Eli's Chosen Six was the ensemble that appeared in the influential 1958 concert film ''

Jazz On A Summer's Day ''Jazz on a Summer's Day'' is a 1959 concert film set at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island (which took place from July 3 to July 6 of 1958). The film was directed by Aram Avakian who also edited the film. and was principal ...

'' playing

Dixieland 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 ( ...

as they drove around Newport in a convertible jalopy. It was a famous

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Dixieland band of the 1950s that played the boisterous trad-jazz style of the day. The ensemble of white college-student jazz revivalists rose into popular prominence in the mid-1950s, when "college jazz" was a catchphrase. The sextet was founded and managed by Dick Voigt, and counted as members the later-legendary trombonist

Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...

, bassists Buell Neidlinger (succeeded by Bob Morgan), cornetist and cartoonist Lee Lorenz, clarinetist Pete Williams (who was succeeded by Leroy Sam Parkins) and drummer Lyman "House" Drake (who was succeeded by Steve Little). With the help of the producer and Yale alumnus George Avakian, the band recorded an album for Columbia Records in 1955. Eli’s Chosen Six appeared not only in the 1958 film, but also performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, toured most of the major college campuses in the northeast and appeared at many top jazz clubs around the country. After Yale, founder Dick Voigt performed in combos led by Wild Bill Davison,

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 car ...

, Bob Wilber, Henry Goodwin, J. C. Higginbotham and Doc Cheatham. The most prominent alumnus of the group was Rudd, of whom it was said “all his future endeavors--including his landmark collaborations with

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

John Tchicai John Martin Tchicai ( ; 28 April 1936 – 8 October 2012) was a Danish free jazz saxophonist and composer. Biography Tchicai was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to a Danish mother and a Congolese father. The family moved to Aarhus, where he s ...

and Steve Lacy--grew out of the lessons learned while playing rags and stomps for drunken college kids in Connecticut.”

References

{{Authority control American jazz ensembles Yale University musical groups Musical groups established in the 1950s Jazz musicians from Connecticut