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Urbie Green

Martin trombonist Urban (Urbie) Green, known as the trombonist's trombonist, is one of the true greats of jazz, among the elite of the world's trombone players. Urbie Green has toured with Woody Herman, Gene Krupa and Frankie Carle and has been cited numerous times in Down Beat magazines annual critics awards.

Green has also established an extensive career as a free- lance trombonist for recording artists such as Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein, Louis Armstrong and others. He has approximately 30 albums under his own name, appeared in the film version of The Benny Goodman Story and appears at major jazz festivals. Lately his solo career has taken him around the world three times in as many years.

Urbie's collaboration with Martin design engineers has led to innovations in the comfort of the hand brace and slide, an improved water hole with a curved key that empties easily in one turn rather than several shakes, and a goose neck that is chrome-plated to prevent players clothing from becoming marked by brass.

To that select list of wonderful instrumentalists who have led their own dance bands to fortune and everlasting fame, you can add the name of URBIE GREEN. No one but no one plays smoother, warmer, more mellow trombone.

Urbie Green was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, and by the time he was sixteen was working professionally with Tommy Reynolds band. There followed music and years with Jan Savitt, Frankie Carle, Gene Krupa, and finally, Woody Herman. In October 1950, Urbie became part of Woody Herman's Thundering Herd, and in 1954 won the Down Beat International Critics Award for NEW STAR.

Urbie became one of the most sought-after trombonists for recording and club work in New York City. He is a multiple winner of the Most Valuable Player Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and perhaps the most recorded musician of all time. He has recorded with Gene Krupa, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Leonard Bernstein, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Mile Davis, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Barbara Steisand, Perry Como, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, J.J.Johnson, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Burt Bacharach, Buck Clayton and Herbie Mann, to name a few.

He was seen and heard in the movie "The Benny Goodman Story", and shortly afterwards fronted the Benny Goodman Orchestra for a three month tour. He has appeared in major jazz festivals, motion pictures, concert halls, nightclubs, radio, television and the White House.

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1

Recording

Backgrounder: Urbie Green - Persuasive Trombone

Backgrounder: Urbie Green - Persuasive Trombone

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

In February 1960, trombonist Urbie Green went into Fine Recording Studios and recorded most of The Persuasive Trombone Vol. 1 for Command. The remaining four tracks were recorded in March 1961. The record label was formed in 1959 by Enoch Light and sold to ABC Paramount late that year. Light was a dance band leader, producer, engineer and founder of several record labels who became associated with jazzy easy-listening and big-band music geared to older listeners. Command, however, was uniformly ...

1

Music Industry

Creed Taylor: Shades of Green

Creed Taylor: Shades of Green

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Today is Creed Taylor's birthday. He's 92. The fabled producer had a significant influence over the direction of jazz from the mid-1950s on. His first job was at Bethlehem Records in New York in the summer of 1954, attracting talent and overseeing the recording of jazz singers and instrumentalists on the East Coast. Creed's vision was to get Bethlehem to start releasing 12-inch records, which he felt was the future of the LP. A year later he moved to ABC-Paramount, ...

Obituary

Urbie Green (1926-2018)

Urbie Green (1926-2018)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Urbie Green, one of jazz's smoothest and most polished trombonists who recorded more often than virtually any other post-war player, including Frank Rosolino, J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, died on December 18, 2018. He was 92. Green's soft, yearning trombone on albums was unmistakable. His sound came off as a perfect high-register sigh, more akin to a vocalist than a horn player. His sultry solos stood out on albums ranging from Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin and Dizzy Gillespie's Gillespiana ...

Obituary

Urbie Green, 1926-2018

Urbie Green, 1926-2018

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

We learned today that trombonist Urbie Green died last Monday, December 31, in the Poconos mountain region that he called home for many years. He was 92. A musician idolized by his contemporaries—and particularly by fellow players of the trombone—Green’s earliest big band years included stretches with Frankie Carle and Gene Krupa. His work with Woody Herman in the early 1950s brought him widespread attention and frequent mention in jazz polls and surveys. Green was a member of the all-star ...

1

Video / DVD

Music Education Monday: Video workshops with Urbie Green & Delfeayo Marsalis

Music Education Monday: Video workshops with Urbie Green & Delfeayo Marsalis

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week for Music Education Monday series, we've got a bone to pick with someone, via video workshops from jazz trombonists Urbie Green and Delfeayo Marsalis. Green, now 88 and retired from music, was known for his technical prowess, both as a soloist and bandleader and as a sideman with the big bands of Woody Herman, Gene Krupa and others, while Marsalis is part of the famous jny: New Orleans family that includes his dad, pianist Ellis Marsalis, and brothers ...

Video / DVD

Urbie Green: Trombone Master

Urbie Green: Trombone Master

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers


47

Recording

Urbie Green: A Cool Yuletide

Urbie Green: A Cool Yuletide

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

It's that time of year again when I pick my favorite classic jazz holiday album. I always try to select obscure albums you may have overlooked, forgotten about or weren't even aware existed. This year, the winner is trombonist Urbie Green's A Cool Yuletide, recorded for RCA's “X" label in 1954. Originally a 10-inch disc, the album features Joe Wilder (tp),Urbie Green (tb), Al Cohn (ts), Al Epstein (bar) [who's listed as “Al Young"], Buddy Weed (p), Mundell Lowe (g), ...

69

Recording

Urbie Green: Persuasive Trombone

Urbie Green: Persuasive Trombone

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Urbie Green is easily one of the smoothest and most lyrical trombonists of the '50s and '60s. He's also among the most prolific. From his days with Gene Krupa in the late 1940s until his last recording in 1997, Green was on an astonishing 603 known jazz recording sessions, according to Tom Lord's Jazz Discography. This doesn't include dates for movie soundtracks or television. By contrast, trombonist Jack Teagarden was on 507 dates and trombonist J.J. Johnson was on 355. ...

105

Recording

Urbie Green in 1954

Urbie Green in 1954

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

In August 1954, trombonist Urbie Green was offered a record date by Vanguard Records. Founded by Maynard and Seymour Solomon as a blues and folk label, Vanguard also recorded jazz, thanks to John Hammond, who had begun serving as the label's de factor jazz a&r man in 1953. Green's four-song session for the 10-inch Vanguard LP is positively remarkable. How perfect was this ensemble? See for yourself: Ruby Braff (tp), Urbie Green (tb), Med Flory (as), Frank Wess (ts,fl), Sir ...

Jim Lutz
trombone
Linda L Landis
trombone
Rob Stoneback
trombone
Les Benedict
trombone
Kevin Jackson
trombone

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Urbie Green: Seven...

ABC-Paramount
2013

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Señor Blues

ABC-Paramount
2000

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Blues And Other...

ABC-Paramount
1984

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The Fox

ABC-Paramount
1977

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Videos

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