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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZKAMINSKY, Max(b 7 Sep. '08, Brockton MA; d 6 Sep. '94) Trumpet. Began at age twelve in Boston; played in a few big bands (Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw) but never for long: he associated with the white Chicago-style small groups (see Jazz) and was most popular in NYC clubs in the late '40s, when he also made many of his best records, on Commodore with Pee Wee Russell and George Brunis, of what were considered dixie- land classics ('That's A-Plenty', 'Panama', 'Royal Garden Blues', etc). But he was not a revivalist; along with trumpeter Wild Bill Davison, guitarist Eddie Condon and many others he was one of the best of a generation that played the music it had always played, paying no mind to critics (some thought it was old- fashioned; for purists it wasn't old-fashioned enough). Asked to organize the music at a NY club in '44, he persuaded the owners to buy a Steinway piano to be played by the likes of Willie 'The Lion' Smith and James P. Johnson. He toured Europe with a Jack Teagarden/Earl Hines All Star combo '57, the Orient with Teagarden '58, played in London '70, etc but was most at home in NYC: played at Jimmy Ryan's until '83. Published My Life In Jazz '63 (and was so assiduous at promoting it that his friends called him 'Max Buy-de-book', a pun on Bix Beiderbecke). He did prolific freelance recording (famous Bud Freeman 'Summa Cum Laude' sessions '39--40 with Russell) but very little as a leader; a late album was When Summer Is Gone '77 on Chiaroscuro, on which he played cornet. |