Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra

Biography

Charlie Barnet (October 26, 1913 – September 4, 1991) was a New York-born jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader whose privileged upbringing never dulled his passion for the music he heard on the streets and stages of Harlem. Grandson of a New York Central Railroad vice-president, Barnet defied family expectations of a law career to pursue music full-time from adolescence, teaching himself piano and saxophone and haunting jazz venues wherever he could. He began recording in 1933 during a Park Central Hotel residency, though commercial success eluded him through most of the decade as he repeatedly broke up and reformed his band, experimenting with style and personnel.

The height of Barnet's popularity came between 1939 and 1944, ignited by his recording of "Cherokee" — written by Ray Noble and arranged by Billy May — which became one of the defining big band hits of the swing era. Alongside it came a string of hard-driving recordings: "Skyliner," "Nagasaki," "Scotch and Soda," and "In a Mizz." His saxophone voice was shaped by Coleman Hawkins on tenor and Johnny Hodges on alto, and his orchestral sound was unapologetically modeled on Duke Ellington's — dense, blues-drenched, and rhythmically insistent. In the late 1930s Barnet added soprano saxophone at a time when the instrument had been largely abandoned by big band musicians, anticipating its revival by decades.

Barnet was among the first white bandleaders to integrate his orchestra, hiring Black musicians including trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Frankie Newton, bassist John Kirby, and vocalist Lena Horne at a time when such choices carried real professional risk. His band performed at Harlem's Apollo Theatre and set new house attendance records there — a remarkable achievement for a predominantly white ensemble. Fellow musicians nicknamed his group "The Blackest White Band of Them All," a phrase of deep respect. Though his legacy has been partially overshadowed by contemporaries like Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, for a brief, brilliant stretch Barnet's orchestra was considered their equal. He retired in 1949, financially independent through inheritance, and died in San Diego in 1991 from complications of Alzheimer's disease and pneumonia.

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Fun Facts

• Barnet was one of the first white bandleaders to perform at Harlem's Apollo Theatre — and his orchestra set a new house attendance record there, an almost unheard-of achievement for a predominantly white band.
• His orchestra earned the nickname 'The Blackest White Band of Them All' from fellow musicians, a mark of deep respect for his integration of Black artists and his commitment to a blues-drenched, Ellington-inflected sound.
• Barnet revived the soprano saxophone at a time it had fallen almost entirely out of use in big band music — anticipating the instrument's renaissance by John Coltrane and others by more than a decade.
• He was one of the few swing-era bandleaders who could afford to retire entirely on his own terms: a substantial family inheritance meant he never had to chase commercial success, which likely fueled his musical fearlessness.

Members

• Ford Leary - trombone (from 1940 until 1941)
• Frank Amaral - trumpet
• Sy Baker
• Charlie Barnet
• Walter Benson - trombone
• Irving Berger - trumpet
• Kurt Bloom
• George Bohn
• George Bone - alto saxophone
• Frank Bradley - trombone
• Bobby Burnet
• Fern Caron - trumpet
• John Chance - double bass
• Les Cooper - clarinet
• Les Cooper - alto saxophone
• Wesley Dean - drums (drum set)
• John Doyle - trombone
• Judy Ellington
• Carl Elmer
• George Esposito
• Fred Fallensby
• Billy Flanagan - drums (drum set)
• Ed Fromm - trombone
• Ben Hall
• Joe Hostetter - trumpet
• Charles Huffine - trumpet
• Conn Humphreys - alto saxophone
• Kahn Keene - trombone
• George Kennedy - trumpet
• James Lamare
• Johnny Martel - trumpet
• Virginia Maxey
• Don McCook
• Bill McVeigh - trombone
• Julie Mendelson - drums (drum set)
• Ray Michaels
• Billy Miller - piano
• Jack Mootz
• Tom Morgan
• Don Morres - clarinet
• Don Morres - alto saxophone
• John Owens - trumpet
• Bob Parks - tenor saxophone
• Ben Pickering - trombone
• Jimmy Pupa - trumpet
• Bill Robertson
• Art Robey - trumpet
• Don Ruppersberg
• Henry Saltman - alto saxophone
• Bob "Buddy" Schutz
• Mickey Scrima - drums (drum set)
• Dick Shanahan
• Kermit Simmons - trumpet
• Sam Skolnick - trumpet
• Buzz Smith - trombone
• Scoop Thomson - guitar
• Lyman Vunk
• Russ Wagner
• Leo White - alto saxophone
• Charles Zimmermann - trumpet

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Duke Ellington - Primary orchestral influence — Barnet openly modeled his band's dense, blues-saturated sound on Ellington's style and was an outspoken admirer throughout his career
• Coleman Hawkins - Primary influence on Barnet's tenor saxophone approach and tone
• Count Basie - Major swing influence; Barnet was an outspoken admirer of Basie's rhythmic drive and band conception

Key Collaborators

• Lena Horne - Vocalist with Barnet's orchestra; one of several Black artists Barnet hired at personal and professional risk during the segregation era
• Billy May - Arranger for the Barnet orchestra, responsible for the chart of 'Cherokee'; later joined Glenn Miller's band (1940)
• Roy Eldridge - Trumpeter who joined Barnet's integrated band in 1937
• Buddy DeFranco - Clarinetist in Barnet's swing-era orchestra
• Oscar Pettiford - Bassist who played with Barnet's orchestra during its prime years
• Barney Kessel - Guitarist in Barnet's orchestra
• Maynard Ferguson - Trumpeter in later versions of the Barnet orchestra
• Clark Terry - Trumpeter in later versions of the Barnet orchestra
• Doc Severinsen - Trumpeter who played with Barnet before his long tenure at The Tonight Show
• Neal Hefti - Arranger/trumpeter with the Barnet orchestra
• Dodo Marmarosa - Pianist with Barnet's orchestra during the swing era

Artists Influenced

• Bill Miller - Pianist who got his start with Barnet before becoming Frank Sinatra's longtime accompanist
• Mary Ann McCall - Vocalist whose career was launched by Barnet's orchestra

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz