Milt Bernhart, Trombone, 1926, Valparaiso, In
Milt Bernhart studied the tuba from the age of ten and switched to the trombone two years later. At 16, Milt played for Boyd Raeburn for a short while in Chicago before moving to Hollywood in 1943. Milt was Stan Kenton's main soloists from 1946 to late 1951, and also played once more with Boyd Raeburn in 1947, and with Benny Goodman in 1948. During the 1950s he performed and recorded frequently on the West Coast with such musicians as Maynard Ferguson, Howard Rumsey, and Shorty Rogers. Bernhart worked as a member of the staff orchestra at Columbia Pictures from the mid '50s to 1958. Milt was next active as a freelance musician in clubs, television, films and recording studios. Bernhart was in large measure responsible for the full, rounded tone of Kenton's trombone section, as was Kai Winding. His numerous solos, especially on ballads are characterized by powerful playing, a full sound and harmonics typical of early bop. Milt was also in great demand by singers. He worked extensively for Frank Sinatra. A classic solo of Milt's can be heard on Sinatra's wonderful rendition of "I've Got You Under My Skin". Milt Berhart died in February of this year. A true gentleman and musician that leaves a big void.
Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet, 1917, Dillon, SC
Like many musicians, Jimmy started his musical training on an instrument that was not to be his primary choice. He started with brass instruments before switching to reeds. Jimmy's first major performances were with Lucky Millinder, Jimmy Mundy, Mercer Ellington, Teddy Wilson, and by the early '40s, Eddie Heywood. In 1943 Jimmy went with Duke Ellington's orchestra and performed most of the clarinet solos. It didn't take him long to establish his own identity, and he was much featured by Duke until he left the band in 1968. He next moved to the Virgin Islands, where he continued to perform and also teach clarinet during most of the 1970s. In the 1980s Jimmy returned to the U.S. and again worked with Mercer Ellington, recorded, and toured Europe as a soloist. Hamilton's clarinet technique was excellent, and he always seemed able to develop new ideas within his improvised solos. Even though Jimmy occasionally led his own recording bands, his playing seemed much more relaxed when working within Ellington's orchestra, particularly in the various suites. Many musicians, like Jimmy Hamilton, who made it to the Ellington orchestra, more or less found a musical home there, and remained for many years.
Wallace Roney, Trumpet, 1960, Philadelphia, PA
Wallace studied music at Howard University and the Duke Ellington School before joining the big-band of Abdullah Ibrahim in the late '70s Two years later Wallace joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, establishing himself as an exciting soloist and reliable front-line player. He next worked in the bands of Cindy Blackman and Tony Williams, and in the early 1990s recorded with Marvin "Smitty" Smith. During the 1990s Wallace played with a variety of bands, including Geri Allen, Kenny Baron, Randy Weston, and Kenny Garret. Around this time he also worked with "tribute" bands, and toured with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams in the Miles Davis tribute quintet, and appeared on a "Re-Birth of the Cool" session led by Gerry Mulligan. He also worked on a tribute to Clifford Brown under the direction of singer Helen Merrill. Wallace played in the last concerts of both Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. A surprisingly subtle player more often compared with Howard McGee than Miles, Roney has released six albums, with top-notch sidemen, under his own name, for Muse Records.
