Don Fagerquist
b. 6 February 1927, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, d. 24 January 1974. After working with the Mal Hallett band in the early '40s, Fagerquist joined Gene Krupa in 1944. He stayed with Krupa for several years, comfortably adjusting his trumpet playing to the boppish style the band adopted towards the end of the decade. After Krupa's band folded Fagerquist spent a little time with Artie Shaw before becoming a member of Woody Herman's Third Herd. He later worked with Les Brown and the Dave Pell Octet, the Brown band's small-group offshoot. A striking soloist, Fagerquist's thoughtful playing style admirably suited the west coast scene and in the '50s he played extensively and sometimes recorded with Shelly Manne, Pete Rugolo, Art Pepper and others, including the popular big band assembled for record dates by Si Zentner in the mid-60s.