- Ernie Wilkins
Ernest Brooks Wilkins Jr. (
July 20 ,1922 inSt. Louis, Missouri –June 5 ,1999 inCopenhagen ) was a jazz arranger and writer who also playedtenor saxophone . He might be best known for his work withCount Basie . He also wrote forTommy Dorsey ,Harry James , andDizzy Gillespie . In addition to that he was musical director for albums byCannonball Adderley ,Dinah Washington ,Oscar Peterson , andBuddy Rich . [ [http://www.downbeat.com/artists/window.asp?action=new&aid=192&aname=Ernie+Wilkins Down Beat Magazine Artist Profile] ]In his early career he had played in a military band and was then in
Earl Hines 's last big band. In 1951 he began working with Basie he wrote songs like "Every Day I Have The Blues." After 1955 he went free-lance as a jazz arranger and writer of songs as he was much in demand at that time. His success declined in the 1960s, but revived after work withClark Terry . This led to his touring Europe and eventually settling inDenmark , where he would live for the rest of his life. [ [http://www.jazzinchicago.org/Internal/Articles/tabid/43/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/29/ErnieWilkins192299.aspx Jazz institute of Chicago] ]In Denmark he formed the "Almost Big Band" so he could write for a band of his own formation. The idea was partly inspired by his wife Jenny. Denmark at that time had several promising jazz musicians, it also had noted American expatriates like
Kenny Drew andEd Thigpen who joined the band. The band released four albums, but after 1991 he became too ill to do much with it. [ [http://erniewilkinsalmostbigband.com/AlmostBigBand.html Almost Big Band's website] ]Ernie Wilkins died on
June 5 ,1999 of a stroke.References
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