Topsy - Music

Eduard "Eddie" Durham 19 August 1906 – 6 March 1987 Was An American Jazz Guitarist Trombonist Composer And Musical Arranger. Durham Born In San Marcos Texas Is Probably Best Known For His Work With Musicians Like Cab Calloway Willie Bryant Andy Kirk Glenn Miller Jimmie Lunceford And Count Basie Among Others. He Is The Co-Composer With Edgar Battle Of The Tune "Topsy" Recorded By The Count Basie Orchestra And Later By Many Others. He Also Was The Arranger For Glenn Miller's "In The Mood". He Is Also Credited For Recording The World's First Jazz Electric Guitar Solo With A Gibson ES-150 Guitar In 1938 On Lester Young's Kansas City Five Sessions. Other Electric Guitars Had Been Recorded That Year By Other Players Including George Barnes With Big Bill Broonzy. Eddie Durham A Somewhat Forgotten Name In Jazz History Was The First Important Jazz Soloist To Be Featured On Electric Guitar In 1938 With The Kansas City Five Predating Charlie Christian By A Year. He Also Played Trombone Throughout Most Of His Career And Was Quite Significant As A Swing-Era Arranger Too. He Started Playing Guitar And Trombone With Six Siblings In The Durham Brothers Band. Durham Toured In Some Territory Bands In The Midwest Was With Walter Page's Blue Devils And Then Worked With Bennie Moten 1929-1933 With Whom He Made His Recording Debut. After Moving To New York In 1934 Durham Worked As An Arranger With Willie Bryant And Then Played With Jimmie Lunceford 1935-1937 And Count Basie 1937-1938 . He Also Contributed Arrangements To Artie Shaw And Glenn Miller In 1940 Led A Short-Lived Big Band Of His Own And During 1941-1943 Was The Musical Director For The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm. Durham Later Led An Otherwise All-Female Group And Freelanced Mostly As An Arranger. In 1969 He Returned To Active Playing With Buddy Tate And In Later Years Played With The Countsmen With Whom He Recorded And The Harlem Blues And Jazz Band. Among Durham's Most Famous Arrangements Through The Years Were "Moten Swing" For Bennie Moten Jimmy Lunceford's "Lunceford Special " Several Notable Charts For Count Basie "Topsy " "Swinging The Blues " And "Jumpin' At The Woodside" And Glenn Miller's "In The Mood." Web DURHAMJAZZ.Com FB Eddie.DurhamJazz read less