Hilton Jefferson

An excellent soloist whose sound and design became highly influenced by Benny Carter (who was simply four years his junior), Hilton Jefferson was considered a very important musician through the golf swing era although he under no circumstances gained much popularity. Jefferson actually started his professional profession being a banjoist in 1925 (with Julian Arthur’s Orchestra in Philadelphia) but he shortly switched completely to alto. He caused Claude Hopkins on four events (1926-1928, 1932, 1934-1936, and 1939), Chick Webb also four moments (1929-1930, 1930-1931, 1936, and 1938) and got stints with Ruler Oliver (1930), McKinney’s Natural cotton Pickers (1931-1932), Benny Carter (1932 and 1933), Henry “Crimson” Allen (1934), & most notably, with Fletcher Henderson (1932-1934 and 1936-1938). Although under no circumstances the primary soloist, Jefferson do get his reasonable share of single space with each one of these orchestras and he documented often. He spent the ’40s with Cab Calloway’s big music group and afterwards (following the orchestra split up) Cab’s little music group. Jefferson freelanced after departing Calloway in 1949, but rejoined Cab briefly in 1951, and was with Duke Ellington (1952-1953), changing Willie Smith in the slot machine formerly kept by Johnny Hodges. After departing Ellington, Jefferson just worked being a part-time musician (obtaining a time job being a safeguard at a loan company) but he frequently popped up in mainstream configurations including with Harry Dial, Noble Sissle, Rex Stewart, Buster Bailey, the Fletcher Henderson Reunion Music group of 1957, Wally Edwards’ Uptown Concert Music group, and Mercer Ellington’s Orchestra. Hilton Jefferson just cut six choices as a head in his whole career, one amount apiece for Folkways and Apollo in 1946, and four game titles in 1957 for Victor.