MUSICAL CONTRIBUTION OF JACK TEAGARDEN AND THE CHOICE IN

HIS CAREER

Trombone play an important role in swing era (1930-1945), trombonist enjoyed a very
important role in jazz brass ensemble, not only as a counter melody to accompany or prominent
the trumpeter but also an incredible instruments to create flowing music by itself. Besides Louis
Armstrong that always mentioned his name when talked about swing, we do have a legend of
trombone player, which is Jack Teagarden who contribute very well in order to make the swing
brass ensemble successful and noted down into history. He is the pioneer of ‘Warm jazz’ that full
of emotional meaning and compassion that praised by the jazz age bandleader, Paul Whiteman.
His contribution include expand the role of instrument beyond the old tailgate style and the
ability of blending the different element such as blues in every of his music. In this essay, I
would like to talk about the contribution of the Jack Teagarden and others trombone players in
jazz circle and the characteristic of a successful player.

Swing was a genre that born to serve music as an entertainment to all kind of people
(black and white) with majority of the player play such a lively, lyrical, relax and smooth styles
to earn their living. At the same time, they created ‘music’ that was easily to be remember, gave
deep impression to the audience also to the history. As example, the piece ‘body and soul’
written in year 1930 covered reduplicative by countless of musicians. Throughout the swing era,
trombone play an important part to flourish swing music not only as a little part from the band
and soloist but also formed their own bands and built careers after the global economy crash of
1929, with the entire nation tightening its belt, widespread unemployment made musicians and
entertainers livelihood precarious at best (Schuller, 1989). Duke Ellington once says that “Jazz is
music; swing is business”(2008) by Simone, the rise of many jazz band such as Paul Whiteman
orchestra, the Duke Ellington orchestra and Fletcher Henderson’s band gave major economic
impacts on music industry such as purchase of recording and band tickets. Majority of the
trombone players such as Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey and Dicky Wells in and out from the
orchestra of Paul Whiteman, Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington orchestra. Some of them
form their own orchestra too, the action makes the swing jazz circle become more and more
mature and popular.
 Jack Teagarden was the most influential trombone player of swing era, his advanced
technique to interpret his own music was flawless and wish for earnestly long for me. From his
album, shapes of night the melody was played smooth and lyrical enough like ‘cantabile’, sound
‘singing’ for me. The tone that played by him was much clearer and lighter or ‘pure’ compared
to others trombone recording I heard, every note he played was connected beautifully together
with ‘slide vibrato’ and ‘growl’ in certain point of a phrase, created such a beautiful music. The
success of his trombone playing attributed to his good singing style which many ways similar to
his trombone playing. During his day, Teagarden was perhaps the only white male singer of note
in the jazz idiom (David Wilken, 2018). His kind of fluidity playing drive many other trombonist
‘crazily’ imitate this technique and had an enormous influence on trombonists after him.

“Teagardens approach and individuality were of such unusual quality and great
importance that no one has ever captured or completely understood the indefinable manner he
had of handling musical ideas. From the moment he raised his horn to his lips, he established an
instant and meaningful communication with everyone listening. More profound than just another
man playing a horn, Jack had a way of playing jazz that communicated things that had never
been heard before” (Allen, 1977)

His contribution towards jazz circle can be seen when a lot of jazz band starts to emerge
include Jack Teagarden’s band, Dorsey Brothers Orchestra and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, these
band’s inserted some feelings of Jack Teagarden ingeniously. Due to the respect towards Jack
Tea Garden, Tommy Dorsey refused to play a solo while Teagarden was in the same room
(Simon, p.213). Of course, there still have more trombone player using same kind of idea and
created a brand new characteristic playing of himself like Benny Morton which he was loved to
use fewer notes to say more (Collier, 1978, p.137).

According to Kurt Dietrich (2005), “Teagarden brought the trombone in terms of

technique into a new era.” His sensitivity towards the pitch allowed him to develop various
advance technique since he was a teenager. His habit to used upper register extensively expanded
trombone range and changed the perception of amateur player towards trombone that only
played in low register and excavated the capabilities on trombone. A jazz trombonist seldom use
the positions above fourth position due to the advanced embouchure flexibility that play above
the standard limits of trombone that have more harmonic series, the notes are physically closer.
This allows the embouchure to facilitate fast figures without the use of tongue or we can say as
natural slur, therefore adding increased velocity and various changes in articulation. Teagarden
was unquestionably the first trombonist to utilize this technique, and this technique fully utilized
by the trombone player after him and the most famous player is J.J. Johnson which we could
more appreciated about Teagarden’s contribution. The advanced technical abilities also allowed
Teagarden to create more swinging, enhanced, and polished style to the jazz trombone. There are
a lot more of Jack Teagarden than his colorful character. Jim Cullum says (2012) by Margaret,
“Teagarden became the greatest of all Texas jazzmen; he revolutionized the role of trombone in
jazz and is still thought of as its greatest exponent. His virtuosity brought a depth of feeling, or
‘soul’ to his playing and singing, which seldom equaled by trombonist nowadays.

Undoubtedly, Jack Teagarden is the king of jazz trombone in the swing era. Even with
his great personal ability and contribution that able influence the jazz world, but his deed to lead
the small and big bands did not played a very significant role towards jazz history. He did played
in different famous orchestra such as Paul Whiteman, Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington
orchestra in a long period of time, but most of his famous work was done in the studio. He tried
to create his own band after the end of five years exclusive contract at 1938. Unfortunately, the
band that he formed in year 1939 was not successful or musically innovative and disbanded in
1947. The exclusive contract provided Teagarden with financial security or earn the living during
the great depression in entire United States, in the meantime the contract also effectively restrict
him from playing something actively outside Paul Whiteman Orchestra and becoming a star of
the mid-thirties swing era. During the years when he bonded with the contract (1933-1935),
many of his colleagues such as Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw has created
their own band one after one and their career as bandleader were successful. In my opinion, the
success of his colleagues after formed their band has triggered the feeling of envious, which
might give rise to the mentality of compare with them instead of giving a proper management of
band. As a result, the band disbanded due to bad management and financial ineptitude.
According to Wilson (1984), he said that the contract between Teagarden and Paul Whiteman is
a major, typical mistake of his life. This decision has buried his talent in the trombone section of
Whiteman's overstuffed band, instead of hard work together with his colleagues at a right time.
 In history of jazz swing era, many great musician such as Jack Teagarden, Jimmy
Harrison was born and they deserved to become a subject for us to study. I found out that their
success in their career always quite similar, which was the passionate to create good music and
developed their own unique skill in their early age to become their own identification’s music
style. At the same time, they met their talent scout, which were Paul Whiteman, Fletcher
Henderson and Duke Ellington. Their orchestra became the most suitable platform for them to
shine while perform, develop their skill in the band and record their own album. The contribution
as a jazz musician is undeniable. Albums that they recorded around those years together with
Paul Whiteman, Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington or with their own band makes their
name, singing and trombone technique still shine, keep mention and become a part of education
in jazz circle nowadays even after fifty over years they passed away.

Even tough Teagarden’s band was a miserable failure of his career, but countless of his
recording or personal contribution did preserved and become learning model until today due to
his unique playing style that cannot be replaceable. Teagarden did his first recording, ‘Just Roll
Along’ in the ‘mid 20s, when he first came to New York. The piece has ingeniously blend
‘ragtime’ and ‘blues’ element together which was a brave new idea that time, his ability to
interject the blues element or feeling into any kind of music was one of the greatest contribution
of him towards jazz trombone language. His perfect pitch did supported his every innovation or
creative idea while he tried to make his perform looks fresh. As example, he made history by
removing the body of the trombone and played using only the slide and mouthpiece in “Georgia
in my Mind”, he called this as “Jack Armstrong Blues”.

The will be end with the quotes of Richard Hadlock, which summaries the contribution of
Teagarden’s technical ability, innovativeness or creation in jazz history:

It may be that the jazz trombone would have evolved along similar line without
Teagarden. There were, to be sure, trombonists like Jimmy Harrison and Lawrence Brown about
to discover Some of the same principles of post-tailgate playing. It is unlikely though, that all
aspects of Teagarden’s style could have been worked out by others in less than ten years, if at
all. Advances come more quickly after a single man has proved their flexibility.
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