Frankie Trumbauer

by Jason Ankeny
The preeminent white saxophonist of the 1920s, Frankie Trumbauer was a major influence on jazz performers of all colors — at his peak, his supreme standing on the alto was comparable to the kind of dominance later enjoyed by Charlie Parker. Born May 30, 1901, in Carbondale, IL, Trumbauer — often called Tram by his contemporaries — was playing with Chicagos Benson Orchestra when he was spotted by Bix Beiderbecke and quickly recruited to join the legendary cornetist in Jean Goldkettes orchestra. Soon Tram had climbed to the position of Goldkettes musical director, earning notoriety for the impeccable technique of his light-toned solos; he cut some of the definitive records of the era with Beiderbecke, Singin the Blues among them, and, by 1927, the two were reunited in Paul Whitemans orchestra. Trumbauer remained with Whiteman until 1932, returning in 1933 for another four-year stint. When he exited in 1936, he took command of the Three Ts, featuring the Teagarden brothers; in 1938, he moved on to co-lead a band with Manny Klein. With the onset of World War II, Trumbauer was assigned to the Civil Aeronautics Authority; still, he continued to pursue music in his off-hours, playing with Russ Case and cutting a number of New York studio dates during the latter half of the 1950s. However, with the arrival of the modern jazz era of the 1950s, Tram fell off the radar; he died June 11, 1956, in Kansas City, MO.