Jazz Clark Terry
by JL Vaden
Title
Jazz Clark Terry
Artist
JL Vaden
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
Clark Terry (born December 14, 1920) is an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, educator, and NEA Jazz Masters inductee. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948�1951), Duke Ellington (1951�1959) and Quincy Jones (1960). Terry's career in jazz spans more than seventy years and he is one of the most recorded of jazz musicians. Terry was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Vashon High School and began his professional career in the early 1940�s, playing in local clubs. He served as a bandsman in the United States Navy during World War II. Terry's years with Basie and Ellington in the late 1940�s and 1950s established him as a world-class jazz artist. Blending the St. Louis tone with contemporary styles, Terry�s sound influenced a generation. During this period, he took part in many of Ellington's suites and acquired a reputation for his wide range of styles (from swing to hard bop), technical proficiency, and good humor. Terry influenced musicians including Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, both of whom acknowledged Clark's influence during the early stages of their careers. Terry had informally taught Davis while they were still in St Louis. After leaving Ellington, Clark's international recognition soared when he accepted an offer from the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to become its first African-American staff musician. He appeared for ten years on The Tonight Show as a member of The Tonight Show Band, first led by Skitch Henderson and later by Doc Severinsen, where his unique "mumbling" scat singing led to a hit with "Mumbles". In the 1980�s he was a featured soloist with the tonight band, performing in front of the band. In November of 1980 Clark Terry was a headliner along with Anita O'Day, Lionel Hampton and Ramsey Lewis during the opening two-week ceremony performances celebrating the short-lived resurgence of the Blue Note Lounge at the Marriott O'Hare Hotel near Chicago. He was introduced to great acclaim by Chicago jazz disc-jockey Dick Buckley.
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February 9th, 2014
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