Urban Clifford "Urbie" Green (born August 8, 1926) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trombonist who toured with
Woody HermanWoodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
,
Gene KrupaGene Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
,
Jan SavittJan Savitt was an American bandleader, musical arranger, and violinist....
, and
Frankie CarleFrankie Carle – , born Francis Nunzio Carlone, was a American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard"."Sunrise Serenade," however, was Carle's best-known composition, rising to No...
.
He has played on over 250 recordings and has released more than two dozen albums as a soloist and is highly respected by his fellow trombonists. Green's trombone sound is especially noted for its warm, mellow tone, even in the higher registers where he is more fluent than most trombonists. His technique is considered flawless by many in the music industry and has appeared in major jazz festivals, motion pictures, concert halls, nightclubs, radio, television and the White House. He was inducted into the
Alabama Jazz Hall of FameThe Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame was founded in 1978, and opened a museum on September 18, 1993, with a mission "to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate a general appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and distinctive art form indigenous to America...
in 1995.
Early years and influences
Born in
MobileMobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
,
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Green was taught the piano as a child by his mother, jazz and popular tunes from the beginning. He picked up the trombone, which both older brothers played, when he was about 12. Although he listened to such trombone greats as
Tommy DorseyThomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
,
J. C. HigginbothamJ. C. Higginbotham was an American jazz trombonist. His playing was robust and swinging.In the 1930s and 1940s he played with some of the premier swing bands, including Luis Russell's, Benny Carter's, Red Allen's, and Fletcher Henderson's. He also played with Louis Armstrong, who had taken over...
, Jack Jenny,
Jack TeagardenWeldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden , known as "Big T" and "The Swingin' Gate", was an influential jazz trombonist, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, regarded as the "Father of Jazz Trombone".-Early life:...
and
Trummy YoungJames "Trummy" Young was a trombonist in the swing era. Although he was never really a star or a bandleader himself, he did have one hit with his version of "Margie," which he played and sang with Jimmie Lunceford's Time-Life Orchestra.-Biography:Growing up in Savannah, GA and Richmond, VA, Young...
he has said that he was more influenced by the styles of
Dizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
,
Charlie ParkerCharles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, and
Lester YoungLester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
.
Urbie's trombone style was also influenced by vocalists such as
Perry ComoPierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, and the vocal style of
Louis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. Green's father died when he was 15 and Urbie went straight into professional music, first joining the
Tommy ReynoldsTommy Reynolds was an English footballer who played for Sunderland as a winger. He died in 1998.-Club career:...
Band in
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
before moving on to stints with Bob Strong,
Jan SavittJan Savitt was an American bandleader, musical arranger, and violinist....
, and
Frankie CarleFrankie Carle – , born Francis Nunzio Carlone, was a American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard"."Sunrise Serenade," however, was Carle's best-known composition, rising to No...
. Green also played with
The Auburn Knights OrchestraThe Auburn Knights Orchestra is a jazz and swing big band based out of Auburn, Alabama, home to Auburn University, and is thought to be one of the oldest big band organizations in the world. Formed in 1930 at what was then known as API , the band organized to play for dances and other musical...
, a college big band based in
Auburn, AlabamaAuburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
while attending Auburn High School.
Professional career
In 1947, Green joined
Gene KrupaGene Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
's band and quickly moved up to
Woody HermanWoodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
's third "Thundering Herd"
Big BandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
in 1950 to play with his brother, Jack. In 1953 he moved to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, quickly establishing himself as the premier trombonist in the booming recording industry and in 1954 he was voted the "New Star" trombonist in the International Critics Poll from
Down BeatDown Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine.
He was voted "Most Valuable Player" several times by the
National Academy of Recording Arts and SciencesThe National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
. He recorded with virtually all of the major jazz musicians of the 1950s and 1960s and led his own groups while also joining tours as a featured performer, including a three-month tour leading the
Benny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
Orchestra and fronting the
Tommy DorseyThomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
orchestra after Dorsey's death in 1956.
He collaborated with innovative producer
Enoch LightEnoch Henry Light was a classical violinist, bandleader, and recording engineer. As A&R chief and vice-president of Grand Award Records, he founded Command Records in 1959. Light's name was prominent on many albums both as musician and producer...
for the Command and Project 3 labels, producing what are probably his most notable recordings, such as the two-volume sets
The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green and
21 Trombones.
In the 1970s Green began making innovations with his instrument. He designed a signature mouthpiece for
Jet Tone and collaborated with Martin Brass on practical improvements to trombone design, including modifications of the hand brace and slide, water valve, and finish. Urbie also began experimenting with the "Green Monster", a
KingKing Musical Instruments was a musical instrument manufacturing company located in Cleveland, Ohio.The company was founded as the H.N. White Company in 1893 by Henderson White, an engraver and instrument repairman. White designed a trombone for Thomas King, a local player...
trombone using a King Vox Amp pickup in the mouthpiece connected to an octave doubler and reverb unit. Some of his best recordings of the 70s were with Enoch Light and the Light Brigade,
Dick HymanRichard “Dick” Hyman is an American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer, best-known for his versatility with jazz piano styles. Over a 50 year career, he has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and, increasingly, as composer...
,
Maynard FergusonMaynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
and
Doc SeverinsenCarl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.-Early life:...
. After the very productive Enoch Light years, Green's style changed slightly. His recordings under the
CTICTI Records was a jazz record label founded in 1967 by producer/A&R manager Creed Taylor. Initially, CTI was a subsidiary of A&M Records, but the label went independent in 1970...
label contained much more music by Urbie's band and fewer solos by Urbie.
The 1980s and beyond saw a slowing down of Urbie Green's recording career. Both albums recorded by him during this period are live, straight jazz works;
Just Friends, and
Sea Jam Blues.
Personal life
He now spends most of his time with his second wife Kathy, a jazz singer, at their home in
the PoconosThe Pocono Mountains is a region located in northeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The Poconos, located chiefly in Monroe and Pike counties , are an upland of the larger Allegheny Plateau...
region of
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The couple have two children, Jesse and Casey.
JesseJesse Green is an American professional jazz pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and teacher. He is the son of ex-big band singer Kathy Preston and acclaimed Jazz trombonist Urbie Green. Jesse was married in June 2003 to Kristine and has three children...
is a jazz pianist and lives nearby, while Casey is a director/editor in
Los AngelesLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Urbie's first wife was Darlein Dietz and they had two children, Urban Clifford Green and James Preston Green. Urban has a daughter, Gretchen Alexandra Pöelker-Green, and lives in Sea Cliff, Long Island. James lives in Tallahasse, Florida, and has a son named Vincent.
In 1995 he was elected into the
Alabama Jazz Hall of FameThe Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame was founded in 1978, and opened a museum on September 18, 1993, with a mission "to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate a general appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and distinctive art form indigenous to America...
. Urbie Green still plays live at the Delaware Water Gap
Celebration of the Arts (COTA) FestivalThe Celebration of the Arts festival, or COTA for short, is an annual event in September located in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. COTA is presented in cooperation with the Borough of Delaware Water Gap, Castle Hill Development, Inc., and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.-The...
every September, just miles down the road from his home.
As Leader
- 1953 New Faces, New Sounds (Blue Note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
)
- 1954 Urbie Green Septet (Blue Note)
- 1955 Blues and Other Shades of Green (Blue Note)
- 1955 The Melodic Tones of Urbie Green (Bethlehem
Bethlehem Records was a record label based in New York and Hollywood founded by Gus Wildi in 1953. It was bought by King Records in the early 1960s....
)
- 1955 East Coast Jazz, Volume 6 (Bethlehem)
- 1955 The Lyrical Language of Urbie Green (Bethlehem)
- 1955 The Melodic Tones of Urbie Green (Vanguard
Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
)
- 1955 Urbie Green and His Band (Vanguard)
- 1955 Blues and Other Shades of Green (Paramount
Paramount Records was an American record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson.-Early years:...
)
- 1956 All About Urbie Green (Paramount)
- 1957 Urbie Green Octet / Slidin' Swing (Jazztone)
- 1957 Let's Face the Music and Dance (RCA
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
)
- 1958 Best of New Broadway Show Hits (RCA)
- 1960 The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green (Command
Command Records was a record label founded by Enoch Light in 1959 and later associated with ABC-Paramount Records....
)
- 1961 The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green Volume 2 (Command)
- 1963 Urbie Green and His 6-Tet. (Command)
- 1967 21 Trombones (Project 3)
- 1967 21 Trombones Volume 2 (Project 3)
- 1971 Green Power (Project 3)
- 1972 Bein' Green (Project 3)
- 1973 Old Time Modern (RCA) (recorded in 1954)
- 1974 Urbie Green's Big Beautiful Band (Project 3)
- 1976 The Fox (CTI
CTI Records was a jazz record label founded in 1967 by producer/A&R manager Creed Taylor. Initially, CTI was a subsidiary of A&M Records, but the label went independent in 1970...
)
- 1977 Seńor Blues (CTI)
- 1978 Live at Rick's Cafe American (Flying Fish
Flying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society....
)
- 1981 Just Friends (E.J.)
- 1995 Sea Jam Blues (Chiaroscuro
-Artists:*Nat Adderley*Howard Alden*George Barnes*Louie Bellson*Gene Bertoncini*Eubie Blake*Ruby Braff*John Bunch*Don Cherry*Buck Clayton*Eddie Condon*Johnny Costa*Kenny Davern*Wild Bill Davison*Lou Donaldson*Dorothy Donegan*John Eaton*Don Ewell...
)
As sideman
With Manny AlbamManny Albam was a jazz baritone saxophone player who eventually put the instrument down in favour of a long and respected career as an arranger, writer, and teacher.-Biography:The son of Lithuanian immigrants, who was born in the Dominican Republic when his mother went into labour en route...
- Jazz Goes to the Movies
Jazz Goes to the Movies is an album by American jazz arranger and conductor Manny Albam recorded in 1962 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
(Impulse!, 1963)
With The Count Basie Orchestra
- Ella and Basie!
Ella and Basie! is a 1963 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, with arrangements by Quincy Jones...
(Verve, 1963)
- Basie Land
Basie Land is a 1964 studio album by Count Basie and his orchestra, of music composed and arranged by Billy Byers. - Track listing :# "Basie Land" – 2:16# "Big Brother" – 3:43# "Count Me In" – 4:32# "Wanderlust" – 2:38# "Instant Blues" – 4:54...
(Verve, 1964)
With Bill EvansWilliam John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
- Symbiosis
-Track listing:# "Symbiosis 1st Movement - 24:58# "Symbiosis 2nd Movement - 15:55*Recorded in New York City on February 11, 12 & 14, 1974.-Personnel:*Bill Evans - piano, electric piano...
(MPS, 1974)
With Gil EvansGil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
- Into the Hot (Impulse!, 1961)
With Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
- Soul '69
Soul '69 is a 1969 album of cover material released by Aretha Franklin. The album charted at #1 on Billboards R&B albums chart and at #15 on Billboards Top Albums, launching two unsuccessful singles, "Tracks of My Tears" which reached #21 on "Black Singles" and #71 on "Pop Singles" and "Gentle on...
(Atlantic, 1969)
With Coleman HawkinsColeman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
- Wrapped Tight
Wrapped Tight is an album by American jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins featuring performances recorded in 1965 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
(Impulse!, 1965)
With Billy Holiday
- Lady in Satin
Lady in Satin is an album by jazz singer Billie Holiday released in 1958 on Columbia Records, catalogue CL 1157 in mono and CS 8048 in stereo. It is the next to final album completed by the singer and released in her lifetime...
(Columbia, 1958)
With Bobby HutchersonBobby Hutcherson is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His vibraphone playing is suggestive of the style of Milt Jackson in its free-flowing melodicism, but his sense of harmony and group interaction is thoroughly modern...
- Conception: The Gift of Love
Conception: The Gift of Love is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson recorded in 1979 and released on the Columbia label.-Reception:...
(Columbia, 1979)
With Antonio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
With Blue MitchellRichard Allen Mitchell was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter, known for many albums recorded as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and then Mainstream Records.-Biography:...
- Smooth as the Wind
Smooth as the Wind is an album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell with strings and brass recorded in late 1960 and early 1961 and released on the Riverside label.-Reception:...
(Riverside, 1961)
With Wes MontgomeryJohn Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
- Movin' Wes
Movin' Wes is an album by American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1964. It reached number 18 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart in 1967, his second album to reach the charts following the success of his later release Bumpin.-History:...
(Verve, 1964)
With Mark MurphyMark Murphy is an American jazz singer based in New York. He is most noted for his definitive and unique vocalese and vocal improvisations with both melody and lyrics...
- Rah!
The Allmusic review by Eugene Chadbourne awarded the album four stars and said that Rah! "has worn well over the years...On tracks such as "Green Dolphin Street," he dives into the rhythm with the relaxed calm of an expert...
(Riverside, 1961)
With Oliver NelsonOliver Edward Nelson was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger and composer.-Early life and career:...
- The Spirit of '67 with Pee Wee Russell
Charles Ellsworth Russell, much better known by his nickname Pee Wee Russell, was a jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but eventually focused solely on clarinet....
(Impulse!, 1967)
With Chico O'FarrillArturo "Chico" O'Farrill was a composer-arranger best known for his work in the Latin idiom, although he also composed straight-ahead jazz pieces and even symphonic works....
- Nine Flags
Nine Flags is an album by Cuban composer-arranger Chico O'Farrill featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
(Impulse!, 1966)
With Shirley ScottShirley Scott was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist. She was most known for working with her husband, Stanley Turrentine, and with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis...
- Great Scott!!
Great Scott!! is an album by American jazz organist Shirley Scott recorded in 1964 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4½ stars.-Track listing:All compositions by Shirley Scott except as indicated...
(Impulse!, 1964)
With Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
- L.A. Is My Lady
L.A. Is My Lady is a 1984 studio album by Frank Sinatra, featuring arrangements by Quincy Jones. It was the last solo album that Sinatra recorded, though Sinatra recorded three further songs, which were unreleased until The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings.The album came after an album of duets...
(Qwest, 1984)
With Jimmy SmithJimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
- Bashin': The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith
Bashin': The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith' is a 1962 studio album by Jimmy Smith, with Oliver Nelson's big band.- Track listing :# "Walk on the Wild Side" – 5:58# "Ol' Man River" – 3:59...
(Verve, 1962)
- The Cat
The Cat is a 1964 album by Jimmy Smith. It features the sound of Smith's Hammond B-3 organ with big band arrangements by composer Lalo Schifrin...
(Verve, 1964)
With Dinah WashingtonDinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
- The Swingin' Miss "D"
The Swingin' Miss D is a 1956 studio album by Dinah Washington, arranged by Quincy Jones.-Track listing:# "They Didn't Believe Me" – 2:44# "You're Crying" – 3:29...
(EmArcy, 1956)
External links