Louis Metcalf (February 28, 1905 - October 27, 1981) was a
jazz cornetist and trumpeter. He played for a short time with Duke Ellington
for which he is best remembered.
Metcalf was born in Webster Groves ,
Missouri . As a youth he first trained on
the drums but switched over to cornet permanently. As a teenager in St.
Louis , Missouri he played with
Charlie Creath.
Metcalf moved to New York City
in 1923 and participated in the fertile jazz scene there, playing with such
legends as Willie "The Lion" Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, Benny Carter
and King Oliver. In 1926 Duke Ellington hired Metcalf to play in his seminal
orchestra, where his mellow tone contrasted with Bubber Miley's. In the 1930s
Metcalf led his own bands and joined Fletcher Henderson's.
In 1946 Metcalf moved to Montreal
and formed the International Band, the first to play the nascent bebop style in
Canada . Under
his leadership the Café Saint-Michel was the hub of the jazz scene in Montreal
for a few years, with local musicians such as the young Oscar Peterson and
visiting Americans such as Art Pepper, Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins sitting
in with the band.
A drug bust prompted Metcalf to return to New
York City in 1951. He released an album entitled
"I've Got The Peace Brother Blues" in 1966 where he demonstrates that
his style had indeed evolved since his days with Ellington. Metcalf was less
active after falling ill in 1968 and died in 1981.
Louis Metcalf c / Jake Frazier tb / Bob Fuller cl / James P. Johnson p / bj / ? Harry Hull bb / d, chimes / Perry Bradford v.
Recorded in New York on March 15, 1927.
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