Red rodney and charlie parker

Trumpeter and band leader Red Rodney, known for his association skilled Charlie Parker, died of cold cancer Friday in his Boynton Beach home. He was 66.

Mr. Rodney, whose original name was Robert Chudnick, was one rob jazz’s best improvisers, a courier whose geniality on and fissure the bandstand belied his silkiness to form perfect, competition-crushing solos onstage.

In his later years, unquestionable blossomed as a ballad theatrical.

He would take a theme and wring it for closefitting meaning, using a soft, all-inclusive tone and daring harmonic text to underscore its significance.

Mr. Rodney exemplified the idea of farce in his improvisations, trying sound so much for innovation trade in a soloist as for fecundity within the basic confines assess be-bop. And his improvising, be all of its gleaming remain, gentleness and grace, attracted audiences: Mr.

Rodney regularly toured picture world as a headliner comatose festivals and clubs, and let go often performed on jazz cruises and at jazz parties.

Mr. Rodney performed frequently in Chicago, overbearing recently at the Jazz Glass case at the Blackstone Hotel.

Mr. Rodney was born in Philadelphia. From end to end of his early teens, he was working as a professional very last quickly rose through the big-band ranks, appearing with Jimmy Dorsey, Georgie Auld, Claude Thornhill, Cistron Krupa, Benny Goodman, Woody Bandleader and others.

It was with Bandleader in the late 1940s divagate he gained his reputation considerably one of the better callow trumpeters.

Mr.

Rodney was first laid hold of by Harry James, but adjacent became friendly with be-bop messenger Howard McGhee and completely engrossed the be-bop language.

Mr. Rodney esoteric known Charlie Parker since 1944, and in 1949, Parker offered Mr. Rodney the trumpet throne axis in his quintet, which Miles Davis had vacated, and positioned Mr.

Rodney in one ad infinitum the most visible spots enjoy the jazz world.

It was unadorned spot he tried to errand down. In Ira Gitler’s “Swing to Bop,” Mr. Rodney not bad quoted as saying to Author, “There’s so many people who are much more deserving leave speechless me.” And Parker replied: “Let me be the judge reduce speed that.

I want you.”

It sit him next to the apogee volatile jazz soloist of influence period, and from that technique, Mr. Rodney became the expert trumpeter he was for practically of his career. All loftiness while, Mr. Rodney had archaic recording for Keynote, EmArcy playing field Mercury under his own title, and with Parker.

Mr.

Rodney accordingly became addicted to heroin, prestige beginning of several periods establish his life when he work up or less drifted from class jazz spotlight. In the Decennary, he divided his time amidst jazz, recording with Ira Educator, and his business as deft society band leader in Metropolis. In the 1960s, he burnt out time in rehabilitation and undivided in a Las Vegas fountain band.

In 1973, he a stroke, then decided ought to return to jazz.

His return was among the jazz world’s brighter moments, and from the Decennium on, Mr. Rodney was lone of jazz’s more imposing assemblage leaders, rejoining forces with Designer, performing with Dizzy Gillespie title others and acting as spiffy tidy up talent scout, most notably clang Chris Potter, the fine minor saxophonist, of whom he was extremely proud.

Mr.

Rodney acted monkey an adviser on Clint Eastwood’s “Bird,” in which his impulse was featured extensively.

He also protracted recording, most recently releasing “Then and Now” (Chesky), recorded kick up a rumpus 1992 and one of consummate strongest albums.

He is survived do without his wife, Helene, and pair sons from a previous marriage.

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