Arthur Schutt (November 21, 1902 – January 28, 1965) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
pianist and arranger.
Schutt was born in
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
, United States,
and learned piano from his father. He accompanied
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
s as a teenager in the 1910 and was playing in a movie palace in 1918 when
Paul Specht hired him to play in a band;
he worked for Specht until 1924, including during a tour of Europe in 1923. He held positions with
Roger Wolfe Kahn
Roger Wolfe Kahn (October 19, 1907 – July 12, 1962) was an American jazz and popular musician, composer, bandleader (Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra) and an aviator.
Life and career
Roger Wolfe Kahn (originally spelled "Wolff") was born in ...
and
Don Voorhees, and became a prolific studio pianist, recording with
Fred Rich
Frederic Efrem Rich (January 31, 1898 – September 8, 1956) was a Polish-born American bandleader and composer who was active from the 1920s to the 1950s. Among the musicians in his band were the Dorsey Brothers, Joe Venuti, Bunny Berigan, and B ...
,
Nat Shilkret
Nathaniel Shilkret (December 25, 1889 – February 18, 1982) was an American musician, composer, conductor and musical director.
Early career
Shilkret (originally named Natan Schüldkraut) was born in New York City, United States, to parents ...
,
Frankie Trumbauer
Orie Frank Trumbauer (May 30, 1901 – June 11, 1956) was an American jazz saxophonist of the 1920s and 1930s. His main instrument was the C-melody saxophone, a now-uncommon instrument between an alto and tenor saxophone in size and pitch. He a ...
,
Bix Beiderbecke
Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer.
Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical app ...
, and the
Charleston Chasers
The Charleston Chasers was a studio recording ensemble that recorded music on Columbia Records between 1925 and 1931. They recorded early versions of songs such as "After You've Gone (song), After You've Gone", "Ain't Misbehavin' (song), Ain't Misb ...
.
From 1926-29 and again in 1931 he played with
Red Nichols
Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader.
Biography Early life and career
Nichols was born in Ogden, Utah, United States. His father was a college music profes ...
; he also recorded with
Jimmy and
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...
's orchestra (1928–31), and
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...
. He recorded under his own name in 1929-30 as a bandleader.
Schutt receded from jazz in the 1930s, though he did play with
Bud Freeman
Lawrence "Bud" Freeman (April 13, 1906 – March 15, 1991) was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing tenor saxophone, but also the clarinet.
Biography
In 1922, Freeman and some friends from high sc ...
in 1939. He spent much of the 1940s and 1950s working in the
Hollywood recording studios.
Schutt composed a jazz tune "Delirium" in 1927, which was widely recorded. In 1934, Schutt co-wrote "Georgia Jubilee" with Benny Goodman which, while a hit, was also recorded by
Isham Jones
Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.
Career
Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jones ...
's band. Schutt also composed the ragtime "piano novelty" piece "
Bluin' the Black Keys", considered one of the most difficult traditional, period rags ever written.
Schutt died in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in January 1965, at the age of 62.
See also
*
List of ragtime composers
A list of ragtime composers, including a famous or characteristic composition.
Pre-1940
*Felix Arndt (1889–1918), "Nola" (1916)
*May Aufderheide (1888–1972), "Dusty Rag" (1908)
* Roy Bargy (1894–1974), "Pianoflage" (1922)
* Harry Belding (1 ...
References
;Footnotes
;General references
*
Scott Yanow
Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref>
Biography
Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles.
Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...
,
Arthur Schutt
Arthur Schutt (November 21, 1902 – January 28, 1965) was an American jazz pianist and arranger.
Schutt was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States, and learned piano from his father. He accompanied silent films as a teenager in the 1910 a ...
at
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
External links
Arthur Schutt recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schutt, Arthur
1902 births
1965 deaths
American jazz pianists
American male pianists
Musicians from Reading, Pennsylvania
Ragtime composers
20th-century American composers
20th-century American pianists
Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
The Dorsey Brothers members
The Charleston Chasers members