Charlie Green (musician)

Charlie Green was an American jazz musician, who was born in Omaha, Nebraska in circa 1900, and died in 1936 in New York. He was one of the early jazz trombonists, and the soloist in the Fletcher Henderson orchestra (joining slightly before Louis Armstrong).

Biography

He played locally in Omaha between 1920 and 1923, before his two stints with Henderson (July 1924 and April 1926; and late 1928 to early 1929). Described as "A superior blues player who could also swing fairly early", Green played on several Bessie Smith recordings,^[1]notably "Trombone Cholly" featuring his trombone, along with biographical lyrics praising his playing.

Green also recorded in the 1920s with several other blues singers, and also worked with the bands of Benny Carter (1929–1931 and 1933), Chick Webb (several times during 1930-1934), Jimmie Noone (1931), Don Redman (1932), and at the end with Kaiser Marshall. In 1928 Green played in the orchestra of the revue Keep Shufflin' together with Fats Waller and James P. Johnson.

According to jazz historian John Chilton (in his book Who's Who of Jazz) Green's premature death was from passing out on his doorstep in Harlem on a cold February night after having been unable to get into his home, and thus freezing to death.^[2] This story was disputed by Frederick J. Spencer, M.D., in his book Jazz and Death, Medical Profiles of Jazz Greats.

References

Bibliography

• John Chilton: Who's Who of Jazz (5th edition, London 1989)
• Brian Rust: Jazz Records 1897-1942 (5th edition, Chigwell, Essex 1983)