Rafael "Ralph" Escudero was a bassist and tubist active on the early American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 scene.

Escudero began playing bass in a school band at age 12, and moved to New York City, playing with the New Amsterdam Musical Association

New Amsterdam Musical Association

Founded in 1904, the New Amsterdam Musical Association, NAMA is the oldest African-American musical organization in the United States. It was founded at the time that the American Federation of Musicians Local 310 did not admit minority musicians and the law stated that one had to be in the union...

 in 1920-21. In 1923 he was playing with Wilbur Sweatman

Wilbur Sweatman

Wilbur C. Sweatman was an African-American ragtime and dixieland jazz composer, bandleader, and clarinetist....

 at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 when Fletcher Henderson

Fletcher Henderson

James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...

 overheard his playing and offered him a job. He remained in Henderson's employ until 1926, when he joined McKinney's Cotton Pickers

McKinney's Cotton Pickers

McKinney's Cotton Pickers were an African American jazz band founded in Detroit in 1926 by William McKinney, who expanded his Synco Septet to ten pieces. Cuba Austin took over for McKinney early on drums....

, where he played and recorded until 1931. In the 1930s he played with Kaiser Marshall

Kaiser Marshall

Joseph "Kaiser" Marshall was an American jazz drummer.Marshall was raised in Boston, where he studied under George L. Stone. He played with Charlie Dixon before moving to New York City early in the 1920s...

, the Savoy Bearcats

Savoy Bearcats

The Savoy Bearcats were an eleven-piece jazz band, led by Leon Abbey, which was the house band at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City from its opening in 1926 to 1928. The band's name was changed from the Charleston Bearcats while they were at the Savoy...

, and W.C. Handy, then returned to Puerto Rico, playing there into the 1960s.