Matthew Gee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Gee (b. November 25, 1925, Houston, Texas - d. July 18, 1979, New York City) was an American bebop trombonist.
[edit] Biography
Gee played trumpet and baritone as a child, and took up the trombone at age 11. After studying at Alabama State University, he played with Coleman Hawkins before doing a stint in the Army. Following this, he played with Dizzy Gillespie (1946-1949), Joe Morris, Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt (1950), Count Basie (1951), Illinois Jacquet (1952-1954), Lou Donaldson (1954), Sarah Vaughan (1956), and Gillespie again in 1957. In 1956 he released his only record as a bandleader on Riverside Records. From 1959 to 1963 he played on and off with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Later in the 1960s, he played in small groups with Paul Quinichette and Brooks Kerr, as well as in big bands with Sonny Stitt and Johnny Griffin.
Gee was heavily influenced by J.J. Johnson.
[edit] Partial Discography
- Jazz By Gee (Riverside/OJC, 1956) with Kenny Dorham, Ernie Henry, Frank Foster, Cecil Payne, Joe Knight, Joe Simmons, Wilbur Ware, Art Taylor
- Gene Ammons: The Gene Ammons Story: The 78 Era (Prestige, 1950-55)
- Count Basie: April In Paris (Verve, 1956), Basie in London (Verve, 1956)
- Lou Donaldson: Quartet/Quintet/Sextet (Blue Note Records, 1952-54)
- Duke Ellington: Blues In Orbit (Columbia, 1958-59), Duke 56/62, Vol. 3
- Dizzy Gillespie: 1949-1950 (Classics)
- Coleman Hawkins: Body And Soul Revisted (GRP, 1951-58)
- Johnny Griffin: The Big Soul Band (OJC, 1960)
- Erskine Hawkins: 1946-1947 (Classics)
- Illinois Jacquet:Flying Home: The Best Of The Verve Years (Verve, 1951-58); The SoulExplosion (OJC, 1969)
- Sonny Stitt: Sonny Stitt And The Top Brass (Atlantic, 1962)
[edit] References
- Richard Cook & Morton, Brian: The Penguin Guide To Jazz on CD, 6th Edition, London, Penguin, 2002 ISBN 0-14-017949-6.
- Scott Yanow, Matthew Gee at Allmusic.com