George Roderick Cless (May 20, 1907, in

Lenox, Iowa Lenox is a city in Taylor County, Iowa, Taylor and Adams County, Iowa, Adams counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,339 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Lenox got its start in the year 1871, foll ...

– December 8, 1944, 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 ...

) 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 ...

clarinetist and saxophonist, perhaps best known for his work on sixteen

Muggsy Spanier Francis Joseph "Muggsy" Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist based in Chicago. He was a member of the Bucktown Five, pioneers of the "Chicago style" that straddled traditional Dixieland jazz and swing ...

tunes for Bluebird Records. Additionally, Cless worked with other artists such as

Frank Teschemacher Frank Teschemacher (March 13, 1906 – March 1, 1932) was an American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, associated with the "Austin High" gang (along with Jimmy McPartland, Bud Freeman and others). Early life and education He was born in ...

, Gene Krupa,

Art Hodes Arthur W. Hodes (November 14, 1904 – March 4, 1993), was a Russian Empire-born American jazz and blues pianist. He is regarded by many critics as the greatest white blues pianist. Biography Hodes was born in Mykolaiv, in present-day Ukrain ...

, Bobby Hackett, Max Kaminsky and Mezz Mezzrow.

Death

Walking home from the last night of a job at the Pied Piper (where he played alongside his friend Max Kaminsky) in December 1944, Cless fell over the balcony of his apartment building and died four days later at the age of 37.

Select discography

With

*''Sittin' In'' ( Blue Note) *''The Funky Piano Of Art Hodes'' ( Blue Note) *''Art Hodes And His Chicagoans, The Best In 2 Beat'' ( Blue Note) *''The Complete Art Hodes Blue Note Sessions'' ( Blue Note) With

*''Relaxin' at the Touro'' ( Bluebird) *''At the Jazz Band Ball:Chicago/New York Dixieland'' ( Bluebird) *''The Great 16!'', (originally recorded on Bluebird and reissued by RCA Victor Jazz Classics)

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 ...

, review of ''The Great 16!''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 ...

With the Rod Cless Quartet *"Froggy Moore" b/w "Have You Ever Felt That Way" -

Black & White Records Black & White Records was an American record company and label founded by Les Schreiber in 1943. It specialized in jazz and blues. When the label was sold to Paul and Lillian Reiner, it moved from New York City to Los Angeles. The catalog includ ...

29 A (BW 33)/29 B (BW 36)

References

1907 births 1944 deaths American jazz clarinetists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists People from Lenox, Iowa Musicians from Iowa 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians {{US-clarinetist-stub