Freddie Webster
Encyclopedia
Freddie Webster was a jazz trumpeter who, Dizzy Gillespie
once said, "had the best sound on trumpet since the trumpet was invented--just alive and full of life." He is perhaps best known for being cited by Miles Davis
as an early influence.http://www.cleveland.oh.us/wmv_news/jazz22.htmhttp://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419200292
Webster was born in Cleveland, Ohio
. He led his own band, which toured Ohio, before moving to New York City
in the late 1930s. In New York City he worked with Benny Carter
, Cab Calloway
, Earl Hines
, Jimmie Lunceford
, and others. He also accompanied singer Sarah Vaughan
and did two versions of his own song "Reverse the Charges".
He died of a heart attack in a room at Chicago
's Strode Hotel; a heroin overdose was suspected in his death. In his autobiography, Miles, Davis claimed that Webster used heroin that was deliberately laced with something poisonous, possibly battery acid or strychnine
; that the heroin was given to saxophonist Sonny Stitt
, by one of the people that Stitt had physically assaulted to get money to support Stitt's heroin addiction, and who was out for revenge; and that Stitt had then passed the heroin on to Webster, not realizing that it was poisoned.
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
once said, "had the best sound on trumpet since the trumpet was invented--just alive and full of life." He is perhaps best known for being cited by 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,...
as an early influence.http://www.cleveland.oh.us/wmv_news/jazz22.htmhttp://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419200292
Webster was born in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He led his own band, which toured Ohio, before moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the late 1930s. In New York City he worked with Benny Carter
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, Earl Hines
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
, Jimmie Lunceford
Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.-Biography:...
, and others. He also accompanied singer Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
and did two versions of his own song "Reverse the Charges".
He died of a heart attack in a room at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Strode Hotel; a heroin overdose was suspected in his death. In his autobiography, Miles, Davis claimed that Webster used heroin that was deliberately laced with something poisonous, possibly battery acid or strychnine
Strychnine
Strychnine is a highly toxic , colorless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine causes muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion...
; that the heroin was given to saxophonist Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
, by one of the people that Stitt had physically assaulted to get money to support Stitt's heroin addiction, and who was out for revenge; and that Stitt had then passed the heroin on to Webster, not realizing that it was poisoned.
Tributes
- Sonny RollinsSonny RollinsTheodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
's 1956 album Saxophone ColossusSaxophone ColossusSaxophone Colossus is one of Sonny Rollins' most acclaimed albums. Recorded and released in 1956, it has been awarded a rare Crown by The Penguin Guide to Jazz, and is widely considered the masterpiece of his mid-1950s series of recordings for Prestige Records and one of the greatest albums ever...
has a song titled "Strode Rode", which is a reference to the hotel where Freddie Webster died.
External links
- [ All Music]
- The Man Before Miles: Freddie Webster