Johnny Coles

Johnny Coles ( John David Coles , born July 3, 1926 in Trenton / New Jersey , † December 21, 1997 in Philadelphia / Pennsylvania ) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist. According to the Rough Guide Jazz , "the underrated and extremely effective improviser" could "on the one hand express a lot within its tonal spectrum with just a few notes and on the other hand, if necessary, offer a fluid technique."

Live and act

Coles learned to play the trumpet autodidactically at the age of ten, and later the flugelhorn was added as an instrument. He studied at the Mastbaum Vocational School in Philadelphia and played in various army bands during army service in World War II. After the war he worked in various rhythm and blues formations, initially alongside John Coltrane and Red Garland under Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson , and in the early 1950s under Earl Bostic and Bull Moose Jackson . He also performed with Philly Joe Jones and from 1956 to 1958 with James Moody .

From 1958 he was a member of Gil Evans ' band , with whom he a. a. the albums Porgy and Bess , New Bottle, Old Wine (1958) and Great Jazz Standards (1959) and Out of the Cool (1960), which is considered to be Evans most important work, recorded. 1963/64 he participated in the sessions for the album The Individualism of Gil Evans ; the band leader presents Coles with a solo entitled "El Toreador". In 1964 Charles Mingus engaged him for a European tour, which Coles had to cancel due to an illness.

He then continued to work in New York , a. a. with the pianist Duke Pearson and the Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto . In 1968 he joined the first Herbie Hancock sextet , with whom he recorded The Prisoner in 1969 .

In 1969 he joined the Ray Charles Orchestra , to which he was a member until 1976, interrupted by a two-year collaboration with Duke Ellington . In the 1980s he worked a. a. with the Count Basie Orchestra and the Mingus Dynasty and participated in a project dedicated to the pianist and arranger Tadd Dameron . In 1989 he withdrew from the active music business, but still performed with Geri Allen at the Jazzpar concerts in 1996 .

Discography

• The Warm Sound with Kenny Drew , Randy Weston , Peck Morrison , Charlie Persip , 1961
• Little Johnny C with Joe Henderson , Pete LaRoca , Duke Pearson , Walter Perkins , Leo Wright , Bob Cranshaw ( Blue Note , 1963)
• New Morning with Billy Hart , Horace Parlan , Reggie Johnson , 1982
• Mingus At Town Hall With Eric Dolphy , The Great Concert, Paris 1964 with the Charles Mingus Band, 1964
• Katumbo (Dance) with Bruce Ditmas , Gregory Herbert , Astley Fennell, Howard Johnson , Cedar Walton , Reggie Workman , 1971

literature

• Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz music. 1700 artists and bands from the beginning until today. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584-X .

Web links

• Obituary