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Shorty Rogers

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Shorty Rogers, born Milton Rajonsky, was an American jazz musician and one of the most important creators of West Coast Jazz. He played trumpet and flugelhorn and was in great demand as an arranger. He was born in 1924 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and first worked with Will Bradley and Red Norvo. From 1947 to 1949 he played extensively with Woody Herman, and in 1950 and 1951 with Stan Kenton. He then joined the Lighthouse All Stars in Los Angeles and led groups of his own.

Music and breakthrough

From 1953 to 1962 he recorded a series of albums for RCA Victor, such as Courts the Count in 1954, and with his group Shorty Rogers and His Giants for Atlantic, such as The Swinging Mr. Rogers in 1955 and Martians Come Back. Those records partly contain avant-garde music. They can partly be described as Cool Jazz, but they also look back to the hot style of Count Basie, whom Rogers always named as a major inspiration. On Jazz Composers Workshop from 1955 he played with Shelly Manne, among others.

Influence

In 1957 Rogers wrote the music for the Warner Bros. cartoon Three Little Bops and later for films such as Tarzan, the Ape Man. He did more and more work in the Hollywood studios. He died in 1994. Rogers shows how the tight arrangements and light sound of West Coast Jazz could also be playful, sometimes with a wink.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Martians Go Home from The Swinging Mr. Rogers and notice the interplay of trumpet, saxophones and drums: tightly arranged, but with plenty of space and humour.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: Artists