Charles "Chuck" A. Hedges (July 21, 1932 – June 24, 2010) 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 ...

clarinetist.

Early life and education

Hedges was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He began playing clarinet while attending a military school. He received formal training under Claude Bordy and learned to play jazz on his own. He attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Career

Hedges joined George Brunis's ensemble in 1953, remaining with Brunis through the end of the decade. He was active on the

Dixieland revival Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

scene in the 1960s, playing regularly at clubs in Chicago and Milwaukee into the 1990s. He worked with

Wild Bill Davison William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they p ...

for most of the 1980s and also worked with Alan Vaché and

Johnny Varro Johnny Varro (born 1930) is a pianist with roots in the swing (genre), swing style of jazz. He is also a leader and arranger. Commodore Music Shop Varro was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began studying piano at the age of ten. During his teena ...

. He released several albums as a leader in the 1990s and 2000s.

Personal life

Hedges died in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area that ...

, in 2010. Hedges had six children.

Discography

* Bob Hirsch, Tommy Saunders, Chuck Hedges, Sid Dawson, Chuck Anderson, Steve Thede: ''Bob Hirsch and His Jazz All-Stars at briarcombe: A Jazz Picnic'' (1976) * Chuck Hedges, Johnny Varro,

Ray Leatherwood Ray Leatherwood (April 24, 1914 – January 29, 1996) was an American jazz double-bassist and session musician. Leatherwood's career began in territory bands around Texas, including the Mustang Band. Late in the 1930s he worked with Joe Venuti, a ...

Gene Estes The Wrecking Crew was a loose collective of Los Angeles-based session musicians whose services were employed for a great number of studio recordings in the 1960s and 1970s, including hundreds of top 40 hits. The musicians were not publicly rec ...

: ''The Square Roots of Jazz'' (1984) *''No Greater Love'' ( Arbors, 1992), with

Eddie Higgins Edward Haydn Higgins (February 21, 1932 – August 31, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and orchestrator. His performance and composition in 1959's " Cry of Jazz" is preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. Bi ...

Bob Haggart Robert Sherwood Haggart (March 13, 1914 – December 2, 1998) was an American dixieland jazz double bass player, composer, and arranger. Although he is associated with dixieland, he was one of the finest rhythm bassists of the Swing Era. Music c ...

, Gene Estes * ''Live at Andy's'' ( Delmark, 1993), with Duane Thamm, John Bany, Dave Baney, Charles Braugham * Chuck Hedges and Allan Vaché: ''Clarinet Climax'' (

Jazzology Records Jazzology Records is an American jazz record company and label. It is part of the Jazzology group of labels owned and operated by the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation. Jazzology Records was founded in 1949 by George H. Buck, Jr. That year he r ...

, 1998), with Howard Elkins, Jack Wyatt, Jim Vaughn, John Sheridan *''Just Jammin': Chuck Hedges and the Milwaukee Connection'' (Arbors, 2001), with Henry "Bucky" Buckwalter, Gary Meisner, Dave Sullivan, Mike Britz, Andy LoDuca * Chuck Hedges and Duane Thamm: ''Tribute to Hamp'' (Delmark, 2002), with Frank Dawson, John Bany, Charlie Braugham

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedges, Chuck American jazz clarinetists Musicians from Chicago 1932 births 2010 deaths Jazz musicians from Illinois Arbors Records artists Jazzology Records artists