Sax Mallard

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Oett M. "Sax" Mallard (born September 2, 1915 in Illinois , † August 29, 1986 in Chicago ) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician ( clarinet , alto saxophone , arrangement ) and band leader.

Oett M. Mallard was from the south of Illinois; his parents were originally from Kentucky . He began playing the saxophone at age 16 when he attended Wendell Philips High School; he made his first appearance on the radio with vocalist Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon . After graduating from DuSable High School, he toured the United States and Canada with classmate Nat King Cole for two and a half years on a show called Shuffle Along . In Hollywood in 1937 he played in the band of Nat's brother Eddie Cole at Bacon's Casino . At the age of 21 he sold his first arrangement (for six pieces) to Lionel Hampton . After returning to Chicago, he worked with Fats Waller , the Ink Spots , the Andy Kirk Band and Mary Lou Williams until the outbreak of World War II ; For a short time Sax Mallard jumped in for Johnny Hodges in the Duke Ellington Orchestra and also took part in some of the band's recordings.

In 1942 Mallard played in the twelve-piece band of Floyd Campbell (1901-1993), who had a regular engagement in the Parkway Ballroom (45th and South Park) and also appeared in South Bend , Indianapolis and Milwaukee . He then served in the Army for 18 months. In April and May 1943 he got another opportunity to play for some radio appearances with Duke Ellington when he was hired to replace Otto Hardwick ; for a short time he also played the clarinet in the Ellington Orchestra when Chauncey Haughton was eliminated. He was eventually replaced by another Chicago alto saxophonist, Nat Jones .

On the Ellington episode he served in the Navy until early 1946, where he earned a bachelor's degree in music. In the second half of the 1940s he worked primarily as a studio musician in Chicago for blues and R&B bands and performed with the Armand "Jump" Jackson band. Recordings were made during this time with Buster Bennett for Victor and Columbia in late 1947, whom he also served as arranger; He also played on recordings with blues and R&B singers Tampa Red , Eddie Boyd , Arbee Stidham , Big Bill Broonzy ("Big Bill's Boogie"), Washboard Sam , Dinah Washington , Rosetta Howard , LaVern Baker and Roosevelt Sykes ("That's My Gal ”) and as a session musician for smaller labels like Aristocrat Records .

At the end of 1947 he got the first opportunity to record for Aristocrat under his own name ("Insurance Man Blues"). "The Mojo" hit # 6 on the R&B charts in May 1948, but was only a local hit in Los Angeles. In the early 1950s Mallard worked as an accompanist for Joe Williams , Stuff Smith , Bobby Prince and Lurlean Hunter and as a member of a studio band for the WBKB-TV in Chicago with the singer Andrew Tibbs; With this band Mallard recorded some singles for Chess ("Aching Heart"), Mercury ( Accent on Youth ) and Checker Records ("Teen Town Strut"). In 1955 he and his band accompanied doo-wop formations such as The Coronets or The Moonglows when recording for Chess. In 1953 the song "I'm Mad" by Mitzi Mars with Sax Mallard and an orchestra hit # 9 on the R&B charts.

With the advent of rock'n'roll in the second half of the 1950s, its success waned; But he had other appearances with his band in various clubs in the city, such as The Crown Propeller Lounge or the Cock 'n Bull Lounge , but had to work full-time as a piano tuner. From 1959 to 1984 he worked in this profession in the Chicago Park District , as well as for 15 years as an examiner in the Chicago Federation of Musicians , also as a trainer of piano tuners, but still performed occasionally. In 1960 further recordings were made with Earl Hooker and Bobby Saxton as well as with Sunnyland Slim ( Worried about My Baby ) and Roosevelt Sykes for Crown Records . Mallard was most recently involved in recording Sykes with King Kolax for Delmark Records in 1970 , heard as a soloist in Feel Like Blown 'My Horn . In 1981 he performed with Blind John Davis at the Chicago Jazz Festival . Sax Mallard died in August 1986 at the West Side Veterans Administration Hospital .

Discographic notes

  • Big Bill Broonzy: Midnight Steppers (Swingtime, 1940-47)
  • Duke Ellington: Live Sessions (Jazz Anthology, 1943–45)
  • Roosevelt Sykes: Masters of Jazz - Blues Giants (RCA compilation)
  • Andrew Tibbs 1947-1951 ( Classics )
  • Various Artists: The Mercury Blues' n Rhythm Story 1945-1955 (ed. 1996)

Web links

Notes / individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Robert L. Campbell, Robert Pruter and Armin Büttner: The Sax Mallard Discography ( Memento of the original from December 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / hubcap.clemson.edu
  2. ↑ On May 1, the recordings of Take the "A" Train , Hayfoot Strawfoot, Don't Get Around Much Anymore and Slip of the Lip were made . See Bielefeld catalog 1985.
  3. ↑ Joel Whitburn: Top R&B / Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004 . 2004, Record Research, p. 377.
personal data
SURNAME Mallard, Sax
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mallard, Oett M.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz and R&B musician
DATE OF BIRTH September 2, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Illinois
DATE OF DEATH August 29, 1986
Place of death Chicago