Cat Anderson

Cat Anderson was a jazz trumpet virtuoso best known for his incredible high-note playing and long stint with Duke Ellington's orchestra. Born William Alonzo Anderson in 1916 in Greenville, South Carolina, he got his start at the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston after losing both parents at age four. It was there he picked up the trumpet and earned the nickname "Cat" for his fighting style.

Anderson's career took off when he joined Duke Ellington's band in 1944. He became famous for his mind-blowing high register playing, able to hit notes in the stratosphere without a mic while the rest of the band was amplified. But Cat wasn't just a one-trick pony - he was also a skilled arranger and composer who could play in multiple jazz styles. He had several stints with Ellington between 1944 and 1971, with breaks to lead his own bands. After leaving Ellington, Anderson settled in Los Angeles, continuing to perform and record until his death in 1981.

Genres

Jazz

Big Band

Avant-garde Jazz

Bebop

Swing

Cool Jazz

Hard Bop

Dixieland

Mainstream Jazz

Related Artists

Louis Armstrong

Dizzy Gillespie

Count Basie

Harry James

Al Hirt

Ella Fitzgerald

Clark Terry

Maynard Ferguson

Miles Davis

Duke Ellington

Benny Goodman

Thelonious Monk

Latest Release

Wild Onions

Cat Anderson

Album - 7 Tracks - Released September 4, 2018