FRANK TRUMBAUER’S SAXOPHONE STUDIES and MODERN SOLOS for SAXOPHONE:

Compositions by the Hot Jazz Virtuoso and Their Place within the American Saxophone Tradition

by

Todd R. Wilkinson B.M., Arizona State University, 1983

M.A., Stephen F. Austin State University, 1986

Submitted to the Department of Music and Dance and the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Kansas

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts (Saxophone)

Committee Members: ______________________________ (Chairperson) ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ Date Defended: December 1, 2006

© 2006 Todd Randall Wilkinson

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Acknowledgements

I wish to extend my thanks to Mr. Vincent Gnojek, professor of saxophone and Dr. Roberta Freund Schwartz, professor of musicology at the University of Kansas. Mr. William Trumbauer II was indispensable and generous in allowing me to pour through his personal collection. My wife Patti and our children Michael, Mason, and Aubrey have been more than patient. I love and respect you all.

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Table of Contents I. Historical Context Introduction………………………………………………………………………......1 The Saxophone in Civic and Military Brass Bands……………………………….....4 The Recording Industry, Vaudeville, Ballroom Dancing, and the Saxophone Craze..6 Rudy Wiedoeft…………………………………………………………………...….10 Frank Trumbauer’s Style………………………………………………………...….13 II. Frank Trumbauer Biography Early Training……………………………………………………………......……...19 Marriage and Early Professional Career………………………………………….....21 “Singin’ the Blues” and Recordings with Bix Beiderbecke.......……………………23 Trumbauer and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra……………………………………...25 “Frank Trombar” in Los Angeles………………………………………....………...31 III. The Music Robbins Music Corporation and the Frank Trumbauer Publications…………….....33 Trumbauer’s Modern Saxophone Solos…………………………………………….36 Trumbology…………………………………………………………………………40 The Bouncing Ball………………………………………………………………......43 Sunspots…………………………………………………………………………….45 Tailspin……………………………………………………………………………...46 Meteor........................................................................................................................49 Eclipse........................................................................................................................52 Trumbauer’s Saxophone Studies book.......................................................................53 IV. Retrospective The Trumbauer Legacy...............................................................................................60 VI. Appendices Appendix 1: Trumbology...........................................................................................64 Appendix 2: The Bouncing Ball.................................................................................69 Appendix 3: Sunspots.................................................................................................73 Appendix 4: Tailspin..................................................................................................79 Appendix 5: Meteor....................................................................................................85 Appendix 6: Eclipse....................................................................................................89 Appendix 7: Running Exercise...................................................................................94 Bibliography................................................................................................................98

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Introduction

In many respects Frank Trumbauer (1901-1956) represents the multi-faceted

nature of the American saxophone tradition. Flexibility and adaptability have always

been hallmarks of saxophonists in the United States, and capitulating to popular

tastes, requisite. An ability to double on other instruments, perform and record in

many styles and genres, sight-read, improvise and compose, has always been

considered necessary, especially crucial to American saxophonists in the early

twentieth century, as they continued to develop a wider appreciation for their

instrument, while proving the saxophone an equal - even superior in some

expressions, to the established symphonic wind instruments. Trumbauer possessed

all of these skills and combined them with a keen sensitivity to the entertainment

industry and the music business. His achievements remain as exceptional today as

they were in the 1920s and 1930s when he established the lofty popular reputation he

enjoyed during his performing career.

Trumbauer played piano, clarinet, cornet, and bassoon; he even sang a bit,

when required. His mother was a musician, and Trumbauer’s influences included

concert bands, vaudeville, jazz and classical music, and popular recordings. His

professional career spanned the polyphonic hot jazz of the early 1920s, the pre-swing

orchestras of the mid-1930s, and the swing era radio orchestras of the 1940s. In later

years he abandoned the music business altogether in favor of the stability of a career

in aviation and devotion to his family. His instrument of choice, the C-melody

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saxophone, was the darling of the saxophone craze (circa 1915-1935), yet was

relegated to obscurity by the time of his retirement. Trumbauer’s style of playing

evolved from composing and arranging dance arrangements for, and improvising

solos with, small groups, to broadcasting highly virtuosic feature numbers with large

jazz orchestras to a radio listening public.

Trumbauer is chiefly remembered for the hundreds of recordings, made under

his own name, and with many of the most memorable personalities of the 1930s. He

recorded collective jazz, popular tunes, light classical influence works, big band

music, and pyrotechnic saxophone solos, all at a time when the line between classical

and popular music was not yet firmly delineated. Composing always fascinated

Trumbauer, and his compositions were always in the Tin Pan Alley tradition, popular

in style and intended to sell records or sheet music.

Frank Trumbauer’s Series of Modern Saxophone Solos and his Saxophone

Studies book represent the pinnacle of his compositional achievement. They reflect a

combination of ‘popular’ and ‘serious’ techniques used by successful saxophonists in

the United States during the second and third decades of the 1900s, as the saxophone

evolved from the novelty instrument of the saxophone craze, to the favored solo

instrument of the swing era jazz performers, and even today saxophonists constantly

strike a balance between popular and serious issues. Trumbauer’s saxophone works

challenge performers to develop an excellent technical foundation, requiring fast and

accurate single and double tongue articulation, highly sensitive rhythmic flexibility,

dramatic dynamic pacing, and an idiomatic mastery of the pre-swing jazz style.

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Although his published works have languished, his recordings inspired many of the

greatest performers during the swing era, and his achievements as a virtuoso in the

popular field helped to open the door for the saxophone as a worthy exponent of

concert music and conservatory study. Many of his technical achievements have yet

to be duplicated.

By reviewing his predecessors, establishing the context in which these

compositions were written, providing a brief biography and analytic overview of his

published works, this paper will demonstrate the importance of Frank Trumbauer in

American saxophone history, and that his series of Modern Saxophone Solos and

Saxophone Studies are deserving of wider recognition and study, and thus worthy of

reintroduction into the current saxophone repertoire.

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The Saxophone in Civic and Military Brass Bands

The first ‘Golden Age’ of the saxophone ended abruptly with the death of its

inventor, Antoine-Joseph ‘Adolphe’ Sax (1814-1894). The saxophone was still used

in military and civic concert bands but composers wrote far fewer orchestral works

for the instrument, preferring the older, established symphonic woodwinds. When the

saxophone was incorporated, it was often as a “double” on the clarinet chair, as in

Bizet’s L’Arlèsienne Suites of 1872 and 1879, and when clarinetists played the

saxophone vibrato was generally neglected. Though the saxophone remained popular

in France, attracting several distinguished devotees whom tirelessly promoted its

acceptance as a classical instrument, it found a new audience in American popular

music.

Toward the end of the 19th century the saxophone was used in civic bands

across the United States. Most emulated the instrumentation employed by military

bands of Patrick S. Gilmore (1829-1892), John Phillip Sousa (1854-1932) and the

civilian organizations of Patrick Conway (1867-1929) and Arthur Pryor (1870-1942),

which featured saxophone soloists and sections. These groups performed light

classical and popular tunes of the day, including marches, airs, and syncopated

cakewalks, which soon gave way to ragtime. Early saxophone sections incorporated

two or three instruments of the family, and soloists were often selected to perform

features, usually fantasias, variations on popular themes or ragtime hits, in a stylized,

virtuosic fashion.

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Sousa’s band was particularly influential, as it toured extensively throughout

the continent, performing in parks, tents, and concert halls. Among its great soloists

were the Dutch musician Edouard LeFebre (1834-1911), Jean H. B. Moermans,

Benjamin Vereecken, and H. Benne Henton. LeFebre, dubbed the “Saxophone

King,” performed with Gilmore (1873-1892) and continued his career with Sousa

(1893-1894).1 Moermans, a Belgian, was very popular with audiences; he performed

with the United States Marine Band from the late 1890s through the early 1910s, and

he was often a featured soloist with Sousa’s group as well. Around 1910,Vereecken

was also performing as Sousa’s featured saxophonist; he had been working with

Arthur Pryor’s band but stayed with Sousa until 1915. His complete method, The

Foundation to Saxophone Playing (Carl Fischer, 1917) was a cornerstone of

saxophone pedagogy during the first half of the century. Henton (1867-1938)

performed with Sousa from 1919 to 1920. He was very well known nationally, due in

part to his leadership of the saxophone quartet in the first performance of Richard

Strauss’s Symphonia Domestica (1904). Though he followed Vereecken in Sousa’s

band, much of Henton’s work was done with the Patrick Conway groups, with whom

he recorded “When You and I Were Young, Maggie” in 1918 (a tune Frank

Trumbauer would record with the Benson Orchestra for Victor Records, in 1923).

The last two of the great Sousa band soloists were Jascha Gurewich (1896-1938), the

first to give a recital of serious saxophone works in New York’s Aeolian Hall (on

1 Harry Gee, Saxophone Soloists and Their Music 1844-1985: an Annotated Bibliography (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1986), 13-20.

6

January 31, 1926) and Harold B. Stephens (1897-1983) who performed with Sousa

during 1925-26, the last year of the band’s tenure.

The Recording Industry, Vaudeville, Ballroom Dancing, and the

Saxophone Craze

In 1878 the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company began marketing

recording machines as dictation aids. It wasn’t until 1890 that the Colombia

Phonograph Company was formed to exploit a growing interest in recorded music

cylinders and the recording industry was well under way. In 1892 Bessie Meeklens

produced the first cylinder recordings of saxophone music, for the Edison’s North

American Phonograph Company. Eugene Coffin made the earliest recordings for

Colombia, in 1896. Due mainly to the shortcomings of acoustic recordings, the

quality of all saxophone cylinders were somewhat poor before the turn of the century,

and the performances, were often less than superior. When the Berliner Gramophone

Company introduced its portable, hand-cranked, and affordable disc player in 1897,

record sales began to compete with those of sheet music; in 1901 alone the company,

renamed the Victor Talking Machine Company, sold 7,570 gramophones.

Steve Porpora recorded the first two-sided disc of saxophone music for

Colombia Records in 1908, although the flip side was a cornet performance. Two

other early saxophone recordings made for Edison Records by H. Benne Henton

(1910) and Henry S. Barbour (1911).

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Throughout the decade the record industry continued to grow steadily and by

the mid 1910s saxophone ensembles were appearing in vaudeville shows. The sextet

known as the Six Brown Brothers, led by Tom Brown (1881-1950), recorded the

popular “That Moanin’ Saxophone Rag” in 1914, as well as other novelty numbers

like “Bullfrog Blues,” “Chicken Walk,” “Egyptland,” and “Peter Gink” (their version

of the Peer Gynt Suite).

Ballroom dancing became very popular in the 1910s, in part due to the famous

New York dance clubs run by socialites Vernon and Irene Castle. Ragtime music

was in vogue and James Reese Europe’s Society Orchestra provided syncopated

rhythms for their routines. Europe (1881-1919), a lieutenant in the United States

Army in World War I, conducted the 369th Regiment “Harlem Hellfighters.” The

music of this brass band little resembled the earlier marches of Sousa, but rather,

combined ragtime’s rhythmic drive with blues sensibilities, providing the foundation

for early “hot” jazz.

One of the most popular up-tempo dances was the One-Step. Developed in

America during the 1910s, it was a simple and easy to learn up-tempo dance done on

the balls of the feet. Also known as the Collegiate Fox Trot or the Walking-Step, this

dance soon gave way to the Quickstep, and was combined with other dances such as

the Turkey Trot. The Quickstep was a version of the English One-Step that the

Castles introduced for dancing to ragtime around 1912. They called this the Castle

Walk, or Fox Trot; it was perfect for dancing to early up-tempo hot jazz.

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In 1917 the Original Dixieland Jass Band released their first jazz recordings;

these were very successful, and quickly sold perhaps a million copies. Record

companies responded by producing as much jazz as they could find. Dancing to jazz

quickly became fashionable and dance musicians were in great demand. Soon dance

orchestras proliferated and the novel and commercially popular saxophone played an

obligatory role in these ensembles.

Vaudeville troupes, mostly performing in tents, community centers, and opera

halls throughout the nation, provided skits, comedy, plays, minstrel shows, and

musical entertainment. Though the merits of its musical diversions were often

dubious, these performances provided a perfect environment for introducing the

saxophone to American audiences. The circus was a similar venue for the fledgling

instrument, and it wasn’t uncommon for saxophonists to dress in cowboy attire,

blackface, or clown outfits when performing for paying customers. Groups

consisting entirely of saxophones were particularly popular; the Five Nozes and the

Six Brown Brothers were highly paid and widely imitated. Regardless and perhaps

because of the comedic quality of the music, their recordings sold well and helped to

create a demand for the saxophone among audiences and amateur performers, kicking

off a saxophone craze that began around 1915 and continued until the mid 1930s. As

new method books became available, more people played saxophone than ever

before, and audiences began to demand that musicians include them in their

ensembles. Succumbing to this pressure, the great New Orleans jazzman Sidney

Bechet switched from clarinet to soprano saxophone.

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According to Harry Gee:

From the armistice of World War I through the “Roaring Twenties,” the newly found prosperity produced a veritable epidemic of saxophone mania. In addition to an extremely large production of instruments from constantly expanded factory facilities, Conn, Buescher, King, and later Selmer published trade journals with countless photos of performers and groups who endorsed their saxophones. Music publishers were also alert to the good times and released a wide variety of flexible ensembles written and arranged for groups of two to eight saxophones. 2 This saxophone craze was similar to the public enthusiasm for the electric

guitar during the 1960s, although the saxophone craze (which lasted nearly twenty

years) fueled criticism of the saxophone as an exponent of an embarrassing fad. Even

though other orchestral wind instruments were also associated with novelty music,

vaudeville, and jazz, it was the saxophone that received the severe criticism of serious

musicians. Somehow this reinforced a belief that saxophone was unsuitable for use in

the orchestra and quickly it was accorded the same status as the ocarina, harmonica,

and accordion, easy to play instruments best suited for amateurs. Unfortunately this

disdain remained the attitude of many orchestral and conservatory musicians well into

1970s. Thus it was American popular music that would demonstrate the saxophone

an instrument worthy of serious consideration.

2 Gee, Saxophone Soloists, 23.

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Rudy Wiedoeft

The C tenor or C-melody saxophone was especially popular during the

saxophone craze. This instrument, originally intended by Adolphe Sax for use in

orchestras, afforded amateurs the opportunity to play directly from piano sheet music,

albeit an octave lower then written. In the hands of Rudy Wiedoeft (1893-1940) the

C-melody became a virtuosic instrument, capable of amazing technical and

expressive flexibility. His performances and recordings between 1916 and 1931

commanded the respect of musicians and audiences alike.

Wiedoeft was the model for what an enterprising saxophonist might achieve.

His performances drew packed houses. Wiedoeft, who began his career in the

Wiedoeft Family Orchestra, had a dramatic flair and was an excellent showman. Like

the Brown Brothers and other vaudevillian saxophonists, he occasionally performed

in cowboy attire. His combination of serious and novelty elements was pragmatic

and reflected good business acumen; these became the hallmarks of the American

saxophone tradition as saxophonists sought acceptance into concert and popular

arenas. Out to establish his instrument as ‘legitimate,’ he gave a recital of serious

music at New York’s Aeolian Hall on April 17, 1926, less than three months after

Jascha Gurewich’s January 31st performance, and the live radio broadcast was heard

by millions of listeners. Later that year Wiedoeft toured Europe with pianist Oscar

Levant. In Paris he performed for instrument maker Henri Selmer, who said of his

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playing, “I have never heard a saxophonist to equal Wiedoeft, and I doubt if there will

be any to excel him, his staccato is so rapid, his execution so brilliant.”

Wiedoeft began his career as a clarinetist. At the time no schools provided a

program of saxophone studies, and except for the Universal Method for Saxophone

by Paul DeVille (Carl Fischer, 1908), the self-instructional method books were

woefully inadequate. In addition, the quality of equipment - instruments,

mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures - was usually poor. Wiedoeft faced a lack of

literature, pedagogy, an accepted performance style, and recordings of high caliber

performances; in response, he created them all.

In 1916, lacking any suitable classical music to perform, he composed and

recorded “Valse Erica” for Edison; it was immensely popular and he began producing

a long series of compositions and recordings. In general, his pieces are characterized

by the use of regular phrasing and formal schemes based upon theme, departure and

return. In style they vary from serious arioso to light-hearted novelty pieces.

Recordings in the 1920s necessitated short works of around three minutes in duration,

and nearly all of his works meet that limiting criterion; thus none of the pieces

demonstrate more complicated and longer formal schemes. Common dance types and

rhythms are found in abundance: minuets, waltzes, serenades, and works associated

with national styles.

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The Robbins Music Corporation of New York City was a huge publisher of

printed music in every style and genre.3 Robbins Novelty Saxophone Editions were

generated in response to the saxophone craze. By 1935 the catalogue of the Robbins

Music Corporation listed seven of Wiedoeft’s transcriptions of “world famous

ballads” for solo saxophone, thirty-nine original Wiedoeft compositions with piano

accompaniment, twenty-six of his transcriptions of classic favorites for saxophone

and piano, a folio of eight easy Wiedoeft solos with piano, a folio of his saxophone

and piano duets, and nine Wiedoeft novelty solos (Fox Trots and Waltzes) with

orchestral accompaniment. This list demonstrates a balance of original compositions,

both novelty and serious in nature, as well as the transcriptions of popular tunes and

classical works, setting a precedent for future saxophonists. He recorded practically

all of these pieces as well, giving performers the ability to listen to as well as perform

his works.

Wiedoeft also contributed practical information to the weekly trade magazine

Melody Maker and British Metronome, which included his regular column of advice

for saxophonists. One of the August 1926 issues was devoted entirely to him.

Around this time he also began working with Holton instruments, improving upon the

saxophone design and producing line of Wiedoeft model horns.

As a performer Wiedoeft had a full-bodied tone and an excellent, wide

vibrato, in the style of operatic vocalists and string players of the day. His sense of

phrasing was dramatically paced, using dynamics and vibrato to enhance the line

3 Unfortunately there is no archive of the Robbins catalogue, for it would prove an invaluable source of American popular music of the 1920s through 1940s.

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direction, and he had a great flair for rubato playing. In running notes of rapid

succession he nearly always tongued every note, never content to slur or legato

tongue. His articulation, both double and especially his single-tonguing, was

unbelievably, almost impossibly fast, and has rarely been duplicated by modern

performers. His dotted eighth–sixteenth rhythms were played crisply and with snap,

never relaxed or in the triplet swing style. He introduced slap-tonguing on his

recording of “Saxophun,” where he makes the instrument imitate a human laugh. His

jazz-like scooping and glissandi were featured as well, and though he never

improvised solos he introduced almost all of the techniques employed by jazz

saxophonists in the 1930s and 1940s. In later years he became a teacher. Two of his

more notable students were Rudy Vallee and Joe Allard; both went on to very

successful careers of their own. In every respect, Rudy Wiedoeft was a paragon, a

model for those aspiring a professional saxophone career. He was undeniably a major

influence on the next generation of saxophonists in the 1930s. Like Wiedoeft, Frank

Trumbauer specialized on the C-melody his intonation was impeccable and he spent a

great deal of time working out arrangements to his music.

Frank Trumbauer’s Style

Although 1920s contemporaries of Trumbauer included saxophonists like

Loring McMurray (d. 1922 or 1923), who met an untimely fate and died very young,

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but was about the same age as Trumbauer; Jack Pettis (b. 1902), who recorded with

the New Orleans Rhythm Kings; Bud Freeman (1906-1991), and Jimmy Dorsey

(1904-1957). The two major saxophone stylists of the 1920s were Rudy Wiedoeft

and New Orleans jazzman Sidney Bechet (1897-1959). Bechet was only four years

older than Trumbauer, and Wiedoeft eight; both were commercially successful

professionals, when Trumbauer was beginning his performing career. He would have

been keenly aware of their abilities.

Bechet, a clarinetist turned soprano saxophone specialist, was a well-known

jazz musician. Never learning to read music, he performed predominately in the

polyphonic New Orleans format (now often referred to as Dixieland); his soprano

saxophone substituted for the clarinet that was more commonly found in these

ensembles. The recordings he made with Clarence Williams Blue Five in 1923

demonstrate a tone quality much like that used by the clarinetists of the day, and an

extremely fast and shimmering vibrato with a pitch deviation that was wide and

pronounced. Bechet’s sound was big and full - sometimes the instrument was

overblown almost to the point of distortion - and although his intonation wasn’t

always exacting, his improvisation, like his personality, was aggressive and forceful

in the soaring New Orleans clarinet tradition. In his running eighth-note lines Bechet

tended to articulate every note.

While Bechet played on edge and with abandon, Wiedoeft’s playing was more

mannered. Like Bechet, he had a distinct vibrato, although the quality of his sound

was more inward and centered, and his tonguing was exacting in running lines.

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Trumbauer’s playing represented a stylistic departure from Wiedoeft and Bechet but

incorporated elements of both. He preferred legato lines, tending to slur through

eighth-note runs, accenting notes in a syncopated way that anticipated the triplet-feel

of swing.4 Trumbauer also differed in his approach to rhythm, vibrato, and tone

production; his consistently narrow and slower vibrato, and occasional use of straight

tone (lacking vibrato), was completely unique in jazz of the 1920s.

Trumbauer, like Bechet, loved improvisation, as is demonstrated on his

recording of “For No Reason at All in C” (Okeh Records, 1927). This song was

based on the chord progression of the popular song “I’d Climb the Highest Mountain”

(Lew Brown and Sidney Clare, 1926) yet Trumbauer improvised a new melody on

the changes. This approach, which became prominent during the bebop era, is often

attributed to Coleman Hawkins’ “Body and Soul” (1939); Trumbauer’s recording,

however, predates Hawkins’ by 12 years. The solo was probably worked out in

advance of the actual recording, as this was his preferred method of approach. Often

Trumbauer’s solos were criticized as being formulaic, using the same licks over and

over. Damon Hassler said:

Tram, as great as he was, played mostly “prop” stuff – in other words, the same licks, however original, a million times over. Formulae, attractive because they were different, but formulae nonetheless.5

4 As advanced as his playing was, Trumbauer never achieved the kind of swing feel that would be common with jazz players after 1940. 5 Richard M. Sudhalter and Phillip R. Evans, Bix: Man and Legend (New York: Arlington House, 1974), 152.

16

Some preparations must have been prudent, even necessary in reducing

mistakes, and therefore saving money, as like today, recording was a very expensive

process. Louis Armstrong and Ben Webster both did the same kind of preparations in

their solo work, and even well into the swing era it wasn’t uncommon for musicians

to refine a solo on the bandstand from night to night, eventually constructing a

permanent and personalized solo to a particular tune, much like a finished

composition. In an interview with Les Tomkins (1965), Webster said he even

preferred to play his live solos like the ones he had recorded:

As regards reproducing the original solo from the record— usually I will play the same solo and, if I feel up to it, then I might play a couple extra. Well, I figure that maybe this way someone could recognize it a little better. People look for these things sometimes. No two things are alike, we know, but I try to play it as close as I can to the record.6 Like the vaudevillian Wiedoeft, Trumbauer loved novelty and dance tunes,

and wasn’t afraid to don a cowboy outfit, dance on stage, and clown around for the

audience. And like Wiedoeft, he had an excellent knowledge of musical

fundamentals, superb saxophone techniques, an intuitive sense of musicality, and a

desire to compose and arrange music.

Unlike Wiedoeft and Bechet, whose approach and style remained consistent

throughout their careers, Trumbauer’s playing evolved over time. In his early career

his relaxed style and tempo foreshadowed the cool jazz movement, which didn’t

6 Ben Webster, talking to Les Tomkins in 1965, Jazz Professional, http://www.jazzprofessional.com/interviews/BenWebster.htm, 12-04-06.

17

begin until about 1949. However by the mid 1930s the typical tempos of his

performances were much faster than those of Bechet or Wiedoeft, and he also became

more interested in technical virtuosic displays, even developing an ability to articulate

almost as fast and cleanly as Wiedoeft, as is documented on his recording of

“Sunspots” with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra (Victor Records, 1934). Unlike

Wiedoeft, even when his technical control was at its peak, Trumbauer never recorded

any works in the classical style.

During the Great Depression economic and social pressures factored into

Trumbauer’s career, perhaps even exacerbating the changes in his style. He began his

career in the 1920s working with dance bands and recording hot jazz, and had

achieved a cult status in jazz circles by 1927. His move to Whiteman’s society

orchestra was likely motivated as much by the need for a steady job as his desire to

work with a reputable and high-quality organization.

Whiteman’s orchestra played “sweet jazz,” music intended for society

functions, usually incorporating a string section, medium tempo dance arrangements

with few improvised solos, and lacking in the aggressive character of hot jazz. At

one time or another, Whiteman employed the best available classical and popular

personalities. He originally hired Trumbauer and Beiderbecke to play hot jazz solos

in an ensemble where the space for improvisation was strictly limited. The addition

of Beiderbecke, Trumbauer, and Challis transformed the orchestra, injecting

Whiteman’s performances with new character.

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In the first half of the twentieth century, many musicians and members of high

society (with a few notable exceptions, such as George, Prince of Wales, and future

King of England) regarded jazz as embarrassing and perhaps even immoral. They

certainly considered it inferior to art music. Unaffected, young middle class whites

like Trumbauer embraced jazz during the pre-Depression years of the Jazz Age. In

the publishing business “jazz” was a stigmatic word and pains were taken to avoid it;

often “syncopated” or “dance” music was used in its stead. In keeping with this

disdain, the Robbins saxophone catalogue is titled “novelty” music, and although

titles with ‘hot breaks’ certainly implied jazz, nowhere did the term actually appear.

In their foreword to Trumbauer’s publications they refer to his “specialized” field,

and call him a “foremost authority on his subject,” tastefully avoiding the “j-word.”

Fortunately, the jazz aesthetic would eventually prove more profound and enduring

than the embarrassment in which it was originally received.

Stylistic concerns regarding jazz were also coupled with stereotype and racial

disdain. Whites considered jazz African American music. This rather conservative

middle class notion would certainly have been an issue for the young Trumbauer

playing jazz in a segregated society, as jazz was not considered a path to mainstream

acceptance of a serious musician. At the time it was the achievements of Wiedoeft

and Whiteman that held the promise of respectability and the economic stability for

the young Trumbauer, a family man struggling through the hard times created by the

Great Depression.

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Early Training

Orie Frank Trumbauer was born to parents Fred and Hannah Gertrude

Trumbauer on May 30, 1901 in Carbondale, Illinois. Gertrude was a pianist and

knew that life in Southern Illinois was hampering her ability to find gainful

employment. In 1907 Fred, an employee of the Illinois Central Railroad, accepted a

transfer to St. Louis, where Gertrude began a career accompanying silent films. It

was here that Trumbauer received his first saxophone. He said:

I hadn’t any books of any kind when I began to play the saxophone. My mother would sustain a chord on the piano while I sought out the corresponding arpeggio on the sax, she would strike chords related to the original, in addition to resolutions from one key to another, while I would continue with arpeggios and broken chords in each. This form continued until I had quite a command of the Instrument. The saxophone was a C-melody and it made it possible for me to read violin parts, but these parts contained melody only and I wanted to try out my abilities. So, little by little, I began to improvise, using the violin part as a guide where my ear and chord training supplied the ideas. Up to this time, I had not read notes. All my ability was in the form of memorized key actions and chord response to my ear. I realized that the saxophone had a tremendous future and that if I could read as fast as I could improvise, it would be a real achievement. All of which brought on a spree of practice which consumed about eight hours a day and lasted approximately nine months.7 In 1911 his parents’ marriage failed, and by 1912 Trumbauer was living with

Gertrude’s parents and attending the local school in Carbondale. During high school

he organized a band, and by 1916 he was playing so much that his schoolwork began

7 Phillip R. Evans, Tram: The Story of Frank Trumbauer (Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1994), 5.

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to deteriorate. He was sent back to his mother in St. Louis, who planned to enroll him

in trade school. Trumbauer had just begun a job as a fireman for the railroad when

war was declared on April 6, 1917. On May 29, 1918, when he was barely seventeen

years old, he enlisted as a Landsman Musician in the U. S. Navy and was assigned to

the Great Lakes Training Center outside Chicago. Trumbauer began playing in the

battalion band led by Lieutenant John Phillip Sousa, but in August of 1918 the

ensemble was split into sections so that smaller groups could tour the country

promoting war bond drives. Trumbauer was slated for a tour of Wisconsin but the

Spanish Flu epidemic intervened and he was instead assigned to the troop ship

America. The day he arrived for his assignment the ship sank at the dock! In 1918

the Armistice was signed, and after some diplomatic wrangling Trumbauer was let

out of his four-year contract and discharged.

Back in St. Louis he began performing professionally in a business dominated

by the Musicians Union, territorial bandleaders, and segregation. After a

disappointing audition, Trumbauer realized he had to learn to read music. He stated,

I made up my mind that I was going to study. I worked (performing) at the café every night and spent at least eight hours on my instruments. Study! Study! Study! I lost weight, I had very little sleep, but in nine months I could read and transpose any part. Flute parts – trumpet parts – trombone parts – clarinet parts – cello parts – anything at all. My technique had improved by leaps and bounds. . . It was here that I first learned about unions. Earlier in the year, I had joined the Musicians Union but immediately forgot about it. I was working – making over scale – so why bother to read all of that fine print? 8 8 Evans and Kiner, Tram, 18.

21

Prohibition was enacted in 1920 and many of the cafes and nightclubs began

to close. Trumbauer was permanently loaned to Joe Kayser’s touring road band,

performing a series of one-nighters at ballrooms throughout the Midwest. During

this tour he performed primarily popular dance music and developed a reputation as

a showman, dancer, saxophonist extraordinaire, and practical joker.

Marriage and Early Professional Career

In 1921 Trumbauer met his future wife Mitzy. While dating they attended a

barnstorming exposition and rode in a World War One vintage aircraft; Trumbauer

loved the experience and developed a keen interest in learning to fly. After a brief

courtship, they were married on September 14. He and Mitzy were settled in St.

Louis when Gene Rodemich, a pianist and one of the cities most successful

bandleaders, asked Trumbauer to go to New York to record for Brunswick Records,

the same label for which Wiedoeft was recording. With Trumbauer playing the C-

melody chair, Brunswick released the Rodemich recordings of “Fancies,” “Gypsy

Blues,” “Just Like a Rainbow,” “Right or Wrong,” “By the Pyramids,” “Cry Baby

Blues,” “Snowflake,” and “April Showers.”

In September of 1922 Trumbauer joined the Musicians Local #10 in Chicago.

After a few days he’d met and performed with Isham Jones (1894-1956), and after a

few travails landed a job with the Edgar Benson Orchestra conducted by pianist Don

22

Bestor (1889-1970). On June 14, 1923, while touring with the group, Trumbauer

recorded his arrangement of “I Never Miss the Sunshine” (Victor Records), and it

quickly outsold all of their current releases. This recording was studied and copied

by saxophonists everywhere.9 His new success bolstered his confidence, and when

he was unable to secure a raise in pay he quit the Benson Orchestra and returned to

St. Louis.

In St. Louis Trumbauer started his own booking agency, but the venture

ended when he collapsed from exhaustion. In 1924 he joined well-known

trombonist, Miff Mole, in an orchestra led by drummer Ray Miller. As always,

Trumbauer was also making records with small groups on the side. In March he

recorded “San” and “Red Hot” with the Mound City Blue Blowers (Brunswick

Records). Trumbauer’s solo on “San” was as widely admired and imitated as “I

Never Miss the Sunshine.”10

In late 1924 Miller’s group began an extended engagement in New York

City, quickly becoming one of the most popular dance bands in the city. During this

time Trumbauer first heard a performance of cornetist Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke

(1903-1931); he was completely entranced. Trumbauer parted with Miller in late

August and began leading a band for Jean Goldkette (1893-1962) in Chicago.

During the summer of 1926 the group took up residence at the Blue Lantern in

Hudson Lake, Indiana, ninety miles outside of Chicago. When the job concluded at

9 Richard M. Sudhalter, Lost Chords: White Musicians and Their Contributions to Jazz (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 448. 10 Sudhalter, Lost Chords, 449.

23

the end of August Trumbauer returned to Chicago and once again encountered

Beiderbecke, who introduced him to Louis Armstrong.

In September the band did a tour of New England. On this trip Trumbauer

spent time with trumpeter Ernest Loring “Red” Nichols and fellow saxophonist

Jimmy Dorsey. The Goldkette band hired arranger Bill Challis (1904-1994) in

October of 1926, and the group began performing at the Roseland Ballroom on

Broadway opposite the Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952) Orchestra. This Goldkette

configuration was considered one of the best white ensembles in early jazz, holding

their own against the excellent Henderson band.

“Singin’ the Blues” and Recordings with Bix Beiderbecke

On February 4, 1927 Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra recorded “Singin’

the Blues” and “Clarinet Marmalade” for the Okeh Record Company. “Singin’ the

Blues” introduced the moderate tempo ballad into hot jazz, and the record is now

considered one of the most important in early jazz history. These recordings

featured solos by Beiderbecke and Trumbauer, and due to its popularity,

Trumbauer’s solo on “Singin’ the Blues” became his theme song throughout the rest

of his career. At the time jazz saxophonists considered this solo a benchmark; today

many suggest that it is one of the greatest ever put on record. Fifty years after its

release (1977) it received a Grammy Award and was admitted to the Hall of Fame in

24

the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. On this same recording

session Trumbauer recorded “Trumbology,” a novelty number in the tradition of

Rudy Wiedoeft. The piece featured Trumbauer’s virtuosic technique, and it was a

number he continued to perform in feature settings for the rest of his career.

Soon after came a string of Trumbauer recordings for Okeh that featured Bix

Beiderbecke, and by this time the cornetist was garnering national acclaim. Of

interest to saxophonists, these sessions produced “For No Reason at All In C” (on

May 13, 1927) and “Wringin’ and a Twistin” (recorded on September 17, 1927), co-

written by Trumbauer and Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller (1904-1943). Both feature

Trumbauer’s relaxed soloing on the C-melody saxophone, with a four-to-the-bar

accompaniment provided by guitarist Eddie Lang (1902-1933) and Beiderbecke

playing stride piano. Lang solos as on these tunes as well, but Beiderbecke takes

only half a chorus of “Wringin’ and a Twistin’.” He does manage to pick up the

cornet at the end of “For No Reason at All in C,” but only for a brief solo break.

Unlike most hot jazz recordings, the tempos are moderate and the group

improvisation associated with New Orleans jazz is avoided. At the time cornet,

clarinet, and trombone were the prevalent solo wind instruments used in jazz;

saxophone solos were rarely heard on any early jazz recordings, and none compared

to the tone quality, rhythmic approach, and technical caliber displayed by

Trumbauer. These recordings were disseminated and imitated by other jazz

saxophonists, and Trumbauer’s reputation began to soar.

25

Other 1927 Trumbauer-Beiderbecke recordings for the Okeh label include

“Riverboat Shuffle,” “Ostrich Walk,” “Mississippi Mud,” “Way Down Yonder in

New Orleans,” and “I’m Comin’ Virginia.” which contain some of Beiderbecke’s

greatest recorded performances. Trumbauer’s solos are the perfect antithesis to those

of Beiderbecke, and they demonstrate the differing results from improvisers using

similar preparation and conception. The Trumbauer solos are as outstanding when

compared to those of his saxophone-playing contemporaries, as Beiderbecke’s solos

are when compared to other jazz cornetists of the time.

On April 10, 1928 Trumbauer and Beiderbecke recorded “Borneo” for Okeh.

This recording seems to have been the first time two soloists alternated two measure

phrases, known as a “chase chorus” during the 1920s. It is very likely this technique

originated with Beiderbecke and Trumbauer, as these interchanges aren’t found in

any other recordings at the time. “Borneo” sets the precedent for trading “fours”

(four measures) and “eights” (eight measures) that remains a standard feature of

ensemble jazz.

Trumbauer and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra

In September of 1927 the Jean Goldkette group disbanded. Trumbauer and

Beiderbecke performed briefly with an ill fated group led by bass saxophonist

Adrian Rollini (1903-1956), and were soon thereafter hired by “The King of Jazz,”

26

Paul Whiteman (1891-1967). Whiteman and his band were synonymous with

success during the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s. Combining elements of

classical music and jazz, and Whiteman hired the best musicians, composers,

arrangers, dancers, vaudeville acts, management, he could find. Both Beiderbecke

and Trumbauer needed the work, and initially felt that their association with this

organization was the peak of professional achievement.

Whiteman toured throughout the country, appearing at the finest theaters and

ballrooms. He commanded a large payroll and his employees, at one time or

another, included the biggest names in show business, including Hoagy Carmichael

(1899-1981), Tommy (1905-1956) and Jimmy Dorsey, Bing Crosby (1903-1977),

Red Nichols, Mildred Bailey (1907-1951), Bunny Berigan (1908-1942), Red Norvo

(1908-1999), Jack Teagarden (1905-1964), Ferde Grofè (1892-1972), and George

Gershwin (1898-1937). Whiteman commissioned the latter to compose “Rhapsody

in Blue,” (premiered at Aeolian Hall in New York on February 24, 1924), which was

thereafter used as Whiteman’s theme song.

Trumbauer’s good friend Bill Challis was the first to make the move to

Whiteman’s group, and by November of 1927, Trumbauer and Beiderbecke were

also recording with the Orchestra. Whiteman was especially manipulative of his

employees, particularly when he perceived they might become his competitors. The

contracts Beiderbecke and Trumbauer signed with Whiteman assured that they

would attempt to use his musicians whenever they recorded independently.

Columbia Records purchased Okeh in 1926 and offered Trumbauer a contract in

27

1928, but Whiteman refused permission. Trumbauer remained with Okeh, and his

independent recordings dwindled somewhat during his Whiteman years. The

Whiteman Orchestra, however, recorded constantly.

Compared to the small group recordings, the large orchestra left much less

solo space for Trumbauer and Beiderbecke, but the impact of their identifiable

soloing won Whiteman accolades in Melody Maker magazine’s “Gramophone

Review” of early 1928. The magazine’s June review implies that jazz was reaching

a level worthy of artistic praise, though the term itself is skillfully avoided.

Whiteman has today what is considered by practically all the most competent authorities to be the finest and most stylish dance band extant. Though Whiteman has always been a leading figure in the world of rhythmic music, like most others, he has had his ups and downs. But never has his band been finer than it is at the moment. And Whiteman is playing “hot!” . . . Not only is the musicianship of a class which is beyond compare, but the orchestrations and the mode of using vocal effects mark yet another era in a type of music which having outgrown the crudeness of its youth, now moves from one stage of excellence to another so rapidly that it has left the big-wigs of “straight” music in a state of complete bewilderment.11 The Whiteman schedule and environment must have been much more intense

than Trumbauer’s previous experiences. Whiteman ran a highly refined music

machine, and cranked out music “product” much in the same way that motion picture

studios of the day produced a major film every week; the orchestra was constantly in

motion. According to pianist Roy Bargy (1894-1974), the schedule was rough:

11 Evans and Kiner, Tram, 97.

28

Our routine went something like this: 9 A.M. rehearsal for the weekly radio show; 11:45 A.M. first stage show (usually Roxy, Capitol, or Paramount) which ran about 50 minutes. Then two more shows with rehearsals. Radio show at NBC. Short session at the Biltmore Hotel. Final supper session show. All of this sandwiched around recording dates. On weekends and holidays at the theaters we’d do six stage shows.12

Trumbauer found himself surrounded by composers, arrangers, musicians,

and agents of the highest caliber. Although he had secured steady work, the

Depression made finances a constant priority. Just before the crash Trumbauer

invested a large portion of the money he made with Whiteman into the stock market;

like millions of others, he was forced to start over. Trumbauer understood the fickle

nature of performing as a career and sought other avenues of income. Robbins

Music Corporation published many of the Whiteman’s popular arrangements and

solos by members of the Whiteman orchestra. In 1927 they published

“Trumbology,” “Krazy Kat,” and “Three Blind Mice,” the first of Trumbauer’s

Modern Saxophone Solos. At this time it’s probable he was already ruminating

about a method book to specifically address the needs of jazz saxophonists.

The next few years were a time of great change for Trumbauer. In 1929

Whiteman purchased an airplane, and by July of that year Trumbauer was spending

most of his free time learning to fly. Beiderbecke was losing a battle with severe

alcoholism, and Trumbauer began to dedicate himself to the Whiteman machine. On

independent recordings Trumbauer was now forced to use other trumpet players.

12 Evans and Kiner, Tram, 174.

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In late 1929 Universal Studios hired the Whiteman band to do a semi-

autobiographical film “The King of Jazz,” which was finished in 1930; it flopped.

Beiderbecke, unable to take part in the picture, spent most of the year convalescing.

He never returned to the Whiteman band and died on August 6, 1931, from a bout

with pneumonia, a disappointing blow to all.

In April of 1932 the Whiteman Band recorded Grofè’s “Grand Canyon

Suite.” Later in the year Trumbauer put together an orchestra, broke with Whiteman,

and began touring under his own name. Mostly his group played one-night

engagements, and he quickly found being a bandleader exhausting. Adding to his

difficulties, Whiteman, with whom he was now in competition, often refused to

perform in venues that hired Trumbauer. Trumbauer made several recordings for

Columbia records in Chicago (August 17, 1932), and then took his orchestra on a

tour of Southern Illinois, Texas, and Oklahoma. His group was filled with great

musicians performing excellent arrangements but by the middle of 1933 the struggle

became too much, and he was forced to abandon the venture and return to Whiteman

in New York.

Immediately he found himself in the company of great trumpet soloist Bunny

Berigan; both played radio dates for the Kraft Music Hall program. Soon Whiteman

added trumpeter Charlie Teagarden and his brother Jack, a trombonist and vocalist,

to the lineup. They were featured with Trumbauer, billed as “The Three T’s.”

Trumbauer was featured on his own composition “Bouncing Ball,” which was

arranged by Russell Case (1912-1964).

30

1934 was the year Trumbauer published the rest of his Modern Solos for

Saxophone series. By this time he had purchased and sold several different

airplanes, and flew to as many out of town performances as he could afford. He was

also giving flying lessons to his fellow musicians, and joked of a Paul Whiteman Air

Force.

In November of 1935 the band performed in New York’s Hippodrome

Theater production of “Jumbo,” starring Gloria Grafton (1909-1994), Donald Novis

(1906-1966), and Jimmy Durante (1893-1980). Rehearsals lasted ten weeks, and the

stage show ran through April 18, 1936. In this same month Trumbauer was

nominated to the lead alto chair in the Downbeat magazine reader’s poll all-star

band. This was also the year he published his saxophone method book with Robbins

Music Corporation.

In July of 1936 the Whiteman band was in Texas performing for the state

centennial; they stayed until November, then returned to New York. In December,

“Three ‘T’s” began a nightclub engagement at the Hickory House on 52nd Street,

which lasted until February 1937. The venue was one of the best in New York at the

time, and the gig afforded the musicians plenty of room to stretch out their soloing

and to perform for the city’s elite jazz musicians in the evenings, allowing them to

continue daytime rehearsing and recording, and early evening radio broadcasts with

Whiteman. By the end of the summer Whiteman was falling on hard times, and he

asked the band to take a pay cut. Trumbauer decided it would be best if he broke

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with Whiteman and resigned from Whiteman’s band on July 1, 1937, after nearly ten

years with the organization.

“Frank Trombar” in Los Angeles

In July 1937 Trumbauer relocated to Los Angeles. The move to California

placed a new emphasis on his flying. Since he had three months to go without work

while he waited on his transfer into the Musician’s Local, he was forced to sell his

airplane, and he took work giving flying lessons at Cloverfield Airport. In

November Downbeat reported that Trumbauer had retired from the music business,

which amused him.13 After his probationary period with the union was finished

Trumbauer quickly found work as a studio musician with CBS Radio. He also put

together his own group with trumpeter Manny Klein (1908-1994).

In August of 1938, a big break came as Trumbauer’s new band was hired into

a residency at the Biltmore Hotel. They were billed as Frank Trombar and His

Orchestra; apparently Trumbauer felt the respelling of his name would be easier for

audiences to remember. The band was broadcast nationwide and recorded 129 titles

for Standard Transcriptions at RCA Studios in Los Angles. The Biltmore job ended

on September 14, and Trumbauer organized a tour that began in Texas and ended the

13 Evans and Kiner, Tram, 202.

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year in Chicago on New Year’s Eve. They continued touring throughout 1940, just

as World War II began unfolding in Europe.

After a series of cancelled engagements, Trumbauer applied for and received

an appointment as a Private Flying Specialist with the Civil Aeronautics Authority in

Kansas City, Missouri. It was then that his flying career began full time. Although

he made a brief attempt to re-establish a professional music career in wartime

Hollywood during 1945, and then once more in New York during 1946, he never

returned to music as a full time career.

Trumbauer spent the rest of his life in the Kansas City area. He worked for

the Civil Aeronautics Association, mostly in the areas of flight safety and

agricultural aviation. Generally he downplayed any attempts to become involved in

performing, and spent most of his time with family and friends. As the Korean

Conflict became a concern in 1950, Trumbauer organized tours for the Flying

Farmers; by this time he had become completely satisfied with his career in aviation.

On a visit to see his ailing mother, Trumbauer suffered a massive heart attack and

died in the lobby of St. Mary’s Hospital in the early evening of Monday June 11,

1956. He was 55 years old.

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Robbins Music Corporation and the Frank Trumbauer Publications

As jazz proved itself a lucrative business in the late 1920s and early 1930s,

several promising young jazzmen were added to the Robbins saxophone roster. Dick

Stabile (1909-1980), was a composer, actor, and great alto saxophonist, later he was

the bandleader for Dean Martin (1917-1995) and Jerry Lewis (b. 1926); Merle

Johnston (1897-1978) was an excellent New York saxophonist who traveled

throughout the United States, eventually influencing Larry Teal (1905-1984) who

became the first collegiate saxophone professor at the University of Michigan.

Clyde Doerr (dates unknown) was originally the concertmaster with the San Jose

Symphony, was one of the most popular saxophonists of the 1920s, teaming with

fellow saxophonist Bert Ralton (dates unknown) to produce several very popular

duets for Art Hickman’s (1886-1930) Orchestra of San Francisco in 1918 and 1919.

Jack Pettis (b. 1902-?) a C-melody saxophonist that was one of the earliest

saxophonists in jazz, performing with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings in Chicago.

He was probably the first to perform a saxophone solo on film, and is best

remembered for penning the lyrics to “Bugle Call Rag.” George Crozier (dates

unknown) was a trombonist and arranger for the Tommy Dorsey Band. Jimmy

Dorsey was the older brother of Tommy Dorsey and a successful bandleader during

the 1930s; Fud Livingston (1906-1957) was an arranger and saxophonist of some

repute, performing with Jean Goldkette, Paul Whiteman, Ben Pollack (1903-1971),

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Benny Goodman (1909-1986), and Jimmy Dorsey. This was the entire cadre of

saxophone personalities offered by Robbins in 1935.

During the late 1920s and early 1930s Trumbauer was composing his series

of Modern Saxophone Solos for alto saxophone and piano and finishing his

Saxophone Studies book. The solos were all performed and recorded with

Whiteman, and Robbins published the band arrangements, which were done by Russ

Case.

By the mid-1930s the saxophone craze was finished. The C-melody, bass,

and soprano saxophones were generally abandoned and production slowed

dramatically as alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone became the common sectional

instruments. Trumbauer was still devoted to his C-melody and used it in

performance and recording, but his publications were only arranged for alto.

Attempting to capitalize on Trumbauer’s reputation, the Robbins marketing

seems to have been geared for young amateur and professional saxophonists that

were already devoted fans. Along with a shadowed and demure photo of Trumbauer

in a tuxedo, the back cover promotional copy on the solos reads:

Robbins presents the compositions of Frank Trumbauer, America’s Premier Saxophonist. Featured for many years on the radio, in concert and on the stage by Paul Whiteman, Frank Trumbauer needs no eulogy here, for everywhere he is recognized as “tops” in his field. A brilliant soloist and record star, he is likewise a keen student of his instrument. We offer, herewith, a group of the newest Trumbauer compositions.

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The foreword to his Saxophone Studies reads,

To saxophone players throughout the world, Frank Trumbauer is a name that requires very little introduction. It is synonymous with the ultimate in the professional and amateur worlds of the saxophone. Mr. Trumbauer’s experience and his virtuosity qualify him as a foremost authority on his subject. For many years Paul Whiteman has been featuring Frank Trumbauer in concerts and on radio because his particular style of playing marks him as an artist unsurpassed in his specialized field. He has made phonograph records for all of the major companies. We, as his exclusive publishers, are happy to present “Frank Trumbauer’s Saxophone Studies” which we feel will fill a long-felt want and will be a boon to the modern American saxophonists. Robbins offered nine Frank Trumbauer works for alto saxophone and piano

accompaniment. They sold for 75 cents, and included “Trumbology,” “Three Blind

Mice,” “ Krazy Kat,” “The Bouncing Ball” (Victor 24574B), “ G Blues” (Victor

24668A), “Sunspots” (Victor 24574A), “Tailspin” (Victor 24668B), “Meteor,” and

“Eclipse.” Frank Trumbauer’s Saxophone Studies: Including Method of

Improvisation and Technical Secrets sold for $1.00.

Trumbauer’s fingering and articulation speed had increased dramatically in

the early 1930s, and at the time, very few amateurs or professionals would have had

the saxophone prowess necessary to perform these pieces. This might be a reason

for the quick disappearance of the Robbins publications. In retrospect, they

demonstrate his playing abilities at the peak of his career and offer insight into his

technical and theoretical foundations.

None of Trumbauer’s pieces would be considered jazz works. They don’t

incorporate any improvisation, nor were they marketed as including “Hot Breaks,” as

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were the collections of solo “licks” by Jimmy Dorsey, Jack Pettis and George

Crozier. However, they are intended to be performed with swing accents, feel, and

with idiomatic jazz effects such as scooping, glissandi, falls, etc., exactly like the

material Trumbauer would have incorporated into his own solos. As such, they are

perfect vehicles for training non-jazz performers in the pre-swing era style.

Trumbauer’s Modern Saxophone Solos

These pieces for alto saxophone and piano were most likely intended to

augment and update the Wiedoeft offerings. All were originally conceived and

composed as music for large ensemble, and the reductions required several

compromises. The works are neither formally nor melodically profound, nor are

they intended to be; they are stylized dance numbers. Even the titles give an

impression that they were intended as enjoyable and impressive saxophone

showpieces.

Most of the tempos are fast, in keeping with the one-step tradition. The

accompaniments are normally simple and in the stride piano style in vogue at the

time. The harmonic progressions are based on seventh-chord structures and cycle of

dominants, thus I-vi-ii-V7 chord progression in a key (or derivation thereof) is very

common. Borrowed chords and chromaticism are typical, as are augmented,

diminished, and half-diminished sonorities. Interesting is the use of the added major

sixth in the final tonic chords. Very common in the swing era, this blurs the line

37

between major and minor without disturbing the integrity of the tonic. All of the

solos are highly syncopated and intended for performance in the swing style, though

the writing lacks the rhythmic refinement typical of the 1940s; these are excellent

1930s period pieces, representing the evolution of jazz during the post hot, pre-swing

era.

Though none of the publications have rehearsal letters or numbers, the formal

designs are sectional, based on balanced four and eight measure phrases, usually

combined to generate larger A-A-B-A, or A-B-A sections. These sections are often

separated by a four measure modulating bridge, in the piano, frequently changing

keys through a chromatic sequence of diminished, half diminished, or augmented

dominant chords. Most of the pieces have a melodically unrelated four bar

introduction and coda.

After the presentation of the A-A-B-A melodic material, a series of unrelated

eight-measure phrases are introduced as a departure, after which the A material is

reintroduced to create a recapitulatory effect. The short codas are usually dramatic

displays of flashy double-tonguing, and, like tag-endings in jazz, rarely have any

thematic connection to the rest of the piece.

The orchestral writing is truncated, in comparison to the large ensemble

recordings, and the most important non-saxophone melodies are either reassigned to

piano or covered by the alto part, though the saxophone solos from the recordings are

preserved. There are also several instances where improvised lines or vamp sections

38

on the recordings necessitate the substitution of written out parts in the published

scores.

“Three Blind Mice,” and “Krazy Kat,” two of Trumbauer’s earlier works, and

“G Blues,” one of the later works he recorded with Whiteman, have been lost. None

of the Case dance arrangements have been located, although it is possible that some

may be housed in the Paul Whiteman Archives at Williams College in

Williamstown, Maryland.

“Three Blind Mice,” was composed by Trumbauer and drummer Chauncey

Morehouse (1902-1980). Trumbauer and His Orchestra first recorded it for Okeh

Records on August 25, 1927, and later, on October 20, 1927, the Chicago Loopers

recorded it for Perfect Records. The earlier recording featured Eddie Lang on guitar,

Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, Bill Rank on trombone, Don Murray on clarinet and

tenor saxophone, Doc Ryker on alto saxophone, Irving Riskin on piano, and Adrian

Rollini on bass saxophone. It is a medium tempo piece with a two-beat feel, which

has several different sections in A-A-B-A form, and features solos by all (except

drums), stop-time solo breaks, New Orleans style jazz polyphony, as well as

alternating one-measure solo breaks. This is a highly rehearsed and crafted

arrangement by Bill Challis and Trumbauer that incorporates an introduction, several

key changes, and a brief coda. The chord progression is as follows:

||: Ab / / / |Ab / / / | Bbmi / Eb7 / | Ab / / / | Ab / / / | Ab / / / | Bb7 / / / | Eb / / / || Bb / Eb / |

| Gmi / Eb / | Bb / Eb / | Gmi / Eb / || Ab / / / | Ab / / / | Bbmi / Eb7 / | Ab / / / :||

39

Trumbauer and Chauncey Morehouse also composed “Krazy Kat,” recorded

for Okeh on September 28, 1927 with Joe Venuti on violin, Bobby Davis on alto

saxophone, and Frank Signorelli on piano. Arranger Fud Livingston wrote duet

sections for the saxophones in unison and thirds; the resulting sound is reminiscent

of the early works of Duke Ellington. The work almost entirely relies on repetitions

of four measure phrases over an eight bar form. The chord progression for the solos

is:

||: C / F / | C / F / | C / B7 Bb7 | A7 / / / | Dmi7 / / / | G7 / / / | C / F / | C / / / :||

Both works incorporate several simple melodies, and are based on sentence phrasing

over short, repetitive forms. Of the two, “Three Blind Mice” is the more

complicated.

Trumbauer composed “Blues in G," or “G” Blues” (depending on the

source), recorded by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra for Victor Records on

January 16, 1934, and again on April 17. This up-tempo piece isn’t a twelve-bar

blues, but rather, three 32-measure A-A-B-A sections. After the eight measure

introduction, Trumbauer only plays an eighth-note melodic line over the B section

during the first 32 bar sequence and iterates the main melody of the piece in the A

sections of the second. He does not play during the last 32 measures. Though he

performs the challenging melody flawlessly on both recordings, the writing suffers in

those portions where the saxophone is silent.

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Trumbology

“Trumbology,” recorded as an alto saxophone feature, was copyrighted in

1927. It is the oldest of the surviving Robbins publications. The piece is in the key

of Eb major and remains so throughout. The given tempo is Allegro moderato

(Lively), though Trumbauer’s performance tempo was q =180 - certainly more than

lively! Beginning with a four measure piano introduction, its form is as follows:

Intro A trans ||:B:|| trans A trans Trio Coda

The piece is actually two short works in one, as the A ||:B:|| A section is

separated from the Trio. The first phrase of the A section sets the character of the

work. (See Appendix 1, Trumbology, mm.4-8) The last phrase of the A section

incorporates a two measure extension. (Appendix 1, mm.21-22)

Example 1: Melodic Extension of the A and B sections of Trumbology

This extension is also used to conclude the B section, connecting it

melodically with the preceding A section, (Appendix 1, mm.39-43). There is a four

41

bar transition between the two sections, a piano solo featuring the use of augmented

triads and dominant chords borrowed from the lowered second, lowered third, and

natural third scale degrees. Two single-tongued sixteenth-note lines, which are very

difficult to perform, are the major feature of this section.

Example 2: Virtuosic Articulated Passages in the B section of Trumbology

After the B section there is a four bar transition in the piano that concludes

with a half cadence. Glissandi and a portamento in the saxophone (written as a

chromatic scale) prepare the return of the unaltered A section (Appendix 1, m.48),

which concludes with a perfect authentic cadence in Eb major.

The Trio makes up only about one third of the composition. It begins with a

four measure piano introduction, (Appendix 1, m.66). As there is no grand pause

42

between the sections this sounds like a transition, and gives the impression that the

Trio is actually the C section. Though the Trio remains in the home key, it presents

new thematic material. It contains three statements of the same antecedent, each

concluding with a slightly different consequent. Thus, it demonstrates less melodic

variety than the A and B sections. The Trio ends with a four-bar coda of unrelated

material. The finality of the coda is weakened by an imperfect authentic cadence in

Eb Major and the use of a passing viio/iii chord between the dominant and concluding

tonic. Nonetheless, this is the ending on the recording.

Example 3: Final Cadence in the Trio Section of “Trumbology”

Note that the final double bar line of the Trio is marked with a fermata, which

appears after the final chord is released. This is probably meant to enhance the

grandness of the ending by extending the silence, but perhaps this might also be an

indication that performer should repeat the initial A and B sections, as would be

expected in a typical Minuet and Trio. It is possible that time limitations of a 78rpm

43

recording explain ending the piece at the conclusion of the Trio, as repeating the A

and B sections would make the performance too long for the disc. However,

performing only the A section a final time creates a satisfactory recapitulative effect

and results in a rondo form. Without adding undue length, this brings the work to a

close on a stronger perfect authentic cadence in the home key, and refocuses the coda

as a retransition to the A section. With the repeats and Dal Segno, the form of the

work is:

Intro A trans ||:B:|| trans A trans C trans A

The Bouncing Ball

After a seven-year hiatus Trumbauer added “Bouncing Ball” to his

saxophone series. This was one of his most popular Whiteman recordings. He

performed it on alto saxophone with the orchestra during a live radio broadcast from

the Kraft Music Hall on December 7, 1933, and recorded it for Victor Records on

February 16, 1934. It was published later that year.

The tempo is marked Allegro Vivace, M.M. h =120, though Trumbauer’s

recorded performances are a faster q =132. The key is concert Bb major.

Melodically. The piece is an eighth-note tour de force. The melodic line is

idiomatic to the saxophone, and is composed of neighbor notes embellishing chord

44

tones. The form is less conventional than that of “Trumbology;” it has more unique

phrases and less repetition. It is composed of eight measure phrases, and their

underlying key centers are as follows:

Intro A B C A trans D E F G A Coda

I II I vi I

The tonic, supertonic, and mediant key centers reflect, at a macro level, the I-

vi-ii-V harmonies found most frequently in this piece.

The A and B phrases are melodically similar, but expressed on different

diatonic scale degrees (See Appendix 2: Bouncing Ball, mm. 7 and 15). The C

phrase (Appendix 2, m.24-27) is similar to the melodic contour of G (Appendix 2,

mm.67-74). On his recording, Trumbauer the entire A-B-C-A section again before

playing the coda section. This creates a large-scale three-part A-B-A form,

generating more unification than the brief coda can provide.

The coda (Appendix 2, mm.83-90), as is typical for Trumbauer, begins with

unrelated material, but closes with a brief two-measure quote from the original A

phrase (Appendix 2, mm.87-88), reinforcing the A section melody. The final

sixteenth-note scale passage ascends to high E in the saxophone; it is harmonized

with a Bb major + 6, 9 chord in the piano, which creates a dramatic climax.

45

Sunspots

Trumbauer performed “Sunspots” on the C melody saxophone with the

Whiteman Orchestra on February 16, 1934. It was another of his popular features.

Like the other pieces, sentence phrasing dominates the melodic line, and the work

ends with an ascending flourish of double-tonguing and a dramatic climax. This

piece, in the key of concert Ab major, is composed of seven sections with six different

key centers; only the A section is repeated (Appendix 3: Sunspots, mm.9-25). The

form is as follows:

Intro ||:A:|| trans B C D E F A Coda

I ii I bVII V I

The B section (Appendix 3, mm.30-45) features repeating unison staccato

eighth notes at the end of each phrase, intended to show off Trumbauer’s superb

articulation. These are somewhat challenging to perform without double tonguing.

The C theme, marked tranquillo (Appendix 3, mm.46-61), is very relaxed,

and provides a moment of repose. The D section is actually a two phrase transition,

marked Animato (Appendix 3, mm.62-77), and is a highly chromatic sequence. The

outline of the C minor triad in the E section (Appendix 3, mm.78-80) is very difficult

to perform, as it is fast and demands the performer to drop quickly downwards by an

octave and a minor seventh. The F section (Appendix 3, mm.86-93) alternates two

bar fortissimo and mezzo forte statements. The piece would seem like a series of

46

fragmented statements without a return of the A section (Appendix 3, m.94), which

creates a unifying effect. The melodically unrelated coda (Appendix 3, mm.200-

209) concludes with an ascending eighth-note run that features doubling tongued

repeated notes, a dynamic sforzando and climactic high C in the saxophone. The

final progression in the accompaniment features a chain of half-diminished chords

culminating with a tonic triad with an added sixth scale degree.

Tailspin

Trumbauer and Jimmy Dorsey, who performed together in the Goldkette

band, composed “Tailspin.” Both men performed this piece on alto saxophone.

Trumbauer and the Whiteman Orchestra recorded the work for Victor on April 17,

1934. Jimmy Dorsey recorded it with The Dorsey Brothers Band, just as they went

on tour in 1934.

The tempo is marked Lively and the key is concert Ab major. The formal

outline is:

Intro A A B A ||:C:|| trans D E F trans G A A B’ A Coda

I (vi) II V I

47

The overall key centers reflect the repetitive, two-measure harmonic I-vi-ii-

V-I progression of the A section. Notice how the C through G phrases are framed by

the more conventional A-A-B-A, creating a larger A-B-A form.

The four bar piano introduction is based on the saxophone melody that

follows. The theme is a typical 32 measure A-A-B-A song form. The A phrases are

simple, ascending sequences in a quarter-quarter-half note rhythm; the first has an

open ending, and the second is closed (Appendix 4: Tailspin, mm.5-36). The B

section contains three repetitions of a simple melodic line, with a final, closing idea

(Appendix 4, mm.21-28). As the returning A section melody is completed, a series

of developmental phrases ensues.

The C section is 16 bars long and flirts with F minor (Appendix 4, mm.37-

45). The quarter-quarter-half note rhythm reappears, but in inverted intervals

compared to the A section. Next there is a brief piano transition to the D section that

modulates to Bb major (Appendix 4, mm.46-49).

The sixteen measure D section (Appendix 4, mm.50-65) is much different in

character. As it is in the supertonic, it sounds convincingly like the departure in the

Trio section of a march. During the eight bar E section (Appendix 4, mm.66-73) the

harmony is unstable, especially in the diminished arpeggios of the eighth-note solo

saxophone break. This is also the first technically challenging material in the piece.

48

Example 4: The E section of “Tailspin”

The eight-measure F section (Appendix 4, mm.74-81), stays in Bb major and

is characterized by repetitive upbeat syncopation. The G section (Appendix 4,

mm.82-93) abruptly modulates to Eb major. This section is introduced by four

measures of eighth-note triplet motion in the piano, which is then repeated for

another eight measures, this time with the saxophone. Technically, this is the most

difficult part of the piece.

Example 5: Triplets in the G section of “Tailspin”

49

On his recording Dorsey tongues every note of each triplet (in Example 5),

although he does slow the tempo somewhat, something Trumbauer would never have

tolerated in his own playing. After this technical flourish the A section returns

(Appendix 4, mm.94-109) in the tonic. The triplets of the G section are now applied

to the melody of the B section (Appendix 4, mm.110-117), requiring the use of

double-tonguing. After a final A section (Appendix 4, mm.118-125), the work

concludes with an unrelated coda (Appendix 4, mm.126-129), a descending

chromatic scale in the saxophone that sets up a final authentic cadence in the piano

with an added sixth scale degree.

Meteor

Trumbauer composed and recorded this piece as “F Blues” with the

Whiteman Orchestra on December 6, 1934. It is likely that Robbins thought “F

Blues” was too generic, and thus the title was changed to “Meteor.” Perhaps this

was suggested by the tempo of the work, which is marked Allegro Vivace. It is

written in the key of concert Ab major, and was recorded on the C-melody saxophone

at a tempo of h = 120. The melody is a 32 bar A-A-B-A form. The larger formal

design is as follows:

50

Intro A A B A trans C D E F trans A’

Coda

I III bVII II bVII I

The saxophone part is based entirely on running eighth notes, and is perhaps

the most difficult of the Modern Solos.

The four bar piano introduction is based on the saxophone solo that begins in

the fifth full measure (Appendix 5: Meteor). The melody is characterized by a

sequence of rising arpeggios that set up a long descending scale passage, reminiscent

of a falling star. The B section (Appendix 5, mm.21-28) is triplet-based

chromaticism that falls and then quickly rises again. Perhaps most significant

passage is the final measure of the last phrase (Appendix 5, m.27). Here Trumbauer

introduces a combination of chromatic and diatonic notes that is far more advanced

than anything written by his contemporaries, yet would become commonplace in the

bebop style of the mid 1940s.

Example 6: Nondiatonic bebop-like chromaticism

51

When the first 32-measure section is completed a four bar transition in the

piano abruptly modulates to Gb major (Appendix 5, mm.37-40). In the next section

Trumbauer uses an added note pattern that would become something of a cliché in

the bebop era ten years later. This pattern recurs several times in “Meteor.”

Example 7: Added note Bebop pattern

In bebop the fourth note normally appears an octave higher than does in this phrase,

but the pattern retains its idiomatic sound.

The rest of the piece is challenging, as the saxophonist continues with

running eighth notes performed with jazz inflections. The final coda returns to Ab

(Appendix 5, mm.80-83) and is Trumbauer’s characteristic ascending chromatic

scale in repeated, double-tongued triplets. This again showcases his amazing

articulation, and dramatically ends the piece on the tonic triad with an added sixth

degree.

52

Eclipse

Eclipse was the last of Trumbauer’s solos for Robbins, and by far the most

virtuosic. Published in 1934, it was first performed with Whiteman and the “Three

T’s” on a live radio broadcast on December 11, 1936, and recorded on January 8,

1937. Trumbauer performed the piece on alto saxophone, and though the tempo is

marked Introduction Brilliant he takes a mercilessly fast tempo, leaving his

accompanists flailing. The work is conceived in a dramatic and rubato style, which

creates an impressive and impassioned effect on the listener.

After a five-measure introduction the saxophone enters with sixteenth and

thirty-second note chromatic runs (Appendix 6: Eclipse, mm.6); they are so fast that

they seem almost a blur of sound. The first phrase, which is repeated, is performed

tempo rubato, and encompasses the whole of the sixteen measure the A section

(Appendix 6, mm.6-20).

The B section is the heraldic fanfare of the solo virtuoso (Appendix 6,

mm.22-29). Two dramatic four bar phrases rush to a conclusion, and are followed

by a brief pause. This is followed two measures of arpeggios, played as fast as

possible, and a two measure sequence of three descending gestures (Appendix 6,

mm.30-36).

The C section (Appendix 6, mm.38-53) is marked Slowly (with expression).

This slower, rubato section is the most melodic of the work. It is a series of four two

53

bar phrases followed by a two measure extension. The first three phrases are

repeated, but in place of the final fourth phrase with its extension, the tempo changes

to Rapid Brilliant and sets off a five-measure saxophone cadenza (Appendix 6,

mm.54-58) that leads directly to a return of the A section (Appendix 6, mm.59-73).

The coda (Appendix 6, mm.74-82), marked Vivace Brilliant, is three-note staccato

triplet repetitions, which ascend in chromatic scale over five measures. This requires

double tonguing, and leads the work to a dramatic and climactic conclusion. The

work begins and ends in concert Eb major, and overall the form of the piece is:

Intro A B C A Coda

Frank Trumbauer’s Saxophone Studies

Robbins published the method book Frank Trumbauer’s Saxophone Studies

in 1935, the year after he finished his Modern Saxophone Solos. The book is

intended as a method for aspiring jazz saxophonists, and is one of the first of its kind.

Many of the melodic techniques found in the solos are covered in the saxophone

studies book, and the saxophone parts to “Eclipse” and “Meteor” are included for

good measure.

The book begins with two-octave major scales in all keys (page 3-5).

Trumbauer says, “The foundation of all technique starts here in these scales and this

54

fact should be remembered.” On page five he provides exercises on intervals over

the entire range of the saxophone, beginning with major and minor seconds in

sequence (down a half step, up a whole step).

Studies in sixths in C, F, and Bb major and their relative minors follow (pages

12-13). Exercises in diatonic octaves are provided (pages 13-15) for all major and

melodic minor scales. This concludes the diatonic studies portion.

On pages 16 and 17 Trumbauer provides two octave chromatic scales,

beginning and ending on every note between low C and low F, then one octave

chromatic scales beginning and ending on every note from low F# through middle Bb.

Finally, he writes a two octave chromatic scale on low B and repeats the original

exercise on low C.

The next section covers arpeggios and is called “Chord Studies.” On pages

18-19 he begins with triad inversion exercises, ascending (e.g., 1-3-5-1, 3-5-1-3, 5-1-

3-5, 1-3-5-1), descending and retrograde. This exercise alternates major and relative

minor triads in all keys. The exercises on pages 20-25 are similar, but are two-

octave inversions of ascending and descending dominant seventh arpeggios (e.g., 1-

3-5-b7, 1- b7-5-3, 5- b7-1-3, 5-3-1- b7) moving around the entire dominant seventh

cycle. Then alternating ascending and descending diminished seventh arpeggios are

applied over the chromatic scale (e.g.. B-D-F-Ab, A-F#-Eb, E-G-Bb -Db . . .etc.). This

exercise is written out in C, F, G, and D major and their relative minors.

55

“Studies on Triplets” (pages 26-28) is dedicated to diatonic quarter-note

triplet exercises over C, F, Bb, and Eb major and their relative minors. Trumbauer

doesn’t justify why these are included, but simply states that they are “exercises you

should know.” It’s possible that the triplet studies were considered important for

developing the swing feel, but if so, it’s curious that these exercises aren’t written in

eighth notes. The exercises are diatonic and effectively emphasize upper neighbor

tones (e.g., 1-2-1, 3-4-3, 5-6-5, 7-1-7-, 2-3-2, etc.).

What follows are “Studies to Develop Dexterity” (pages 29-34). This is a

section of technical studies “written to improve your technique.” These exercises are

most interesting, and are uniquely “Trumbauerian.” The patterns (pages 30-34) are

very similar to those used in “The Bouncing Ball,” “Meteor,” and “Sunspots.”

The few pages entitled “Studies in Chord Formation” (pages 35-38) are very

significant. This is perhaps the first published explanation of the harmonic/melodic,

chord/scale concept commonly discussed by jazz musicians. Here Trumbauer

explains how to derive chords from scales and argues that essentially the two are

congruent. This is a concept that jazz musicians now take for granted. Very

significant is his use of the ascending melodic minor scale, rather than the

conventional harmonic minor, in generating chords in the minor key. Essentially a

major scale with a minor third, the ascending melodic minor scales and its

constituent modes are a staple of jazz harmonic practice.

56

On page 35 Trumbauer explains the tonic triad in major and minor and how it

can be inverted, clarifying the inversion studies he has already provided. On page 36

he explains how the dominant triad, seventh, and ninth chords can be derived from

the major scale by stacking thirds on the fifth scale degree. He encourages students

to write out the dominant seventh chords and their inversions in every key. At the

bottom of the page he generates a chord from the seventh scale degree,

demonstrating a diminished seventh chord and its inversions, and suggests that

students write out all of the diminished seventh chords and their inversions, and to

“play them to learn how they sound.”

On page 37 Trumbauer explains the triad built on the third note of the

melodic minor scale, which he calls an augmented fifth chord. Throughout the

swing era the augmented chord was very popular as an altered dominant. Then he

moves quickly to “one other group of chords used in ordinary popular music called

the sixth chord.” These he explains as dominant triads with an added third from the

major scale; it is curious that he doesn’t explain these as tonic triads with an added

sixth scale degree, because these sixth chords are always used in tonic, not dominant,

situations. He describes the minor sixth chord as a tonic triad of the minor scale with

an added sixth tone.

Ending this section on harmony, page 38 provides the tonic, dominant

seventh, and subdominant chords in all of the major and minor keys. Trumbauer

57

summarily explains, “If the student will work these things out step by step and

understand each part thoroughly before advancing to a new kind of chord he can

learn to recognize every chord in any kind of music without going through years of

studying intricate harmonic rules.”

The next section is entitled “Improvising.” Trumbauer begins to enhance

simple melodic examples though application of the arpeggios and scale patterns in

the front of the book. This portion of the book contains Trumbauer’s most extended

explanation of the method’s utility. Knowing these scales thoroughly and the exercise that follow them will help you materially in successfully constructing a chorus on any number or tune you care to use . . . probably the most important part in improvising is the broken chord. A thorough knowledge of these chords in all keys without stopping to figure them out is necessary for rapid improvising. You cannot spend too much time on these exercises as they are the foundation of improvising. Constructing an improvised chorus without them is almost impossible. (pp.39-40) On page 41 Trumbauer mentions tonguing and tone, but suggests articulation

be learned from “any good clarinet system.” He comments, “A very stiff reed should

never be used as it will detract from your tonal quality. If you have a good

mouthpiece do not change it as it takes too long to get acquainted with a new one.”

He then provides two measure examples of eighth-note lines that can be

played over piano voicings. It is interesting that all of the examples are transposed

for C-melody and alto saxophone. His examples include the labeling of non-

58

harmonic passing tones, ninths and sixths. On page 44 he constructs a two measure

solo based on consecutive fifths and several more using seventh chords, trills, and

chromatic ideas. On pages 46-49 he repeats all of the C-melody exercises but

includes transposition for the tenor saxophone instead of the alto.

Pages 50-53 are a running exercise for alto saxophone complete with piano

accompaniment (See Appendix 7: Running Exercise). He explains, “This is inserted

at this time for your study to sharpen you up a bit before you start to analyze the

choruses to follow. Here is a running exercise to make the choruses more

comprehensive.” In this exercise Trumbauer uses many of the scale patterns and

arpeggios from the front of the book as a comprehensive example of their application

in soloing. The descending scale (Appendix 7, m.5) is found in “Meteor.” The

chromatic diminished arpeggios are found in measures 27-30 (Appendix 7). The

chromatic pattern found in measures 47-50 (Appendix 7), is very similar to the solo

break in “Sunspots” (Appendix 3, mm.62-63), and the descending triplet chromatic

scale ending is used in to conclude “Tailspin.”

Page 54 is an interesting and comprehensive exercise on eighth-note triplets,

which is a balance of arpeggios (ascending and descending) and descending scales.

The exercise is given as “preparation for the choruses that follow; after the running

exercise, is one of the more enjoyable to perform.

On pages 55-59, Trumbauer provides written solo choruses to popular songs.

59

He explains,

The following choruses were written for your study, not to be copied but to be improved upon. Change some notes here and there, then later on take a new number and, following this outline – construct a chorus to your own liking. I am sure that with the proper amount of study you can improve the things I have written. It would please me if you could improve on my style which has been extensively copied throughout the world.

The first solo chorus is a transcription of his “Singin’ the Blues,” which he

calls “My Theme Song,” and he transposes the chorus for alto saxophone. There has

been some speculation as to which saxophone Trumbauer used on the recording, and

it is true that concert Eb would be more difficult on the C-melody than on alto in the

key of C. However, the order of these examples seems to suggest he used the C-

melody. Titles are not provided for to the tunes for which Trumbauer writes solo

choruses; it is possible he wanted to avoid copyright or royalty issues. However, in

Trumbauer’s personal copy, which he gave to his mother, he had written in the titles

in pencil. On page 56 his chorus is over “Tiger Rag.” Page 57 has solos to “Dinah”

and “Milenberg Joys.” The first chorus on page 58 is to “Some of These Days,” but

the second chorus on the page is unlabelled. On page 59 he writes a partial chorus to

“Honeysuckle Rose,” but leaves measures 17-24 with only chord symbols, so that

the student can improvise his or her own solo, but provides one for the final 8

60

measures of the form. This solo chorus concludes the book except for the saxophone

parts to “Eclipse” and “Meteor” (pp.60-63).

Frank Trumbauer’s Saxophone Studies method is significant. It demonstrates

that Trumbauer and other early jazz musicians were very well versed in all areas of

harmonic practice. Their knowledge of the relations between chord progressions,

scales, and keys means that they weren’t just “playing by ear,” but they were also

guided by theoretical procedures as well.

The saxophone solos Trumbauer recorded between 1923 and 1940 are

outstanding in their combination of melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and compositional

elements, and they also reveal his individual personality and virtuosic abilities.

Frank Trumbauer’s Saxophone Studies: Including a Method of Improvisation and

Technical Secrets is a landmark jazz improvisation method, most likely the first of

its kind. All of Trumbauer’s publications, and especially the Saxophone Studies

book, stand as a fitting rebuttal to critics who dismissed early jazz as intellectually

inferior.

The Trumbauer Legacy

Frank Trumbauer’s name is mentioned in nearly every history of jazz

publication, as he was the man responsible for many of Beiderbecke’s recordings.

61

After the trumpeter’s tragic and early demise, his iconic and almost mythic stature

was cultivated. Unfortunately for Trumbauer, his friend’s brilliance overshadowed

his own significant contribution to jazz and popular music. In his book Lost Chords:

White Musicians and Their Contributions to Jazz, 1915-1945, Richard Sudhalter

states:

Sober listening reveals that confederates, often companions of (Beiderbecke’s) choice, were anything but satellites... At least one Beiderbecke compatriot, C-melody saxophonist Frank Trumbauer, is considerably more than that and can be counted a significant innovator – a major contributor to jazz on his own.14

However, this only partly explains the relative obscurity of his work.

Trumbauer also played saxophone at a time when the major soloists in jazz played

trumpet; it wasn’t until the late 1930s that Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969) and Lester

Young (1909-1959) firmly established the tenor saxophone as a significant solo

voice in jazz. Trumbauer’s change of career may have also affected his legacy, as he

never had an opportunity to be revered as an elder statesman.

What is certain was his influence on the next generation of saxophonists,

particularly Young, and Benny Carter (1907-2003), and the clarinetist, Artie Shaw

(1910-2004). All have acknowledged Trumbauer’s influence. Lester Young was

particularly taken with the recordings of the white saxophonists:

14 Sudhalter, Lost Chords, 446.

62

I had to make a decision between Frankie Trumbauer and Jimmy Dorsey – y’dig? The only people that was tellin’ stories that I liked to hear were them. Ever hear [Trumbauer] play Singin’ the Blues? That tricked me right there, that’s where I went. I tried to get the sound of a C-melody on a tenor. I liked the way he slurred notes. (He) always told a little story. He’d play the melody first and then after that he’d play around with the melody.15 When Syde Berman reported in Orchestra World’s March 1940 issue, that

Trumbauer was “playing honky-tonk dates and not caring particularly how well he

plays or how the band looks.”

The saxophonists set the record straight, validating his reasons for leaving the

music business:

How many people know what constitutes immortality in our business? I’m just a saxophone player and my own sheets do not carry the caption “The World’s Greatest” because that’s a hell of a lot of territory, and I would like to go on record as saying that I have known and played with the greatest musicians that have ever lived; respected them, and they have respected me. This, however, is something no one could ever buy at any price, speaking in a monetary vernacular. Here is my ultimatum: If it’s played in a melodic vein with good tone quality, good construction, creative and with that God-given touch for phrasing that only a few have been chosen for, it will live. You can’t measure artistry with a yardstick. So many hours for so much money. The competitive spirit in our business has been hacked down to a point that it is destroying the animation of our greater musicians to whom the entire bulk of our industry looks to, to set a representative precedent. I don’t propose a cure-all or even an antidote, but I do believe that we have today the greatest crop of talent we have ever had, and that the more talented ones in this group should not let down, but should continue to be creative at any cost.16 15 Lewis Porter, Lester Young (Boston, Massachusetts: G. K. Hall, 1985), 34. 16 Evans and Kiner, Tram, 219.

63

Over the entire course of his career Trumbauer constantly refined his

musicianship, resulting in an incredible technique and a polished professional

persona that enabled him to transcend style and genre, and bringing him professional

and popular admiration. Trumbauer’s reputation lent credence to jazz and

saxophone at a time when both were suspect. He proved to saxophonists that jazz

and popular music could be intellectual and virtuosic music, as well as a

commercially viable. Trumbauer’s approach to music became a model for a new

American saxophone tradition, striking a balance between the acceptance of tradition

and an anticipation of new developments.

Like his career, Frank Trumbauer’s compositions are an amalgamation of

popular, classical and jazz styles. For this reason alone, his Modern Solos for

Saxophone and Saxophone Studies are deserving of greater attention by saxophonists

worldwide. Perhaps Frank Trumbauer will be better appreciated for his service to

the saxophone and innovations in jazz, and his publications for Robbins Music

Corporation may serve as an introduction to his artistry and musical contributions.

Like his love of flying and family, they represent Trumbauer’s own balance between

adventure and pragmatism.

64

(1)

APPENDIX 1: TRUMBOLOGY

1

6

11

17

65

(2)

23

27

30

34

39

66

(3) 44

48

52

56

61

67

(4) 66

70

74

78

82

68

(5) 86

91

96

101

106

69

(1)

APPENDIX 2: THE BOUNCING BALL

1

7

12

17

70

(2) 22

28

34

39

71

(3)

45

51

57

63

72

(4) 69

75

81

87

73

(1)

APPENDIX 3: SUNSPOTS

1

9

15

21

74

(2) 26

30

34

38

42

75

(3)

46

51

57

62

76

(4)

66

72

78

82

77

(5) 86

90

94

98

78

(6) 102

106

200

205

79

(1)

APPENDIX 4: TAILSPIN

1 5 9 13 17

80

(2) 21 26 31 36 41

81

(3) 46 51 58 64 69

82

(4) 74 79 83 86 90

83

(5) 94 98 102 106

84

(6) 110 114 118 122 126

85

(1) APPENDIX 5: METEOR

1 5 9 13 17

86

(2) 21 24 28 32 37

87

(3) 41 46 51 55 59

88

(4) 63 68 73 78 81

89

(1) APPENDIX 6: ECLIPSE

1 4 6 11

90

(2) 14 18 22 26 30

91

(3) 34 38 43 47 51

92

(4) 55 57 59 63 66

93

(5) 69 72 74 77 80

94

(1) APPENDIX 7: RUNNING EXERCISE FROM SAXOPHONE STUDIES

1 5 9 13

95

(2) 17 22 26 31

96

(3) 36 41 45 49

97

(4) 53 58 62 67

98

Bibliography

Beiderbecke, Bix, Frank Trumbauer, and Jack Teagarden. The Complete Okeh and Brunswick Bix Beiderbecke, Frank Trumbauer, and Jack Teagarden Sessions (1924-36). Liner notes by Richard M. Sudhalter. Seven CD Compilation, MD7- 211:A7(A-D) 53726, Mosaic/Sony, 2001. Evans, Philip R., and Larry F. Kiner. Tram: The Frank Trumbauer Story. With the collaboration of William Trumbauer. Studies in Jazz, No. 18. New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1994. Gee, Harry R. Saxophone Soloists and Their Music, 1844-1985: An Annotated Bibliography. Indiana: University of Indiana Press, 1986; reprint, Michigan: UMI Books on Demand, 2000. Kappler, Frank K., and Bob Wilber. Sidney Bechet. With the collaboration of Richard M. Sudhalter. Giants of Jazz Series, ed. Phillip W. Payne. Virginia: Time-Life Records, 1980. Pendergast, Curtis, and Richard M. Sudhalter. Bix Beiderbecke. Giants of Jazz Series, ed. Phillip W. Payne. Virginia: Time-Life Records, 1979. Porter, Lewis. Lester Young. Twayne’s Music Series. Massachusetts: G. K. Hall, 1985. Stockdale, Robert L. Jimmy Dorsey: A Study in Contrasts. Studies in Jazz, No. 30. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1999. Sudhalter, Richard M., and Philip R. Evans. Bix: Man and Legend. With the collaboration of William Dean-Myatt. New York: Arlington House, 1974. Sudhalter, Richard M. Lost Chords: White Musicians and Their Contributions to Jazz, 1915-1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Wiedoeft, Rudy. Rudy Wiedoeft: Kreisler of the Saxophone: Featuring Wiedoeft’s Famous Solos from the 1920s. Liner notes by Malcom McMillan. CD CC 0018. Clarinet Classics, 1997.