State Department funded a tour for bandleader Herbie Mann to travel throughout Africa. For many years he stayed close to New York City working with small groups in the better jazz clubs. In 1960, he formed his own band on Broadway for five years and then worked in Benny Goodman’s world tour band. Eventually, he did get the hang of it and continued playing Latin jazz but took time out to work with Wilbur de Paris and Sammy Price. He enjoyed most of these experiences but had troubles with Machito’s band and was fired because he couldn’t cope with the “clave” rhythm. Photo by Otto Flückiger (Courtesy Doc Cheatham Audio Collection, Oberlin Conservatory Library) Next Doc Cheatham at the West End, N.Y.C., May 1980. He also became interested in Latin music and spent some years with Latin bands: Perez Prado, Marcelino, and Ricardo Ray. He took time out in the ’70s to carefully listen to the many tapes he had of his playing. Keeping and building on his music career for Doc was imperative. One of the hottest bands at that time was Cab Calloway and Cab welcomed Doc to the band and made him the lead trumpet from 1932 through 1939.ĭoc had busy years during WWII and the ’50s and ’60s touring and working with various bands. He returned to the USA in 1930 to play with Marion Hardy and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers. Shortly after a few months with Webb, he left to tour Europe with Sam Wooding’s band. He was still playing some sax to back Ma Rainey before he moved to New York City.Ĭhick Webb’s band was drawing big crowds on the northside and Doc played trumpet there. By the late ’20s, he was playing a lot of jazz with excellent bands, including Albert Wynn’s band in Chicago and occasionally substituting for Louis Armstrong at the Vendome Theatre. Jazz wrapped its arms around Doc for the rest of his life. Doc also told me that Louis Armstrong made a lifetime influence on his playing. He gave Doc a mute that Doc was used throughout his playing years. He caught Oliver in Chicago every chance he could and Oliver took notice. King Oliver’s playing made a special impact on Doc. He enjoyed playing reeds but made the switch when, after moving to Chicago in 1924, he heard King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. However, the nickname they had given him, “Doc,” stuck with him as he became more involved in jazz. He was enthralled and wanting to play jazz so his family’s plans to send him to pharmacy school were dropped. Plus, he caught the touring groups when they came to Nashville or nearby. Nashville had little to no jazz in his youth but like many of the young “wannabee” musicians at that time, he listened to the jazz records being made mainly in Indiana and New York. His parents were African American, Cherokee, and Choctaw Indian. The Elkhart folks loved it at each of the two festivals he played.ĭoc’s birthplace was Nashville, Tennessee, in 1905. Over the years he used vocals all the time and became critical enough to improve. When Doc saw the positive reaction to his singing, he recorded an album Doc Cheatham: Good for What Ails You. Sammy, the bandleader, liked it and told the engineers to include it on the album. Doc stepped to the mike and sang and scatted through two choruses of “What Can I Say Dear After I Say I’m Sorry?” The taping machine was live and picked it up. He was 71 when this discovery surfaced.īefore recording, the engineers asked for a level check of the microphone. He did little if any singing professionally over the early years but he discovered people liked it at a recording session with the Sammy Price’s band in Paris, France, in May 1977. I bailed out after the first half mile but Doc could walk for miles and did…usually with a cigar in one hand! Doc was a highlight of the festival with his new Conn-Selmer trumpet and an unusual voice for singing. When Doc arrived for the 1989 festival, I discovered he was in excellent health when we took what I thought would be a short walk. Made to be balanced at the trumpet player's hands, these instruments were used by the great Louis Armstrong (19A) and Harry James (23A) among others. Price in this listing includes almost 10% of Reverb & Paypal fees 1947 Henri Selmer Paris 19A Balanced Model Louis Armstrong
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