Gene Estes

Gene Estes (born October 3, 1931 in Texas , † March 17, 1996 in Hollywood ) was an American jazz and studio musician (vibraphone, drums, percussion), arranger and band leader.

Estes became known when he played in the bands of Harry James , Billy May , Shorty Rogers ( Chances are, It Swings , 1958) and Henry Mancini ( The Music from Peter Gunn , 1959) from the mid-1950s . In the following years he mainly worked as a studio percussionist, u. a. with Cher , The Monkees (1966), the Beach Boys ( Pet Sounds , 1966), Frank Zappa ( Lumpy Gravy , 1968), Jean-Luc Ponty ( King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa , 1970) and Harry Nilsson . In 1976 he recorded the album Westful - Jazz in Hollywood under his own name with his own arrangements, in which West Coast Jazz musicians such as Med Flory , Conte Candoli , Bob Enevoldsen , Herbie Harper , Tom Scott and Jay Migliori played. With trombonist Bob Enevoldsen, he founded a 13-piece big band in the 1960s that performed regularly in Southern California for three decades.

Estes can also be heard on recordings by Billy Bean ( Makin 'It , 1957), Louie Bellson , Dick Cary , Bobby Gordon , Dick Hafer and Jack Sheldon . With his later quartet with guitarist Barry Zweig, bassist Paul Gormley and drummer Alan Estes, Estes emulated the sound of the Red Norvo combos of the 1950s. In Robert Altman film Short Cuts he belonged to the Low Note Quintet , the Annie Ross accompanied.

Discographic notes

Westful - Jazz in Hollywood (1976)
The Gene Estes Quartet - On the Edge (1993)
In a Sentimental Mood (2000)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Estes, Gene
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Estes, Eugene
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American jazz and studio musician (vibraphone, drums, percussion), arranger and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH	October 3, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	Texas
DATE OF DEATH	March 17, 1996
Place of death	Hollywood