Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of

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 ...

, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the

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 ...

era of the 1940s and "one of the best jazz singers too". Teagarden's early career was as a sideman with the likes of

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

and lifelong friend

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Early life

Teagarden was born in

Vernon, Texas Vernon is a city and the county seat of Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 11,002. History The original town was called Eagle Springs by the indigenous community as early as 1858. After th ...

, United States. His brothers Charlie and Clois "Cub" and his sister

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid *Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Geography *Norma, Lazi ...

also became professional musicians. His father was an amateur brass band trumpeter and started him on

baritone horn The baritone horn, or sometimes just called baritone, is a low-pitched brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a piston-val ...

; by age seven he had switched to trombone. His first public performances were in movie theaters, where he accompanied his mother, a pianist. "Teagarden, Jack (Weldon Leo)"
, Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians.

Music career

Teagarden's trombone style was largely self-taught, and he developed many unusual alternative positions and novel special effects on the instrument. He is usually considered the most innovative jazz trombone stylist of the pre-

era –

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

once called him "the best trombone player in the world"."The Best Trombone Player in the World", by

Gary Giddins Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986 Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a j ...

, originally published in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', March 1977; reprinted in ''Riding on a Blue Note: Jazz & American Pop'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1981. By 1920, Teagarden was playing professionally in San Antonio, including with the band of pianist

Peck Kelley John Dickson "Peck" Kelley (October 22, 1898 – December 26, 1980) was an American jazz pianist. He was best known for his 1920s band Peck's Bad Boys, which included Jack Teagarden, and Pee Wee Russell. Early life John Dickson "Peck" Kelley w ...

. In the mid-1920s he started traveling widely around the United States in a quick succession of different bands. In 1927, he went to New York City where he worked with several bands. By 1928 he played for the

Ben Pollack Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, ...

band. In the late 1920s, he recorded with such bandleaders and sidemen as Armstrong,

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Jimmy McPartland James Dugald "Jimmy" McPartland (March 15, 1907 – March 13, 1991) was an American cornetist. He worked with Eddie Condon, Art Hodes, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, and Tommy Dorsey, often leading his own bands. He was married to ...

Mezz Mezzrow Milton Mesirow (November 9, 1899 – August 5, 1972), better known as Mezz Mezzrow, was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist from Chicago, Illinois. He is remembered for organizing and financing recording sessions with Tommy Ladnier ...

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

, Eddie Condon, and Fats Waller. In 1931, Teagarden’s early orchestra recorded the tune “Chances Are” with Fats Waller playing piano and Jack singing and playing trombone. Miller and Teagarden collaborated to provide lyrics and a verse to

Spencer Williams Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs " Basin Street Blues", "I Ain't Got Nobody", " Royal Garden Blues", " I've Found a New ...

' " Basin Street Blues", which in that amended form became one of the numbers that Teagarden played until the end of his days. Teagarden sought financial security during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and signed an exclusive contract to play for the

Orchestra from 1933 through 1938. In 1946, Teagarden joined Louis Armstrong's All Stars. In late 1951, Teagarden left to again lead his own band. He died in New Orleans at the age of 58, suffering from pneumonia.

Discography

* ''Big Jazz'' with Rex Stewart (Atlantic, 1953) * ''Holiday in Trombone'' (EmArcy, 1954) * ''Jack Teagarden Plays and Sings'' (Urania, 1954) * ''Meet the New Jack Teagarden Volume I'' (Urania, 1954) * ''Jazz Great'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * ''Accent On Trombone'' (Urania, 1955) * ''Big T's Jazz'' (Decca, 1956) * ''This Is Teagarden!'' (Capitol, 1956) * ''Swing Low, Sweet Spiritual'' (Capitol, 1957) * ''Jazz Ultimate'' with Bobby Hackett (Capitol, 1958) * ''Jack Teagarden at the Roundtable'' (Roulette, 1959) * ''Shades of Night'' (Capitol, 1959) * '' Mis'ry and the Blues'' (Verve, 1961) * ''

Think Well of Me ''Think Well of Me'' is a 1962 studio album by trombonist/vocalist Jack Teagarden, performing songs by Willard Robison, accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Bob Brookmeyer or Russ Case, that was released by the Verve Records, Ver ...

'' (Verve, 1962) * ''The Dixie Sound of Jack Teagarden'' (Roulette, 1962) * ''Jack Teagarden'' (Verve, 1962) * ''The Blues and Dixie'' (Rondo-lette, 1963) * ''A Portrait of Mr. T'' (Roulette, 1963) * ''Swinging Down in Dixie'' (Golden Tone, 1963) * ''King of the Blues Trombone'' (Epic, 1963) * ''Big T's Dixieland Band'' (Capitol, 1977) * ''Big T & the Condon Gang'' (Pumpkin, 1978) * ''Original Dixieland'' (Everest Archive, 1978) * ''Big Band Jazz'' (Everest Archive, 1979) * ''Mighty Like a Rose'' (Koala, 1979) * ''The Swingin' Gate'' (Jasmine, 1981) * ''The Big Band Sound of Bunny Berigan & Jack Teagarden'' (Folkways, 1982) * ''Tribute to Teagarden'' (Pausa, 1983) * ''Birth of a Band'' (Giants of Jazz, 1985) * ''100 Years from Today'' (Grudge, 1990) * ''The Complete Capitol Fifties Jack Teagarden Sessions'' (Mosaic, 1996) * ''It's Time for T'' (Naxos, 2006) * ''Father of Jazz Trombone'' (Avid Entertainment, 2004)

As guest

Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armst ...

, ''

Red Allen, Kid Ory & Jack Teagarden at Newport Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstr ...

'' (Verve, 1957) *

, ''Dixieland'' (Savoy, 1956)

References

External links

* *
Jack Teagarden recordings
at 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 ...