ENDEIT
Roy Eldridge
Photo: Laura Kolb Satellite Beach, Fl.- Taos,N.M., USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Trumpeters · 1911–1989

Roy Eldridge

American trumpeter (1911–1989)

Born
30 January 1911
Pittsburgh
Died
26 February 1989
Valley Stream
Country
United States
Record labels
Decca
Discography
33 albums

Biography

Roy Eldridge was a jazz musician who played trumpet and voice. Roy Eldridge was born on 30 January 1911 in Pittsburgh and died on 26 February 1989 in Valley Stream. The music is usually filed under jazz and swing. Record labels: Decca. The discography here lists 33 albums, from “Collates” (1952) to “Their Greatest Recordings Together” (2025). Honours include NEA Jazz Masters.

David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from the dominant style of jazz trumpet innovator Louis Armstrong, and his strong impact on Dizzy Gillespie mark him as one of the most influential musicians of the swing era and a precursor of bebop.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

Collates 1952 · Mercury Records Little Jazz 1954 · Clef Records Roy's Got Rhythm 1956 · EmArcy The Trumpet Kings 1956 · Clef Records Tour de Force 1957 · Verve Happy Time 1975 · Pablo What It’s All About 1976 · Pablo "Little Jazz" Jazz 1978 · Jazz Legacy Jazz Maturity... Where It's Coming From 1978 · Pablo I Remember Harlem 1980 · Inner City Records Jazz At The Philharmonic The Trumpet Battle 1952 1983 · Live · Verve The Trumpet Kings at Montreux 1990 · Live · Original Jazz Classics After You've Gone 1991 · GRP Happy Time 1991 · Original Jazz Classics Heckler's Hop 1991 · HEP Records Montreux '77 1991 · Live · Original Jazz Classics Jazz Fest Masters: The Trumpeters 1992 · Live · Scotti Bros. Records French Cooking the Complete Vogue Recordings • Vol 2 1993 · Live · American Jazz In Paris Roy and Diz 1994 · Verve Nifty Cat 1995 · New World Records Roy Eldridge & Vic Dickenson With Eddie Locke and His Friends 1995 · Live · Storyville Records Roy Eldridge in Paris 1995 · Live · BMG Roy Eldridge and His Little Jazz, Volume 1 1997 · Vogue Roy Eldridge and His Little Jazz, Volume 2 1999 · Disques Vogue Swingin' on the Town 1999 · Verve Little Jazz & The Jimmy Ryan All-Stars 2001 · Original Jazz Classics Decidedly 2002 · Live · Pablo That Warm Feeling 2005 · Verve Reissues The Urbane Jazz of Roy Eldridge and Benny Carter 2019 · New Jazz Recorded in Concert at St. Peter's Church 2022 · Live Their Greatest Recordings Together 2025 · Mouton Records Little Jazz · Inner City Records Rockin' Chair · Verve

Also plays on

Albums where Roy Eldridge is credited as a sideman

1946 Bird & Pres at JAPT — Bird & Pres trumpet
1953 Anita O’Day Collates — Anita O’Day trumpet
1955 Roy & Diz — Dizzy Gillespie • Roy Eldridge trumpet
1955 The Art Tatum - Roy Eldridge - Alvin Stoller - John Simmons Quartet — Art Tatum, Roy Eldridge, John Simmons & Alvin Stoller trumpet
1956 Krupa and Rich — Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich trumpet
1956 Drummer Man — Gene Krupa featuring Anita O’Day & Roy Eldridge trumpet, vocals
1957 The Lady Is a Tramp — Anita O’Day trumpet
1957 Nothing but the Blues — Herb Ellis trumpet
1957 Swing's the Thing — Illinois Jacquet trumpet
1958 Only the Blues — Sonny Stitt trumpet
1959 Side by Side — Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges trumpet
1959 Ben Webster and Associates — Ben Webster trumpet
1959 Easy Now — Ruby Braff brass
1960 Coleman Hawkins and Confrères — Coleman Hawkins trumpet
1960 The Drum Battle — Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich trumpet
1962 Anita O'Day & The Three Sounds — Anita O’Day & The Three Sounds trumpet
1963 Reincarnation of a Love Bird — Charles Mingus trumpet
1965 Grand Reunion: Recorded Live at the Village Vanguard — Earl Hines trumpet
1966 Soul Mates — Dizzy Gillespie & Roy Eldridge trumpet
1966 Alto Blue — Johnny Hodges trumpet
1973 Buddy Tate and His Buddies — Buddy Tate trumpet
1975 Jazz at the Philharmonic at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1975 — Benny Carter/Roy Eldridge/Zoot Sims/Clark Terry/Joe Pass/Tommy Flanagan/Keter Betts/Bobby Durham trumpet
1984 Jazz at the Philharmonic - Carnegie Hall 1949 — Bird & Pres trumpet
1987 Triple Play — Johnny Hodges trumpet
1987 Hine's Tune — Earl Hines trumpet
1988 Body and Soul — Coleman Hawkins trumpet
1989 Count Basie Jam / Montreux '77 — Count Basie trombone
1989 Candid Dolphy — Eric Dolphy trumpet
1990 Tenor Genius at the Festivals in Cannes and Paris — Coleman Hawkins trumpet
1991 Loose Walk — Count Basie & Roy Eldridge trumpet

Analysed solos by Roy Eldridge

Awards

Historic 78 rpm records

  • High Society Roy Eldridge · Porter Steele archive.org ↗
  • OLD ROB ROY Roy Eldridge and his V-Discatters · Roy Eldridge · Ernie Caceras ·… archive.org ↗
  • SWING IS HERE GENE KRUPA'S ALL STARS · Roy Eldridge · Benny Goodman · Chu Berry ·… archive.org ↗
  • FLORIDA STOMP ROY ELDRIDGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA · Roy Eldridge · Scoops Carey · Joe… archive.org ↗
  • WABASH STOMP ROY ELDRIDGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA · Roy Eldridge · Scoops Carey · Joe… archive.org ↗
  • HECKLER'S SHOP ROY ELDRIDGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA · Roy Eldridge · Scoops Carey · Joe… archive.org ↗
  • THAT THING ROY ELDRIDGE AND HIS ORCHESTRA · Roy Eldridge · Scoops Carey · Joe… archive.org ↗
  • BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA DICKY WELLS and his ORCHESTRA · DICKY WELLS · BILL DILLARD · BILL… · 1937 archive.org ↗

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Roy Eldridge play?

Roy Eldridge is known for playing trumpet and voice.

When and where was Roy Eldridge born?

Roy Eldridge was born 30 January 1911 in Pittsburgh.

What are Roy Eldridge's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Collates (1952), Little Jazz (1954), Roy's Got Rhythm (1956), The Trumpet Kings (1956) and Tour de Force (1957).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.