Jiggs Whigham (born Oliver Haydn Whigham III; August 20, 1943) is 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 ...

trombonist.

Biography

Born in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

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 ...

, United States, he began his professional career at the age of 17, joining the Glenn Miller/Ray McKinley orchestra in 1961. He left that band for

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

, where he played in the touring "mellophonium" band in 1963, then settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to play commercially. Frustrated with commercial playing, Whigham migrated to Germany, where he still lives. He taught at the Hochschule für Musik in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. He played for many years in the big band of

Kurt Edelhagen Kurt Edelhagen (born 5 June 1920 – 8 February 1982) was a German big band leader. He was born in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Edelhagen studied conducting and piano in Essen. In 1945, he started a trio, then a big band a year later. ...

, was a featured soloist in the

Bert Kaempfert Bert Kaempfert (born Berthold Heinrich Kämpfert; 16 October 1923 – 21 June 1980) was a German orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger, and composer. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records and wrote the mus ...

orchestra, and was also a member of the

Peter Herbolzheimer Peter Alexandru Herbolzheimer (31 December 1935 – 27 March 2010) was a Romanian-German jazz trombonist and bandleader. Biography Herbolzheimer was born to a Romanian mother and a German father in Bucharest, Romania. His family emigrated in 1 ...

band. He is widely admired by trombonists and other musicians for his fluent and expressive playing, and has produced an extensive discography as a leader, including work with Bill Holman,

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...

Carl Fontana Carl Charles Fontana (July 18, 1928 – October 9, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist. After working in the big bands of Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Stan Kenton, he devoted most of his career to playing music in Las Vegas. Career Font ...

, and many others. In more recent years, Whigham has been musical director of the RIAS Big Band in Berlin, Germany. He is formerly conductor of the

BBC Big Band The BBC Big Band, originally known as the BBC Radio Big Band is a British big band, previously run under the auspices of the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC). The band broadcasts exclusively on BBC Radio, particularly on BBC Radio 2's long ...

in Great Britain and currently co-director of the

Berlin Jazz Orchestra The Berlin Jazz Orchestra is a 17 piece concert jazz orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. The orchestra has been critically acclaimed by prominent periodicals such as the :de:Der Tagesspiegel, Berliner Tagesspiegel, :de:Märkische Allgemeine, Mä ...

with singer Marc Secara. He is featured on the

albums '' Update,'' ''

You're Everything "You're Everything" is a song by American rapper Bun B, released July 31, 2008 as the third single from his second studio album ''II Trill'' (2008). The song, produced by Mr. Lee, features fellow southern rappers Rick Ross, David Banner and 8Ball ...

'', ''

Songs of Berlin ''Songs of Berlin'' is an album by Marc Secara and the Berlin Jazz Orchestra, released digitally worldwide in October 2021 on GAM Records. The album features trombonist Jiggs Whigham and was arranged and conducted by Jack Cooper (American musicia ...

'' and music DVD ( Polydor/Universal) ''

Strangers In Night - The Music Of Bert Kaempfert ''Strangers in the Night - The Music of Bert Kaempfert'' is the Berlin Jazz Orchestra's first home video, released on DVD September 21, 2012 by Polydor Records, Polydor/Universal Entertainment. The DVD is a live recording from the Alte Oper on Feb ...

''. He was visiting tutor and artist at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

and KUG in

Graz, Austria Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...

. He is artist-in-residence for the

Conn-Selmer Conn-Selmer, Inc. is an American manufacturer of musical instruments for concert bands, marching bands and orchestras. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments and was formed in 2003 by combining the Steinway properties, T ...

company, maker of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Jiggs Whigham model trombone. He continues to tour worldwide as soloist, conductor, and educator. Since 2008 he has been a regular musical director for the Bundesjazzorchester working with the top student jazz musicians in Germany. He makes his home in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg ( ksh, Bad Jodesbersch) is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of West Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings ar ...

, Germany and

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Discography

* ''Values'' ( MPS, 1971) * ''The Jiggs Up'' (Capri, 1988) * ''First Take'' (Mons, 1994) * ''Hope'' (Mons, 1995) * ''Jiggs & Gene'' (Azica, 1996) * ''Blue Highway: The Music of Paul Ferguson'' (Azica, 1998) * ''Jazz Meets Band'' (1999) * ''The Heart & Soul of Hoagy Carmichael'' (TNC Jazz, 2002) * ''Two-Too'' (

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

, 2006) * ''Live at Nighttown: Not So Standards'' (Azica, 2015) With the

* 2004 '' Update'' * 2007 ''

'' * 2012 ''

'' DVD * 2021 ''

'' * 2022 ''Crosscurrents'' With the

hr-Bigband The hr-Bigband is the big band of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcasting network of the German state of Hesse. Founded 1946 as Tanz- und Unterhaltungsorchester des Hessischen Rundfunks it was renamed to hr Big Band in 1972. Since 2005 it is ...

* ''Strangers in the Night: The Music of Bert Kaempfert'' (

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. ...

, 2006)

As sideman

With

* 1999 ''Nice 'n' Easy'' * 2002 ''Keepin' up with the Boneses'' With

* 1973 ''Wide Open'' * 2005 ''Toots Suite'' * 2006 ''Getting Down to Brass Tracks'' With

* 1964 ''

Artistry in Voices and Brass ''Artistry in Voices and Brass'' is an album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra revisiting their popular compositions with new lyrics composed by Milt Raskin and arranged by Pete Rugolo for an 18-member vocal chorus and trombone section recorded in 1963 ...

'' * 1964 '' Stan Kenton presents Jean Turner'' * 1998 ''Concert in England'' * 2000 ''Live at Newport: 1959, 1963, 1971'' * 2001 ''Back to Balboa: Tribute to Stan Keaton, Vol. 6'' * 2003 ''At Brant Inn 1963'' With Kenton Alumni Band * 1992 ''50th Anniversary Celebration: The Best of Back to Balboa'' * 1995 ''50th Anniversary Celebration: Back to Balboa'' * 1995 '' 'Round Midnight Concert'', Shades of Kenton Jazz Orchestra With

Paul Kuhn Paul Kuhn may refer to: * Paul Kuhn (tenor) (1874–1966), German operatic tenor * Paul Kuhn (band leader) Paul Kuhn (12 March 1928 – 23 September 2013) was a German jazz musician, band leader, singer and pianist. He was the band leader of t ...

* 2008 ''As Time Goes By'' * 2013 ''Swing 85'' With

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

* 1992 ''The Awakening'' * 1995 ''Lost Cathedral'' With others * 1969 ''Harpadelic'', Johnny Teupen * 1970 ''Globe Unity 67 & 70'',

Globe Unity Orchestra The Globe Unity Orchestra is a free jazz ensemble. Globe Unity was formed in autumn 1966 with a commission received by Alexander von Schlippenbach from the Berlin Jazz Festival. It had its debut at the Berliner Philharmonie on 3 November combini ...

* 1971 ''Homecoming'',

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...

* 1972 ''...Und...'', Mladen Gutesha * 1976 ''Kaempfert '76'',

* 1984 ''Lightnin' '', Klaus Weiss Big Band * 1988 ''Barlach Zyklus'', Mikesch Van Grummer * 1992 ''Joe Pass in Hamburg'',

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

* 1998 ''Meets the RIAS Big Band'',

Allen Farnham Allen Nicholas Farnham (born May 19, 1961) is a record producer, educator, jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He has recorded several albums under his own name – as a soloist, in a small group, and with a big band. Early life Farnham was bor ...

* 2000 ''North Sea Jazz Sessions, Volume 2'',

Frank Rosolino Frank Rosolino (August 20, 1926 – November 26, 1978) was an American jazz trombonist. Biography Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray, Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, Gen ...

* 2005 ''Mosaic Select: Johnny Richards'',

Johnny Richards Johnny Richards (born Juan Manuel Cascales, November 2, 1911 – October 7, 1968) was an American jazz arranger and composer. He was a pivotal arranger for some of the more adventurous performances by Stan Kenton's big band in the 1950s and e ...

* 2006 ''Tea Break/Back Again/Jazz from Two Sides'',

Vic Lewis Victor Lewis MBE (29 July 1919 – 9 February 2009) was a British jazz guitarist and bandleader. He also enjoyed success as an artists' agent and manager. Biography He was born in London, England. Lewis began playing the guitar at the age ...

* 2007 ''Evergreens'',

* 2007 ''Turnstile: The Music of the Trumpet Kings'', Harry Allen

References

External links

*
Jiggs Whigham
at

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 ...

RIAS Tribute to Stan Kenton on Youtube from a broadcast in Germany
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whigham, Jiggs 1943 births Living people Musicians from Cleveland American jazz trombonists Male trombonists Pausa Records artists Jazz musicians from Ohio 21st-century trombonists 21st-century American male musicians Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin faculty American male jazz musicians Berlin Jazz Orchestra members Summit Records artists