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* June 30, 1925 New Orleans La
† March 18, 2004 New Orleans La
As a brass band musician he played with:
Tuxedo Brass Band
Davenport was born in New Orleans Louisiana. He started
on trumpet at age 13 with the Young Tuxedo Brass Band. He played with Papa
Celestin in 1941 before leaving New Orleans to serve in the U.S. Navy.
Davenport returned there after the World War II, making an easy transition
to swing and bop with various bands. He recorded with Roy Brown in 1947.
During the 1950s he toured the USA and Europe playing with Lionel Hampton,
and recorded in Paris in the mid-'50 with Mezz Mezzrow.
Davenport played and recorded with the Count Basie
jazz orchestra (1964 - 1966), and also toured with singers Ray Charles
and Lloyd Price. In 1969 he went back to doing traditional jazz in New
Orleans, and issued recordings of his groups playing this style from on
his own label My Jazz (1971 - 1976); recorded again in Europe with
George Wein in 1974, with Panama Francis and Arnett Cobb in 1976, and also
reunited with Hampton and recorded with Earl Hines this same year. In the
eighties, Davenport worked with both traditional units as the Alliance
Hall Dixieland Band and gospel groups like the Zion Harmonizers
and Aline White, and backed the vocalists Frank Sinatra
and Sammy Davis jr. However, he routinely went on impromptu tours in
Asia and Europe, and once played expressly for the king Olav V of Norway.
A cultural icon of New Orleans, Davenport played
regularly at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the French
Quarter Festival. He received numerous awards and recognitions for his
musical contributions from the city government and local arts groups.
Wallace Davenport died in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 78
years of age.i1
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