Newsom, Tommy

views updated

Tommy Newsom

Saxophonist, composer, band leader

Ironically dubbed "Mr. Excitement" by Johnny Carson, saxophonist Thomas Penn "Tommy" Newsom was born on February 25, 1929, in Portsmouth, Virginia. His father was a pharmacist and his mother a kindergarten teacher. She also played piano and sang, and introduced Tommy to opera and big band music on the radio. The obituary on Newsom in theWashington Post quoted Newsom himself as saying his parents "were grand, but they were very lenient." At age eight, they bought him a saxophone and he was so devoted to the instrument he taught himself to play.

Family members recall that Newsom performed a song on the instrument on the first day he had the horn. The Portsmouth school bands had limited resources and only a handful of students, so the logical move was to sit in wherever he could find opportunities. By age 13 he was rubbing elbows with older musicians at local venues like the Elks Club, and he held a spot for a time in a local jazz combo called the Dave Parker Band. He had developed a taste for big band jazz, taking in the likes of sax players Charlie Barnett and Ben Webster, among others. As his nephew Jim noted in an interview, Tommy established a reputation as a serious talent during this period, and "musicians throughout the region talked about the young kid who could blow everyone away on saxophone."

After high school, Newsom studied for two years at what later became Old Dominion University, playing the saxophone with several veterans returning from World War II. He then spent four years at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, starting as a composition major and making the pragmatic switch to music education on the advice of his father. He claimed in interviews that his best education in those years was gigging in strip joints and bars on Baltimore Street.

When the Korean War came, Tommy served four years with the Airmen of Note, an Air Force dance band. This took him across Europe and portions of the Middle East. After this tour ended and he returned home, he was confident enough to try his luck in New York City. Getting a regular job as a musician was nearly impossible, and he had to settle for road stints with anyone who would take him on. To supplement his meager income, he accepted studio work. This landed him a position in Benny Goodman's band in 1961, and after a whirlwind tour that included Eastern Europe and Latin America, doors began to open. In his time with Goodman, Tommy wrote the swinging "Twitter Pipes," which became a regular favorite of saxophonists Phil Woods and Zoot Sims. It is Sims to whom Newsom is most often compared as a soloist.

After the Goodman job ended, Tommy played briefly in Merv Griffin's television orchestra, so he had some idea of what he was getting into when he joined NBC's "The Tonight Show" just months before Johnny Carson became its host. Bandleader Doc Severinsen had nothing but accolades for the man he promoted to assistant conductor. In a Los Angeles Times article written following Newsom's death, Severinsen said, "He was, of course, a fantastic arranger, composer and saxophone player—that goes without saying. He was one of the sweetest guys that ever came down the pike, a gentleman through and through." Severinsen was famous for never wearing the same suit of clothing twice, so the first night Tommy led the band in his absence, Carson playfully ribbed the less flashy Newsom. The same Los Angeles Times story quoted Newsom as saying, "Johnny blanched when he saw me. I was such a contrast to Doc, who was dressing like a demented flamingo, while I just wore my other suit—I had a limited wardrobe. I don't think I said a thing." The routine went over well, and Carson ultimately dubbed him "Mr. Excitement." The shots Carson took at Newsom became a staple of the host's monologue and became a favorite of the massive "Tonight Show" audience. Carson called him "the Man from Bland" and the "cover boy for Oatmeal Illustrated." He once said that Newsom "was the only person to reach puberty and senility at the same time."

Despite his bland image, Newsome occasionally struck back. A squinting Tommy would stand rigidly in front of the band with his hands clasped behind him, waiting for Carson to deliver the next punchline. Once when Carson chided him as a "big dumb canary" for wearing a bright yellow suit, Newsom said, "You'll know what kind of bird I am when I fly over you." On another evening, when Carson asked him where he got a sport coat that was bolder than the usual brown, Newsom dead-panned, "I found it in my closet, Johnny." Other TV work brought him two Emmy Awards for musical direction for the 1982 special "Night of 100 Stars" and the 1986 Annual Tony Awards, as well as a Clio Award for an American Airlines commercial.

His fame on the "Tonight Show" aside, Newsom also made his mark as an arranger for acts as diverse as Skitch Henderson, Woody Herman, Kenny Rogers, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Charlie Byrd, John Denver, the Diva Jazz Orchestra, and Beverly Sills. As a recording artist, his releases were few, but well-received. A 1990 album called Tommy Newsom and His TV Jazz Stars featured trumpeters Snooky Young and Conte Candoli, while pianist Ross Tompkins, bassist David Stone, and "Tonight Show" drummer Ed Shaughnessy made up the rhythm section. In 1996 Newsom released a tribute to Johnny Mercer, titled I Remember You, Johnny. Three years later he released The Feeling of Jazz with tenor man Ken Peplowski. Standout tracks are the aforementioned "Twitter Pipes" and "Opus De Funk." Newsom's album Friendly Fire (2001) featured Bob Enevoldsen on valve trombone, John Hammond on piano, Bob Bain on guitar, Jim Hughart on bass, and Dave Hunt on drums. Enevoldsen, best known for his work with Gerry Mulligan and Art Pepper, provided a perfect complement to Newsom's lively sax. The lineup deftly covered such standards as "Take the A Train" and "Stardust." In 2003, his rendition of "Deck the Halls" was featured on the soundtrack to the Billy Bob Thornton film Bad Santa.

Tommy Newsom retired from the "Tonight Show" in 1992 and spent his remaining years at his home in Portsmouth, Virginia. He died in 2007 of cancer and is survived by his wife and daughter.

For the Record …

Born on February 25, 1929 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Education: Attended College of William and Mary, Norfolk, VA; graduated from Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, MD; master's degree, Columbia University, New York City.

Joined "The Tonight Show" band, 1962; retired from show, 1992.

Awards: Emmy Awards for arranging, 1982 and 1986; Clio Award for composing American Airlines commercial.