Bobby Stark

• Born: January 06, 1906, New York, NY
• Died: December 29, 1945, New York, NY
• Active: '20s, '30s, '40s
• Genres: Jazz
• Instrument: Trumpet

Biography

One of the great unsung trumpeters of the 1920's, Bobby Stark was a major soloist with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra; his improvisations on three recorded versions of "King Porter Stomp" (the first one being in 1928) were arguably more exciting and creative than Bunny Berigan's famous solo on Benny Goodman's hit record in 1935. Stark, who started playing alto horn when he was 15, studied piano and reeds before settling on the trumpet. He had short stints in New York with June Clark (1925), Edgar Dowell, Leon Abbey, Duncan Mayers, Bobbie Brown, Bobby Lee, Billy Butler, Charles Turner, the early version of McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Chick Webb (1926-27). Stark was a major asset with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra during 1927-33, soloing on many records and, although showing the influence of Louis Armstrong, he often sounded quite original. With Henderson, Stark held his own with such fellow trumpeters as Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart and Henry "Red" Allen. Ironically his next association, with Chick Webb's Orchestra during 1934-39, found him overshadowed completely by trumpeter Taft Jordan; the two trumpeters had similar styles during the era and Jordan (who doubled as a vocalist) got nearly all of the publicity. After Webb's death in 1939, Stark stayed with the band (under the leadership of Ella Fitzgerald) for an additional year and then freelanced. He was in the Army for a year (1942-43), played with Garvin Bushell (1944) and Benny Morton's Sextet, and then died prematurely. How he would have handled the innovations of the bop era will never be known. Bobby Stark, who never led a record date of his own, deserves to be rediscovered for his contributions to Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide