Garvin Bushell ''(né'' Garvin Lamont Payne; September 25, 1902 – October 31, 1991) was an American

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

multi-instrumentalist.

Biography

Bushell was born in Springfield,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, to Alexander Payne, Jr. (1875–1908) and Effie Penn ''(maiden;'' 1879–1968). After his father's death, his mother – on January 12, 1910, in

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, Kenton County, Kentucky, United States, located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking Rivers. Cincinnati, Ohio, ...

– married Rev. Joseph Davenport Bushell (1878–1960). Garvin adopted the surname of his stepfather. Bushell played both jazz and classical music on

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, alto clarinet,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

, english horn,

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

, and

contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The reed is consi ...

. He was best known as a jazz sideman with people such as

Perry Bradford Perry Bradford (February 14, 1893, Montgomery, Alabama – April 20, 1970, New York City) was an American composer, songwriter, and vaudeville performer. His most notable songs included "Crazy Blues," "That Thing Called Love," and "You Can't Kee ...

, and performed and/or recorded with many of jazz's great names, such as Fletcher Henderson,

Bunk Johnson Willie Gary "Bunk" Johnson (December 27, 1879 – July 7, 1949) was an American prominent jazz trumpeter in New Orleans. Johnson gave the year of his birth as 1879, although there is speculation that he may have been younger by as much as a dec ...

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

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 vocalist ...

, Eric Dolphy,

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role ...

, and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

. Bushell eventually settled in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, where he worked as a music teacher.

Family

Bushell – on July 24, 1923, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

– married Marie Roberts ''(maiden;'' 1902–1971), who, among other things, had been a member of the

Chocolate Kiddies The ''Chocolate Kiddies'' is a three-act Broadway-styled revue that, in its inaugural production – from May to September 1925 – toured Berlin, Hamburg, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. The show never actually performed on Broadway, but was conceived ...

chorus for the 1925 European tour. Garvin was a member of the band for that tour. Bushell – in 1965 in

– married Louise Olivari ''(maiden;'' 1925–1994), to whom he remained married until his death in 1991. Garvin and Louise had two sons, Garvin P. Bushell and Philip Bushell.

Discography

, ''Africa/Brass'' (Impulse!, 1961) * John Coltrane, ''The Other Village Vanguard Tapes ABC'' (Impulse!, 1977) *

Doc Cook Charles L. Cooke (September 3, 1891 – December 25, 1958), known as Doc Cook, was an American jazz bandleader and arranger. Cook was a Doctor of Music, awarded by the Chicago Musical College in 1926. Born in Louisville, he first worked as a com ...

Johnny Dunn Johnny Dunn (February 19, 1897 – August 20, 1937) was an American traditional jazz trumpeter and vaudeville performer, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He is probably best known for his work during the 1920s with musicians such as Perry ...

, ''Doc Cook and His Dreamland Orchestra and 14 Doctors of Syncopation/Johnny Dunn and His Band with Jelly Roll Morton'' (VJM, 1970) * Wilbur de Paris, ''The Wild Jazz Age'' (Atlantic, 1960) * Wilbur de Paris, ''On the Riviera'' (Atlantic, 1962) *

, ''The Individualism of Gil Evans'' (Verve, 1964) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

/Chick Webb, ''Ella Fitzgerald & the Chick Webb Orchestra'' (Joker, 1974) * Fletcher Henderson All Stars, ''The Big Reunion'' (Jazztone, 1958) * Barbara Lea, ''Lea in Love'' (Prestige, 1956) *

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz. He was ...

, ''New Orleans Legends'' (CBS, 1975) *

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart drop ...

, ''

Rendezvous with Rex ''Rendezvous with Rex'' is an album by cornetist Rex Stewart which was recorded in 1958 and released on the Felsted label.Henderson Homecoming ''Henderson Homecoming'' is a live album performed by cornetist Rex Stewart with the Fletcher Henderson Alumni that was recorded at the Great South Bay Jazz Festival in 1958 and released on the United Artists label.Edwards, D., Eyries, P. & Call ...

'' (United Artists, 1959) *

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...

, ''Ethel Waters 1938–1939'' (RCA Victor, 1972) *

Chick Webb William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader. Early life Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. ...

Orchestra/Ella Fitzgerald, ''Live Session at the Savoy Ballroom Harlem December 1939'' (Musidisc, 1975) *

Edith Wilson Edith Wilson ( Bolling, formerly Galt; October 15, 1872 – December 28, 1961) was the first lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921 and the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. She married the widower Wilson in December 1915, during hi ...

, ''Edith Wilson/1921-22'' (Fountain, 1974) *

Sam Wooding Samuel David Wooding (17 June 1895 – 1 August 1985) was an American jazz pianist, arranger and bandleader living and performing in Europe and the United States. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, between 1921 an ...

, ''Sam Wooding & His Chocolate Dandies'' (Biograph, 1970)

References

External links

Review of Bushell's book ''Jazz From the Beginning''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bushell, Garvin 1902 births 1991 deaths Jazz musicians from Ohio Musicians from Springfield, Ohio 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American saxophonists African-American saxophonists American classical bassoonists American classical clarinetists American classical oboists American classical saxophonists American jazz bassoonists American jazz clarinetists American jazz oboists American jazz saxophonists American male jazz musicians American male saxophonists Classical musicians from Ohio Cor anglais players Male oboists 20th-century African-American musicians