Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie,

Fats Navarro Theodore "Fats" Navarro (September 24, 1923 – July 6, 1950) was an American jazz trumpet player. He was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. He had a strong stylistic influence on many other players, including Cl ...

and

Idrees Sulieman Idrees Sulieman (August 7, 1923 – July 23, 2002) was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter. Biography He was born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, later changing his name to Idrees Sulieman, after converting to Is ...

. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger bebop trumpeters such as

Biography

Howard McGhee was born in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, United States, and raised in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. During his career, he played in bands led by Lionel Hampton, Andy Kirk,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

and

Charlie Barnet Charles Daly Barnet (October 26, 1913 – September 4, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His major recordings were "Skyliner", " Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", "In a Mizz", and "Southland Shuffl ...

. He was in a club listening to the radio when he first heard

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

and was one of the earliest adopters of the new style, a fact that was disapproved by older musicians like

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 ...

Thelonious Monk and Howard McGhee, Minton's Playhouse , Sept 1947 (Gottlieb 10248)

In 1946–47, some record sessions for the new label Dial were organized in Hollywood, with Charlie Parker and McGhee. The first was held on July 29, 1946. The musicians were Charlie Parker, Howard McGhee, Jimmy Bunn, Bob Kesterson, and Roy Porter. With Parker's health near to collapse, he played "Max is Making Wax", "

Lover Man "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" (often called simply "Lover Man") is a 1941 popular song written by Jimmy Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, and James Sherman. It is particularly associated with Billie Holiday, for whom it was written, and her ...

", and " The Gypsy". McGhee continued to work as a sideman with Parker. He played on titles such as "Relaxin' at Camarillo", "Cheers", "Carvin the Bird" and "Stupendous". Around this time, McGhee was a leading musician in the Los Angeles bebop scene, participating in many concerts, recording, and even managing a night club for a period. His stay in California ended because of racial prejudice, particularly vicious towards McGhee as half of a mixed-race couple. Drug problems sidelined McGhee for much of the 1950s, but he resurfaced in the 1960s, appearing in many

George Wein George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer.

productions. His career sputtered again in the mid-1960s and he did not record again until 1976. He led one of three big jazz bands trying to succeed in New York in the late 1960s. While the band did not survive, a recording was released in the mid-1970s. He taught music through the 1970s, both in classrooms and at his apartment in midtown Manhattan and instructed musicians like

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Was ...

in music theory. He was as much an accomplished composer-arranger as he was a performer. McGhee died on July 17, 1987 at the age of 69, a memorial service was held for him on July 24, 1987.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* 1946–47 ''Trumpet at Tempo'' ( Dial

el. 1996 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

* 1948 ''

Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson ''Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Howard McGhee with vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded in 1948 and released by the Savoy label in 1955 on a 12-inch LP.Savoy) * 1950 ''Howard McGhee, Vol. 1'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

) with

* 1951 ''Night Music'' (Dial) * 1952 ''Jazz South Pacific'' (

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

) with

J.J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biography ...

Oscar Pettiford Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom. Biography Pettiford was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United ...

KA ''Jazz Goes to the Battlefront''* 1953 ''Howard McGhee, Vol. 2'' (Blue Note) with

Gigi Gryce Gigi Gryce (born George General Grice Jr.; November 28, 1925 – March 14, 1983), later Basheer Qusim, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator. While his performing career was relatively short, ...

* 1955 ''

The Return of Howard McGhee ''The Return of Howard McGhee'' is an album by trumpeter Howard McGhee which was recorded in 1955 and released on the Bethlehem label.Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

) KA ''That Bop Thing''* 1956 ''

Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" is a popular song with music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by Lew Brown, published in 1931. Ethel Merman introduced this song in George White's ''Scandals of 1931''. A Rudy Vallée version, recorded in 1931, spent f ...

'' (Bethlehem) * 1960 '' Dusty Blue'' (Bethlehem) * 1960 ''

Music from the Connection ''Music from The Connection'' is a jazz album by trumpeter Howard McGhee recorded on June 13, 1960, and released on the Felsted label.

'' ( Felsted) * 1961 '' Together Again!!!!'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

) with

Teddy Edwards Theodore Marcus Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and the ...

* 1961 ''

Maggie's Back in Town!! ''Maggie's Back in Town!!'' is an album by trumpeter Howard McGhee which was recorded in 1961 and released on the Contemporary label.

'' (Contemporary) * 1961 ''The Sharp Edge'' ( Fontana) KA ''Shades of Blue''* 1962 ''Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

) * 1963 ''House Warmin'!'' ( Argo) originally issued in 1962 on Winley Records as ''Nothin' But Soul'' under Gene Ammons' name. * 1976 ''Here Comes Freddy'' (

Sonet Synchronous optical networking (SONET) and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) are standardized protocols that transfer multiple digital bit streams synchronously over optical fiber using lasers or highly coherent light from light-emitting diode ...

) with

Illinois Jacquet Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on " Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. Although he was a pioneer of ...

* 1976 ''Just Be There'' ( SteepleChase) with Horace Parlan,

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

* 1977 ''Cookin' Time'', Howard McGhee Orchestra (Zim Records) * 1978 ''Live at Emerson's'', Howard McGhee Sextet (Zim Records) * 1978 ''Jazz Brothers'' (Jazzcraft) with

* 1978 ''Home Run'' (Jazzcraft) with

Benny Bailey Ernest Harold "Benny" Bailey (August 13, 1925 – April 14, 2005) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bailey briefly studied flute and piano before turning to trumpet. He attended the Cleveland Conserva ...

* 1979 '' Young at Heart'' ( Storyville) with Teddy Edwards * 1979 '' Wise in Time'' (Storyville) with Teddy Edwards

As sideman

With

Lorez Alexandria Lorez Alexandria (born Dolorez Alexandria Turner; August 14, 1929 – May 22, 2001). was an American jazz singer, described as "one of the most gifted and underrated jazz singers of the twentieth century". She became established in the midwest b ...

*'' Deep Roots'' (Argo, 1962) With

Georgie Auld Georgie Auld (May 19, 1919 – January 8, 1990) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. Early years Auld was born John Altwerger in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1929. Before the family left Canada, Au ...

*''

Rainbow Mist ''Rainbow Mist'' is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins compiling recordings from 1944 originally released by Apollo Records that was released by the Delmark label in 1992.

'' ( Delmark, 1944

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...

compilation of Apollo recordings With Billy Eckstine *''Maggie: The Savoy Sessions'' (Savoy, 1947

995 Year 995 ( CMXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 17 May - Fujiwara no Michitaka (imperial regent) dies. * 3 June: Fujiwara no Michikane gain ...

includes the infamous Eckstine/McGhee four song session, originally recorded in Chicago for Vitacoustic Records; personnel: Howard McGhee (tp), Billy Eckstine (vtb), Kenny Mann (ts), Hank Jones (p), Ray Brown (b),

J.C. Heard James Charles Heard (August 10, 1917 – September 27, 1988) was an American swing, bop, and blues drummer. Biography Heard was born in Dayton, Ohio and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. As a young child, he performed as a tap dancer in amate ...

(d), Marcel Daniels (v). With

Johnny Hartman John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for his ...

* '' Songs from the Heart'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * '' All of Me: The Debonair Mr. Hartman'' (Bethlehem, 1956) With

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

* ''Hollywood Stampede'' (Capitol, 1945

972 Year 972 ( CMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Emperor John I Tzimiskes divides the Bulgarian territories, recent ...

* '' Disorder at the Border'' (Spotlite, 1952

973 Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias (Domestic of the S ...

With

Chubby Jackson Greig Stewart "Chubby" Jackson (October 25, 1918 – October 1, 2003) was an American jazz double-bassist and band leader. Biography Born in New York City, Jackson began at the age of seventeen as a clarinetist, but quickly changed to bass in ...

* ''Chubby Jackson All Star Big Band'' (1950) * ''Chubby Jackson Sextet and Big Band'' (Prestige, 1947–1950

969 Year 969 ( CMLXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 1st millennium, the 69th ...

With James Moody * '' Cookin' the Blues'' ive(Argo, 1961 964 With André Previn * ''André Previn All-Stars'' (1946) * ''Previn at Sunset'' (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...

, 1972) With Mel Tormé * ''George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess'' (Bethlehem, 1956) with

Frances Faye Frances Faye (November 4, 1912 – November 8, 1991) was an American cabaret and show tune singer and pianist. Born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, she was a second cousin of actor Danny Kaye. Career Born as Fran ...

* '' At the Crescendo'' (Bethlehem, 1957) * '' Songs for Any Taste'' (Bethlehem, 1957)

With others

* 1954 ''

Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic ''Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic'' (MG C-169) is a live album by jazz singer Billie Holiday, originally recorded on February 12, 1945 and October 3, 1946 at the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, ...

'',

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

(Clef, rec. 1945–1946) * 1956 ''Way Out Wardell'',

Wardell Gray Wardell Gray (February 13, 1921 – May 25, 1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Biography Early years Gray was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest of four children. He spent his early chil ...

(Modern) * 1960 '' The Music from "The Connection"'',

Freddie Redd Freddie Redd (May 29, 1928 – March 17, 2021) was an American hard-bop pianist and composer. He is best known for writing music to accompany '' The Connection'' (1959), a play by Jack Gelber. According to Peter Watrous, writing in ''The New Y ...

(Blue Note) * 1962 '' Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra'',

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

(Verve) * 1962 ''Good Old Zoot'',

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

(New Jazz) * 1963 '' At Newport '63'', Joe Williams (RCA Victor) * 1967 ''Tribute To Charlie Parker (From The Newport Jazz Festival)'' (RCA Victor, rec. 1964) * 1968 '' Boppin' & Burnin''' , Don Patterson (Prestige) * 1969 ''Early Quintets'',

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

(Prestige, rec. 1959) * 1976 ''Red Top: The Savoy Sessions (1947–1953)'', Gene Ammons (Savoy) * 1976 ''The Jazz Singer'',

Eddie Jefferson Eddie Jefferson (August 3, 1918 – May 9, 1979) was an American jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Jefferson himself claims t ...

(Inner City, rec. 1959–1961) * 1989 ''Autumn in New York'', Sonny Stitt (Black Lion, rec. 1967) * 1991 ''California Boppin' 1947'',

Sonny Criss William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American jazz musician. An alto saxophonist of prominence during the bebop era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by Charlie Parker. Biography William Criss wa ...

(Fresh Sound) * 1993 ''The Chronological...1940–1942'', Andy Kirk & His Clouds of Joy (Classics) * 1995 ''Dodo Marmarosa On Dial: The Complete Sessions (1946–1947)'',

Dodo Marmarosa Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa (December 12, 1925 – September 17, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Originating in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Marmarosa became a professional musician in his mid-teens, and toured with several ...

(Spotlite) * 1996 ''The Chronological...1944–1945'',

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...

(Classics) * 1996 ''The Chronological...1945'', Slim Gaillard (Classics)

References

External links

AllMusic Discography 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGhee, Howard 1918 births 1987 deaths American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Bebop trumpeters Cass Technical High School alumni Hard bop trumpeters Jazz musicians from Michigan Blue Note Records artists Savoy Records artists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Bethlehem Records artists Contemporary Records artists Argo Records artists

Biography

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With others

References

Further reading

External links