Urbie Green facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Urbie Green
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Urbie Green at the Village Jazz Lounge in Walt Disney World (photo by Laura Kolb)
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Urban Clifford Green |
| Born | August 8, 1926 Mobile, Alabama |
| Died | December 31, 2018 (aged 92) Hellertown, Pennsylvania |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Trombone |
| Labels | Vanguard, Bethlehem, CTI, Paramount, Command, RCA |
| Associated acts | Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Jan Savitt, Frankie Carle |
Urban Clifford "Urbie" Green (born August 8, 1926 – died December 31, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He was known for his smooth and clear playing style. Urbie Green played with many famous bands, including those led by Woody Herman and Gene Krupa.
He was a very busy musician, playing on more than 250 recordings. He also released over two dozen of his own albums as a solo artist. In 1995, he was honored by being added to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Early Life and Music
Urbie Green was born in Mobile, Alabama, in the United States. His mother taught him to play the piano when he was a young child. He learned many jazz and popular songs from the very beginning.
When he was about 12 years old, he started playing the trombone. Both of his older brothers also played the trombone. Even though he listened to other trombonists, he said he was more inspired by the styles of musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He also found inspiration in the singing of Perry Como and Louis Armstrong. During his time at Auburn High School, he was a member of The Auburn Knights Orchestra.
A Career in Jazz
Urbie Green began his music career at the age of fifteen after his father passed away. He first played with Tommy Reynolds in California. After that, he performed with other bandleaders like Bob Strong, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle. He even finished high school in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Professional School.
In 1947, Urbie joined Gene Krupa's popular band. Three years later, he and his brother Jack became part of Woody Herman's famous "Thundering Herd" orchestra.
In 1953, he moved to New York City. Just one year later, he was voted "New Star trombonist" in a big poll by Down Beat magazine. This was a huge honor for him. During the 1950s and 1960s, he toured with Benny Goodman. He even led the Tommy Dorsey orchestra after Dorsey passed away in 1956.
Urbie also worked with record producer Enoch Light on several albums. These included The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green and 21 Trombones. In his later years, Urbie Green lived with his second wife, Kathy, who was a jazz singer. They lived in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.
Urbie Green continued to play live music for many years. He performed at the Delaware Water Gap Celebration of the Arts (COTA) Festival every September. He kept playing at this festival even into the last years of his life.
Urbie's Music: Albums and Recordings
A discography is a list of all the recordings an artist has made. Urbie Green released many albums where he was the main artist, or "leader." This means the album was mostly about his playing.
Here are some of the albums where Urbie Green was the leader:
- New Faces - New Sounds (1953)
- All About Urbie Green and His Big Band (1955)
- Blues and Other Shades of Green (1955)
- Urbie East Coast Jazz/6 (1955)
- Slidin' Swing (1957)
- Jimmy McHugh in Hi-Fi (1958)
- Let's Face the Music and Dance (1958)
- The Best of New Broadway Show Hits (1959)
- His Trombone and Rhythm (1959)
- The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green (1960)
- Cole Porter Swings Easy in Stereo (1961)
- Urbie Green and His 6-Tet (1963)
- Twenty-One Trombones (1967)
- Twenty-One Trombones Vol. Two (1969)
- Green Power (1971)
- Bein' Green (1972)
- Old Time Modern (1973)
- Urbie Green's Big Beautiful Band (1974)
- The Fox (1977)
- Señor Blues (1977)
- Oleo (1978)
- The Message (1986)
- Umpteen Trombones (1987)
- Just Friends (Live at EJ's, 1996)
- Sea Jam Blues (1997)
- Indigo Moods (2006)
