Arthur Briggs (musician)

Arthur Briggs (April 9, 1899 – July 15, 1991, Paris) was an American Jazz trumpeter and orchestra leader who performed in Europe.

Career

Briggs was born in Charleston, South Carolina, where he played trumpet as a child and eventually joined the 369th US Infantry Band, but was too young to travel to Europe during the first World War. Briggs finally traveled to Europe in June 1919 while playing with Will Marion Cook and his "Southern Syncopated Orchestra." Admired for his technical virtuosity and clear tone, he worked in the United States and Europe for 10 years before eventually settling in Europe in 1931. He set up a band with Freddy Johnson, and worked with artists all over Europe, including Coleman Hawkins and Django Reinhardt.^[1]

Imprisonment

Briggs was imprisoned during the Nazi occupation of France, he organized a band again when the war ended.^[2]

Later life

In the 1960s, Briggs settled in Chantilly, where he taught music.^[3]

Recordings

Actual recordings of Briggs are very rare, but he recorded with both Deutsche Grammophon and Clausophon, extensively throughout the mid-late 1920s.^[4]

Briggs was related to tubist Pete Briggs, who recorded with Louis Armstrong.

References