Jerry Jerome

[paul secor]

I was perusing the latest True Blue catalog the other day and noticed a couple of double CD releases by Jerry Jerome on Arbors. I know that he played with several big bands and did studio/tv work later on. Can anyone recommend recordings by him? And has anyone heard the Arbor recordings? Thanks in advance.

[brownie]

Paul, have not heard the Jerry Jerome Arbors albums. What interested me there - the sides with Charlie Christian - also appeared on the Charlie Christian Masters of Jazz series. Those Charlie Christian sides were his main claim to fame. He also appeared on several of the Lionel Hampton all stars sessions at the time.

There is this Jerry Jerome interview on Charlie Christian which is worth reading:

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/hansen/Charlie/jerome.htm

I have also seen elsewhere that Jerry Jerome became a businessman after he abandoned his career as a big band musician and that he was an A&R man for Apollo records in the mid-forties.

[JSngry]

Jerome was house saxophoist for Cameo/Parkway records, so I asssume that it's him you hear on hits by the likes of Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharpe, Bobby Rydell, etc.

[Dan Gould]

I noticed a 1950s Jerry Jerome LP at a local store but didn't look too closely. Unfortunately AMG isn't very informative but I might have to pay it a little closer attention next time I'm down there.

[mmilovan]

Jerome is known to me by two of his early connections with Christian: famous interview you can read in link posted, and (also famous) private studio session (broadcast?) with members of Goodman band where Christian played perfect rhythm guitar and soloed on "Lady Be Good" (two takes).

Jerom is heard there, and he was pretty good, also.

Later, I put some investigation and found he was member of BG big band since Vido Musso left Benny. Judging from what can be heard Jerome respected Lester Young in conception (that progressed from year to year while with Goodman) and Chu Bery or Hawkins playing theirs wide big fat sound.

I did not know he played behind Chubby Checker! Thanks Jim, it is always blessing to know something new.

[Harold_Z]

I think the Philly tenor guy on the Cameo-Parkway stuff was Buddy Savitt. I have an old Parkway lp modestly called "The Most Heard Sax In The World" where the notes say as much and the sound is right too.

[Chuck Nessa]

I know Bob Koester, of Delmark, talked to/interviewed Jerome about his Apollo days. Maybe an email to Bob at the Delmark website would be helpful.

[JSngry]

I think the Philly tenor guy on the Cameo-Parkway stuff was Buddy Savitt. I have an old Parkway lp modestly called "The Most Heard Sax In The World" where the notes say as much and the sound is right too.

That might well be, Harold. I was going by an article in, I think, Jazz Times, that profiled Jerome's "re-emergence".