Earl Swope
Earl Bowman Swope (August 4, 1922 – January 3, 1968) was an American jazz trombonist.
Early life
Swope was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, on August 4, 1922.[1] His family was musical: his parents, a sister and two brothers were all musicians.[1] One of his brothers was Rob Swope.[1]
Later life and career
When he was 20, Swope played with Sonny Dunham; he was then with Boyd Raeburn (1943–44), Georgie Auld (1945), and Buddy Rich (1945–47).[1] From 1947 to 1949 he worked with Woody Herman and also recorded in small groups with Stan Getz and Serge Chaloff.[1] In 1950–51 he was with Elliot Lawrence, then worked freelance in New York and Washington, D.C.[1] Later in the 1950s he returned to big band work, playing with Jimmy Dorsey (1957) and Louie Bellson (1959).[1] In the 1960s he played locally in Washington, D.C.; he died there on January 3, 1968.[1]
Playing style
"He was one of the few trombonists in the 1940s to develop a style that was not influenced by J. J. Johnson; he played in a modern barrelhouse style".[1]
Discography
With Louie Bellson
- The Brilliant Bellson Sound (Verve, 1959)
With Charlie Byrd
- Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros (Riverside, 1962)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- One Night in Washington (Elektra/Musician, 1955 [1983])
With Lester Young
- Lester Young In Washington, D.C. 1956, Vol. 5 (Pablo, 1999)
