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All images and text, ©1999 DECA Design, Inc. All rights reserved. Use of these images to aid in the sale or auction of
your similar instrument is strictly prohibited. Autographed Pictures of Famous
Trumpet and Cornet Players
Scanned at 100% actual size, 72 dpi.
Harry James (1) (2) (3)
The first shot gives a fairly good look at Harry's famous Selmer "Balanced" trumpet, which
is extensively engraved.Charlie Spivak
Charlie played in the Bob Crosby big band, and later led his own orchestra. He appears to be holding a French Besson trumpet. Charlie played until his death in the
early 80s.Ziggy Elman
New!
Ziggy was part of the famous Benny Goodman trumpet section, and later led his own big band. His big hit, as both composer and soloist, was "And the Angels Sing."Ray Anthony New!
Ray was the the fourth trumpet (I think) in one of Glenn Miller's bands, but later achieved great fame in the '50s with a long series of LPs. Ray never gets much credit, but I think he played with great tone, and
on the rare occasions where he wasn't trying to be commercial, could actually play decent jazz.Red Nichols
This photo dates from the late 20s or early 30s. I'm unable to positively identify
his cornet, although it could be a Bach Stradivarius. I've recently seen photos and films of Red playing various F.E. Olds cornets, including "The Olds" or "Standard", and the "Super".Rafael Mendez
Rafael is holding his
Besson (Paris) Trumpet – note the considerable lacquer wear. Apparently this photo dates to the late 40s, as I've been told he was wearing a hairpiece by the early 50s, and after that he most likely would have
been playing an F.E. Olds "Mendez" Trumpet. I purchased this photograph in Chicago, and was told that "Sam" (in the inscription) was the manager of the Chicago Theater.Clyde McCoy
While not a fan of
Clyde's, this shot does offer a look at his Conn Victor cornet.
Al Hirt
Was Al a great jazz musician or just a pop star? Probably both. But it doesn't really matter – I know he was a great inspiration to anybody
learning to play horn in the 1960s, myself included. The consensus is that he's holding a Le Blanc trumpet.Bobby Hackett New!
This is the cover of a 1944 issue of The Jazz Record, showing
Bobby playing what appears to be a French Besson long model cornet, his favorite horn of the time. (not autographed) second picture of Hackett
Erskine Hawkins New!
Erskine had a regional big band that scored big with "Tuxedo Junction" and "After Hours". He co-wrote the former, which became a huge hit after Glenn Miller covered it. I met Erskine in the
mid-80s at a Catskill Mountains, N.Y. resort, where he had the house lounge gig. He was very gracious, and liked playing there very much. He passed away quite recently. Note that Erskine is playing a
Conn 40B Vocabell trumpet, the ultimate art deco instrument. Apparently it was the favorite of Duke Ellington's trumpet section as well.
(not autographed)
Pictures of Nick with Famous Musicians
If you're not going to be a famous musician, at least you can have your picture taken with one!Tony Bennett (1999) Photo by Pierre Blanchet
Tony is one of my all-time favorites, and was a good friend of
Bobby Hackett's (who toured & recorded with Bennett). Tony performed in Gainesville on my 39th birthday, and I was lucky enough to receive a back stage pass and briefly meet this legend.Warren Vache, Jr. (1985)
Warren was my guest for 3 days when I brought him to Gainesville to perform in the local jazz club's concert series. We both
had a lot more hair when this photo was taken! As expected, he put on an incredible performance. I think Warren is the very best jazz cornetist playing today — he's managed to blend elements of many styles into his own unique and distinctive sound. Amazon.com carries many of his CD's, but be careful not to accidentally order one of his father's (Warren, Sr. — a bassist) CD's.
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