Charlie Kennedy

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Charles Sumner "Charlie" Kennedy (born July 2, 1927 in Staten Island , New York, † April 3, 2009 in Ventura , California ) was an American jazz musician ( alto and tenor saxophone ).

Kennedy grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey and began playing the clarinet when he was eight. After his first experiences in school bands and orchestras, he made his first professional appearance at the age of 18 with Louis Prima , with which the first recordings were soon made (“The White Cliffs of Dover”). From 1945 to 1948 he played with Gene Krupa and His Orchestra , as a soloist in titles such as " How High the Moon ", "Disc Jockey Jump" and "I Should Have Kept on Dreaming". In June 1945 he recorded several titles under his own name for Savoy with Johnny Guarnieri , Bill De Arango , Al McKibbon and Buddy De Rocco , such as " I Can't Give You Anything but Love ", " I Can't Get Started ", " I'll See You in My Dreams "and" Crazy Rhythm ".

From 1950 Kennedy played on the side of Zoot Sims , Georgie Auld and Gerry Mulligan in Chubby Jackson's All Stars Band ; he also participated in a private jam session with Charlie Parker . In the following years he worked in New York in the ensembles and big bands of Charlie Ventura , Flip Phillips , Tony Fruscella , Herbie Fields and Chico O'Farrill , on the West Coast from 1957 with Bill Holman , Med Flory / Al Porcino and in Terry Gibbs ' Dream Band (1959–1962), in the early 1960s also with Jimmy Witherspoon , Charlie Barnet , in the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band , with Neal Hefti and Shelly Manne . The last recordings were made in 1965 when he accompanied singer Frankie Randall in Marty Paich's orchestra ( At It Again! ). As a studio musician , he was involved in film scores such as the film adaptation of My Fair Lady and West Side Story , in the field of jazz between 1943 and 1965 in 101 recording sessions. In the 1970s, he left the music scene because of his family and worked full-time at Federal Stamping .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Jon Thurber: Charlie Kennedy dies at 81; alto saxophonist played in Gene Krupa's big band. In: www.latimes.com. April 13, 2009, accessed February 13, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed October 14, 2017)
personal data
SURNAME Kennedy, Charlie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kennedy, Charles Sumner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH July 2, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Staten Island
DATE OF DEATH April 3, 2009
Place of death Ventura (California)