Taft Jordan was an American 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...

 trumpeter, heavily influenced by Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....

.

Jordan played early in his career with the Washboard Rhythm Kings before joining Chick Webb

Chick Webb

William Henry Webb, usually known as Chick Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.-Biography:...

's orchestra from 1933 to 1942, remaining there after Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

 became its frontwoman. Jordan and Bobby Stark

Bobby Stark

Bobby Stark was an American jazz trumpeter.Stark played piano, clarinet, saxophone, and alto horn before deciding on trumpet. In the mid-1920s he played with June Clark , Edgar Dowell, Leon Abbey, Duncan Mayers, Bobbie Brown, Bobby Lee, Billy Butler, Charles Turner, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and...

 traded duties as the main trumpet soloist in Webb's orchestra. From 1943 to 1947 he played with Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...

, then with Lucille Dixon at the Savannah Club in New York City from 1949 to 1953. After this he played less often, though he toured with Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...

 in 1958, played on 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,...

's Sketches of Spain

Sketches of Spain

Sketches of Spain is an album by Miles Davis, recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City....

, and worked with the New York Jazz Repertory Company. He recorded four tunes as a leader in 1935, and led his own band in 1960-61, when he recorded LPs for Mercury

Mercury Records

Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

, Aamco Records, and Moodsville.

Taft Jordan and The Mob

Jordan recorded 4 titles for ARC

American Record Corporation

ARC, the American Record Company, also referred to as American Record Corporation, or as ARC Records, was a United States based record company...

(Banner, Melotone, Oriole, Perfect, Romeo) on February 21 and 22, 1935. It was an all-star group consisting of

• Jordan-t
• Ward Silloway-tb
• Johnny Mince-cl
• Elmer Williams-ts
• Teddy Wilson-p
• Bobby Johnson-g
• John Kirby-sb
• Eddie Dougherty-d

Two takes were recorded of "Night Wind", "If the Moon Turns Green", "Devil In The Moon", and "Lousiana Fairy Tale" (all were current commercial pop hits). Take 1 of each were rejected versions with vocals by Jordan. ARC issued the take 2 instrumental versions, which were outstandingly arranged swing classics.