe in 1967 with the Newport Guitar Workshop. He moved to California to teach at the University of California, Berkeley, and played with Turk Murphy. In 1969, Snowden moved back to Philadelphia, where he died on May 14, 1973.
Chick Webb
(February 10, 1905–June 16, 1939)
Chick Webb
Born in Baltimore, Chick Webb had suffered since childhood with tuberculosis of the spine, leaving him with a short physique and badly deformed spine. He supported himself as a newspaper boy to save enough money to buy drums, and first played professionally at age 11. At the age of 17, he moved to New York City and by 1926, he was leading his own band in Harlem. Jazz drummer Tommy Benford said he gave Webb drum lessons when he first reached New York. He alternated between band tours and residencies at New York City clubs through the late 1920s. In 1931, his band became the house band at the Savoy Ballroom. He became one of the best-regarded bandleaders and drummers of the new "swing" style. Drumming legend Buddy Rich cited Webb's powerful technique and virtuoso performances as heavily influential on his own drumming, and even referred to Webb as "the daddy of them all." In 1935, he began featuring a teenaged Ella Fitzgerald as vocalist. The Savoy often featured "Battle of the Bands" where Webb's band would compete with other top bands (such as the Benny Goodman Orchestra or the Count Basie Orchestra) from opposing bandstands. By the end of the night's battles, the dancers seemed always to have voted Chick's band as the best. As a result, Webb was deemed the most worthy recipient to be crowned the first "King of Swing." In November 1938, Webb's health began to decline, although for a time he continued to play, refusing to give up touring so that his band could remain employed during the Great Depression. Disregarding his own discomfort and fatigue, he often passed out from physical exhaustion after finishing sets. Finally, he had a major operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1939. Chick Webb died on June 16, 1939. Reportedly his last words were "I'm sorry, I've got to go." He was just 34 years old. Webb's death hit the jazz/swing community very hard. After his death, Ella Fitzgerald led the Chick Webb band, until she left to focus on her solo career in 1942. Art Blakey and Duke Ellington both credited Webb with influencing their music. Gene Krupa credited Webb with raising drummer awareness and paving the way for drummer-led bands like his own. Webb's thundering solos created a complexity and an energy that paved the way for Buddy Rich (who studied him intensely) and Louie Bellson.
left bank jazz society
The Left Bank Jazz Society, Inc. was formed in 1964 in Baltimore by a group of young men who met in a South Baltimore nightclub. The idea was born from their concern with the future of jazz in Baltimore. Their mission would be to form an organization devoted to preserving an awareness of jazz as an art form. Through activities that featured lectures, concerts and trips to festivals and nightclubs, they armed themselves with the knowledge needed to begin this much needed undertaking. Their goal was to create a social and cultural climate in which jazz could be enjoyed, and reached by audiences that might otherwise not be particularly aware of the importance of the medium. The Society tried to develop and maintain a rapport between musician and audience, and, through their efforts, managed to fulfill the needs of both. Through a variety of cultural outlets, the Left Bank Jazz Society strived to bring about opportunities to learn more about jazz, its evolution, and its relevance. Throughout the years, it presented great artists such as: Donald Harrison Quartet, Mark Whitfield Quartet, James Moody Quartet, David Fathead Newman Quartet, Cyrus Chestnut Trio, Wallace Roney Quintet and Roy Hargrove Quintet (to name but a few). Activities and accomplishments of the Society have included: weekly concerts featuring outstanding local, national and international jazz performers; performances held in major venues throughout Baltimore (Al-Ho Club, Madison Club, Famous Ballroom, Coppin State College, The Baltimore Grand Ballroom, and the Teamsters Union Hall; and the production and distribution of six CD recordings, “Live at Left Bank,” featuring live recordings from three decades of performances.
selected youtubes
ethel ennis:
Cab Calloway:
Ruby glover:
Sooze Picks: For Your Ears #1
Stompin’ At The Savoy: The Best of Chick Webb - Link: http://amzn.to/Q77Bsb
Track Listing:
1. Stompin' At The Savoy
2. Liza
3. Wake Up And Live
4. Go Harlem
5. Blue Lou
6. Who Ya Hunchin??
7. The Dipsy Doodle
8. Moonlight And Magnolias
9. Down Home Rag
10. That Naughty Waltz
11. Strictly Live
12. Clap Hands Here Comes Charly
13. Squeeze Me
14. Love And Kisses
15. Midnight In A Madhouse
16. Rusty Hinge
17. Azure
18. There's Frost On The Moon
19. I Got Rhythm
20. That's My Home
Available as a CD or an mp3 download from Amazon
Track Listing:
1. Stompin' At The Savoy
2. Liza
3. Wake Up And Live
4. Go Harlem
5. Blue Lou
6. Who Ya Hunchin??
7. The Dipsy Doodle
8. Moonlight And Magnolias
9. Down Home Rag
10. That Naughty Waltz
11. Strictly Live
12. Clap Hands Here Comes Charly
13. Squeeze Me
14. Love And Kisses
15. Midnight In A Madhouse
16. Rusty Hinge
17. Azure
18. There's Frost On The Moon
19. I Got Rhythm
20. That's My Home
Available as a CD or an mp3 download from Amazon
Sooze Picks: For Your Ears #2
Track Listing:
1. It's a Wonderful World
2. When You're Around
3. Mr. Roachman Blues
4. In the Days of Our Love
5. Honeysuckle Rose
6. Danny Boy
7. Brother Bill (The Last Clean Shirt)
8. Eeverything Must Change
9. Livin' in the Shadows
10. Hey You
11. Tomorrow
12. But Beautiful
Available as an mp3 download from Amazon
1. It's a Wonderful World
2. When You're Around
3. Mr. Roachman Blues
4. In the Days of Our Love
5. Honeysuckle Rose
6. Danny Boy
7. Brother Bill (The Last Clean Shirt)
8. Eeverything Must Change
9. Livin' in the Shadows
10. Hey You
11. Tomorrow
12. But Beautiful
Available as an mp3 download from Amazon
sooze picks: for your ears #3
Track Listing:
1. Aw You Dog
2. The Ghost Of Smoky Joe
3. Tarzan Of Harlem
4. Reefer Man
5. I Ain't Gettin Nowhere Fast
6. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
7. F.D.R. Jones
8. Queen Isabella
9. Swing, Swing, Swing
10. Black Rhythm
11. Jiveformation, Please
12. Mister Paganini - Swing For Minnie
13. Pickin' The Cabbage
14. Beale Street Mama
15. Do You Wanna Jump, Children
16. Kicking The Gong Around
17. Hi-De-Ho Romeo
18. Eadie Was A Lady
19. (Hep! Hep!) The Jumpin Jive
20. Minnie The Moocher
Available as a CD or an mp3 download from Amazon
1. Aw You Dog
2. The Ghost Of Smoky Joe
3. Tarzan Of Harlem
4. Reefer Man
5. I Ain't Gettin Nowhere Fast
6. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
7. F.D.R. Jones
8. Queen Isabella
9. Swing, Swing, Swing
10. Black Rhythm
11. Jiveformation, Please
12. Mister Paganini - Swing For Minnie
13. Pickin' The Cabbage
14. Beale Street Mama
15. Do You Wanna Jump, Children
16. Kicking The Gong Around
17. Hi-De-Ho Romeo
18. Eadie Was A Lady
19. (Hep! Hep!) The Jumpin Jive
20. Minnie The Moocher
Available as a CD or an mp3 download from Amazon
sooze picks: for your eyes
In this excellent book edited by Mark Osteen and Frank J. Graziano, the authors, Loyola University students and non-student contributors, present a detailed, historical analysis of the Baltimore jazz scene. It explores the lives of those musicians who were part of its heyday and those who define its present and future. A unique look at the often underrated jazz traditions of Baltimore, this book is a rare gem and will be a great addition to any jazz aficionado’s library.
Available at Amazon. Link: http://amzn.to/QeJ97E
Available at Amazon. Link: http://amzn.to/QeJ97E
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