Britt Woodman

Even though technically adept Britt Woodman was a well-respected soloist, he was perhaps even more highly valued by fellow musicians for his abilities like a section player; his reading and interpretive abilities were utilized thoroughly by famous brands Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, probably the two best composers and bandleaders in jazz background. Woodman and Mingus had been childhood close friends and longtime musical collaborators (a merchant account of their romantic relationship are available in the bassist’s autobiography, Under the Underdog). Furthermore to trombone, Woodman performed tenor saxophone, clarinet, and piano in his teenagers. He caused pianist Phil Moore and bandleader Les Hite before providing in the military during World Battle II. After his release, Woodman caused Boyd Raeburn and Eddie Heywood. He became a member of Lionel Hampton in 1946, after that analyzed music at Westlake University in LA from 1948-1950. He changed Lawrence Dark brown in Ellington’s music group in 1951. For another decade he performed mainly with Ellington, and sometimes worked well freelance, notably with Kilometers Davis around the trumpeter’s Blue Moods classes. After departing Ellington in 1960, Woodman worked well in Broadway pit orchestras and performed under numerous leaders. He documented many times with Mingus from 1960-1963. Woodman relocated back again to the Western world Coastline in 1970 and resided in Southern California for another several years. Through the ’70s he led an octet; he also used the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin, Frankie Capp-Nat Pierce, Benny Carter, and Costs Berry big rings. Woodman alternated residences between NY and LA through the ’80s and ’90s and continued to be musically energetic until overwhelmed by respiratory disease. In old age he was an associate from the Lincoln Middle Jazz Orchestra as well as the Mingus Big Music group. Woodman was the epitome of the “initial contact” musician; aside from the aforementioned, his companies included such main numbers as Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Quincy Jones, Chico Hamilton, Oliver Nelson, Nelson Riddle, Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and many more. He was broadly admired by more youthful music artists; such trombonists as Steve Turre and Wayne Goodman cite Woodman as an impact.