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Charlie Barnet

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Charlie Barnet
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(born Oct. 26, 1913, New York, N.Y., U.S. — died Sept., 4, 1991, San Diego, Calif.) U.S. saxophonist and big-band leader of the swing era. Born to a wealthy family, Barnet took up the saxophone as a child and eventually performed on tenor, alto, and soprano. His was among the first of the big bands to be racially integrated, and his unabashed admiration for Duke Ellington and Count Basie resulted in an effective synthesis of their styles. His best-known recording was "Cherokee" (1939).

For more information on Charlie Barnet, visit Britannica.com.

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Artist: Charlie Barnet
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Fletcher Henderson, Jack Teagarden, Bobby Hackett, Georgie Auld

Influenced By:

Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges

Performed Songs By:

Dale Bennett, Dick Rogers, Leroy Kirkland, Manny Albam, Will Osborne, Ray Noble, Irving Mills, Andy Gibson, Billy May

Worked With:

Lyman Vunk, Don Ruppersberg, Bill Robertson, Cliff Leeman, James Lamare, Gene Kinsey, Bus Etri, Kurt Bloom, Danny Bank, Artie Shaw, Lena Horne, Roy Eldridge

Formal Connection With:

Paul Villepigue, Fran Warren, Billy May
  • Born: October 26, 1913, New York, NY
  • Died: September 04, 1991, San Diego, CA
  • Active: '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s
  • Genres: Jazz
  • Instrument: Sax (Soprano), Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
  • Representative Albums: "Drop Me off in Harlem," "1942," "Skyliner: 1940-1945"
  • Representative Songs: "Skyliner," "Pompton Turnpike," "Flying Home"

Biography

Charlie Barnet was unusual in several ways. One of the few jazzmen to be born a millionaire, Barnet was a bit of a playboy throughout his life, ending up with a countless number of ex-wives and anecdotes. He was one of the few white big band leaders of the swing era to openly embrace the music of Duke Ellington (he also greatly admired Count Basie). Barnet was a pioneer in leading integrated bands (as early as 1935). And, although chiefly a tenor saxophonist (where he developed an original sound out of the style of Coleman Hawkins), Barnet was an effective emulator of Johnny Hodges on alto in addition to being virtually the only soprano player (other than Sidney Bechet) in the 1930s and '40s.

And yet Charlie Barnet was only significant in jazz for about a decade (1939-1949). Although his family wanted him to be a lawyer, he was a professional musician by the time he was 16 and ironically in his career made more money than he would have in business. Barnet arrived in New York in 1932 and started leading bands on records the following year, but his career was quite erratic until 1939. Many of Barnet's early records are worthy but some are quite commercial as he attempted to find a niche. Best is a sideman appearance on a 1934 Red Norvo date that also includes Artie Shaw and Teddy Wilson.

In 1939, with the hit recording of "Cherokee" and a very successful run at the Famous Door in New York, Charlie Barnet soon became a household name. In addition to the fine trumpeter Bobby Burnet (who soloed on many of Barnet's Bluebird records), such sidemen as guitarist Bus Etri; drummer Cliff Leeman; singers Lena Horne, Francis Wayne, and Kay Starr; pianist Dodo Marmarosa; clarinetist Buddy DeFranco; guitarist Barney Kessel; and even trumpeter Roy Eldridge spent time with Barnet's bands. Although at the height of his popularity during 1939-1942 (when his orchestra could often play a close imitation of Ellington's), Barnet's recordings for Decca during 1942-1946 were also of great interest with "Skyliner" being a best-seller.

By 1947 Barnet was starting to look toward bop. Clark Terry was his star trumpeter that year, and in 1949 his screaming trumpet section included Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, Rolf Ericson, and Ray Wetzel. Barnet, however, soon lost interest and near the end of 1949 he broke up his band. Semi-retired throughout the remainder of his life, Charlie Barnet occasionally led swing-oriented big bands during short tours and appearances, making his last recording in 1966. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Discography: Charlie Barnet
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Giants of the Big Band Era: Charlie Barnet

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Make Believe Ballroom: 1935-1939

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Cherokee: 1939-1940

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Skyliner: 1940-1945

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Make Believe Ballroom: 1936-1941

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1940

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1939-1940

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Showcase

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Lonely Street & More

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Big Band 1967 & More

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Actor: Charlie Barnet
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  • Born: Oct 26, 1913 in New York City, New York
  • Died: Sep 04, 1991
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '40s, '80s
  • Major Genres: Music, Musical
  • Career Highlights: The Fabulous Dorseys
  • First Major Screen Credit: The Fabulous Dorseys (1947)

Biography

A bandleader from age 16 until his death 62 years later, Charlie Barnet was at his peak in the late '30s and early '40s. Of his many recordings, Barnet is best remembered for his smash hit single "Cherokee;" his arrangement, in fact, has been followed note by note by virtually every band and orchestra since. Among the first white bandleaders to hire blacks (one of his discoveries was Lena Horne), he was refreshingly casual about it, refusing in later years to posture as a Civil Rights pioneer. Compared to other bandleaders of his stature, Charlie Barnet's film appearances were sparse, consisting of a mere four feature films: Music in Manhattan (1944), Jam Session (1944), Idea Girl (1946), and A Song Is Born (1948). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Charlie Barnet
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Charlie Barnet

Charlie Barnett in The Fabulous Dorseys (1947).
Background information
Birth name Charles Daly Barnet
Born October 26, 1913(1913-10-26)
Origin New York City, U.S.
Died September 4, 1991 (aged 77)
Genre(s) Swing, Big band
Occupation(s) Bandleader, Saxophonist, Composer
Instrument(s) Saxophone
Years active 1935/37 - 1949
Associated acts Buddy DeFranco, Roy Eldridge, Neal Hefti
For other persons with this name, see Charlie Barnett.

Charles Daly Barnet (October 26, 1913 – September 4, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.

His major recordings were "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", and "Southland Shuffle".

Contents

Early life

Charlie Barnet was born in New York City. His parents divorced when he was two, and he was raised by his mother and her grandparents. His grandfather was Charles Frederick Daly, a vice-president for the New York Central Railroad, banker, and businessman.[1]

Barnet attended various boarding schools, both in the New York and Chicago areas. He learned to play piano and saxophone as a child. He often left school to listen to music and to try to gain work as a musician.[2]

Career

Although he began his recording career in October, 1933, Charlie Barnet was at the height of his popularity between 1939 and 1941, a period that began with his hit version of "Cherokee", written by Ray Noble and arranged by Billy May. In 1944, Barnet had another big hit with "Skyliner". In 1947, he started to switch from swing music to bebop. During his swing period his band included Buddy DeFranco, Roy Eldridge, Neal Hefti, Lena Horne, Barney Kessel, Dodo Marmorosa, Oscar Pettiford, and Art House, while later versions of the band included Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, and Clark Terry. Trumpeter Billy May was an arranger in the Charlie Barnet Orchestra before joining Glenn Miller in 1940.

He was one of the first bandleaders to integrate his band; the year is variously given as 1935 or 1937. He was an outspoken admirer of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. In 1939, Basie once lent Barnet his charts after Barnet's had been destroyed in a fire at the Palomar Hotel in Los Angeles. Throughout his career he was an opponent of syrupy arrangements. In the song "The Wrong Idea", he lampooned the "sweet" Big Band sound of the era.

In 1949 he retired, apparently because he had lost interest in music. He was able to retire when he chose because he was one of the few heirs in a very wealthy family. He occasionally returned from retirement for brief tours but never returned to music full time.

Compositions

Charlie Barnet's compositions included "Skyliner", "Southland Shuffle", "Swing Street Strut", "The Right Idea", "The Wrong Idea" with Billy May, "Growlin'", "Scotch and Soda", "Midweek Function", "Oh What You Said (Are We Burnt Up?)", "I Kinda Like You", "Tappin' at the Tappa", "The Last Jump", "Knocking at the Famous Door", "Lazy Bug" with Juan Tizol, and "Ogoun Badagris (Voodoo War God)".

Honors

In 1984, Charlie Barnet was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.

Sources

  1. ^ Barnet, Charlie (1984). Those Swinging Years. Da Capo. pp. 1–3. ISBN 0306804921. 
  2. ^ Barnet, 7-10.

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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