Howard McGhee
Lua error in Module:Infobox at line 235: malformed pattern (missing ']'). Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingers and very high notes. What is generally not known is the influence that he had on younger hard bop trumpeters, together with Fats Navarro.
Contents
Biography
Howard McGhee was raised in Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he played in bands led by Lionel Hampton, Andy Kirk, Count Basie and Charlie Barnet. He was in a club listening to the radio when he first heard Parker and was one of the early adopters of the new style, a fact that was disapproved by older musicians like Kid Ory.[citation needed]
In 1946–47, some record sessions for the new label Dial were organized at Hollywood with Charlie Parker and the Howard McGhee combo. The first was held on July 29, 1946. The musicians were Charlie Parker (as), Howard McGhee (tp), Jimmy Bunn (p), Bob Kesterson (b), and Roy Porter (d).[clarification needed] The titles played were "Max is Making Wax", "Lover Man", "The Gypsy" and "Be-bop".
McGhee continued to work as a sideman for Parker. He played on titles like "Relaxin at Camarillo", "Cheers", "Carvin the Bird" and "Stupendous". His stay in California was cut short because of racial prejudice, particularly vicious towards McGhee as half of a mixed-race couple.[citation needed]
Drug problems sidelined McGhee for much of the 1950s, but he resurfaced in the 1960s, appearing in many George Wein productions. His career sputtered again in the mid-1960s and he did not record again until 1976. He led one of three big jazz bands trying to succeed in New York in the late 1960s. While the band did not survive, a recording was released in the mid-1970s.
He taught music through the 1970s, both in classrooms and at his apartment in midtown Manhattan and instructed musicians like Charlie Rouse in music theory.[citation needed] He was as much an accomplished composer-arranger as he was a performer.
Discography

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As leader/co-leader
- 1946-7: Trumpet at Tempo (Dial) released 1996
- 1948: Howard McGhee and Milt Jackson (Savoy) released 1955 with Milt Jackson
- 1955: The Return of Howard McGhee (Bethlehem)
- 1956: Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries (Bethlehem)
- 1960: Dusty Blue (Bethlehem)
- 1961: Together Again!!!! (Contemporary) – with Teddy Edwards
- 1961: Maggie's Back in Town!! (Contemporary)
- 1961: The Sharp Edge (Fontana)
- 1963: Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (United Artists)
- 1963: House Warmin'! (Argo)
- 1976: Here Comes Freddie (Sonet) – with Illinois Jacquet
- 1976: Just Be There (Steeplechase) with Horace Parlan, Kenny Clarke
- 1977: Jazzbrothers (Storyville)
- 1978: Home Run (Storyville)
- 1979: Wise in Time (Storyville)
As sideman
With Dexter Gordon
- Bopland: The Legendary Elks Club Concert, L.A. 1947 (Savoy Jazz, 2004)
- With Johnny Hartman
- Songs from the Heart (1955)
- All of Me: The Debonair Mr. Hartman (1956)
With James Moody
- Cookin' the Blues (Argo, 1961)
With Don Patterson
- Boppin' & Burnin' (Prestige, 1968)
With Joe Williams
- At Newport '63 (RCA Victor, 1963)
References
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External links
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- Pages with reference errors
- Use mdy dates from October 2015
- Articles with hCards
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015
- Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from June 2010
- Articles using small message boxes
- American jazz trumpeters
- Bebop trumpeters
- Cass Technical High School alumni
- Hard bop trumpeters
- Musicians from Michigan
- Blue Note Records artists
- Savoy Records artists
- 1918 births
- 1987 deaths
- 20th-century American musicians