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Urban Clifford "Urbie" Green (born August 8, 1926) is an American professional jazz trombonist who toured with Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle. He appears on over 250 recordings and has released more than two dozen albums as a soloist and is highly respected by his fellow trombonists. Green's trombone sound is especially noted for its warm, mellow tone, even in the higher registers where he is more fluent than most trombonists. His technique is considered flawless by many in the music industry and has appeared in major jazz festivals, motion pictures, concert halls, nightclubs, radio, television and the White House. He was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1995.
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Early years and influences
Born in Mobile, Alabama, USA, Green was taught the piano as a child by his mother, jazz and popular tunes from the beginning. He picked up the trombone, which both older brothers played, when he was about 12. Although he listened to such trombone greats as Tommy Dorsey, J. C. Higginbotham, Jack Jenny, Jack Teagarden and Trummy Young he has said that he was more influenced by the styles of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young. Urbie's trombone style was also influenced by vocalists such as Perry Como, and the vocal style of Louis Armstrong. Green's father died when he was 15 and Urbie went straight into professional music, first joining the Tommy Reynolds Band in California before moving on to stints with Bob Strong, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle. Green also played with The Auburn Knights Orchestra, a college big band based in Auburn, Alabama while attending Auburn High School.1
Professional career
In 1947, Green joined Gene Krupa's band and quickly moved up to Woody Hermans third "Thundering Herd" Big Band in 1950 to play with his brother, Jack. In 1954 he was awarded the "New Star" Critics Award from Down Beat International. Moving to New York City in 1953 and established himself as the premier trombonist in demand for the booming recording industry. He was voted "Most Valuable Player" several times by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Some have even proposed that he may be the most recorded musician of all time. He recorded with virtually all of the major jazz musicians of the 1950s and 1960s and led his own groups while also joining tours as a featured performer, including a three-month tour helming the Benny Goodman Orchestra and the unusual job of fronting the Tommy Dorsey orchestra after Dorsey's death in 1956. He collaborated with innovative producer Enoch Light for the Command and Project 3 labels, producing what are probably his most notable recordings, such as the two-volume sets "The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green" and "21 Trombones."
In the 1970s Green began making strides in innovations with his instrument. He designed a signature mouthpiece for Jet Tone and collaborated with Martin Brass on practical improvements to trombone design, including modifications of the hand brace and slide, water valve, and finish. Urbie's also began experimenting with the "Green Monster", a King trombone using a King Vox Amp pickup in the mouthpiece connected to an octave doubler and reverb unit. Some of his best recordings of the 70s were with Enoch Light and the Light Brigade, Dick Hyman, Maynard Ferguson and Doc Severinsen. After the very productive Enoch Light years, Urbie's style changed a bit. His recordings under the CTI label contained much more music by Urbie's band and fewer solos by Urbie.
The 1980s and beyond saw a slowing down of Urbie Green's recording career. Both albums recorded by Urbie during this period are live, straight Jazz works; Just Friends, and Sea Jam Blues.
Personal life
He now spends most of his time with his second wife Kathy, a jazz singer, at their home in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania. Urbie still plays live at the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts (COTA) Festival every September, just miles down the road from his home. Urbie and Kathy have two children, Jesse and Casey. Jesse is a noted jazz pianist and lives nearby, while Casey is a director/editor in Los Angeles, California. Urbie's first wife was Darlein Dietz and they had two children, Urban Clifford Green and James Preston Green. Urban has a daughter, Gretchen Alexandra Pöelker-Green, and lives in Sea Cliff, Long Island. James lives in Tallahasse, Florida and has a son named Vincent.
In 1995 Urbie was elected into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Discography
- 1953 New Faces, New Sounds (Blue Note)
- 1954 Urbie Green Septet (Blue Note)
- 1955 Blues and Other Shades of Green (Blue Note)
- 1955 The Melodic Tones of Urbie Green (Bethlehem)
- 1955 East Coast Jazz, Volume 6 (Bethlehem)
- 1955 The Lyrical Language of Urbie Green (Bethlehem)
- 1955 The Melodic Tones of Urbie Green (Vanguard)
- 1955 Urbie Green and His Band (Vanguard)
- 1955 Blues and Other Shades of Green (Paramount)
- 1956 All About Urbie Green (Paramount)
- 1957 Urbie Green Octet / Slidin' Swing (Jazztone)
- 1957 Let's Face the Music and Dance (RCA)
- 1958 Best of New Broadway Show Hits (RCA)
- 1960 The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green (Command)
- 1961 The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green Volume 2 (Command)
- 1963 Urbie Green and His 6-Tet. (Command)
- 1967 21 Trombones (Project 3)
- 1967 21 Trombones Volume 2 (Project 3)
- 1971 Green Power (Project 3)
- 1972 Bein' Green (Project 3)
- 1974 Urbie Green's Big Beautiful Band (Project 3)
- 1976 The Fox (CTI)
- 1977 Seńor Blues (CTI)
- 1978 Live at Rick's Cafe American (Flying Fish)
- 1981 Just Friends (E.J.)
- 1995 Sea Jam Blues (Chiaroscuro)
References
- ^ "Former Knight Urbie Green", Auburn Knights Alumni Association Newsletter, September 15, 1996, 6; The School Musician and Teacher, November 1970, 56.