Alan Rubin (February 11, 1943 – June 8, 2011), also known as Mr. Fabulous, was an American musician. He played
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
,
flugelhorn
The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though som ...
, and
piccolo trumpet.
Early life and education
Rubin was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. He began attending
Juilliard School of Music
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
in New York when he was 17 and studied with William Vacchiano, who was principal trumpet in the New York Philharmonic. Vacchiano described Rubin as his best student. While at Juilliard, Rubin was invited to play with
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...
on his last concert tour of the United States, but Rubin chose instead to play with
Peggy Lee at the Village Vanguard. Rubin dropped out of Juilliard at 20 to tour with singer
Robert Goulet
Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Canad ...
as his lead trumpet player.
Career
Rubin was a member of the
Saturday Night Live Band, with whom he played at the Closing Ceremony of the
1996 Olympic Games. As a member of
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...
, he portrayed Mr. Fabulous in the
1980 film
__NOTOC__
Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab u ...
,
the 1998 sequel and was a member of the touring band. In the first film, Rubin's character is
maitre d' at an expensive restaurant before Jake and Elwood persuade him to rejoin the band. The nickname "Mr Fabulous" was given to Rubin by
John Belushi.
Rubin played with an array of artists, such as
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...
,
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...
,
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...
,
Blood, Sweat & Tears,
Gil Evans,
Eumir Deodato,
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-earth ...
,
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whitford (guitar). Their style, which is rooted in blues ...
,
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
,
Paul Simon,
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...
,
Frankie Valli
Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice.
...
,
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...
,
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...
,
B.B. King,
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
,
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
,
Peggy Lee,
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...
,
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...
,
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
,
Cab Calloway
Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalis ...
, and
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
. Rubin contributed to over 6000 recording sessions.
Rubin's last performance was with The Blues Brotherhood (Blues Brothers tribute show) at B.B. King's in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on October 12, 2010. The performance also featured Tom "Bones" Malone and Lou "Blue Lou" Marini.
Personal life
Rubin died from lung cancer at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and he was cremated.
Discography
With
Patti Austin
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter.
Music career
Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...
* ''
Havana Candy'' (CTI, 1977)
With
Gato Barbieri
* ''
Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata'' (Impulse!, 1974)
With
George Benson
* ''
White Rabbit'' (CTI, 1972)
* ''
Bad Benson'' (CTI, 1974)
With
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...
* ''
Briefcase Full of Blues
''Briefcase Full of Blues'' is the debut album by The Blues Brothers, released on November 28, 1978, by Atlantic Records. It was recorded live on September 9, 1978, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, when the band opened for comedian S ...
'' (Atlantic, 1978)
* ''
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...
'' (Atlantic, 1980)
* ''
Made in America'' (Atlantic, 1980)
* ''
The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux
''The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux'' is an album by The Blues Brothers band. It was released in 1990 on the heels of the band's reunion tour and it's the first album recorded by the band after the death of founding member John Belushi ...
'' (Atlantic, 1990)
* ''
Red, White & Blues
''Red, White & Blues'' is the eighth album by The Blues Brothers, released in 1992. It is their first studio album, other than the soundtracks from the movies ''The Blues Brothers'' (1980) and ''Blues Brothers 2000'' (1999). It is also the only ...
'' (Turnstyle, 1992)
* ''
Blues Brothers 2000
''Blues Brothers 2000'' is a 1998 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis from a screenplay written by Landis and Dan Aykroyd, both of whom were also producers. The film, starring Aykroyd and John Goodman, is a sequel to the 1980 fi ...
'' (Universal, 1998)
With
Jimmy Buffett
James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...
* ''
Off to See the Lizard'' (MCA, 1989)
With
Ron Carter
Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...
* ''
Anything Goes'' (Kudu, 1975)
With
Stanley Clarke
* ''
School Days (album)'' (Nemperor, 1976)
With
Linda Clifford
Linda Clifford (born 1944) is an American R&B, disco and house music singer who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably " If My Friends Could See Me Now", " Bridge over Troubled Water", " Runaway Love" and " Red Light".
Career ...
* ''I'll Keep On Loving You'' (Capitol, 1982)
With
Hank Crawford
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was musical director for Ray Charl ...
* ''
Wildflower
A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...
'' (Kudu, 1973)
* ''
I Hear a Symphony'' (Kudu, 1975)
* ''
Mr. Chips'' (
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is an American jazz record company and label founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was bought by Fantasy Records in 1972. Since then, it has produced LP reissues (including items from ...
, 1986)
* ''
Night Beat'' (Milestone, 1989)
* ''
Groove Master'' (Milestone, 1990)
* ''
Tight'' (Milestone, 1996)
With
Sheena Easton
* ''
No Sound But a Heart'' (EMI, 1987)
With
Donald Fagen
Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American musician best known as the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. In addition to his ...
* ''
Kamakiriad
''Kamakiriad'' is the second solo album by Steely Dan artist Donald Fagen, released in 1993. It was his first collaboration with Steely Dan partner Walter Becker since 1986, on Rosie Vela's album '' Zazu''. Becker played guitar and bass and pro ...
'' (Reprise, 1993)
With
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...
* ''
Get It Right'' (Arista, 1983)
With
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor (née Fowles; born September 7, 1943) is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits " I Will Survive" (1978), " Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), " I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of " Never Can Say Goodbye" ( ...
* ''
Experience Gloria Gaynor
''Experience Gloria Gaynor'' is the second album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1975 on MGM Records. The album charted in the US Billboard at #64 in the US Pop chart, and at #32 in the US R&B chart. The album failed to chart in the UK, the single " ...
'' (MGM, 1975)
* ''
I've Got You I've Got You may refer to:
* I've Got You (album), a 1976 album by Gloria Gaynor
* I've Got You (Marc Anthony song), 2002
* I've Got You (Martine McCutcheon song), 1999
{{dab ...
'' (Polydor, 1976)
* ''
Glorious'' (Polydor, 1977)
With
Johnny Hammond
* ''
Higher Ground'' (Kudu, 1973)
With
Levon Helm
* ''
Levon Helm & the RCO All-Stars'' (ABC, 1977)
* ''
Levon Helm'' (ABC, 1978)
With
Jennifer Holliday
* ''
Say You Love Me'' (Geffen, 1985)
With
Cissy Houston
Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...
* ''
Think It Over'' (Private Stock, 1978)
With
Jackie and Roy
Jackie and Roy was an American jazz vocal team consisting of husband and wife singer Jackie Cain (1928-2014) and singer/pianist Roy Kral (1921-2002). They sang together for 56 years and made almost 40 albums.
Kral's 2002 obituary in ''The New ...
* ''
Time & Love
''Time & Love'' is an album by American vocalists Jackie Cain and Roy Kral featuring performances recorded in 1972 and released on the CTI label. '' (CTI, 1972)
With
Garland Jeffreys
* ''
One-Eyed Jack'' (A&M, 1978)
* ''
Guts for Love'' (Epic, 1982)
With
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...
* ''
The Bridge'' (1986)
With
Hubert Laws
* ''
Morning Star
Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to:
Astronomy
* Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise
** See also Venus in culture
* Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...
'' (CTI, 1972)
With
O'Donel Levy
O'Donel "Butch" Levy (September 20, 1945 – March 14, 2016) was a rhythm & blues, funk and jazz guitarist from Baltimore, Maryland. He was brother of session drummer Stafford Levy.
Levy studied music at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins ...
* ''
Simba'' (Groove Merchant, 1974)
With
Fred Lipsius
Fred Lipsius (born 19 November 1943 in the Bronx) is an American musician who is the original saxophonist and arranger for the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, for which he played alto saxophone and piano. He was with the band from 1967 to 197 ...
* Better Believe It
Jazz Times
/ref> (mja Records, 1996)
With Herbie Mann
* '' Brazil: Once Again'' (Atlantic, 1977)
With Jimmy McGriff
* ''Red Beans
Red bean is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
* Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly used in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, particularly as red bean paste
* Kidney bean, red variety of ''Phaseolus vulgaris
'' ...
'' (Groove Merchant, 1976)
* '' Tailgunner'' (LRC, 1977)
With Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, '' The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want Wha ...
* '' Am I Not Your Girl?'' (Chrysalis, 1992)
With Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
* ''A Story
''A Story'' is an album by Yoko Ono, recorded in 1974, during the "lost weekend" sessions in which John Lennon produced '' Walls and Bridges''. It was unreleased until the 1992 box set ''Onobox'', which featured material from ''A Story'' on d ...
'' (Rykodisc, 1997)
With Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades ...
* ''Sally Can't Dance
''Sally Can't Dance'' is the fourth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in August 1974 by RCA Records. Steve Katz and Reed produced the album. It remains Reed's highest-charting album in the United States, having peaked at ...
'' (RCA, 1974)
With Don Sebesky
* '' Giant Box'' (CTI, 1973)
With Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...
* ''Hello Big Man
''Hello Big Man'' is the 11th studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released by Warner Bros. Records, on August 31, 1983.
The album was Simon's last for Warner Bros. (and for what became the Warner Music Group, having also spen ...
'' (Warner Bros., 1983)
With Paul Simon
* '' Graceland'' (Warner Bros., 1986)
With Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith may refer to:
* Lonnie Smith (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball player
* Lonnie Smith (boxer) (born 1962), American boxer
* Lonnie Smith (organist) (1942–2021), American organist
* Lonnie Liston Smith
Lonnie Liston Smi ...
* '' Keep on Lovin''' (Groove Merchant, 1976)
With Phoebe Snow
* ''Never Letting Go
''Never Letting Go'' is the fourth album by singer–songwriter Phoebe Snow, released in 1977.
Reception
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote "...the record marked a fall-off in both her commercial success and h ...
'' (Columbia, 1977)
With Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
* '' Ringo's Rotogravure'' (Polydor, 1976)
With James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...
* '' Walking Man'' (Warner Bros., 1974)
With Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...
* ''Love Explosion
''Love Explosion'' is the fourth solo studio album by Tina Turner, released late 1979 on the EMI label in Europe, Ariola Records in West Germany and United Artists Records in the UK. Italy and South Africa followed in early 1980. The album was n ...
'' (United Artists, 1979)
With Stanley Turrentine
* '' Nightwings'' (Fantasy, 1977)
With Frankie Valli
Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice.
...
* ''Closeup
A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long s ...
'' (Private Stock 1975)
With Randy Weston
* '' Blue Moses'' (CTI, 1972)
''With Jim Steinman
* Bad For Good(Epic, 1981)
Filmography
References
*
External links
*
Video: Flugelhorn solo on 'To touch you again'
Video: Alan Rubin 'She's funny that way' 1959
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin, Alan
1943 births
2011 deaths
American male film actors
American session musicians
American jazz trumpeters
American male trumpeters
Juilliard School alumni
Rhythm and blues trumpeters
The Blues Brothers members
Saturday Night Live Band members
Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state)
American jazz flugelhornists
American male jazz musicians