Truman Eliot "Jack" Jenney (May 12, 1910 – December 16, 1945)[1] was an American jazz trombonist.

Jack Jenney
Birth nameTruman Eliot Jenney
BornMay 12, 1910
Mason City, Iowa, U.S.
DiedDecember 16, 1945 (aged 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresJazz
InstrumentsTrombone, trumpet
Spouse
(m. 1937; div. 1939)

Early life

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Born in Mason City, Iowa,[1] Jenney first played trumpet, then switched to trombone.[2][3] His father was a musician and music teacher.[4] Jenney performed in his father's band from age 11, but his professional work began with Austin Wylie in 1928.[4]

Career

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During his career, Jenney worked with Isham Jones, Red Norvo, Artie Shaw, Mal Hallett, and Waring's Pennsylvanians. He appeared in the film Syncopation.[4] He has been called "the greatest trombonist of the Big Band era"[citation needed] and won the DownBeat Reader's Poll for trombone in 1940.[5]

He led his own band for a year in 1938 and 1939, but it was a financial failure. He was drafted into the United States Navy in 1943, but also played as a studio musician the following year.[2]

Death

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He died on December 16, 1945, in Los Angeles, from complications following an appendectomy.[1][2][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1279. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ a b c "Jenney, Jack [Truman Elliot]". Grove Music Online. Grove Music Online. 2003. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J229000.
  3. ^ Irvin, Sam (2011-11-15). Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-7654-2.
  4. ^ a b c d AllMusic biography
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-22. Retrieved 2006-11-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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