Roy Eldridge | |
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![]() Eldridge in 1946 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | David Roy Eldridge |
Born | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US | January 30, 1911
Died | February 26, 1989 Valley Stream, New York, US | (aged 78)
Genres | Jazz, swing, big band |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument | Trumpet |
Formerly of | Charlie Barnet |
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.