Joy Cayler

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Joy Margaret Cayler (* 6. August 1923 in Denver , Colorado ; † 19th September 2014 ibid) was an American jazz - trumpet player and bandleader. In the 1940s and 1950s she led a successful, all-female big band . She made a name for herself as a music teacher and in promoting young jazz musicians.

Career

At the age of 16, Cayler formed a local big band made up of women in Denver in 1940 under the name Joy Cayler & Her Swinging Co-Eds . Three years later the orchestra toured all of the USA: under the new name Joy Cayler's All-Girl Orchestra , the Big Band was brokered by the Music Corporation of America and not only played dance halls, hotels and private parties, but also performed nationwide for the US Armed forces on. The orchestra's repertoire included Glenn Miller in particular , whose tunes Cayler was particularly fond of. Immediately after the end of the war in 1945, Cayler toured twice with her band through the Middle East on behalf of the United Service Organizations (USO) , then in the Asia-Pacific region to entertain US soldiers. During the Korean War they made guest appearances on US military bases accompanied by stars such as Rita Moreno , Julius LaRosa and the Mills Brothers . Joy Cayler's Big Band was active until 1957. In the 1960s Cayler gave private music lessons and dedicated himself to promoting young jazz artists. To this end, she founded the Joy Cayler's Brass Beat Formation as a non-profit orchestra in Denver in 1974 , which existed until 1991 and quickly gained a good reputation beyond Denver. Cayler continued to teach privately, and in 1995 she had 50 to 60 students a week. The "Trumpet Queen", as she was called in the press at the time of the all-girl band, was good friends with Lionel Hampton . Joy Cayler's ensemble also included the later rock 'n' roll star Lillian Briggs and the jazz pianist Kellie Greene .

Cayler stands for a large number of purely female jazz and swing bands during the Second World War , whose history, despite considerable success, was largely forgotten and has only recently been noticed more strongly. The saying "Only God can create trees ... and only men can play good jazz" by George T. Simon illustrates the difficult environment in which the (instrumental) musicians moved. Getting accepted into the union as a female band (which Cayler eventually managed through persistence) was just as much a problem as defending against sexual advances from promoters or defending oneself against underpaid. The exceptional situation of the war nevertheless promoted the musical emancipation of the women's bands. It wasn't just about showing that they played well like the men, they also had to look good: "Some photos (...) make me look like a stripper ... but that's how it was back then," commented Cayler tellingly some of their old PR photos. Surely this was a necessary concession to an audience that “looks first and then listens”. Apparently the "All Girl Band" was not only good to watch, but also good to listen to. The weekly paper from Camp Gruber , a US base in Oklahoma , judged after an acclaimed appearance in front of GIs in the spring of 1945 (on behalf of numerous reviews of Cayler's appearances): “The band is well established and has a first-class appearance - from the band leader Joy Cayler up to all 15 instrumentalists ”.

Discography

1943: Caylor on discs . 6 live recordings from the Indianaroom , Indianapolis . Council Recordings, Denver.

1945: Joy Cayler Orchestra . Broadcast from Jantzen Beach Park, Portland . Private ownership, Joy Cayler.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Joy Cayler's Band Without Boys. In: PopBopRocktilUDrop. May 7, 2018, accessed March 20, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b Hanging with Joy ... An Interview with Joy Cayler. In: YouTube. Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts, February 12, 2011, accessed March 20, 2020 (American, English).
  3. ↑ Sherrie Tucker: Swing Shift. "All-Girl" Bands of the 1940s . Duke University Press, Durham and London 2000, pp. 330 .
  4. ↑ Joy Caylor. Trumpet Queen Plays For Amvets Dance. In: The Andalusia Star-News . Andalusia, Alabama October 22, 1953, p. 4 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 20, 2020]).
  5. ^ Lillian Briggs | Biography & History. Retrieved March 20, 2020 (American English).
  6. ↑ Kellie Greene Stays Busy With Musical Work. In: Wisconsin State Journal . Madison, Wisconsin June 13, 1966, pp. 31 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 21, 2020]).
  7. ↑ The Women In Charge Of The Band. Retrieved March 20, 2020 .
  8. ↑ a b Sherrie Tucker: Swing Shift. "All-Girl" Bands of the 1940s . Duke University Press, Durham and London 2000, pp. 58 f .
  9. ↑ Cayler Band Plays 7 Shows in Camp, Field. In: The Gruber Guidon . Camp Gruber, Oklahoma March 2, 1945, p. 1 ( newspapers.com [accessed March 20, 2020]).
  10. ↑ Sherrie Tucker: Swing Shift. "All-Girl" Bands of the 1940s . Duke University Press, Durham and London 2000, pp. 396 .
personal data
SURNAME Cayler, Joy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cayler, Joy Margaret (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz trumpeter and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH August 6, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Denver , Colorado
DATE OF DEATH 19th September 2014
Place of death Denver , Colorado