Red Callender

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Red Callender

| image =

| image_size =

| landscape =

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| birth_name = George Sylvester Callender

| birth_date = {{birth date|1916|3|6}}

| birth_place = Haynesville, Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1992|3|8|1916|3|6}}

| death_place = Saugus, California

| genre = Jazz

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Double bass, tuba

| years_active =

| label =

| past_member_of = The Wrecking Crew

}}

George Sylvester "Red" Callender (March 6, 1916 – March 8, 1992){{cite book|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|page=73/4xx}} was an American string bass and tuba player. He is perhaps best known as a jazz musician, but worked with an array of pop, rock and vocal acts as a member of The Wrecking Crew, a group of first-call session musicians in Los Angeles. Callender also co-wrote the 1959 top-10 hit "Primrose Lane".

Biography

Callender was born in Haynesville, Virginia, United States. In the early 1940s, he played in the Lester and Lee Young band, and then formed his own trio. In the 1940s, Callender recorded with Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, Uffe Baadh and many others. After a period spent leading a trio in Hawaii, Callender returned to Los Angeles, becoming one of the first black musicians to work regularly in the commercial studios, including backing singer Linda Hayes on two singles. He made his recording debut at 19 with Louis Armstrong's band.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-10-mn-3567-story.html |title=Red Callender; Jazz Bass Player and Tuba Virtuoso |first=Berkley |last=Hudson |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=10 March 1992}} However, he later turned down offers to work with Duke Ellington's Orchestra and the Louis Armstrong All-Stars.{{cite web |title=Red Callender: A Very Quiet Giant|url=https://syncopatedtimes.com/red-callender-a-very-quiet-giant/|website= The Syncopated Times |date=31 October 2020 |access-date=11 November 2020 }}

On his 1957 Crown LP Speaks Low, Callender was one of the earliest modern jazz tuba soloists. Keeping busy up until his death, some of the highlights of the bassist's later career include recording with Art Tatum and Jo Jones (1955–1956) for the Tatum Group, playing with Charles Mingus at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival, working with James Newton's avant-garde woodwind quintet (on tuba), and performing as a regular member of the Cheatham's Sweet Baby Blues Band. He also reached the top of the British pop charts as a member of B. Bumble and the Stingers. In November 1964, he was introduced and highlighted in performance with entertainer Danny Kaye, in a duet on the Fred Astaire introduced George and Ira Gershwin song, "Slap That Bass", for Kaye's CBS-TV variety show.

Callender died of thyroid cancer at his home in Saugus, California.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/11/obituaries/red-callender-dies-jazz-bassist-was-76.html |title=Red Callender Dies; Jazz Bassist Was 76 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 March 1992}}

Discography

=As leader=

1956: Swingin' Suite (Modern)
1957: Red Callender Speaks Low (Crown){{Cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/modern/crown/crown5000.html|title=Crown Album Discography, Part 1 (1957-1959)|website=Bsnpubs.com|access-date=February 2, 2020}}
1958: The Lowest (MetroJazz)
1973: Basin Street Brass (Legend)
1984: Night Mist Blues (Hemisphere)
¿? : Red Callender Sextet & Fourtette{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-callender-mn0000455432/discography|title=Red Callender | Album Discography|website=AllMusic|access-date=February 2, 2020}}

=As sideman=

With Gregg Allman Band

Playin' Up a Storm (Capricorn Records, 1977)

With Patti Austin

The Real Me (Qwest Records, 1988)

With Frankie Avalon

...And Now About Mr. Avalon (Chancellor, 1961)

With The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (Capitol, 1964)

With Harry Belafonte

Belafonte Sings the Blues (RCA Victor, 1959)

With Louis Bellson

Big Band Jazz from the Summit (Roulette, 1962)

With Judy Carmichael

Two Handed Stride (Progressive, 1982)
Pearls (Jazzology, 1985)

With Benny Carter

Cosmopolite (Norgran, 1954)

With John Carter

Dauwhe (Black Saint, 1982)

With Nat King Cole

Wild Is Love (Capitol, 1960)
Let's Face the Music! (Capitol, 1964)

With Buddy Collette

Man of Many Parts (Contemporary, 1956)
Jazz Loves Paris (Speciality, 1958)
Porgy & Bess (Interlude, 1959)

With Ry Cooder

Paradise and Lunch (Reprise Records, 1974)
Chicken Skin Music (Reprise Records, 1976)
Jazz (Warner Bros. Records, 1978)

With Sam Cooke

Twistin' the Night Away (RCA Victor, 1962)
Mr. Soul (RCA Victor, 1963)

With Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles (Atco, 1962)

With Willie Dixon

Hidden Charms (Capitol, 1988)

With Donovan

7-Tease (Epic Records, 1974)

With Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson Octet (EmArcy, 1955)

With Dizzy Gillespie

The New Continent (Limelight, 1962)

With Johnny Hodges

In a Tender Mood (Norgran, 1955)
The Blues (Norgran, 1955)

With Paul Horn

Plenty of Horn (Dot, 1958)
Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts (RCA Victor, 1965) with Lalo Schifrin

With Plas Johnson

This Must Be the Plas (Capitol Records, 1959)

With B.B. King

Blues in My Heart (Crown Records, 1962)
L.A. Midnight (ABC Records, 1972)

With Peggy Lee

Jump for Joy (Capitol Records, 1959)

With Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)

With Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Warner Bros. Records, 1976)

With The Monkees

Instant Replay (Colgems, 1969)

With Maria Muldaur

Waitress in a Donut Shop (Reprise Records, 1974)

With Randy Newman

Good Old Boys (Reprise Records, 1974)

With Gene Parsons

Kindling (Warner Bros. Records, 1973)

With Pete Rugolo

Rugolo Plays Kenton (EmArcy, 1958)
The Original Music of Thriller (Time, 1961)

With Mavis Rivers and Shorty Rogers

Mavis Meets Shorty (Riverside, 1963)

With Art Tatum

The Art Tatum - Ben Webster Quartet (Verve, 1958)
Presenting... The Art Tatum Trio (with Jo Jones, Verve, 1957)

With James Taylor

In the Pocket (Rhino Records, 1976)
JT (Columbia Records, 1977)

With Mel Tormé

Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley (Verve, 1960)
Swingin' on the Moon (Verve, 1960)

With Gerald Wilson

Calafia (Trend, 1985)

With Betty Wright

Wright Back At You (Epic Records, 1983)

Bibliography

{{cite book |title=Unfinished Dream: The Musical World of Red Callender |first1=Red |last1=Callender |first2=Elaine |last2=Cohen |others=Introduction by Stanley Dance |year=1985 |publisher=Quartet Books |isbn=978-0704325074 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/unfinisheddreamm00call_0 }}