"The King of the Trumpet" is gone.

April 28, 1999 | NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Jazz great Al Hirt, nicknamed "The King of the Trumpet" at the peak of his career in the 1960s, died at home Tuesday of liver failure. He was 76.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Mr. Hirt received no fewer than 21 Grammy nominations, winning in 1964 for best non-jazz instrumental for the hit single "Java." Although he is most remembered for the force and virtuosity of his performances, he also mastered slow-tempoed melodies with a style all his own.

In the 1960s, he played at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration, starred at Carnegie Hall and headlined numerous television variety shows, including his own "Fanfare" program on CBS. He recorded more than 50 albums in his lifetime -- four gold and one platinum. "Honey in the Horn" reached No. 3 on Billboard's Popular Music Album Chart in 1963; "Sugar Lips" won Billboard's favorite instrumentalist of 1965. In 1962, he was named "best trumpeter" in the Playboy jazz poll, a prize he won for 15 subsequent years.

"He was one of the best trumpet players all around the world," said clarinetist Pete Fountain of his longtime friend. "He had everything -- technique, stamina, education." Hirt and Fountain started out together with day jobs as exterminators, killing rats and roaches by day and playing music at night.

Born Alois Maxwell Hirt in New Orleans in 1922, he was given his first trumpet at the age of 6. Mr. Hirt was classically trained at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and then spent three years in the U.S. Army as a company bugler. His professional career was launched in 1946 when he became a member of Benny Goodman's Orchestra. He later worked with other big bands, including the Dorsey Bros Band and Ray McKinley.

But it wasn't until 1950 that Mr. Hirt received his first big break, when he won second place in Horace Heidt's National Youth Opportunity Contest and was named solo trumpet in Heidt's band.

As much a showman as a musician, The 6-foot-2-inch 300-pounder's joyous music caught the attention of Dinah Shore in 1960 when Mr. Hirt's Dixieland Six booked into a luxury hotel in Las Vegas. Soon after, Mr. Hirt became an instant TV success.

Mr. Hirt didn't call the music he played jazz, although he named Louis Armstrong, Harry James and Frank Sinatra among his influences. "I'm a pop commercial musician, and I've got a successful format," he once said. "If you have the ability to perform your musical idea, you become a good jazz player."

Mr. Hirt arranged for short tours so he could stay put in New Orleans with his wife and eight children. His base became his club on Bourbon Street. Later in his career he toured and performed on television, with occasional local appearances at Jellyroll's in the French Quarter. He considered one of his most important performances the 1987 solo of Handel's "Ave Maria" for Pope John Paul II during the pontiff's visit to New Orleans.

Mr. Hirt's death coincided with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Quint Davis, festival producer, said a special commemoration will be added on the closing Sunday in memory of Mr. Hirt and other musicians who died this year. © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

  Get a printer-friendly version

  E-mail a friend about this article

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Search Salon

- - - - - - - - - - - -