Melvin "Sy" Oliver was a jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. His mother was a piano teacher and his father was a multi-instrumentalist who made a name for himself demonstrating saxophones at a time that instrument was little used outside of marching bands. Oliver left home at 17 to play with Zack Whyte and his Chocolate Beau Brummels and later with Alphonse Trent. He sang and played trumpet with these bands, becoming known for his "growling" horn playing.

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  • Melvin "Sy" Oliver was a jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. His mother was a piano teacher and his father was a multi-instrumentalist who made a name for himself demonstrating saxophones at a time that instrument was little used outside of marching bands. Oliver left home at 17 to play with Zack Whyte and his Chocolate Beau Brummels and later with Alphonse Trent. He sang and played trumpet with these bands, becoming known for his "growling" horn playing. He joined Jimmie Lunceford's band in 1933 and contributed many hit arrangements to the band, including "My Blue Heaven" and "Ain't She Sweet". In 1939, he became one of the first African Americans with a prominent role in a white band when he joined Tommy Dorsey as an arranger, though he ceased playing trumpet at that time. (Fletcher Henderson joined the Benny Goodman orchestra as the arranger in the same year. ) He led the transition of the Dorsey band from Dixieland to modern big band. His joining was instrumental in Buddy Rich's decision to join Dorsey. His arrangement of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" was a big hit for Dorsey, as were his own compositions "Yes Indeed" (a gospel-jazz tune that was later recorded by Ray Charles), "Opus One," "The Minor is Muggin'," "T.D. 's Boogie Woogie," and "Well, Git It. " After leaving Dorsey, Oliver continued working as a free-lance arranger---one of his more successful such efforts was the Frank Sinatra album I Remember Tommy, a combined tribute to each man's former boss---and as music director for Decca Records. In later years, up until 1980, he led his own jazz band, for which he took up the trumpet again.
  • Melvin James "Sy" Oliver war Jazztrompeter, Arrangeur, Komponist, Sänger und Bandleader. Oliver ist der Sohn von Musikern (Musiklehrer, Konzertsänger). Bei seinem Vater lernte er Trompete. Nach dem Abschluss der High School war er bei Zack White als Musiker tätig, später bei Alphonse Trent. Zwischen 1933 und 1939 spielte und sang er in der Band von Jimmie Lunceford und steuerte viele Arrangements und deren spezifischen Sound bei. Anschließend spielte er mit Tommy Dorsey (bis 1943, ab 1945) und war der erste Afroamerikaner, der eine wichtige Rolle in einer „weißen“ Band spielte. Oliver hatte viele Jahre lang seine eigene Jazzband, mit der auch im Rundfunk auftrat. Seit dem Ende der 1940er betätigte er sich auch als Schallplattenproduzent für Decca Records, komponierte für das Fernsehen und war ab 1959 als Arrangeur in den Schallplattenstudios beschäftigt. Zu den Kompositionen von Oliver gehören das durch Ray Charles bekannte „Yes Indeed“, aber auch „For Dancers Only“, „Opus I“ und „Easy Does It“.
  • Melvin "Sy" Oliver était un arrangeur, trompettiste, compositeur, chanteur et chef d'orchestre de jazz. Sa mère était professeur de piano et son père jouait de plusieurs instruments : il s'était fait connaitre en utilisant le saxophone à une époque où cet instrument était très peu utilisé en dehors des fanfares. Oliver a quitté ses parents à 17 ans pour jouer avec Zack White and his Chocolate Beau Brummels et plus tard avec Alphonse Trent. Il chantait et jouait de la trompette. En 1933 il rejoint l'orchestre de Jimmie Lunceford et contribue à de nombreux arrangements de l'orchestre, dont "My Blue Heaven" et "Ain't She Sweet". En 1939, il rejoint l'orchestre de Tommy Dorsey comme arrangeur et devient ainsi le premier noir américain à occuper une place importante dans un orchestre blanc. Il acccompagene la transition de l'orchestre de Dorsey du Dixieland au jazz moderne et convainc Buddy Rich d'intégrer l'orchestre. Son arrangement de "On the Sunny Side of the Street" a été un grand succès pour Dorsey, comme si cela avait été sa propre composition, "Yes Indeed", un gospel sera enregistré plus tard par Ray Charles. Après avoir quitté Dorsey, il continua de travailler comme arrangeur indépendant et comme directeur musical pour Decca Records. Dans ses dernières années et jusqu'en 1980, il dirigea son propre orchestre et joua à nouveau de la trompette.
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  • Melvin "Sy" Oliver was a jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. His mother was a piano teacher and his father was a multi-instrumentalist who made a name for himself demonstrating saxophones at a time that instrument was little used outside of marching bands. Oliver left home at 17 to play with Zack Whyte and his Chocolate Beau Brummels and later with Alphonse Trent. He sang and played trumpet with these bands, becoming known for his "growling" horn playing.
  • Melvin James "Sy" Oliver war Jazztrompeter, Arrangeur, Komponist, Sänger und Bandleader. Oliver ist der Sohn von Musikern (Musiklehrer, Konzertsänger). Bei seinem Vater lernte er Trompete. Nach dem Abschluss der High School war er bei Zack White als Musiker tätig, später bei Alphonse Trent. Zwischen 1933 und 1939 spielte und sang er in der Band von Jimmie Lunceford und steuerte viele Arrangements und deren spezifischen Sound bei.
  • Melvin "Sy" Oliver était un arrangeur, trompettiste, compositeur, chanteur et chef d'orchestre de jazz. Sa mère était professeur de piano et son père jouait de plusieurs instruments : il s'était fait connaitre en utilisant le saxophone à une époque où cet instrument était très peu utilisé en dehors des fanfares. Oliver a quitté ses parents à 17 ans pour jouer avec Zack White and his Chocolate Beau Brummels et plus tard avec Alphonse Trent. Il chantait et jouait de la trompette.
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  • Sy Oliver
  • Sy Oliver
  • Sy Oliver
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