Thursday 4 January 2024

Frank Newton born 4 January 1908

Frankie Newton (January 4, 1908* – March 11, 1954) was one of jazz trumpet's most individualistic, dynamic stylists who has been consigned largely to the footnotes and margins of the music's history.

William Frank Newton (he preferred “Frank” to “Frankie”) was born in Blacksburg, an African-American community located near Emory, Virginia. Blacksburg was named for and was the location of Emory and Henry College. Virginia researcher Jennifer Wagner believes he was educated in a segregated schoolhouse and stayed in school until he was 14. There are no indications that he got early musical education. 

In an interview, Newton said his first music was played: “…in Roanoke, Virginia, at a very early age, with a guy named Johnny Locklear, after which I left Roanoke with a banjo player, Ike Williams.” Newton then played in McKinney’s Cotton Pickers, (formerly Milt Senior’s Synco Jazz Band) before joining the Lloyd Scott band in West Virginia around 1926. 

The Scott band spent most of its time on the road, but got to New York City and spent two years playing in the Capitol Palace, a Harlem after-hours club. Newton spent the following few years on the road, playing with bands led by Scott, Charlie Johnson, Chick Webb, and Sam Wooding. His first recorded solo is in a song called “In A Corner,” with Cecil Scott and His Bright Boys in 1929. 

The first opportunities Newton had to record as an individual sideman, not as part of an orchestra, were provided by record producer John Hammond. Hammond had heard Newton at the Capital palace, and hired him for a gig in 1932 at the Mt. Kisco Country Club, north of New York City, with Fats Waller and others.

Onyx Club Band 1937. Newton far right.

In 1932, he joined Benny Carter’s Orchestra and, in 1933 he distinguished himself as a sideman on Bessie Smith’s last sessions. Newton apparently continued playing off and on with bands between 1933-1936 which included one led by Charlie Johnson, but there are no recordings of him after the 1933 Bessie Smith sessions until he recorded a session led by tenor saxophonist Art Karle in 1935. This octet resulted in 4 releases, but from 1936-1939 he appeared on scores of recordings, both as sideman and, starting in 1937, as leader. 

                                   

In 1938, Newton was brought in to lead the house band at the new Café Society, per the suggestion of record producer John Hammond to club owner Barney Josephson. Politically, the club and Newton were an excellent fit. It was the first self-declared integrated nightclub in New York City and became the habitué of leftist writers and activists. Billie Holiday was the featured vocalist and in the spring of 1939, Newton’s band recorded “Strange Fruit” with her; possibly the most powerful song about white-on-black violence in America ever recorded. 

In the first eight months of 1939, Newton had recorded for all three of the major labels (Columbia, Victor and Decca) plus two new independent labels (Blue Note, for which label he was the first horn player to record, and Commodore), all of which used the same business model: flat fees for the musicians, followed by extensive distribution of records, with all of the profits going back to the company and no residuals for the musicians (unless they were able to receive composer credits). 

Newton with Sidney Bechet

Around 1940, after having established himself as one of the foremost swing players in the country, he continued to play, but music no longer dominated his life. In the fourteen years until his death, he left only a handful of recordings. There are famous guerilla live recordings with Art Tatum at Monroe’s Uptown in 1941, then sessions in 1944 as a sideman on Mary Lou Williams’ recordings and a session in 1946 as sideman with vocalist Stella Brooks. While all these positive activities were happening, Newton was also drinking heavily. 

He’d been going back and forth between New York and Boston for gigs in the late 1940s-early ’50s, but eventually Newton’s drinking became too much for George Wein to handle and he stopped booking him gigs. Several sources say that Newton made his final appearance at Storyville in Boston March 16-29, 1953, but the sessions weren’t released and have never surfaced. In 1954, Newton tried to make a comeback, deciding to audition for a spot on the television show, Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. Apparently he passed the audition, but before he could appear on the show he died on March 11, 1954, of acute gastritis. 

(Edited from article by Steve Provizer @ Syncopated Times) *(some sources give 1906 as birth year)

6 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “FRANK NEWTON - THE STORY OF A FORGOTTEN JAZZ TRUMPETER (2002 Jasmine) go here:

https://www.imagenetz.de/kMv9A

Disc One:
Cecil Scott's Bright Boys
1. BRIGHT BOY BLUES
2. SPRINGFIELD STOMP
Bessie Smith
3. GIMME A PIGFOOT AND A BOTTLE OF BEER
4. TAKE ME FOR A BUGGY RIDE Art Karle & His Boys
5. MOON OVER MIAMI
6. I FEEL LIKE A FEATHER IN THE BREEZE
7. SUSANNAH
8. LIGHTS OUT
Mezz Mezzrow Swing Band
9. LOST
10. MUTINY IN THE PARLOUR
11. THE PANIC IS ON
Teddy Hill Orchestra
12. AT THE RUG CUTTERS' BALL
13. BLUE RHYTHM FANTASY
14. PASSIONETTE
Frank Newton Uptown Serenaders
15. YOU SHOWED ME THE WAY
16. PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT ME WHEN I'M GONE
17. WHO'S SORRY NOW? take 1
18. WHO'S SORRY NOW? take 2
Teddy Hill NBC Orchestra
19. BIG BOY BLUE
Frank Newton Uptown Serenaders
20. I FOUND A NEW BABY
21. THE BRITTWOOD STOMP
22. 'CAUSE MY BABY SAYS IT'S SO
23. THE ONYX HOP
Charlie Barnet Orchestra
24. EMPEROR JONES
Maxine Sullivan
25. BLUE SKIES Willie
"The Lion" Smith
26. I'VE GOT TO THINK IT OVER

Disc Two
Buster Bailey Rhythm Busters
1. CHAINED TO A DREAM
Frank Newton Orchestra
2. ROSETTA
3. MINOR JIVE
4. THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE
5. WHO?
6. THE BLUES MY BABY GAVE TO ME
7. ROMPIN'
Frank Newton Quintet
8. DAYBREAK BLUES Port Of Harlem Jazzmen
9. PORT OF HARLEM BLUES
10. MIGHTY BLUES
11. ROCKING THE BLUES
Frank Newton Café Society Orchestra
12. JITTERS
13. FRANKIE'S JUMP
14. JAM FEVER # A
15. JAM FEVER # B
Billie Holiday
16. STRANGE FRUIT
Port Of Harlem Jazzmen
17. BLUES FOR TOMMY
Frank Newton Quintet
18. AFTER HOURS BLUES
Frank Newton Café Society Orchestra
19. VAMP
20. PARALLEL FIFTHS
Buck Ram All Stars
21. TWILIGHT IN TEHERAN
22. MORNING MIST
23. SWING STREET

The career of one of jazz trumpet's most individualistic, dynamic stylists has been consigned largely to the footnotes and margins of the music's history. During his relatively short life in a chequered career dogged by frequent bouts of ill health, Frank Newton still managed to record some 150 titles. Fifty of his recordings comprise these two JASMINE CDs. The selection has been chosen to highlight the scope and diversity of the trumpeter's work and a glance at the personnel details confirms he often recorded in some distinguished company, something which makes his lack of proper recognition all the more puzzling. At various times he is to be heard performing alongside soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet; alto saxophonist Pete Brown; tenor saxophonists Don Byas and Bud Freeman; trombonists J.C. Higginbotham and Dicky Wells; pianists James P. Johnson, Willie "The Lion" Smith and Teddy Wilson; plus the singers Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and Maxine Sullivan.(Jasmine notes)

(This playlist has been reconstructed using various digital albums)

Bob Mac said...

Thanks for this Bob.

jazzing said...

Discography
CD 1 (tracks 01-27):
From: Jan Evensmo, The trumpet of William Frank
Newton “Frankie”, Jazz Archeology, 25/10/2020
On line:
https://www.jazzarcheology.com/artists/frankie_newton.pdf

01-02: Cecil Scott’s Bright Boys
[Cecil Scott and His Orchestra]
Bill Coleman, tp / Frank Newton, tp, voc / Dicky Wells, trb /
John Williams,Harold McFerran, as / Cecil Scott, cl,
ts, bar / Don Frye, p / Rudolph Williams, bjo / Mack
Walker, tuba / Lloyd Scott, d.
New York, 19/11/1929 [57711-2 /57712-1]

03-04: Bessie Smith
Acc. by Buck and His Band: Frank Newton, tp /
Jack Tegarden, trb / Benny Goodman, cl / Chu Berry,
ts /Buck Washington, p / Bobby Johnson, g / Billy
Taylor, b.
New York 24 /11/1933 [152578-2 / 152579-2]

05-08: Art Karle & His Boys
Frank Newton, tp / Mezz Mezzrow, cl / Art Karle, ts /
Joe Bushkin, p / Ted Tonison, g / Louie Thompson, b /
George Stafford, d / Chick Bullock, voc.
New York, 13/01/1936 [18496-1 / 18497-1 / 18498-2 / 18499-1]

09-11: Mezz Mezzrow and His Swing Band
Frank Newton, tp / Mezz Mezzrow, cl / Bud Freeman, ts /
Willie “The Lion” Smith, p / Albert Casey, g /
Wellman Braud, b / George Stafford, d.
New York, 12/03/1936 [99773-1 / 99774-1 / 99775-1]

12-14: Teddy Hill and His Orchestra
Frank Newton, Bill Dillard, Shad Collins, tp / Russell
Procope, cl, as / Cecil Scott, cl, ts, bass sax / Howard
Johnson, as / Teddy Hill, ts /
Dickie Wells, trb / Sam Allen, p / John Smith, g /
Richard “Dick” Fullbright, b / Bill Beason, d.
New York 04/05/1936 [19175-1 / 17196-1 / 19177-1]

15-18: Frank Newton Uptown Serenaders
Frank Newton, tp / Edmond Hall, cl / Cecil Scott, ts /
Pete Brown, as / Don Frye, p / John Smith, g / Richard
Fullbright, b / Cozy Cole, d / Clarence Palmer, voc.
New York, 05/03/1937 [Variety mx 174-1-2 / 175-1-2 /
176-1 / 176-2]

19: Teddy Hill NBC Orchestra
Frank Newton, Bill Dillard, Shad Collins, tp / Russell
Procope, cl, as / Cecil Scott, cl, ts, bass sax / Howard
Johnson, as / Teddy Hill, ts /
Dickie Wells, trb / Sam Allen, p / John Smith, g /
Richard “Dick” Fullbright, b / Bill Beason, d. / Bill Dillard,
& Teddy Hill, voc.
New York, 26/03/1937 [06464-1]

20-22: Frank Newton and His Uptown Serenaders
Frank Newton, tp / Edmond Hall, cl, bar / Cecil Scott, cl, ts /
Pete Brown [except 20], Russell Procope, as / Don Frye, p / John
Smith, g / Richard Fullbright, b / Cozy Cole, d / Slim
Gaillard, voc.
New York, 15/04/1937 [Variety mx 402 / 403-2 / 404-2]

23: Frank Newton and His Uptown Serenaders
Frank Newton, tp, voc / Edmond Hall, cl / Cecil Scott, ts /
Pete Brown, as, voc/ Gene Johnson, as / Don Frye, p / Frank
Rice, g / John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d.
New York, 13/07//1937 [Voc 3839 mx M559]

24: Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra
Frank Newton, Jimmy Millazzo, Jack Koven, tp / Charlie
Barnet, as, ts, ss / Ernie Diven, Harry Carrel, as / Kurt
Bloom, ts / Bob Fishel, John D’Agostino, trb / Ludwig
Flato, p / George Cuomo, g / John Kirby, b /Joe Dale, d.
New York, 05/08/1937
[not on 78 rpm; test pressing, vinyl 10’’, 1937, mx M-583-1;
“The Frankie Newton collection 1929-1946”]

25: Maxine Sullivan and Her Orchestra
Maxine Sullivan, voc acc. by Frank Newton, tp / Buster
Bailey, cl / Babe Rusin, ts /Pete Brown, as / Claude
Thornhill, p / John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d.
New York 06/08/1937 [Voc S122 mx 21475-2]

26: Willie “The Lion” Smith qnd His Cubs
Frank Newton, tp / Buster Bailey, cl / Pete Brown, as /
Willie “The Lion” Smith, p, ldr / Jimmy McLin, g /
John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d, voc.
New York 15/09/1937 [Decca 1958B mx 62594-A]

27: Midge Williams & Her Jazz Jesters
Midge Williams, voc, acc. by
Frank Newton, tp / Buster Bailey, cl / Pete Brown, as /
Jimmy McLin, g / John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d /
New York 27/09//1937 [master Voc 3865 mx 662-1]

jazzing said...

Discography
CD 1 (tracks 01-27):
From: Jan Evensmo, The trumpet of William Frank
Newton “Frankie”, Jazz Archeology, 25/10/2020
On line:
https://www.jazzarcheology.com/artists/frankie_newton.pdf

01-02: Cecil Scott’s Bright Boys
[Cecil Scott and His Orchestra]
Bill Coleman, tp / Frank Newton, tp, voc / Dicky Wells, trb /
John Williams,Harold McFerran, as / Cecil Scott, cl,
ts, bar / Don Frye, p / Rudolph Williams, bjo / Mack
Walker, tuba / Lloyd Scott, d.
New York, 19/11/1929 [57711-2 /57712-1]

03-04: Bessie Smith
Acc. by Buck and His Band: Frank Newton, tp /
Jack Tegarden, trb / Benny Goodman, cl / Chu Berry,
ts /Buck Washington, p / Bobby Johnson, g / Billy
Taylor, b.
New York 24 /11/1933 [152578-2 / 152579-2]

05-08: Art Karle & His Boys
Frank Newton, tp / Mezz Mezzrow, cl / Art Karle, ts /
Joe Bushkin, p / Ted Tonison, g / Louie Thompson, b /
George Stafford, d / Chick Bullock, voc.
New York, 13/01/1936 [18496-1 / 18497-1 / 18498-2 / 18499-1]

09-11: Mezz Mezzrow and His Swing Band
Frank Newton, tp / Mezz Mezzrow, cl / Bud Freeman, ts /
Willie “The Lion” Smith, p / Albert Casey, g /
Wellman Braud, b / George Stafford, d.
New York, 12/03/1936 [99773-1 / 99774-1 / 99775-1]

12-14: Teddy Hill and His Orchestra
Frank Newton, Bill Dillard, Shad Collins, tp / Russell
Procope, cl, as / Cecil Scott, cl, ts, bass sax / Howard
Johnson, as / Teddy Hill, ts /
Dickie Wells, trb / Sam Allen, p / John Smith, g /
Richard “Dick” Fullbright, b / Bill Beason, d.
New York 04/05/1936 [19175-1 / 17196-1 / 19177-1]

15-18: Frank Newton Uptown Serenaders
Frank Newton, tp / Edmond Hall, cl / Cecil Scott, ts /
Pete Brown, as / Don Frye, p / John Smith, g / Richard
Fullbright, b / Cozy Cole, d / Clarence Palmer, voc.
New York, 05/03/1937 [Variety mx 174-1-2 / 175-1-2 /
176-1 / 176-2]

19: Teddy Hill NBC Orchestra
Frank Newton, Bill Dillard, Shad Collins, tp / Russell
Procope, cl, as / Cecil Scott, cl, ts, bass sax / Howard
Johnson, as / Teddy Hill, ts /
Dickie Wells, trb / Sam Allen, p / John Smith, g /
Richard “Dick” Fullbright, b / Bill Beason, d. / Bill Dillard,
& Teddy Hill, voc.
New York, 26/03/1937 [06464-1]

20-22: Frank Newton and His Uptown Serenaders
Frank Newton, tp / Edmond Hall, cl, bar / Cecil Scott, cl, ts /
Pete Brown [except 20], Russell Procope, as / Don Frye, p / John
Smith, g / Richard Fullbright, b / Cozy Cole, d / Slim
Gaillard, voc.
New York, 15/04/1937 [Variety mx 402 / 403-2 / 404-2]

23: Frank Newton and His Uptown Serenaders
Frank Newton, tp, voc / Edmond Hall, cl / Cecil Scott, ts /
Pete Brown, as, voc/ Gene Johnson, as / Don Frye, p / Frank
Rice, g / John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d.
New York, 13/07//1937 [Voc 3839 mx M559]

24: Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra
Frank Newton, Jimmy Millazzo, Jack Koven, tp / Charlie
Barnet, as, ts, ss / Ernie Diven, Harry Carrel, as / Kurt
Bloom, ts / Bob Fishel, John D’Agostino, trb / Ludwig
Flato, p / George Cuomo, g / John Kirby, b /Joe Dale, d.
New York, 05/08/1937
[not on 78 rpm; test pressing, vinyl 10’’, 1937, mx M-583-1;
“The Frankie Newton collection 1929-1946”]

25: Maxine Sullivan and Her Orchestra
Maxine Sullivan, voc acc. by Frank Newton, tp / Buster
Bailey, cl / Babe Rusin, ts /Pete Brown, as / Claude
Thornhill, p / John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d.
New York 06/08/1937 [Voc S122 mx 21475-2]

26: Willie “The Lion” Smith qnd His Cubs
Frank Newton, tp / Buster Bailey, cl / Pete Brown, as /
Willie “The Lion” Smith, p, ldr / Jimmy McLin, g /
John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d, voc.
New York 15/09/1937 [Decca 1958B mx 62594-A]

27: Midge Williams & Her Jazz Jesters
Midge Williams, voc, acc. by
Frank Newton, tp / Buster Bailey, cl / Pete Brown, as /
Jimmy McLin, g / John Kirby, b / O’Neil Spencer, d /
New York 27/09//1937 [master Voc 3865 mx 662-1]

jazzing said...

Discography
CD 2 (tracks 01-23):

01: Buster Bailey and His Rhythm Busters
Frank Newton, tp / Buster Bailey, cl / Russell Procope, as /
Billy Kyle, p / James McLin, g / Johnny Williams, b /
O’Neil Spencer, d.
New York 07/12/1938 [Voc 5510 mx M-940-1]

02-07: Frank Newton & Orchestra
Frank Newton, tp / Mezz Mezzrow, cl / Pete Brown, as /
James P. Johnson, p / Al Casey, g / John Kirby, b /
Cozy Cole, d.
New York 13/01/1939 [BB mx 31460-1 / 31461-1 /
31462-1 / 31463-1 / 31464-1-2 / 31465-1]

08: Frank Newton Quintet
Frank Newton, tp / Albert Ammons, p / Teddy Bunn, g /
John Williams, b / Sidney Catlett, d.
07/04/1939 [BN 501-B mx 512-A-6]

09-11: Port Of Harlem Jazzmen
Frank Newton, tp / J.C. Higginbotham, trb / Albert
Ammons, p / Teddy Bunn, g / John Williams, b / Sidney
Catlett, d.
New York 07/04/1939 [BN 14-A mx 515-A-5 /
3-A mx 516-2 / 3-B mx 517-2]

12-15: Frank Newton Café Society Orchestra
Frank Newton, tp / Tab Smith, Stanley Payne, as / Kenneth
Hollon, ts / Kenny Kersey, p / Ulysses Livingston, g /
Johnny Williams, b / Eddie Dougherty, d.
New York 12/04/1939 [Voc 4851 mx W24366-A / 4821
mx W24367-A / 4851 mx W24368-A-B]

16: Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra
Billie Holiday voc acc. by:
Frank Newton, tp / Tab Smith, as / Kenneth Hollon, Stanley
Payne, ts /Sonny White, p / Jimmy McLin, g / John
Williams, b / Eddie Dougherty, d.
New York 20/04/1939 [Commodore 526A mx 24403-B]

17: Port Of Harlem Seven
Frank Newton, tp / J.C. Higginbotham, trb / Sidney
Bechet, cl, ss / Meade “Lux” Lewis, p / Teddy
Bunn, g / John Williams, b / Sidney Catlett, d.
New York 08/06/1939 [BN 7-A mx 532-X-12]

18: Frank Newton Quintet
Frank Newton, tp / Meade “Lux” Lewis, p / Teddy Bunn, g /
John Williams, b / Sidney Catlett, d.
New York 08/06/1939 [BN 14-B mx GM531]

19-20: Frank Newton Café Society Orchestra
Frank Newton, Bill Dillard, tp / Tab Smith,
Stanley Payne, as / Kenneth Hollon, ts / Kenny
Kersey, p / Ulysses Livingston, g /
Johnny Williams, b / Eddie Dougherty, d.
New York 15/08/1939 [Voc 5410 mx 25203-1 / B25204-1]

21-22: Buck Ram’s All Stars
[Cozy Cole 1944, Classics Records]
Frank Newton, Shad Collins, tp / Tyree Glenn, trb /
Earl Bostic, as / Don Byas, ts / Ernie Caceres, bar /
Teddy Wilson, p / Red Norvo, vibr / Remo Palmieri, g /
Slam Stewart, b / Cozy Cole, d.
New York 18/09/1944 [Savoy 572 mx 5714 / 5715]

23: Buck Ram’s All Stars
Same, same [Savoy XP8077, vinyl LP, mx S5716]

boppinbob said...

Hello jazzing, Thank you so much for your input. I must admit there's not many music blogs with their own discographer. My gripe with digital albums is the lack of recording dates and unless you know where to access such information it could take hours of research. So thank you once again, your time is much appreciated. Regards, Bob