Smith, Jabbo

Smith, Jabbo (Cladys) , noted jazz trumpeter, trombonist, singer; b. Pembroke, Ga., Dec. 24, 1908; d. N.Y., Jan. 16, 1991. His father died when Smith was four years old; he moved with his mother to Savannah, then at age six was placed in the Jenkins’ Orphanage in Charleston, S.C. In the orphanage, he was taught trumpet and trombone; at age 10, he began touring with the orphanage band. He ran away from the institution on several occasions and finally left the orphanage for good when he was 16. He then traveled to Philadelphia and worked there and in Atlantic City before settling in N.Y, where he worked from autumn 1925 until early 1928 and also sat in on a recording session with Duke Ellington (November 1927). Smith joined the James P. Johnson Orch. and toured with the “Keep Shufflin’” revue from February 1928. The show folded in Chicago that November, and Jabbo worked there for various leaders and also led his own recording band. Through the mid-1930s, he worked primarily in Chicago, although he also worked on occasion in Milwaukee—where he set up residence—and Deroit as well as on the road, hi 1936, Smith returned to his hometown of Milwaukee and joined Claude Hopkins (then on tour), remaining with him for two years; Smith and Hopkins set up a residency at the Roseland, N.Y, in autumn 1936. From the late 1930s through the mid-1940s Smith worked in N.Y. and Newark, N.J., and then moved back to Milwaukee, where he played with local bands and led his own sextet in the late 1940s. He then left full-time music, but continued to play occasionally in the 1950s. He made a comeback at the Milwaukee Jazz Society concert in June 1961, resumed working with local bands, and made a playing trip to Chicago. He continued day work with a car-hire company in Milwaukee while playing valve trombone and piano at Tina’s Lounge in 1966. A proficient pianist, Smith became particularly interested in composing. He made several tours of Europe during the 1970s and 1980s. He made another comeback when he was featured in the Broadway and touring production of One Mo’ Time in 1978. Although his playing was a shadow of its old quality, he continued to work as a vocalist, particularly after a bout of illness in 1982.

Smith played longer and more complex lines than most trumpeters during the late 1920s and was among the most advanced musicians of his day. For many years, a rumor persisted that there were two Jabbo Smiths; the confusion arose because one of Jabbo Smith’s trumpet-playing colleagues was called “Jabbo” Jenkins.

Dlscography

“Sweet ‘n ’ Lowdown,” “Ace of Rhythm” (both 1929). D. Ellington: “Black and Tan Fantasy” (1927).

—John Chilton , Who’s Who of Jazz/Lewis Porter