Trumpet ability nonwithstanding.
Kix Keiderbecke?
Bix and then some. Louis didn’t mature until he switched to trumpet.
Bix was the king, even Louis Armstrong admitted that. Before I had ever heard his name, I listened to one of his recordings and thought, “goodness, who *is *that?” Plus, he drank himself to death by age 30, which I feel shows a real dedication and stick-to-it-ivenss.
I also want to add the great, forgotten Valaida Snow–I have a collection of her on my iPod, and she could play the horn *and *sing. Brilliant.
So Chuck Mangione won’t win the thread?
::d&r::
(I kid; I am a Bix man as well…)
Lawrence “Butch” Morris
He’s good, but everybody knows that Kix is for kids.
No, because I’m a native Rochesterian and I still don’t know what a flugelhorn is.
Shoot - that’s right; flugelhorn. :smack:
Bix Beiderbecke.
So I checked off ‘Somebody Else’.
I’m sorry for not including Bix. It was my first poll. I love Bix. And, Eve, I will look up Valaida Snow, as I have none of her music. I have plenty of Bix and Louis.
You *must *hear her version of “I Can’t Dance, I Got Ants In My Pants.”
For me, I’ll have to go with Don Cherry. But that’s at least partially because I consider Armstrong to be as much a trumpet player as cornet. And that, shamefully, I have only passing familiarity with the others on the list. So it’s really just that if you asked me to name a cornet player prior to seeing this thread, Cherry is the only one I’d come up with.
But I think he’s pretty excellent, and as such I’ll stand by it for now!
Bix Beiderbecke was the greatest. He had a clear tone that no one else had. Really something special. King Oliver is a very close second for being so inventive and influential- he was a mentor and father figure to Louis Armstrong.