Serge Chaloff
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| Serge Chaloff | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1923 |
| Origin |  Boston, Massachusetts,United States |
| Died | July 16, 1957 (aged 33) |
| Genre(s) | West coast jazz |
| Occupation(s) | saxophonist |
| Instrument(s) | Baritone saxophone, |
| Years active | 1940s-50s |
| Associated acts | Woody Herman, The Four Brothers |
Serge Chaloff (November 24, 1923–July 16, 1957) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist.
The son of noted Boston piano teachers, Margaret and Julius Chaloff, he is one of the few major jazz performers on his instrument. Until Chaloff the only prominent baritone player in jazz was Harry Carney of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Originally influenced by Charlie Parker Chaloff became the first major bebop baritonist and opened the way for others to follow [1].
Chaloff first became well known as one of the "Four Brothers" reed section in Woody Herman's Second Herd. He also played with Boyd Raeburn, Georgie Auld, Jimmy Dorsey, and Count Basie, as well as recording as a leader.
Serge Chaloff's career was greatly limited by addiction to heroin. After succeeding in giving up drugs, he developed cancer of the spine which caused his early death.
[edit] Selected Recordings
- Boston 1950 - radio recordings
- The Fable of Mabel (1954)
- Boston Blow-up (1955) - produced by Stan Kenton
- Blue Serge (1956) - with Sonny Clark, Leroy Vinnegar and Philly Joe Jones
[edit] References
- ^ Joachim E Berendt's "The Jazz Book"
