TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
Al Grey was a jazz trombonist with the Count Basie orchestra known for his plunger mute technique.
At four, he began his musical journey, playing in a band called the Goodwill Boys, which his father led. During World War II, Grey served in the U.S. Navy, where he continued to hone his trombone skills. Soon after his discharge, he joined Benny Carter's band and the bands of Jimmie Lunceford, Lucky Millinder, Lionel Hampton, and Count Basie.
He developed a wild, strong, and full sound. Solos often consisted of short, pronounced phrases with precisely timed syncopation. However, when he played with the plunger, he would produce the most mellow fill-ins and shape melodic answers to the lead voice.
This has been Rapp On Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and SC Public Radio, made possible in part by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.