Cat Anderson
- Columbia
- Inner City
- Mercury
- EMI
- Apollo
- Strand
- Philips
- All Life
- Parker
William Alonzo "Cat" Anderson (September 12, 1916 – April 29, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter known for his long period as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his wide range, especially his ability to play in the altissimo register.[1]
Biography
Early life
Born in Greenville, South Carolina,[2] Anderson lost both parents when he was four years old, and was sent to live at the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston, where he learned to play trumpet.[2] Classmates gave him the nickname "Cat" (which he used all his life) based on his fighting style.
Career
He toured and made his first recording with the Carolina Cotton Pickers, a small group based at the orphanage. After leaving the Cotton Pickers, Anderson played with guitarist Hartley Toots, Claude Hopkins' big band, Doc Wheeler's Sunset Orchestra (1938–1942), with whom he also recorded, Lucky Millinder, the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra, Sabby Lewis's Orchestra, and Lionel Hampton, with whom he recorded the classic "Flying Home No. 2".[3]
Anderson's career took off, however, in 1944, when he joined Duke Ellington's orchestra,[2] at the Earle Theater in Philadelphia. He quickly became a central part of Ellington's sound. Although Anderson was a very versatile musician, capable of playing in a number of jazz styles (Leonard Feather described his style as "somewhere between Louis Armstrong and Harry James), he is most renowned for his abilities in the extreme high or "altissimo" range. He had a big sound in all registers, but could play up to a "triple C" (the highest Bb note on a piano keyboard) with great power (he was able to perform his high-note solos without a microphone, while other members of a big band were usually amplified for their solos). Wynton Marsalis called him "one of the best" high-note trumpeters.[4]
But Anderson was much more than just a high-note trumpeter—he was also a master of half valve and plunger mute playing.[2] Author and jazz critic Dan Morgenstern said of Cat that "he was...the [Ellington] band's Number One utility trumpeter, capable of filling in for anyone else who was not there." He played with Ellington's band from 1944 to 1947, from 1950 to 1959, and from 1961 to 1971, with each break corresponding to a brief hiatus to lead and front his own big band.[2] In addition to his work on trumpet, he was a very skilled arranger and composer—he performed his own compositions "El Gato" and "Bluejean Beguine" with Ellington, and others of his compositions and arrangements with his own band, for example on his 1959 record album for Mercury, Cat on a Hot Tin Horn.
Personal life and death
After 1971, Anderson settled in the Los Angeles area,[2] where he continued to play studio sessions, to perform with local bands (including Louie Bellson's and Bill Berry's big bands), and to tour Europe. He died of brain cancer in 1981.[5]
Discography
- Cat Anderson Plays at 4 AM (Columbia [France, EMI], 1958)
- Cat on a Hot Tin Horn (Mercury, 1958)
- A Chat with Cat Anderson (Columbia [France, EMI], 1963)
- Cat Speaks (Black & Blue, 1977)
- Plays W.C. Handy (Black & Blue, 1978)
- Americans Swinging in Paris (EMI, 2002; CD reissue of the two French Columbia albums)
- Cat Speaks: The Definitive Black and Blue Sessions (Black & Blue, 2002)[6]
As sideman
With Gene Ammons
- Free Again (Prestige, 1971)
With Louie Bellson
- The Louis Bellson Explosion (Pablo, 1975)
- Ecue Ritmos Cubanos (1977)
- Sunshine Rock (1978)
With Duke Ellington
- 1951 Masterpieces by Ellington (Columbia)
- 1952 At The Crystal Gardens (Hep, 2CD, 2011)
- 1953 Ellington Uptown (Columbia)
- 1953 The 1953 Pasadena Concert (GNP Crescendo, 1986)
- 1954 Ellington '55 (Capitol)
- 1955 Ellington Showcase (Capitol)
- 1956 A Drum Is a Woman (Columbia)
- 1956 Duke Ellington Presents... (Bethlehem)
- 1956 First Annual Connecticut Jazz Festival (IAJRC, 1993)
- 1956 Historically Speaking (Bethlehem)
- 1956 Ellington at Newport (Columbia)
- 1957 All Star Road Band (Doctor Jazz, 1983)
- 1957 Ellington Indigos (Columbia)
- 1957 Such Sweet Thunder (Columbia)
- 1958 Black Brown and Beige (Columbia)
- 1958 Newport 1958 (Columbia)
- 1959 Festival Session (Columbia)
- 1959 Jazz Party (Columbia)
- 1959 Live at the Blue Note (Roulette)
- 1960 Blues in Orbit (Columbia)
- 1961 First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (Columbia)
- 1961 S.R.O. (LRC, 1989)
- 1962 Featuring Paul Gonsalves (Fantasy, 1985)
- 1963 Afro-Bossa (Reprise)
- 1963 The Great Paris Concert (Atlantic, 1973)
- 1963 The Symphonic Ellington (Reprise)
- 1964 All Star Road Band Volume 2 (Doctor Jazz, 1985)
- 1964 Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins (Reprise)
- 1964 Ellington '65 (Reprise)
- 1964 Harlem (Pablo Live, 1985)
- 1965 1965 Revisited 3 (Affinity, 1991)
- 1965 Concert in the Virgin Islands (Reprise)
- 1965 Ellington '66 (Reprise)
- 1966 Soul Call (Verve)
- 1966 Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur (Verve)
- 1966 Far East Suite (RCA)
- 1967 ...And His Mother Called Him Bill (RCA)
- 1967 Francis A. & Edward K. (Reprise)
- 1967 Big Bands Live: Liederhalle Stuttgart (Jazzhaus)
- 1968 Second Sacred Concert (Prestige)
- 1968 Yale Concert (Fantasy, 1973)
- 1969 Standards: Live at the Salle Pleyel (Jazz Music Yesterday (Italy), 1991)
- 1969 Live At The Opernhaus Cologne (Jazzline, 2016)
- 1969 70th Birthday Concert (Solid State)
- 1969–71 Up in Duke's Workshop (Pablo, 1976)
- 1970 New Orleans Suite (Atlantic)
- 1977 The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944
- 1977 The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1946
With Ella Fitzgerald
- Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (Verve, 1957)
- Ella at Duke's Place (Verve, 1965)
With Lionel Hampton
- Lionel Hampton and His Jazz Giants 77 (CBS MasterWorks, 1977)
- All-Star Band at Newport (Timeless, 1978)
- Live: 50th Anniversary Concert (Sultra, 1981; Half Note, 1999)
With Johnny Hodges
- Ellingtonia '56 (Norgran, 1956)
- The Big Sound (Verve, 1957)
- Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra (Verve, 1962)
- Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges (Impulse!, 1964)
- Triple Play (RCA Victor, 1967)
- Swing's Our Thing (Verve, 1967)
With Quincy Jones
- 1973 You've Got It Bad Girl (A&M)
- 1976 I Heard That! (A&M)
With others
- 1956 Blue Rose, Rosemary Clooney (Columbia)
- 1956 Porgy and Bess, Frances Faye/Mel Tormé (Bethlehem)
- 1966 Once Upon a Time, Earl Hines
- 1976 Hello Rev, Bill Berry (Concord Jazz)
- 1977 'Live and Well in Japan!, Benny Carter (Pablo)
- 1979 Jazz Gala, Claude Bolling (America Records)[7]
References
- ^ Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London: Penguin Books. p. 13. ISBN 0-141-00646-3.
- ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
- ^ Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestley, Brian; Alexander, Charles (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. p. 17. ISBN 978-1843532569.
- ^ Trumpet Kings. Dir. Burrill Crohn. Perf. Wynton Marsalis, Louis Armstrong, et al. Video Artists International, Inc., 1989. Videocassette.
- ^ "William Alonzo (Cat) Anderson, Trumpeter With Ellington, Dead". The New York Times. The Associated Press. 2 May 1981.
- ^ "Cat Speaks". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ "Cat Anderson | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
External links
- Cat Anderson at AllMusic
- Cat Anderson discography at Discogs
- The Duke Ellington Society, TDES, Inc
- v
- t
- e
- Harlem Jazz, 1930
- Ellingtonia, Vol. One
- Ellingtonia, Vol. Two
- Braggin' in Brass: The Immortal 1938 Year
- The Blanton–Webster Band
- Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
- Smoke Rings
- Liberian Suite
- Great Times!
- Masterpieces by Ellington
- Ellington Uptown
- The Duke Plays Ellington
- Ellington '55
- Dance to the Duke!
- Ellington Showcase
- Historically Speaking
- Duke Ellington Presents...
- The Complete Porgy and Bess
- A Drum Is a Woman
- Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956
- Such Sweet Thunder
- Studio Sessions 1957 & 1962
- Ellington Indigos
- Black, Brown and Beige
- Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque
- The Cosmic Scene
- Happy Reunion
- Jazz Party
- Anatomy of a Murder
- Festival Session
- Blues in Orbit
- The Nutcracker Suite
- Piano in the Background
- Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G.
- Unknown Session
- Piano in the Foreground
- Paris Blues
- Featuring Paul Gonsalves
- Midnight in Paris
- Studio Sessions, New York 1962
- Afro-Bossa
- The Symphonic Ellington
- Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
- Studio Sessions New York 1963
- My People
- Ellington '65
- Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins
- Ellington '66
- Concert in the Virgin Islands
- The Popular Duke Ellington
- Far East Suite
- The Jaywalker
- Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York
- ...And His Mother Called Him Bill
- Second Sacred Concert
- Studio Sessions New York, 1968
- Latin American Suite
- The Pianist
- New Orleans Suite
- Orchestral Works
- The Suites, New York 1968 & 1970
- The Intimacy of the Blues
- The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
- Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971
- The Intimate Ellington
- The Ellington Suites
- This One's for Blanton!
- Up in Duke's Workshop
- Duke's Big 4
- Mood Ellington
- Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
- Black, Brown, and Beige
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1946
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947
- Ellington at Newport
- Dance Concerts, California 1958
- Dance Dates, California 1958
- Newport 1958
- Jazz at the Plaza Vol. II
- Duke Ellington at the Alhambra
- Live at the Blue Note
- Hot Summer Dance
- The Great Paris Concert
- A Concert of Sacred Music
- In the Uncommon Market
- Soul Call
- Yale Concert
- 70th Birthday Concert
- Togo Brava Suite
- Live at the Whitney
- Third Sacred Concert
- Eastbourne Performance
- Blue Rose
- Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
- Side by Side
- Back to Back
- The Great Summit
- First Time! The Count Meets the Duke
- Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
- Money Jungle
- Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
- Serenade to Sweden
- Ella at Duke's Place
- The Stockholm Concert, 1966
- Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
- Francis A. & Edward K.
- It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
- "African Flower"
- "All Too Soon"
- "Azure"
- "Black and Tan Fantasy"
- "Black, Brown and Beige"
- "C Jam Blues"
- "Come Sunday"
- "Cotton Tail"
- "Creole Love Call"
- "Day Dream"
- "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"
- "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"
- "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
- "Drop Me Off in Harlem"
- "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"
- "Echoes of Harlem"
- "Everything but You"
- "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues"
- "I Didn't Know About You"
- "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"
- "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
- "I'm Beginning to See the Light"
- "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"
- "In a Mellow Tone"
- "In a Sentimental Mood"
- "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
- "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'"
- "Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)"
- "The Mooche"
- "Mood Indigo"
- " Prelude to a Kiss"
- "Rocks in My Bed"
- "(In My) Solitude"
- "Sophisticated Lady"
- Queenie Pie (unfinished opera)
by Billy Strayhorn |
|
---|---|
by Juan Tizol |
|
members
- Hayes Alvis
- Cat Anderson
- Ivie Anderson
- Harold Ashby
- Alice Babs
- Shorty Baker
- Butch Ballard
- Art Baron
- Aaron Bell
- Louie Bellson
- Joe Benjamin
- Barney Bigard
- Lou Blackburn
- Jimmy Blanton
- Wellman Braud
- Lawrence Brown
- Harry Carney
- Johnny Coles
- Willie Cook
- Buster Cooper
- Kay Davis
- Wild Bill Davis
- Wilbur de Paris
- Bobby Durham
- Mercer Ellington
- Rolf Ericson
- Jimmy Forrest
- Victor Gaskin
- Peter Giger
- Tyree Glenn
- Paul Gonsalves
- Sonny Greer
- Fred Guy
- Jimmy Hamilton
- Otto Hardwick
- Shelton Hemphill
- Rick Henderson
- Al Hibbler
- Johnny Hodges
- Major Holley
- Charlie Irvis
- Quentin Jackson
- Hilton Jefferson
- Herb Jeffries
- Freddie Jenkins
- Money Johnson
- Herbie Jones
- Wallace Jones
- Taft Jordan
- Al Killian
- Queen Esther Marrow
- Wendell Marshall
- Murray McEachern
- Louis Metcalf
- James "Bubber" Miley
- Harold "Geezil" Minerve
- Ray Nance
- Tricky Sam Nanton
- Oscar Pettiford
- Eddie Preston
- Russell Procope
- Junior Raglin
- Betty Roché
- Ernie Royal
- Al Sears
- Joya Sherrill
- Willie Smith
- Elmer Snowden
- Rex Stewart
- Billy Strayhorn
- Billy Taylor
- Clark Terry
- Juan Tizol
- Norris Turney
- Ben Webster
- Arthur Whetsel
- Cootie Williams
- Nelson Williams
- Skippy Williams
- Booty Wood
- Jimmy Woode
- Britt Woodman
- Sam Woodyard