Jesse Miller, Jr. (August 16, 1921 – January 24, 1950) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Born in Houston, Texas, he moved to Chicago, where he studied under Captain Walter Dyett at the

DuSable High School Jean Baptiste Point DuSable High School is a public four-year high school campus located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. DuSable is owned by the Chicago Public Schools district. The school ...

. Turning professional in 1940, he played in the bands of

Tiny Bradshaw Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958)
- accessed July 2010 was an American

and

King Kolax King Kolax (born William Little, November 6, 1912 – December 18, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Biography William Little was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1912; he misleadingly claimed he was born in 1918 in later ...

. He went on to join Milt Larkin's house band at the Rhumboogie in 1941, with Calvin Ladnier, Clarence Trice and Miller on trumpets, Arnett Sparrow and Streamline Williams on trombones, Frank Dominguez,

Tom Archia Ernest Alvin Archia, Jr. (November 26, 1919 – January 16, 1977) known as Tom Archia, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Early life Archia was born in Groveton, Texas, moving with his family as a child to Rockdale and then Baytown, ...

(billed as Ernest Archey), Moses Grant and Sam Player on saxes, Cedric Haywood on piano, Lawrerence Cato on bass and Alvin Burroughs on drums. In 1942, he was a member of Earl Hines' orchestra featuring Billy Eckstine on vocals (with George Dixon,

Pee Wee Jackson Pee or PEE may refer to: *Slang for Urine *Slang for Urination * P, the 16th letter of the English alphabet *Peeblesshire, historic county in Scotland, Chapman code *Penny or pence * Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, a North Korean electronica group ...

, Shorts McConnell, and Miller on trumpets, Jo McLewis, George Hunt, Gerry Valentine on trombones,

Budd Johnson Albert J. "Budd" Johnson III (December 14, 1910 – October 20, 1984) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with, among others, Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke ...

, Robert Crowder (tenor sax), Leroy Harris, Jr.,

Scoops Carry Scoops Carry (January 23, 1915 – August 4, 1970), born George Dorman and sometimes billed as Scoops Carey, was an American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist. Early life and education Carry was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He mother wa ...

(alto sax), Hines on piano, Clifford Best on guitar),

Truck Parham Charles Valdez "Truck" Parham (January 25, 1911 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz double-bassist. Parham was born in Chicago and was first a professional sportsman: he was a boxer and played football with the Chicago Negro All Stars. He pl ...

on bass, and Rudy Taylor on drums. He was in the following line-up when Sarah Vaughan joined it (with Dizzy Gillespie, McConnell, Miller and Gail Brockman on trumpets,

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

Thomas Crump __NOTOC__ Thomas Crump (12 March 1845 – 18 January 1907) was an English clergyman and amateur cricketer. After graduating from Oxford University, Crump held various ecclesiastical roles in the Herefordshire and Shropshire areas before movin ...

on tenor saxes, Andrew "Goon" Gardner and Carry on alto saxes, John Williams on baritone,

Cliff Smalls Clifton Arnold (3 March 1918 – 2008), better known as Cliff Smalls, Feather, Leonard and Ira Gitler. ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' was an American jazz trombonist, pianist, conductor and arranger who worked in the jazz, soul and rhy ...

(also on piano), Gus Chappell,

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

and Howard "Scotty" Scott (later Mohammed Sadiq) on trombones, Wilson on drums, Connie Wainwright on guitar and Paul O. Simpson and/or Ted "Mohawk" Sturgis on bass). In April 1944, he recorded with a line-up featuring Eddie Johnson, Jimmy Jones, John Levy and Alvin Burroughs. In August 1944,

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

took up a residency, which lasted until January 1945, at the Garrick Lounge's Garrick Stage, where his band alternated with Miller's band, with Webster often sitting in with them.Büchmann-Møller, Frank (2008) ''Someone to Watch Over Me: The Life and Music of Ben Webster'', pp. 113-4. University of Michigan Press
At Google Books. Retrieved 6 July 2013. Miller's band at the time comprised Johnny Board, Argonne Thornton (Hadik Hakim), Rail Wilson and Hillard Brown. Webster took Miller's rhythm section with him to his next booking at New York's

Onyx Club The Onyx Club was a jazz club located on 52nd Street (Manhattan), West 52nd Street in New York City. ...

. Miller also led a band at Joe's Deluxe Club with

Ike Day Isaac Day Jr. (1925 – 1958), better known as Ike Day, was a Chicago-based hard bop and bebop jazz drummer. Life Referred to as “legendary” by many jazz musicians, including Andrew Hill, very little is known about Day except for a few spe ...

on drums, and went on to lead the house band at

Club DeLisa The Club DeLisa, also written Delisa or De Lisa, was an African-American nightclub and music venue in Chicago, Illinois. Located at 5521 South State Street (State Street and Garfield Avenue, on the South Side), it was possibly the most prestigious ...

, taking over from Red Saunders, from June 1945 to February 1946, when Fletcher Henderson took up the residency.Campbell, Robert L. and Christopher Trent, and Robert Pruter "From Sonny Blount to Sun Ra: The Chicago Years"
Retrieved 6 July 2013. It's likely that during these two residencies is when

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

collaborated with both bandleaders as arranger and/or pianist.Tanner, Paul and David W. Megill, Maurice Gerow (2005) ''Jazz'', p. 274. McGraw-Hill
Retrieved 6 July 2013. Shortly after recording with Gene Ammons, on October 4, 1949, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, and died within a few months.

Discography

As sideman

* Gene Ammons, ''

Soulful Saxophone ''Soulful Saxophone'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons, compiling tracks recorded between 1948 and 1951, some of which were originally released as singles, that was issued by the Chess label in 1959.Jug and Sonny ''Jug and Sonny'' is a compilation album by saxophonist Gene Ammons, with Sonny Stitt featured on two tracks, collecting recordings made between 1948 and 1951, some of which were originally released as singles, that was issued by the Chess label ...

'' (Chess, 1960) * Earl Hines, ''Piano Man'' (Bluebird, 1989)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Jesse 1921 births 1950 deaths Musicians from Houston American jazz musicians American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trumpeters Jazz musicians from Texas 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 20th-century African-American musicians Deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma