Billy Butterfield

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Billy Butterfield, New York, circa March 1947.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .

Charles William "Billy" Butterfield (born January 14, 1917 in Middleton (Ohio) , † March 18, 1988 in North Palm Beach ) was an American jazz trumpeter (also cornet , flugelhorn ) of traditional jazz and swing .

Life

Butterfield first studied cornet with Frank Simons, but then began studying medicine. He gave up again in favor of playing the trumpet and was initially in the bands of Austin Wiley and Andy Anderson. He became known from 1937 to 1940 as a soloist in the big band of Bob Crosby and his Bobcats. His solo on “ What's New? “Became his signature tune. 1940/41 he was with Artie Shaw , u. a. 1940 in his Gramercy Five and in the film Second Chorus . His solo in " Stardust " was particularly memorable . In 1941/42 he was with Benny Goodman and then with Les Brown . The first of four hits with recordings by his orchestra came in July 1943 with the Leo Robin number "My Ideal" (# 12); The band singer and co-author was the soon successful Margaret Whiting .

After his military service in a US Army band, he played in the radio orchestras of ABC and NBC and led his own big band until 1947 . In February 1945 he had a million dollar hit with "Moonlight in Vermont". He was still successful in October 1946 with "Rumors Are Flying" (# 6); then he dissolved his orchestra and worked as a studio musician, played now and then with Eddie Condon and from 1959 worked partly as a teacher in Rescue in Virginia. From 1956 he played a major role in Ray Conniff's career with his significant trumpet playing and was a member of the orchestra on his first album "'s Wonderful". The solo in Conniff's "Love Letters In The Sand" is just one of many. In 1959 the LP "Conniff Meets Butterfield" was released, with Butterfield as a soloist. Both musicians knew each other from the Artie Shaw Band, where Conniff played and arranged the trombone. Another collaboration between the two musicians took place in 1963 on the Conniff LP "Just Kiddin 'Around" and some joint single titles (e.g. "Sweet Sue"). From 1968 to 1972 Butterfield was a member of the " World's Greatest Jazz Band " by Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart . In the 1970s he played a. a. with Flip Phillips and the "Great Eight" and was heard frequently in Europe and South Africa. In 1983 he had a quartet with Tal Farlow , Slam Stewart and Sam Woodyard .

He was married to Dorothy "Dotty" Butterfield (1922-2015) for 44 years and had two daughters and two sons.

Discography (selection)

  • Pandora's Box 1946-47 ( Hep ), with Lenny Hambro
  • Instrumentals never Before on Record (Onward to yesterday OTY-1514, 1946)
  • Take Me to the Land of Jazz ( Delmark , 1969-70s)
  • Billy Blows His Horn (Columbia; 1960)
  • The Golden Horn (Columbia; 1962)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary for Dorothy Butterfield
personal data
SURNAME Butterfield, Billy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Butterfield, Charles William (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz trumpeter
DATE OF BIRTH January 14, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Middleton, Ohio
DATE OF DEATH March 18, 1988
Place of death North Palm Beach