Babe Russian

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Irving "Babe" Russian (born June 18, 1911 in Pittsburgh , † August 4, 1984 in Los Angeles ) was an American jazz saxophonist (tenor) of swing .

Live and act

Russian was largely self-taught except for classes in his high school. In 1926 he was a member of the California Ramblers and then the Smith Ballew Orchestra. In 1928 he was in Europe. From 1927 to 1932 he played frequently with Red Nichols , with whom he also recorded a lot. In the 1930s he played with Ben Pollack and Benny Goodman . With Goodman he played with Red Nichols in 1930. From December 1937 he was in Goodman's band, as the successor to Vido Musso , who had separated from Goodman in disagreement. Russin first had to get used to the band's arrangements, made mistakes and offended Goodman, who made him feel it. Goodman arranged the expulsion after barely three months. Russin was succeeded by Bud Freeman . From 1926 to 1938 he was a studio musician at CBS in New York. In 1939 he played with Tommy Dorsey , had his own band in 1941 (in New York and Florida) and played with Jimmy Dorsey from 1942 to 1944 . After that he was in an Army band for the remainder of World War II. In the late 1940s he played again with Goodman (and later with the band's Reunions), but was mostly a freelancer in California. In the late 1950s he was in the ABC television band in Hollywood. He starred in the film " Glenn Miller Story " (1953) and also in the "Benny Goodman Story" (1956), where he played himself. He can also be heard in the soundtrack of "A Star is Born" with Judy Garland .

In addition to Goodman, Dorsey and Nichols, he recorded with Dinah Washington , Frank Sinatra , Bunny Berigan (1935), Billie Holiday , Lionel Hampton , Jess Stacy , Sarah Vaughan , Glen Gray and in 1941 also with the Glenn Miller Band. He can also be heard on the LP "Session at Midnight" (with Benny Carter , Shorty Sherock , Sweets Edison, among others ) from 1955. Russin played in the Coleman Hawkins style, but constantly adapted his style of play to more modern influences.

His sister Sunny was a pianist, his brother Jack Russin was a pianist with Red Nichols.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ in a show by George Gershwin , "Strike up the Band"
  2. ↑ Collier "Goodman", Heyne, p. 254 (also on his problems with the band's musicians in general)
  3. ^ Chadbourne, All Music Guide. The method was typical of Goodman. A light bulb no longer burned after a drum solo ("bomb"), the Russian woman no longer kept up.
  4. ^ Collier p. 281, who does not mention the circumstances of Russin's departure.
personal data
SURNAME Russian, babe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Russian, Irving
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz saxophonist
DATE OF BIRTH June 18, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Pittsburgh
DATE OF DEATH 4th August 1984
Place of death los Angeles