Don Fagerquist
Encyclopedia
Donald Fagerquist was a small group, big band, and studio jazz trumpet player from the West Coast of the United States
. He was a featured soloist with several major bands, including Mal Hallett
(1943), Gene Krupa
(1944–1950), Artie Shaw
(1949–1950), Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five (1949–1950), Woody Herman
(1951–1952), Les Brown
(1953), and the Dave Pell
Octet (1953–1959). He played on the memorable "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
" album (1963) under the baton of the great Nelson Riddle.
Despite high demand for his services as a lyrical soloist, he only recorded twice as a leader: a half-date for Capitol in 1955 (reissued as part of the Dave Pell Octet CD I Had the Craziest Dream) and a complete project for Mode in 1957 (Music to Fill a Void).
In 1956, Fagerquist signed on as a staff musician for Paramount Films, while still periodically recording with artists such as Shelly Manne
, Mel Tormé
, and Art Pepper
.
Throughout the early- to mid-1960s, Fagerquist's solos could be heard on the recordings of Pete Rugolo
, Frank Comstock, Nelson Riddle
, Billy May
, Paul Weston
, Si Zentner
, Dean Martin
and many others.
By 1966, health issues forced Fagerquist to withdraw from studio recording altogether. He died January 24, 1974, at his home in California.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was a featured soloist with several major bands, including Mal Hallett
Mal Hallett
Mal Hallett was an American jazz violinist and bandleader.Hallett was a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music. He played in France during World War I as a member of Al Moore's orchestra, and led his own band, primarily in New England, for much of the 1930s...
(1943), Gene Krupa
Gene Krupa
Gene Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
(1944–1950), Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
(1949–1950), Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five (1949–1950), Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
(1951–1952), Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
(1953), and the Dave Pell
Dave Pell
Dave Pell is an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader born in New York City.Pell first played in his teens with the big bands of Tony Pastor, Bob Astor, and Bobby Sherwood, and then moved to California in the middle of the 1940s. There he played on Bob Crosby's radio show in 1946, and was a...
Octet (1953–1959). He played on the memorable "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook is a 1963 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with an Orchestra conducted and arranged by Nelson Riddle, focusing on the songs of Jerome Kern....
" album (1963) under the baton of the great Nelson Riddle.
Despite high demand for his services as a lyrical soloist, he only recorded twice as a leader: a half-date for Capitol in 1955 (reissued as part of the Dave Pell Octet CD I Had the Craziest Dream) and a complete project for Mode in 1957 (Music to Fill a Void).
In 1956, Fagerquist signed on as a staff musician for Paramount Films, while still periodically recording with artists such as Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne , born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz and fusion, as well as contributing...
, Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
, and Art Pepper
Art Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
.
Throughout the early- to mid-1960s, Fagerquist's solos could be heard on the recordings of Pete Rugolo
Pete Rugolo
Pietro "Pete" Rugolo was an Italian-born jazz composer and arranger.-Life and career:Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily, Italy. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California...
, Frank Comstock, Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
, Billy May
Billy May
William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
, Paul Weston
Paul Weston
Paul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
, Si Zentner
Si Zentner
Simon H. "Si" Zentner was an American jazz bandleader.Zentner played piano from age four and picked up trombone a few years later. He attended college for music and had intended to pursue a career in classical music, but became more interested in pop music after recording with Andre Kostelanetz...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
and many others.
By 1966, health issues forced Fagerquist to withdraw from studio recording altogether. He died January 24, 1974, at his home in California.