• Name: Roy Eldridge
• Birthday: 01/30/1911
• Birth Place: Pittsburgh, PA
• Died: 02/26/1989
• Decades Active: 1930,1940,1950,1960,1970,1980
• Genre: Jazz
• Styles: Mainstream Jazz, Swing, Big Band
• Moods: Amiable/Good-Natured, Carefree, Elegant, Exuberant, Playful, Stylish, Joyous

Title	Release
Frédéric van Rossum	2005
Little Jazz: Trumpet Giant	05/25/2004
Little Jazz Giant	02/17/2004
Dale's Wail [Proper]	2004
Gasser	2004
King David in Paris...and Stockholm Too	2004
Swing Is Here	2004
1951 WA	09/23/2003
Wild Driver	02/25/2003
Little Jazz Giant: The Gasser (1935-1946)	2003
Little Jazz Giant: The Heat's On (1951-1952)	2003
Little Jazz Giant: Wild Driver (1944-1950)	2003
Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams	12/04/2002
I Can't Get Started	11/29/2002
1950-1951	10/02/2002
Decidedly	07/09/2002
Man I Love	10/25/2000
The Amazing Trumpet of Little Jazz: 1936-1946	04/11/2000
1945-1947	01/12/1999
1950-1960: Little Jazz	10/27/1998
Roy Eldridge & His Little Jazz, Vol. 1	08/25/1998
Roy Eldridge & His Little Jazz, Vol. 2	08/25/1998
An Introduction: His Best Recordings 1935-46	01/13/1998
Rossini: Petite Messe Solennelle	1998
1935-1940	11/19/1996
1935-1944	02/22/1996
Heckler's Hop	12/07/1995
Fiesta in Brass	10/17/1995
The Big Sound of Little Jazz	10/1995
With Eddie Locke & His Friends	06/20/1995
Little Jazz [Jazz Archive]	1995
Little Jazz: The Best of Verve Years	1994
What It's All About	01/16/1976
Happy Time	06/04/1975
Jazz Maturity....Where It's Coming From	06/03/1975
Little Jazz & The Jimmy Ryan All-Stars	04/07/1975
Nifty Cat	11/24/1970
Swingin' on the Town	06/02/1960
That Warm Feeling	10/11/1957
Tour de Force	11/02/1955
Roy and Diz	10/29/1954
Roy Eldridge Collates	1952
Roy Eldridge in Paris	06/09/1950
Frenchie Roy	1950
1943-1944	11/16/1943
Uptown	05/08/1941
Arcadia Shuffle	08/05/1939
After You've Gone	02/05/1936
Little Jazz [CBS]	02/26/1935

One of the most exciting trumpeters to emerge during the swing era, Roy Eldridge's combative approach, chancetaking style and strong musicianship were an inspiration (and an influence) to the next musical generation, most notably Dizzy Gillespie. Although he sometimes pushed himself farther than he could go, Eldridge never played a dull solo!

Roy Eldridge started out playing trumpet and drums in carnival and circus bands. With the Nighthawk Syncopators he received a bit of attention by playing a note-for-note recreation of Coleman Hawkins' tenor solo on "The Stampede." Inspired by the dynamic playing of Jabbo Smith (Eldridge would not discover Louis Armstrong for a few years), Roy played with some territory bands including Zack Whyte and Speed Webb and in New York (where he arrive in 1931) he worked with Elmer Snowden (who nicknamed him "Little Jazz"), McKinney's Cotton Pickers and most importantly Teddy Hill (1935). Eldridge's recorded solos with Hill, backing Billie Holiday and with Fletcher Henderson (including his 1936 hit "Christopher Columbus") gained a great deal of attention. In 1937 he appeared with his octet (which included brother Joe on alto) at the Three Deuces Club in Chicago and recorded some outstanding selections as a leader including "Heckler's Hop" and "Wabash Stomp." By 1939 Roy had a larger group playing at the Arcadia Ballroom in New York. With the decline of Bunny Berigan and the increasing predictability of Louis Armstrong, Eldridge was arguably the top trumepter in jazz during this era.

During 1941-42 Eldridge sparked Gene Krupa's Orchestra, recording classic versions of "Rockin' Chair" and "After You've Gone" and interacting with Anita O'Day on "Let Me Off Uptown." The difficulties of travelling with a White band during a racist period hurt him as did some of the incidents that occurred during his stay with Artie Shaw (1944-45) but the music during both stints was quite memorable. Eldridge can be seen in several "soundies" (short promotional film devoted to single songs) of this era by the Krupa band, often in association with O'Day, including "Let Me Off Uptown" and "Thanks for the Boogie Ride." He is also very prominent in the band's appearance in Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire, in an extended performance of "Drum Boogie" mimed by Barbara Stanwyck, taking a long trumpet solo -- the clip was filmed soon after Eldridge joined the band in late April of 1941, and "Drum Boogie" was a song that Eldridge co-wrote with Krupa.

Eldridge had a short-lived big band of his own, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic and then had a bit of an identity crisis when he realized that his playing was not as modern as the beboppers. A successful stay in France during 1950-51 restored his confidence when he realized that being original was more important than being up-to-date. Eldridge recorded steadily for Norman Granz in the 1950s, was one of the stars of JATP (where he battled Charlie Shavers and Dizzy Gillespie) and by 1956 was often teamed with Coleman Hawkins in a quintet; their 1957 appearance at Newport was quite memorable. The 1960s were tougher as recording opportunities and work became rarer. Eldridge had brief and unhappy stints with Count Basie's Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald (feeling unnecessary in both contexts) but was leading his own group by the end of the decade. He spent much of the 1970s playing regularly at Ryan's and recording for Pablo and, although his range had shrunk a bit, Eldridge's competitive spirit was still very much intact. Only a serious stroke in 1980 was able to halt his horn. Roy Eldridge recorded throughout his career for virtually every label. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide