Roy Eldridge

by Scott Yanow
One of the most exciting trumpeters to emerge during the swing era, Roy Eldridges combative approach, chancetaking style and strong musicianship were an inspiration (and an influence) to the next musical generation, most notably Dizzy Gillespie. Although he sometimes pushed himself farther than he could go, Eldridge never played a dull solo!
Roy Eldridge started out playing trumpet and drums in carnival and circus bands. With the Nighthawk Syncopators he received a bit of attention by playing a note-for-note recreation of Coleman Hawkins tenor solo on The Stampede. Inspired by the dynamic playing of Jabbo Smith (Eldridge would not discover Louis Armstrong for a few years), Roy played with some territory bands including Zack Whyte and Speed Webb and in New York (where he arrive in 1931) he worked with Elmer Snowden (who nicknamed him Little Jazz), McKinneys Cotton Pickers and most importantly Teddy Hill (1935). Eldridges recorded solos with Hill, backing Billie Holiday and with Fletcher Henderson (including his 1936 hit Christopher Columbus) gained a great deal of attention. In 1937 he appeared with his octet (which included brother Joe on alto) at the Three Deuces Club in Chicago and recorded some outstanding selections as a leader including Hecklers Hop and Wabash Stomp. By 1939 Roy had a larger group playing at the Arcadia Ballroom in New York. With the decline of Bunny Berigan and the increasing predictability of Louis Armstrong, Eldridge was arguably the top trumepter in jazz during this era.
During 1941-42 Eldridge sparked Gene Krupas Orchestra, recording classic versions of Rockin Chair and After Youve Gone and interacting with Anita ODay on Let Me Off Uptown. The difficulties of travelling with a White band during a racist period hurt him as did some of the incidents that occurred during his stay with Artie Shaw (1944-45) but the music during both stints was quite memorable. Eldridge can be seen in several soundies (short promotional film devoted to single songs) of this era by the Krupa band, often in association with ODay, including Let Me Off Uptown and Thanks for the Boogie Ride. He is also very prominent in the bands appearance in Howard Hawks Ball of Fire, in an extended performance of Drum Boogie mimed by Barbara Stanwyck, taking a long trumpet solo — the clip was filmed soon after Eldridge joined the band in late April of 1941, and Drum Boogie was a song that Eldridge co-wrote with Krupa.
Eldridge had a short-lived big band of his own, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic and then had a bit of an identity crisis when he realized that his playing was not as modern as the beboppers. A successful stay in France during 1950-51 restored his confidence when he realized that being original was more important than being up-to-date. Eldridge recorded steadily for Norman Granz in the 1950s, was one of the stars of JATP (where he battled Charlie Shavers and Dizzy Gillespie) and by 1956 was often teamed with Coleman Hawkins in a quintet; their 1957 appearance at Newport was quite memorable. The 1960s were tougher as recording opportunities and work became rarer. Eldridge had brief and unhappy stints with Count Basies Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald (feeling unnecessary in both contexts) but was leading his own group by the end of the decade. He spent much of the 1970s playing regularly at Ryans and recording for Pablo and, although his range had shrunk a bit, Eldridges competitive spirit was still very much intact. Only a serious stroke in 1980 was able to halt his horn. Roy Eldridge recorded throughout his career for virtually every label.