David Amram, Composer, 1930, Philadelphia, PA
David is an accomplished french horn player as well as a classical and jazz composer. He attended the Oberlin College Conservatory, graduating in 1948. After military service he worked as a french horn player in Paris during the mid '50s. It was there that he recorded with Lionel Hampton's band in1955. He later moved to New York and performed with Charles Mingus and Oscar Pettiford and also co-led a group with George Barrow. This group performed regularly at the Five Spot Cafe until the mid '60s. During the following years David became well-known as a composer of orchestral and instrumental works. He did a considerable amount of writing for the New York Shakespeare Festival and also worked on film scores. He was the first composer-in-residence of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1966-67 where he conducted concerts for children and held workshops. Today, David composes and performs music of a higher quality than many other third stream musicians.
Roswell Rudd, Trombone, 1935, Sharon, CT
Roswell studied the french horn from around the age of ten before teaching himself the trombone when in his teens. During the late '50s he played with Eli's Chosen Six, a dixieland band, while attending Yale University. During the early '60s he worked in a groups with Steve Lacy and Dennis Charles that for some time exclusively played the music of Thelonious Monk. Around this time he also became involved in free-jazz in a group led by Bill Dixon. In 1968 he and Lee Konitz, Robin Kenyatta, and Karl Berger formed the Primordial Quartet. The size and membership of this ensemble varied greatly over the next few years. After the group disbanded in 1970 he wrote compositions for theJazz Composer's Orchestra. He performed and recorded as a leader into the 1980s. Rudd has many qualities as a trombonist which are usually associated with early jazz trombonists; a large, warm tone, punctuated by growls, and a deeply felt sense of rhythm.
Wayne Andre, Trombone, 1931, Manchester, CT
