Red Allen

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This article is about the jazz musician. For the bluegrass singer and guitarist, see Red Allen (bluegrass).
For other people named Henry Allen, see Henry Allen (disambiguation).

Red Allen
Onyx Club, New York City
c. May 1946
Photo: William P. Gottlieb
Background information
Birth nameHenry James Allen Jr.
Born(1908-01-07)January 7, 1908
Algiers, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedApril 17, 1967(1967-04-17) (aged 59)
New York City, New York, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentTrumpet
Years active1924–1967

Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong.[1][2]

Life and career

Allen was born in the

New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of the bandleader Henry Allen Sr. He took early trumpet lessons from Peter Bocage and Manuel Manetta
.

Allen's career began in

King Oliver's band.[3] Around this time he made recordings on the side in the band of Clarence Williams.[3]

After returning briefly to New Orleans, where he worked with the bands of

Victor Records[3] and went to New York City, where he joined the Luis Russell band, which was later fronted by Louis Armstrong in the late 1930s.[4]

In 1929, Allen joined Luis Russell's Orchestra, in which he was a featured soloist until 1932.[3] He took part in recording sessions that year organized by Eddie Condon, some of which featured Fats Waller and Tommy Dorsey. He also made a series of recordings in late 1931 with Don Redman. In 1932 he recorded with the Rhythmakers in New York City. In 1933 he joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, in which he stayed until 1934. He played with Lucky Millinder's Mills Blue Rhythm Band from 1934 to 1937, when he returned to Russell for three more years, by which time Russell's orchestra was fronted by Louis Armstrong.[3] Allen seldom received any solo space on recordings with Armstrong,[3] but was prominently featured in the band's live performances, even getting billing as a featured attraction.[citation needed]

As a bandleader, Allen recorded for

Victor in 1946, and Apollo in 1947.[citation needed
]

Allen continued making many recordings under his own name and also with Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton and accompanied such vocalists as Victoria Spivey and Billie Holiday. After a short stint with Benny Goodman, Allen began to lead his own band at the Famous Door in Manhattan. He then toured with the band around the United States into the late 1950s.[citation needed]

In December 1957, Allen appeared with

Sound Of Jazz. In 1959, he made his first tour of Europe when he joined Kid Ory's band. He led the house band at New York's Metropole Cafe
from 1954, until the club ceased its jazz policy in 1965.

Personal life and death

Allen was Catholic.[citation needed]

Allen returned to working under his own name and made numerous tours of the United States and Europe. He was diagnosed with

Bronx, in grave 52 of section 15.[5]
He was survived by his widow, Pearly May, and a son, Henry Allen III.

Style and influence

Allen's trumpet style has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong, and to develop an emphasis on phrasing.[1][2] Allen's recordings received much favorable attention. His versatility is shown by his winning of DownBeat awards in both the traditional jazz and the modern jazz categories.

In 2022, the New Orleans City Council voted to rename "Slidell Street" in Algiers to "Red Allen Way", in his honor.[6]

Discography

  • 1929-33 - The Chronological (Classics #540, 1990)
  • 1935-36 - The Chronological (Classics #575, 1990)
  • 1936-37 - The Chronological (Classics #590, 1990)
  • 1937-41 - The Chronological (Classics #628, 1990)
  • 1944-47 - The Chronological (Classics #1067, 1990)
  • 1957.07 - Red Allen, feat. Kid Ory & Jack Teagarden at Newport (Verve, 1957)
  • 1957.03 -
    RCA Victor
    , 1957) reissued as World on a String (RCA, 1991)
  • 1957.05 - Dixiecats (Roulette, 1957)
  • 1957 - Stormy Weather (Jazz Groove, ?)
  • 1957.12 - Warhorses (Jass Records, 1987CD version) with Coleman Hawkins
  • 1958 - High Standards, (Jass Records, 1987CD version) with Coleman Hawkins
  • 1960.11 - Plays King Oliver (Verve, ?)
  • 1960.11 - Stuyvesant Casino Nights (Stycon, ?)
  • 1961.09 - Live at the London House (Fanfare, ?)
  • 1962.03 - Rare Red Allen Trio performances (Flutegroove, ?)
  • 1962.06 - Mr. Allen (Swingville, 1962)
  • 1963 - Nice! (Phoenix, ?)
  • 1965.06 - Feeling Good (Columbia, ?)
  • 1967 - with the Alex Welsh Band (Jazzology, ?
  • 1968 - The College Concert (Impulse!, 1968) with Pee Wee Russell

with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra

  • 1932-34 - The Chronological (Classics #535, ?)
  • 1934-37 - The Chronological (Classics #527, ?) HRA only in the first four tracks

with the Luis Russell Orchestra

  • 1926-29 - The Chronological (Classics #588, 1991) HRA in the ten tracks of 1929
  • 1930-34 - The Chronological (Classics #606, 1991) in all the tracks except the last six
  • with the Mills Blue Rhythm Band
  • 1934-36 - The Chronological (Classics #, ?)
  • 1936-37 - The Chronological (Classics #, ?) HRA in the 14 tracks of 1936

With Langston Hughes

References

  1. ^ a b Berendt, Joachim (1976). The Jazz Book. Paladin. pp. 187–188.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-141-00646-3
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-580-8
    .
  4. ISBN 0-330-28607-2
    .
  5. ^ Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons, Scott Wilson, Entry No. 186, p. 15
  6. ^ Sledge, Matt (January 6, 2022). "Allen Toussaint, New Orleans music icon, gets a boulevard renamed in his honor". nola.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.

Further reading

  • Ride, Red, Ride – The Life of Henry "Red" Allen by
    ISBN 0-304-70407-5
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