Alan Rubin

Alan Rubin
Also known asMr. Fabulous
Born(1943-02-11)February 11, 1943
Brooklyn, New York City
DiedJune 8, 2011(2011-06-08) (aged 68)
Manhattan, New York City
GenresBlues, Jazz, R&B
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet
Years active1959-2011

Alan Rubin (February 11, 1943 – June 8, 2011), also known as Mr. Fabulous, was an American musician. He played trumpet, flugelhorn, and piccolo trumpet.

Early life and education

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Rubin was born in Brooklyn. He began attending Juilliard School of Music in New York when he was 17 and studied with William Vacchiano, who was principal trumpet in the New York Philharmonic. Vacchiano described Rubin as his best student.[1] While at Juilliard, Rubin was invited to play with Paul Hindemith on his last concert tour of the United States, but Rubin chose instead to play with Peggy Lee at the Village Vanguard. Rubin dropped out of Juilliard at 20 to tour with singer Robert Goulet as his lead trumpet player.[2]

Career

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Rubin was a member of the Saturday Night Live Band, with whom he played at the Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games. As a member of The Blues Brothers, he portrayed Mr. Fabulous in the 1980 film, the 1998 sequel and was a member of the touring band. In the first film, Rubin's character is maitre d' at an expensive restaurant before Jake and Elwood persuade him to rejoin the band. The nickname "Mr Fabulous" was given to Rubin by John Belushi.[3]

Rubin played with an array of artists, such as Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa, Duke Ellington, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Gil Evans, Eumir Deodato, Sting, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Frankie Valli, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Yoko Ono, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, and Dr. John. Rubin contributed to over 6000 recording sessions.

Rubin's last performance was with The Blues Brotherhood (Blues Brothers tribute show) at B.B. King's in New York City on October 12, 2010. The performance also featured Tom "Bones" Malone and Lou "Blue Lou" Marini.

Death

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Rubin died from lung cancer on June 8, 2011, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.

Discography

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With Patti Austin

With Gato Barbieri

With George Benson

With The Blues Brothers

With Hue and Cry

With Jimmy Buffett

With Ron Carter

With Stanley Clarke

With Linda Clifford

  • I'll Keep On Loving You (Capitol, 1982)

With Hank Crawford

With Sheena Easton

With Donald Fagen

With Aretha Franklin

With Gloria Gaynor

With Johnny Hammond

With Levon Helm

With Jennifer Holliday

With Cissy Houston

With Jackie and Roy

With Garland Jeffreys

With Billy Joel

With Hubert Laws

With O'Donel Levy

  • Simba (Groove Merchant, 1974)

With Fred Lipsius

  • Better Believe It [4] (mja Records, 1996)

With Herbie Mann

With Jimmy McGriff

With Sinéad O'Connor

With Yoko Ono

With Lou Reed

With Don Sebesky

With Carly Simon

With Paul Simon

With Lonnie Smith

With Phoebe Snow

With Ringo Starr

With James Taylor

With Tina Turner

With Stanley Turrentine

With Frankie Valli

With Randy Weston

With Jim Steinman'

Filmography

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Title Year Credit(s) Role Notes
Saturday Night Live 1976-1984 Musician Trumpet Music department
Saturday Night Live 1976-1982 The Blues Brothers Band Trumpet Uncredited
The Blues Brothers 1980 Actor Mr. Fabulous
Blues Brothers 2000 1998 Actor

References

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  1. ^ "Alan, we'll miss you". Local 802 AFM. July 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  2. ^ "Trumpeter Alan Rubin dies". Variety. June 12, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  3. ^ "The Blues Brothers part 3". Variety. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  4. ^ Jazz Times
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