Joe Rushton

The annals of jazz has already established hardly any significant bass saxophonists. Actually, apart from Adrian Rollini in the 1920’s, Joe Rushton was most likely jazz’s finest. Rushton in fact started out for the drums and spent period playing clarinet, soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax before buying bass sax in 1928. Over time Rushton would sometimes play other musical instruments. His organizations included Ted Weems, Jimmy McPartland, Bud Freeman, Benny Goodman (1942-43) and Horace Heidt (1943-45). Most crucial was Rushton’s longterm work with Crimson Nichols’ Five Pennies which started in 1947 and continuing throughout a lot of the 1950’s. Rushton was a significant asset (and frequently a costar) on Nichols’ many recordings from the era and in addition made information with Floyd O’Brien as well as the Rampart Road Paraders. Like a innovator, he only experienced the chance to business lead six songs, slice for the Leap label in 1945 and ’47 and, since he was normally usually a sideman, Joe Rushton by no means received the acknowledgement he deserved.