JACK TEAGARDEN (Inventor of the spit valve?) Jazz History #17

[@chasesanborn]

The Jazz History series traces the roots of jazz from Ragtime at the turn of the 20th century to jazz-rock fusion in the 1970s. Subscribe for weekly postings and please click LIKE as an expression of support for the work that has gone into making these videos. Thanks for watching!

[@mgconlan]

Jack Teagarden is my all-time favorite trombone player! One of the things that made him special is that, though there are seven basic positions for the slide, Teagarden almost never went beyond the fourth position because he'd learned trombone as a child, when his arms were too short to reach farther than the fourth position. As a result, he developed incredible lip control that enabled him to play complicated passages without moving the slide at all, like on "Shadrach" with the Armstrong All-Stars in the 1952 film "The Strip." I remember seeing a clip from that film on KZbin and commenting that the three front-line players in the band were the Black Louis Armstrong, the Creole (part-Black, part-white) clarinetist Barney Bigard, and the part-white, part-Native Teagarden. Jazz is multicultural.

[@chasesanborn]

I would have the same problem with my arm length. There is somewhat of a comparison to the valved trumpet, in that standard fingering generally favors the valve combinations that entail the shortest slide length, not because of physical difficulty but because they produce the most in-tune pitches. (Trombonists have no excuse for playing out of tune! :) There is also the comparison to natural trumpets with no valves, as the higher partials provide more note options.

[@peteratkinson922]

Teagarden was of German stock not native American

[@mustafa1name]

Importantly, JT was self-taught, which probably accounts for the unconventional technique and distinctive style. He rarely using the extended positions (5,6 & 7) - this restricted him from some of the range of the instrument. Those positions are necessary to reach the mid range f# and the lower range C#, C, B and in the partial below that F#, F, E: you cannot compensate for that with "lip control" because those note frequencies are simply unobtainable in the higher positions. In the rest of the range you can get by without those positions (ignoring pedal notes). The range of a horn is quite limited, compared to a keyboard, so he just restricted it a bit more. You could think of it like adapting to a restricted note set, such as the pentatonic scale for example. He was also denying himself the usage of multiple "alternate" positions which advanced trombonists exploit to reduce slide movement and gain speed and flexibility. He probably never thought of it that way, he just played what came naturally. Anyway, he did for the trombone what JJ Johnson did in the bebop era - what many assumed was impossible - made it a fabulous, free-flowing frontline instrument. It's an extraordinary achievement which opened up new vistas for future trombonists - so thank you Jack!

[@vicdickenson3869]

That old idea about Jack’s use of alternative positions has zero to do with arm length as a young player. It was originally written by someone who doesn’t know how a trombone works.

[@mustafa1name]

Your comment about "use of alternative positions" is unclear. What "old idea" are you referring to? Logically, a person with short arms cannot reach extended positions, so it's also unclear what you mean about "how a trombone works". What do you mean?

[@DavePlaysTrombone]

Jack didn't invent the spit valve. He did, however, devise a system that allowed him to empty the spit valve without reaching down the slide. I'm guessing he also used it to occasionally get that "half valve" sound.

[@chasesanborn]

Clarification noted, thank you.

[@vicdickenson3869]

Half valve sound was 100% tongue

[@bobboscarato1313]

That's correct since trombones have been around for 500 years!

[@jasonnstegall]

I think it’s pretty cool that in addition to the multicultural aspect on stage, there was also a multi generational connection looking on. Jazz did not necessarily cause a gap between the kids and the adults, and certain performers could bridge whatever space was there. Nice.

[@Wanielyo]

I love that you let the video play after giving us the context, what a moment to witness.

[@chasesanborn]

One of the things that makes this series different than commercially produced documentaries on jazz is the inclusion of full length clips. I agree, this is a significant moment to witness, on a musical and emotional level.

[@riddlereader]

@@chasesanborn Yeah, I was there, and I'll never forget it.

[@chasesanborn]

What a memory that must be!

[@chasesanborn]

I envy you that memory.

[@allan.tpt78]

4:42 almost blew my mind thinking that Louis Armstrong was playing a C trumpet. It’s was just the camera angle 😅

[@chasesanborn]

It would have been wonderful to witness Louis encountering a C trumpet. :)

[@bobblues1158]

It´s so real, so to the bone that it affects every person sitting in front. Including the newer players. I saw this band in Minneapolis in a huge auditorium when I was 12. The visceral feeling was what made me who i am today at 76. For me this is the same as Coltrane or Monk , Diz, the Messengers, etc. This feeling inhabits me today and I am still hitting and spreading this JOY! I have been blessed!

[@randyknisely8979]

I loved the video but I wish we could have heard Jack Teagarden. Play a solo! Thankyou...

[@chasesanborn]

Fair criticism. This particular video was part a longer one on Louis Armstrong that got broken up into segments, so it didn't start out as Teagarden-specific, but the vocal duet is so fantastic that I felt I needed to provide some background on Jack.

[@pamtebelman2321]

This is the second video where the Closed Captions read "Felonious Monk." It's pretty funny!

[@chasesanborn]

He'd probably think so too. :)

[@bornhoffer]

Where did you learn about dividers being used in recording studios to segregate the musicians? I have never heard about this before, and it seems rather unlikely, given that nobody would be able to see what happened in the studio, through listening to the record. Integrated records were a quite common thing, throughout the 1920's and thirties. I presume audiences mostly would not be informed about who the musicians really were. Eddie Lang called himself Blind Willie Dunn when recording with Lonnie Johnson.

[@chasesanborn]

That is possible.

[@bornhoffer]

If he's called "the father of jazz trombone", that must be thanks to the "moldy figs" who have sadly shaped our understanding of jazz history. I haven't got anything bad to say about Teagarden, but before him there was Miff Mole, and although you might prefer Teagarden's style or golden tone, he never reached the harmonical and technical level of his predecessor on the trombone throne. Mole was not bona fide though, according to the trad jazz purists, so he lost his status as the shaping of jazz history went along.

[@chasesanborn]

There are many in jazz history who for various reasons did not get their due.

[@HuzzahDaddy]

Dang watching all the white kids going crazy I thought I watching a Beatles concert

[@chasesanborn]

:)