Joe Newman
b. 7 September 1922, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, d. 4 July 1992. After playing with and leading a college band, trumpeter Newman joined Lionel Hamptonin 1941. Two years later he joined Count Basie at the start of a long association. In the late '40s and early '50s he spent some time in bands led by Illinois Jacquet and J.C. Heard and also led his own bands for club and record dates. By 1952 he was back in the Basie fold and he remained with the band, handling most of the trumpet solos, until 1961. Subsequently, he toured world-wide, usually as a solo act, but occasionally in specially formed bands such as those led by Benny Goodman and Hampton. He also became active in jazz education. This pattern of work continued throughout the '80s and into the early '90s. A powerful player with a wide repertoire, Newman's style acknowledged latterday developments in jazz trumpet while remaining rooted in the concepts of his great idol, Louis Armstrong.