Andy Secrest Centenary

This week marks the 100th birthday of Andy Secrest, a fine jazz cornet and trumpet player whose accomplishments have been largely overlooked.

Secrest was born August 2, 1907 in Muncie, Indiana.  He began working professionally around the age of 18 with local bands, and his debut on records occurred during an October 1927 session led by Hoagy Carmichael.  Detroit-based bandleader Jean Goldkette hired Secrest when he re-organized his orchestra at the end of 1927.  Secrest appeared on several of the Goldkette band's records during the next year.

The big break in Andy Secrest's musical career came in February 1929, when Jean Goldkette recommended him as a substitute cornet soloist for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.  Whiteman was playing an engagement in Detroit and his star solo cornet player, Bix Beiderbecke, was in the midst of his first extended absence due to poor health.  Secrest idolized Bix and had incorporated much of Bix's sound and phrasing into his own playing.  Secrest was also a good sight reader and a dependable section player.  Whiteman liked what he heard, and when his engagement in Detroit was finished he discreetly purchased Secrest's contract from Jean Goldkette.

Bix Beiderbecke returned to the Whiteman Orchestra in March 1929, but Whiteman kept Secrest in the trumpet section.  Secrest also joined Bix in the small group led by reedman Frank Trumbauer, which recorded for OKeH records.  Although Bix had recovered somewhat, he was still not strong enough to play both the ensemble parts and the solos on Trumbauer's records.

The influence of Bix Beiderbecke on Andy Secrest's playing can be most clearly heard on Frank Trumbauer's recording of "Baby Won't You Please Come Home,"(Mp3) made in April 1929.  Both Bix and Secrest are present on this record.  It is extremely difficult to tell them apart, but the consensus among most Bix afficionados is that Secrest plays the solo before the vocal chorus, Bix plays fills in a derby hat behind Trumbauer's vocal, Bix plays the cornet solo after the vocal chorus, using a derby to mute his horn, and Secrest plays lead in the final chorus with Bix playing fills in a derby.

As Richard Sudhalter noted in Bix: Man and Legend, sitting next to Beiderbecke in the Whiteman and Trumbauer orchestras proved to be a mixed blessing for Secrest.  He was playing in two of the top bands in the country, and on its own, Secrest's cornet work stands up very well.  But compared to Bix his efforts continually fell short, as would the playing of virtually every other jazz cornetist of the period.  It is truly an injustice that Secrest remains to this day a largely forgotten jazz player, mentioned only in passing as an "imitator" who stole the spotlight in the waning days of Bix's career.

Two of the recordings made by Paul Whiteman in October 1929 feature Secrest prominently.  The first is the Paul Whiteman Orchestra's recording of "Nobody's Sweetheart,"(Mp3) made shortly after Bix was finally given a permanent leave of absence from the Whiteman orchestra.  This record, arranged by Lennie Hayton, was probably originally intended as a showcase for Beiderbecke.  A little over a week later, Secrest also contributed a fine 12-bar chorus to Whiteman's recording of "After You've Gone."(Mp3)  The singer on this record is a young Bing Crosby.

Secrest left the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in 1932; his position as jazz soloist was eventually filled by trumpeter Charlie Teagarden.  After spending a year with the Ted Weems band he settled in Los Angeles and began a lengthy stint as a Hollywood studio musician, playing in radio and motion picture orchestras led by Victor Young, Billy Mills, and John Scott Trotter.

In 1937 John Scott Trotter had been working for Hal Kemp, writing vocal arrangements for Kemp's singer, Skinnay Ennis.  Bing Crosby offered Trotter the position of music director on his radio show, and Trotter eagerly accepted.

Bing Crosby and John Scott Trotter first recorded together in July 1937.  This session produced two memorable numbers, "It's The Natural Thing To Do,"(Mp3) and "Smarty,"(Mp3) both of which feature excellent work by Secrest.  Although there is not much known about the relationship between Bing and Secrest, it is certainly reasonable to assume that Bing enjoyed working with an old Whiteman band mate, and that he delighted in having Secrest appear on his records.

Secrest spent the bulk of his career working in studio bands, but when the so-called "Dixieland Revival" began to take off in the late 40's and early 50's, Secrest worked with many traditional jazz bands that played on the West Coast.  After he retired from music he enjoyed a successful career in real estate.  He died in California in 1977.

(Much more information about Andy Secrest is available in this thread from the Bixography Discussion Group.)

Comments

[Tim Fitak]

I visited with Andy Secrest several times at his home in the 1970's and interviewed him.He was always friendly and cooperative and even allowed me to make a cassette copy of a reel to reel tape made for him by a friend of just exerpts of the parts with his solos from his 16" radio transcriptions stored in his garage.
Andy was a very humble man always reluctant to give himself any credit but always quick to praise the solos of other musicians in the Whiteman band to the point of being suprised when i told him i enjoyed his solos as much as any of the others.