Bonnie Wetzel

Mostly of the female instrumentalists from the ‘40s and ‘50s to regularly perform with first class man jazz players, Wetzel caused guitarist Natural herb Ellis, trumpeters Charlie Shavers and Roy Eldridge, as well as the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, amongst others. Wetzel was created Bonnie Jean Addleman. She researched violin in her youngsters and trained herself the dual bass. In the middle ‘40s she performed within an all-female music group led by Ada Leonard; she also worked well in the trio of guitarist Marian Grange. The bassist wedded trumpeter Ray Wetzel in 1949; in 1951 the few worked collectively in Dorsey’s music group. Wetzel became a member of drummer Elaine Leighton in pianist Beryl Booker’s trio in 1953. In 1953-4 the group toured European countries and documented under its people’ titles for the Finding label. In addition they documented with tenor saxophonist Don Byas. Wetzel consequently worked freelance around New York.