Red Allen
Background information
Birth name	Henry Allen
Also known as	"Red"
Born	ca. January 7, 1906 or 1908
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Died	April 17, 1967
Genre(s)	Jazz, dixieland
Occupation(s)	Trumpeter
Instrument(s)	Trumpet
Associated acts	King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Steve Lacy

Henry "Red" Allen (January 7, 1906 or 1908 (see talk) – April 17, 1967) was a jazz trumpeter whose style has been claimed to be the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Dixieland or Dixie is a name for the southeastern portion of the USA; see Southern United States, Dixie. A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Joe "King" Oliver, ( December 19, 1885 &ndash April 10, 1938) was a Jazz Cornet player and Bandleader This article is about the jazz musician For the CEO of Meredith see Steve Lacy (businessman. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States

Life

Henry James Allen was born in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of the noted bandleader Henry Allen. Algiers is a community within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish Louisiana on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana He took early trumpet lessons from Peter Bocage and Manuel Manetta. Peter Edwin Bocage ( 4 August, 1887 - 3 December, 1967) was a New Orleans Jazz musician Manuel "Fess" Manetta (October 3 1889 - October 10 1969 was an American Jazz multi-instrumentalist

Allen was playing professionally by 1924, playing with the Excelsior Brass Band and the jazz dance bands of Sam Morgan, George Lewis and John Casimir. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sam Morgan (1895 - 1936 was a New Orleans Jazz Trumpet player and Bandleader. George Lewis ( 13 July, 1900 &ndash 31 December, 1968) was an American Jazz Clarinetist who achieved his greatest fame and John Casimir ( 16 October, 1898 &ndash 3 January, 1963) was a New Orleans Jazz Clarinetist and Bandleader After playing on riverboats on the Mississippi River, he went to New York City in 1927 to join King Oliver's band. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The City of New York Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Joe "King" Oliver, ( December 19, 1885 &ndash April 10, 1938) was a Jazz Cornet player and Bandleader At this time he also made recordings on the side in the band of Clarence Williams. Clarence Williams ( October 8, 1898 &ndash November 6, 1965) was an American Jazz Pianist, Composer, promoter After returning briefly to New Orleans where he worked with the bands of Fate Marable and Fats Pichon, he was offered a recording contract with Victor Records and returned to New York, where he also joined the Luis Russell band, which was fronted by Louis Armstrong in the late 1930's. Fate Marable ( 2 December 1890 – 16 January 1947) was a Jazz Pianist and bandleader Walter "Fats" Pichon ( April 3[[ 906]] (? - 25 February, 1967 in Chicago Illinois Victrola redirects here For other uses see Victrola (disambiguation The Victor Talking Machine Company ( 1901 – 1929 Luis Russell ( 6 August, 1902 - 11 December, 1963) was a Jazz Pianist and bandleader. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter

From 1929 on, Allen joined Luis Russell's Orchestra where he was a featured soloist until he joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in 1934. Luis Russell ( 6 August, 1902 - 11 December, 1963) was a Jazz Pianist and bandleader. Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr ( December 18, 1897 &ndash December 28, 1952) was an American pianist bandleader Arranger He also made a series of recordings in late 1931 with Don Redman, and played with Lucky Millinder's Mills Blue Rhythm Band from 1934 to 1937, when he returned to Luis Russell for three more years at a time when this orchestra was often fronted by Louis Armstrong. Donald Matthew Redman ( July 29, 1900, Piedmont, West Virginia - November 30, 1964, New York) was an American Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder ( August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American The Mills Blue Rhythm Band was an American Big band of the 1930s Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Luis Russell ( 6 August, 1902 - 11 December, 1963) was a Jazz Pianist and bandleader. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Allen continued making many recordings under his own name, as well as recording with Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton as well as accompanying vocalists including Victoria Spivey and Billie Holiday. Fats Waller (born Thomas Wright Waller on May 21, 1904 &mdash December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton ( ca September 20, 1885 or October 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941) was an Victoria Spivey ( 15 October 1906 - 3 October 1976) was an American Blues Singer and Songwriter Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7 1915 – July 17 1959 was an American Jazz singer and songwriter After a short stint with Benny Goodman, Allen started leading his own band at The Famous Door in Manhattan. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York He then toured with his band around the USA into the late 1950s. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive

Allen then returned to working under his own name making more tours of the USA and Europe until his death on April 17, 1967 in New York City. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. The City of New York

Style and influence

Red Allen's trumpet style has been said by some critics to be the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong and then go beyond Armstrong. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Allen's recordings received much favorable attention. His versatility is shown by his winning of Down Beat awards in both the traditional jazz and the modern jazz categories. Down Beat is an American Magazine devoted to "jazz blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively In 1959 he joined Kid Ory's band, with whom Allen made his first tour of Europe. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Edward "Kid" Ory ( December 25, 1886 &ndash January 23, 1973) was a Jazz trombonist and Bandleader He made a celebrated appearance on the legendary "Sound Of Jazz" television show on which he nearly stole the show; the program, filmed "live" in December 1957 is still considered the greatest jazz television program ever recorded. The Sound of Jazz was a landmark Television program that was part of CBS 's Seven Lively Arts series Only Billie Holiday's singing matched his performance on that historical program. Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7 1915 – July 17 1959 was an American Jazz singer and songwriter

Discography

• World on a String

Further reading

• Ride, Red, Ride - The Life of Henry "Red" Allen by John Chilton, Continuum, 1999

External links

• Red Allen on Red Hot Jazz site