Barney Bigard, Ben Webster, Otto Hardwick, Harry carney, Rex Stewart, Sonny greer, Wallace Jones, Ray Nance (Gottlieb 02401)

Otto James "Toby" Hardwicke (May 31, 1904 – August 5, 1970) was an American saxophone player associated with Duke Ellington.

Biography

Hardwick began on

string bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...

at the age of 14, then moved to

C melody saxophone The C melody saxophone, also known as the C tenor saxophone, is a saxophone pitched in the key of C one whole tone above the common B-flat tenor saxophone. The C melody was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F intended by the ins ...

and finally settled on alto saxophone. A childhood friend of Duke Ellington,''The Rough Guide to Jazz'' Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestley, Brian; Alexander, Charles
Google books Hardwick joined Ellington's first band in Washington, D. C. in 1919. Hardwick also worked for banjoist

Elmer Snowden Elmer Chester Snowden (October 9, 1900 – May 14, 1973) was an American banjo player of the jazz age. He also played guitar and, in the early stages of his career, all the reed instruments. He contributed greatly to jazz in its early days as b ...

at Murray's Casino. In 1923, Ellington, Hardwick, Snowden, trumpeter

Arthur Whetsel Arthur Parker Whetsel (February 22, 1905 – May 1, 1940) was an early "sweet" trumpeter for Duke Ellington's Washingtonians. Biography Arthur Whetsel was born in Punta Gorda, Florida, one of two children of the Reverend Oscar N. Whetsel, an e ...

, and drummer Sonny Greer had success as the Washingtonians in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. After a disagreement over money, Snowden was forced out of the band and Duke Ellington was elected as the new leader. They were booked at a

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

nightspot called the Kentucky Club for three years where they met Irving Mills, who produced and published Ellington's music. Hardwick occasionally doubled on

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

and

in the 1920s, but specialized on alto sax. He also played clarinet and bass, baritone and soprano saxes. Hardwick left the Duke Ellington band in 1928 to visit

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, where he played with

Noble Sissle Noble Lee Sissle (July 10, 1889 – December 17, 1975) was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer, and playwright, best known for the Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along'' (1921), and its hit song "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Ea ...

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic tempe ...

and Nekka Shaw's Orchestra, and led his own orchestra before returning to

in 1929. He had a brief stint with Chick Webb (1929), then led his own band at the

Hot Feet Club The Hot Feet Club was a popular nightclub in New York City that operated from 1928 until 1933, approximately. The mob-controlled speakeasy attracted "some of the best crowds" of the day, such as boxing champion Gene Tunney and Mayor Jimmy Walker. ...

, with Fats Waller leading the rhythm section (1930), led at Small's before rejoining Duke Ellington in the spring of 1932, following a brief stint with

. He played lead alto on most Ellington numbers from 1932 to 1946, but he was rarely heard as a soloist because

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

performed many of the alto solos. Exceptions are: " Black and Tan Fantasy", "

In a Sentimental Mood "In a Sentimental Mood" is a jazz composition by Duke Ellington. He composed the piece in 1935 and recorded it with his orchestra during the same year. Lyrics were written by Manny Kurtz; Ellington's manager Irving Mills gave himself a perc ...

" and "

Sophisticated Lady "Sophisticated Lady" is a jazz standard, composed as an instrumental in 1932 by Duke Ellington. Background Additional credit is given to publisher Irving Mills whose words were added to the song by Mitchell Parish. The words met with approva ...

". Hardwick, with his creamy tone, was almost always the lead alto in the reed section of the Ellington orchestra except in some situations where Ellington required the more cutting tone of

' alto to set the tone of the ensemble. After Hardwick's departure (and replacement by

Russell Procope Russell Keith Procope (August 11, 1908 – January 21, 1981) was an American clarinetist and alto saxophonist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Before Ellington Procope was born in New York City, United States, and grew up in ...

) it soon became the norm for Johnny Hodges to take the ensemble lead as well as taking the lion's share of the solos on alto sax. Hardwick remained with Ellington until May 1946, when he left the band because of Ellington's dislike of Hardwick’s girlfriend. Hardwick became a freelance for a short time in the following year, and then retired from music. In his biography of Ellington, author

James Lincoln Collier James Lincoln Collier (born June 29, 1928) is an American journalist, professional musician, jazz commentator, and author. Many of his non-fiction titles focus on music theory and the history of jazz. He and his brother Christopher Collier, a h ...

stated that "

," "

," and " Prelude to a Kiss" are adaptations of Hardwick melodies.

References

External links

* http://www.basssax.com/ottohardwick.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardwick, Otto 1904 births 1970 deaths Swing saxophonists Swing clarinetists American jazz clarinetists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Duke Ellington Orchestra members 20th-century American musicians 20th-century saxophonists American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians