Tom Talbert

Thomas Robert Talbert (August 4, 1924 Crystal Bay, Minnesota – July 2, 2005 Los Angeles) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and band leader.^[1]

Biography

He was born on August 4, 1924, in Crystal Bay, Minnesota, and grew up listening to big band music on the radio.^[2]

He got started as a band leader when he was drafted in the Army in 1943, becoming composer for a military band at Fort Ord, California, performing for War Bond drives throughout California.^[2]

In the late 1940s, he led his own big band on the West Coast, much of his work foreshadowing what became known as West Coast jazz before moving to New York in the early 1950s after being denied a recording contract in LA^[2]

In 1956, he recorded two records that would become his best known works, Wednesday's Child and Bix Duke Fats, gaining him fleeting fame.

When rock and roll eclipsed jazz in popularity, he moved to his parents' home in Minnesota in 1960, tried his hand at cattle ranching in Wisconsin, before eventually moving back to Los Angeles and a musical career in 1975.

In addition to composing for TV and movie studios, he became involved in music education,^[2] and set up a foundation to help talented young musicians, with one of the first recipients (in 1996) being Maria Schneider.

He died July 2, 2005.^[3]

Co-workers

Talbert has worked together with many other famous musicians. Some include:

Los Angeles in the 40s:

Johnny Richards^[2]
Lucky Thompson
Dodo Marmarosa
Hal McKusick
Al Killian
Art Pepper
Steve White
Claude Williamson

New York in the 50s:

Marian McPartland
Kai Winding
Don Elliott
Johnny Smith
Oscar Pettiford
Herb Geller
Joe Wilder
Eddie Bert
Barry Galbraith
Aaron Sachs
Claude Thornhill^[2]

Selected discography

As sideman

With the Boyd Raeburn Orchestra

AFRS Downbeat, Los Angeles, early 1946, Memphis in June OCLC 13838357
Club Morocco, Hollywood, January 1946 OCLC 8255365
AFRS Jubilee #169, Hollywood, California, early February 1946 OCLC 54356249
Hollywood, February 5, 1946

With Johnny Richards

probably Los Angeles, c. 1954

Note: no details except Tom Talbert, arranger

With Patty McGovern, accompanied by the Tom Talbert Orchestra

New York, August 1956, Wednesday's Child, Atlantic OCLC 15805126, 740390726

As leader

Los Angeles, June 25, 1946
Los Angeles, December 31, 1947
Los Angeles, August 1949
Los Angeles, November 1949
New York, August 24, 1956, Bix, Duke, Fats, Atlantic OCLC 33937105, 46999534, 472842077 OCLC 763106979
New York, September 7, 1956
New York, September 14, 1956
Hollywood, October 3, 4 & 5, 1977, Louisiana Suite
Hollywood, August 11 & 12, 1987, Things As They Are, The Tom Talbert Septet
Rendezvous Ballroom, Newport Beach, California, 30 May 30, 1991 – 3 June 1991, Stan Kenton Celebration, Tom Talbert Jazz Orchestra OCLC 48578850
Hollywood, October 1991, Duke's Domain OCLC 38404141, 472842105
Hollywood, October 10, 1991, The Warm Cafe OCLC 35053937, 472806441
Hollywood, May 18, 1992
Hollywood June 1992
Hollywood, June 2, 1992
Alhambra, California, May 18 & 19, 1993
New York, July 1, 7 & 8, 1997, This Is Living! OCLC 42890337
Clinton Recording Studios, New York City, December 9, 10 & 11, 1999, To a lady: discover jazz with the Tom Talbert Orchestra OCLC 53348537

References

General references

Doug Ramsey, Rifftides: Tom Talbert 1924-2005, July 6, 2005 Arts Journal, Seattle

Inline citations

^ Bruce Talbot, Tom Talbert – His Life and Times: Voices From a Vanished World of Jazz, Scarecrow Press (2004)
OCLC 52720749
ISBN 0810848120 ISBN 9780810848122
LCCN 2003-16344
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bruce Talbot. "Jazz Profiles from NPR: Tom Talbert". NPR. OCLC 768834140. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
^ Obituary: Talbert, Tom; 80; Los Angeles, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), July 10, 2005
OCLC 61312696, 43369847, 16532336
OCLC 52300352
ISSN 0895-2825