Elwood Buchanan
Encyclopedia
Elwood C. Buchanan, Sr was an American
jazz
trumpet
er and teacher
who became an early mentor of Miles Davis
.
Buchanan was born in St Louis, Missouri on January 26, 1907, and was trained in music by Joseph Gustat, the principal trumpeter with the St Louis Symphony Orchestra. He began his career playing in local dance bands, including Andy Kirk
's orchestra, and on the riverboat
s that travelled on the Mississippi River
between St Louis and New Orleans
. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he taught music and directed the band at Lincoln High School in East St Louis, and also visited the local elementary schools to give weekly lessons. Buchanan was known for his strict and demanding teaching style, and for encouraging pupils to compete with one another.
Buchanan was a friend of Miles Davis's father, who told him of his son's interest in music. Although Davis, at thirteen, was then too young to attend Buchanan's school, Buchanan began giving him private lessons. Davis joined the school band when he began attending Lincoln. Although Buchanan had the band play mainly marches
rather than jazz, the techniques he taught profoundly affected Davis' jazz style. In particular, Buchanan went against the times by recommending to his students that they play without vibrato, and is said to have broken Davis of the habit by rapping his knuckles with a ruler and commanding: "Stop shakin' that note. You're going to shake enough when you get old". http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14904 Buchanan also encouraged Davis to study the lean, relaxed playing of Bobby Hackett
(then little known beyond the East Coast
) and Harold Shorty Baker. In this, too, Buchanan went against fashion; the most popular trumpeter of the day was Louis Armstrong
, whose hot playing style was very different from those of Hackett or Baker.
Davis later credited Buchanan with persuading his parents to buy him a new trumpet, rather than a violin
as his mother had preferred. Buchanan also introduced Davis to Clark Terry
, who would become his recording partner.
In his autobiography, Davis recalled: "Mr. Buchanan was the biggest influence on my life up until then. He was definitely the person who took me all the way into music at that time." http://yanko.lib.ru/books/bio/miles.htm#_Toc496769661
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
who became an early mentor of Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
.
Buchanan was born in St Louis, Missouri on January 26, 1907, and was trained in music by Joseph Gustat, the principal trumpeter with the St Louis Symphony Orchestra. He began his career playing in local dance bands, including Andy Kirk
Andy Kirk
Andrew Dewey Kirk was a jazz saxophonist and tubist best known as a bandleader of the "Twelve Clouds of Joy," popular during the swing era....
's orchestra, and on the riverboat
Riverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
s that travelled on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
between St Louis and New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he taught music and directed the band at Lincoln High School in East St Louis, and also visited the local elementary schools to give weekly lessons. Buchanan was known for his strict and demanding teaching style, and for encouraging pupils to compete with one another.
Buchanan was a friend of Miles Davis's father, who told him of his son's interest in music. Although Davis, at thirteen, was then too young to attend Buchanan's school, Buchanan began giving him private lessons. Davis joined the school band when he began attending Lincoln. Although Buchanan had the band play mainly marches
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
rather than jazz, the techniques he taught profoundly affected Davis' jazz style. In particular, Buchanan went against the times by recommending to his students that they play without vibrato, and is said to have broken Davis of the habit by rapping his knuckles with a ruler and commanding: "Stop shakin' that note. You're going to shake enough when you get old". http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14904 Buchanan also encouraged Davis to study the lean, relaxed playing of Bobby Hackett
Bobby Hackett
Robert Leo "Bobby" Hackett was an US jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet and guitar with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late thirties and early forties.-Biography:...
(then little known beyond the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
) and Harold Shorty Baker. In this, too, Buchanan went against fashion; the most popular trumpeter of the day was Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, whose hot playing style was very different from those of Hackett or Baker.
Davis later credited Buchanan with persuading his parents to buy him a new trumpet, rather than a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
as his mother had preferred. Buchanan also introduced Davis to Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
, who would become his recording partner.
In his autobiography, Davis recalled: "Mr. Buchanan was the biggest influence on my life up until then. He was definitely the person who took me all the way into music at that time." http://yanko.lib.ru/books/bio/miles.htm#_Toc496769661
Sources
- So What: The Life of Miles Davis by John SzwedJohn SzwedJohn Szwed is Professor of Music and Jazz Studies at Columbia University, and Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. He was John M. Musser Professor of Anthropology and African American Studies at Yale University...
(Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, 2002) - Milestones: The Music and Times of Miles Davies by J.K. Chambers (Da Capo PressDa Capo PressDa Capo Press, is an American publishing company with headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers. it had additional offices in offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Emeryville, California...
, 1998) - Miles Davis: The Autobiography
- Clark Terry: Having Fun from All About Jazz.