George "Pee Wee" Erwin (May 30, 1913 – June 20, 1981)
was 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 ...
trumpeter.
Biography
He was born in
Falls City, Nebraska
Falls City is a city and county seat of Richardson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,133 at the 2020 census, down from 4,325 in 2010 and 4,671 in 2000.
History
Falls City was founded in the summer of 1857 by James Lane, John ...
, United States.
Erwin started on trumpet at age four. He played in several
territory band
Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven n ...
s before joining the groups of
Joe Haymes
Joseph Lawrence Haymes (February 10, 1907 – July 10, 1964) was an American jazz bandleader and arranger.
Life and career
Born in Marshfield, Missouri, United States, Haymes relocated with his family to Springfield, Missouri, after his railroade ...
(1931–33) and
Isham Jones
Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.
Career
Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jones ...
(1933–34).
He then moved to
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 ...
, where he was prolific as a studio musician, performing on radio and in recording sessions. He played with
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 ...
in 1934-35, then with
Ray Noble
Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 2 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United ...
in 1935; the next year he rejoined Goodman, taking
Bunny Berigan
Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...
's empty chair.
In 1937, he again followed Berigan, this time in
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...
's orchestra, where he remained until 1939.
Erwin led his own
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...
in 1941-42 and 1946. In the 1950s, he settled in
New Milford, New Jersey
New Milford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 16,341,[Dixieland jazz
Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ...]
in
, and in the 1960s formed his own trumpet school with
Chris Griffin
Christopher “Chris” Cross Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series, ''Family Guy''. He is the second of three children of Peter and Lois Griffin and is also the older brother of Stewie Griffin and the younger bro ...
; among its graduates was
Warren Vaché.
Erwin played up until the year of his death, recording as a leader for
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 studi ...
in the 1950s and issuing six albums in 1980 and 1981, the last two years of his life.
Scott Yanow
Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref>
Biography
Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles.
Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...
, Pee Wee Erwin
George "Pee Wee" Erwin (May 30, 1913 – June 20, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter.
Biography
He was born in Falls City, Nebraska, United States. Erwin started on trumpet at age four. He played in several territory bands before joining the gr ...
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 ...
In May 1981, Erwin performed at the
Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, weeks before his death in
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...
, at the age of 68.
Discography
*1953: ''The Land of Dixie'' (
Brunswick)
*1955: ''Accent on Dixieland'' (
Urania
Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, he ...
)
*1956: ''Dixieland at Grandview Inn'' (
Cadence
In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...
)
*1958: ''Oh, Play That Thing!'' (
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 studi ...
)
*1959: ''Down by the Riverside'' (United Artists)
*1980: ''In New York'' (Qualtro)
*1980: ''Swingin' That Music'' (
Jazzology
Jazzology Records is an American jazz record company and label. It is part of the Jazzology group of labels owned and operated by the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation.
Jazzology Records was founded in 1949 by George H. Buck, Jr. That year he ...
)
*1980: ''Pee Wee in Hollywood'' (Qualtro)
*1990: ''Dixieland Ramble'' (Broadway Intermission) – contains radio transcriptions probably from the 1950s and a 1965 live session)
*2000: ''Dr. Jazz'' (
Storyville) – with
Vic Dickenson
Victor Dickenson (August 6, 1906 – November 16, 1984) was an American jazz trombonist. His career began in the 1920s and continued through musical partnerships with Count Basie (1940–41), Sidney Bechet (1941), and Earl Hines.
Life and care ...
, all tracks recorded in 1952
References
Further reading
* Erwin, P. W. (1987) ''This Horn for Hire.'' The Scarecrow Press, Inc.,
External links
Pee Wee Erwin: Complete Fifties Recordings A complete listing on the Worlds Records website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erwin, Pee Wee
1913 births
1981 deaths
American jazz trumpeters
American male trumpeters
People from New Milford, New Jersey
20th-century American musicians
20th-century trumpeters
People from Falls City, Nebraska
Jazz musicians from Nebraska
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians