SALON

Ted Gioia

Monday, Apr 12, 1999 1:01 PM UTC

Red Norvo

The jazz world may have written off this mallet instrument pioneer, but his musical legacy speaks for itself.

By

Topics:

The jazz world should be embarrassed. When a legendary musician
passes away, the tributes and praise of glowing obituaries usually
soften the blow. But with Red Norvo, who left us just one week
after celebrating his 91st birthday, this posthumous chatter rings
more than a little hollow.

It’s not Red’s fault. Few did more for jazz than mallet instrument
pioneer Red Norvo. Yet one would never guess the scope of his
achievements from reading jazz writers or listening to jazz radio
stations. Long before he died, the jazz world wrote off Mr. Norvo.
Now for a few days, it will pay tribute to someone it spent decades
ignoring.

Only a few early pioneers of jazz remained with us in the 1990s. But
Mr. Norvo was the one everybody forgot. I was always delighted to see
the others receive honorary degrees at Harvard, tribute concerts at
Lincoln Center, awards or grants, or have their names emblazoned in
sidewalk stars. But in the back of my mind, I wondered, “Why not
Red?”

And why not? One struggles to find a reason for this particular
“Red” scare. Perhaps Norvo’s efforts were diffused over too much
ground, from traditional to modern, hot to cool, making it difficult
for the jazz world to fit him into a neat and memorable pigeonhole.
Or perhaps Mr. Norvo’s curse was his devotion to the unwieldy mallet
instruments — the xylophone, the marimba, the vibraphone — which have
always been at the periphery, never the center, of jazz styles and
revolutions. One hopes that the fact that Mr. Norvo was white did not
play a factor in this neglect. (Yet one suspects that cultural
institutions seeking to honor early pioneers of jazz rarely think to
put red-haired caucasians at the top of their list.) Probably all of
these contributed, in varying degrees, to Mr. Norvo’s low profile during the
last three decades of his life. No matter what stereotypical image
of a jazz musician you had stored in your head, Red Norvo was likely
to violate one or more of its parameters.

But who did more than Mr. Norvo to define the popular and jazz musical
styles of our century? One could hold a jazz trivia contest, covering all styles and eras,
and every answer would be “Red Norvo.”

Let’s try it. Here is the quiz:

1) This legendary player and his wife were known as Mr. & Mrs. Swing.
Their hits from the pre-war years included “Rockin’ Chair,” “Please
Be Kind,” “Says My Heart” and “Have You Forgotten So Soon?” Who
was he?

2) Name the jazz musician who enjoyed a 20-year association with
Frank Sinatra, appeared with the Rat Pack in the movie “Ocean’s
Eleven” and backed up the Chairman of the Board on his legendary 1959
Australian tour that resulted in a live recording that many devotees
believe to be the best neglected classic in Sinatra’s oeuvre?

3) Almost at the start of the bebop era, this bandleader recorded
several sides in June 1945 with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker,
which introduced many to the exciting new modern style that was soon
to transform the jazz world. Who was he?

4) Can you identify this founding father of jazz, who played with
the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in the 1920s? He heard, and was
influenced by, Bix Beiderbecke, and one of his early recordings
features an exceptional version of Beiderbecke’s impressionistic
composition “In a Mist.”

5) A Pioneer of West Coast jazz, this player formed a memorable Los
Angeles trio with Charles Mingus and Tal Farlow at the start of the
1950s, which ranks among the best jazz combos of the decade. Can you
name this important bandleader?

6) No one did more than this figure to establish mallet instruments
as legitimate jazz voices. His early work featured the xylophone and
marimba, while after 1942 he concentrated on the vibraharp. Who was
he?

7) A close associate with the early Chicago jazz players, he
performed with Eddie Condon,
Gene Krupa, Wingy Manone, Bud Freeman and others. The finicky Condon
praised him as the best on his instrument. What was his name?

8) A major figure from the big band era, he played in Woody Herman’s
First Herd and was an important sideman with Benny Goodman. Who was
he?

9) Virtually all of the notable female singers of the era performed
or recorded with him, from the great (Billie Holiday) to the merely
famous (Dinah Shore). In fact, his wife, Mildred Bailey, was recently
featured on a U.S. postage stamp series devoted to great singers. What
was his name?

10) With his sextet, octet and big band he created a style of
chamber jazz that still impresses listeners over a half century later with
its memorable recordings, such as “Dance of the Octopus” and his
performances featuring the arrangements of Eddie Sauter. Name this
major bandleader.

The answer to all of the above questions is the same: Red Norvo. It
is hard to believe that one man could have done so much, been so many
places, left so many important legacies. Yet Mr. Norvo somehow crammed
several careers into just one.

But no biography tells his life story. No movie is in the works.
Mr. Norvo’s recordings are either unavailable or found on obscure labels
from remote places. One can safely predict that the jazz magazines
will run short tributes next month, and then file them away.

But, Red, don’t feel bad about these half-hearted eulogies. In the
jazz world, only one type of testimonial really matters. The
recordings tell no lies, and yours stand up with the best of them.
In the vinyl grooves — or, as we say today, in the digital data hidden
on the polycarbonate disks — your legacy will go round and round
forever.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
453 points454 points | 20 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
331 points332 points | 29 comments
vote
Machiavelli doesn’t belong to the 1 percent | "The Prince" is oft-quoted on Wall Street, but its author was a hero of the working class who despised elites
95 points96 points | 33 comments
vote
Yes, there is a better search engine (1998)
83 points84 points | 23 comments
vote
Let's Stop Screwing Around and Impeach James Clapper: After lying to Congress about all the different ways the NSA's spying on us, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper lies about how he lied. Call the White House at 202 456-1111 and Tell Obama to Get Rid of Clapper
79 points80 points | 9 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows