George Brunis
b. George Clarence Brunies, 6 February 1900, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, d. 19 November 1974. The best-known member of a distinguished musical family, Brunis (who changed the spelling of his first and last names on the advice of a numerologist) had played trombone from his pre-teen years. In New Orleans he worked with Leon Roppolo and Elmer Schoebel; by 1920 he was working in Chicago with Paul Mares's Friars Society Orchestra. The band later became known as the New Orleans Rhythm Kings but Brunis moved on, joining Ted Lewis in 1924, with whom he remained for a decade. From 1934 he worked extensively in New York, recording and playing in numerous bands and playing at clubs, especially Nick's, where he was a semi-permanent fixture through the late '30s and into the '40s. From then until the end of the '60s he worked steadily, partnering Art Hodes, Wild Bill Davison, Muggsy Spanier and others, making some classic recordings. A tough, gutsy player, not above playing to the audience, Brunis was a skillful trombonist who preferred to stay within a framework that was far more limited than his technical ability warranted.