Paul Bascomb ( – December 2, 1986) 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 ...

tenor saxophonist, noted for his extended tenure with

Erskine Hawkins Erskine Ramsay Hawkins (July 26, 1914 – November 11, 1993) was an American trumpeter and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" (1 ...

. He is a 1979 inductee of the

Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (AJHF) was founded in 1978, and opened a museum on September 18, 1993, with a mission "to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate a general appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and dis ...

Career

Bascomb was a founding member of the Bama State Collegians, which was led by Erskine Hawkins and eventually became his

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 ...

. Bascomb's brother Dud played in this ensemble. Bascomb remained in this ensemble until 1944, aside from a brief interval in 1938 and 1939, where he played in

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 ...

's orchestra after

Herschel Evans Herschel "Tex" Evans (9 March 1909 – 9 February 1939) was an American tenor saxophonist who was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. He also worked with Lionel Hampton and Buck Clayton. He is also known for starting his cousin Joe McQueen's ...

's death. From 1944 to 1947 he and Dud co-led a septet which evolved into a big band. He recorded for

States Records States Record Company was a Chicago-based record label. A subsidiary of United Recording, it was in business from May 1952 to December 1957. States focused on rhythm and blues, jazz, and gospel. States was operated by Leonard Allen and Lew ...

in 1952; these sides were reissued by

Delmark Records Delmark Records is an American jazz and blues independent record label. It was founded in 1958 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when then owner, and founder, Bob Koester released a recordi ...

in the 1970s. From 1953 to 1955, he recorded for

Parrot Records Parrot Records was an American record label, a division of London Records, which started in 1964. The label usually licensed (or leased) recordings made by Decca Records, England, for release in the United States and Canada, most notably by the ...

, and was active as a performer nearly up until the time of his death.

References

External links

Official website of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bascomb, Paul 1912 births 1986 deaths Musicians from Birmingham, Alabama American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from Alabama United Records artists Delmark Records artists Manor Records artists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians