Howard McGhee

Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918, Tulsa, Oklahoma – July 17, 1987, New York City) was one of the first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarroand Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingers and very high notes. What is generally not known is the influence that he had on younger hard bop trumpeters, together with Fats Navarro.

Biography
Howard McGhee was raised in Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he played in bands led by Lionel Hampton, Andy Kirk, Count Basie and Charlie Barnet. He was in a club listening to the radio when he first heard Parker and was one of the early adopters of the new style, a fact that was disapproved by older musicians like Kid Ory.

In 1946-47, some record sessions for the new label Dial were organized at Hollywood with Charlie Parker and the Howard McGhee combo. The first was held on July 29, 1946. The musicians were Charlie Parker (as), Howard McGhee (tp), Jimmy Bunn (p), Bob Kesterson (b), Roy Porter (d), and William "Bill" Jones (v). The titles played were "Max is Making Wax", "Lover Man", "The Gypsy" and "Be-bop".

However, Charlie Parker was sick and fainted at the end of "Be-bop". Some hours after this session, Parker was admitted toCamarillo, a psychiatric clinic at the north of LA, where he spent six months. After this, Charlie Parker returned to music making and a new recording session was organized on February 26, 1947, also for the Dial label. Howard McGhee continued to work as a sideman for Charlie Parker. He played on titles like "Relaxin at Camarillo", "Cheers", "Carvin the Bird" and "Stupendous". The last three of these tracks were composed by Howard McGhee. McGhee played live with Parker in a club at LA in March of the same year. His stay in California was cut short because of racial prejudice, particularly vicious towards McGhee as half of a mixed race couple.

Drug problems sidelined McGhee for much of the 1950s, but he resurfaced in the 1960s, appearing in many George Wein productions. His career sputtered again in the mid-'60s and he did not record again until 1976. He led one of three big jazz bands trying to succeed in New York in the late 60's, perhaps one more than New York could accommodate at the time. While the band did not survive, a recording was released in the mid '70's.

He taught music through the 1970s, both in classrooms and at his apartment in midtown Manhattan and instructed musicians like Charlie Rouse in music theory. He was as much an accomplished composer/arranger as he was a performer.

As leader/co-leader

 * 1945: Howard McGhee on Dial - The Complete Sessions (Spotlite SPJ 131) with James Moody, Dodo Marmarosa, Hank Jones, Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, J. C. Heard
 * 1948: Howard McGhee 1948 (Classics 1058) with Fats Navarro, Billy Eckstine, Jimmy Heath, Hank Jones, Ray Brown
 * 1948: Howard McGhee & Milt Jackson (Savoy SV 1067)
 * 1955: The Bop Master (Affinity AFF 765) with Pepper Adams, Duke Jordan, Tommy Flanagan, Sahib Shihab, Ron Carter, Percy Heath
 * 1956: Life is just a bowl of cherries Howard McGhee [Howard McGhee plays selections from the 20th Century Fox cinemascope production] THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE - LONDON RECORDS UK HA-N2033
 * 1961: Maggie's Back in Town (Contemporary)
 * 1961: Sharp Edge (Black Lion) with George Coleman, Junior Mance, Jimmy Cobb
 * 1961: Together Again!!!! - with Teddy Edwards - (Contemporary)
 * 1963: House Warmin'! (Argo)
 * 1976: Just Be There (Steeplechase SC 31204) with Horace Parlan, Kenny Clarke
 * 1978: Home Run (Storyville STCD 8273)
 * 1979: Wise in Time (Storyville STCD 8272)

As sideman
With James Moody With Don Patterson
 * Cookin' the Blues (Argo, 1961)
 *  Boppin' & Burnin'  (Prestige, 1968)