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Happy Caldwell | |
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| Birth name | Albert W. Caldwell |
| Born | July 25, 1903 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | December 29, 1978 (aged 75) New York City, United States |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Instrumentalist |
| Instrument(s) | Clarinet, tenor saxophone |
| Years active | 1918-1978 |
Albert W. "Happy" Caldwell (sometimes incorrectly spelled Cauldwell) (July 25, 1903 in Chicago – December 29, 1978 in New York City)[1] was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist.
Caldwell began on clarinet at age 16,[1] playing in the Eighth Illinois Regimental Band and soon after in an Army band. He studied to be a pharmacist but eventually gave up his medicinal studies for jazz.
He worked with Bernie Young early in the 1920s in Chicago,[1] where he recorded for the first time in 1923. Around this time he also began doubling on tenor saxophone.[1] In the middle of the 1920s he played with Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds, Bobby Brown's Syncopaters, Elmer Snowden, Billy Fowler, Thomas Morris, Willie Gant, and Cliff Jackson.[1] In 1929, he recorded with Louis Armstrong.[1]
In the 1930s, Caldwell played with Vernon Andrade, Tiny Bradshaw, and Louis Metcalfe,[1] and led his own band, the Happy Pals, in the middle of the decade. He played at Minton's in New York City for a short time, then moved to Philadelphia, where he played with Eugene Slappy and Charlie Gaines. He returned to New York and put together a new ensemble in the 1940s, continuing to work in small settings for several decades. In the 1970s, he played with Jimmy Rushing, including on international tours.
References
[edit]- Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 392/3. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- General references
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