Joe Graves Jazz Trumpet Player
Big Band Solo Jazz Trumpet Player Who Is Virtually Unknown Today
(Date of Birth and Date of Death and Birth Location Are Unknown At This Time)
Joe Graves was an unheralded, but outstanding American big band era jazz trumpet virtuoso.
Joe Graves possessed an incredibly beautiful, lush, perfectly centered tone that manifested itself consistently in all registers, outstanding technical skills, and musical phrasing that were second to none including the great Harry James.
Graves performed with most of the famous big bands that were popular from the late 30’s 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.
Joe Graves skills as a trumpet player were highly regarded nationally within the big band recording community.
The most notable example of how highly regarded Joe Graves exemplary trumpet playing skills were was Graves professional relationship to Billy May.
Billy May was a prolific, Grammy Award winning composer, arranger, conductor, and TRUMPET PLAYER. May composed, arranged, and conducted the music for countless feature films and popular TV shows.
May wrote arrangements and conducted the top shelf orchestra’s that accompanied the recordings of many foremost singers. These vocalists included Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Vic Damone, Bobby Darin, Johnny Mercer, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Jack Jones, Bing Crosby, Sandler and Young, Nancy Wilson, Rosemary Clooney, The Andrews Sisters and Ella Mae Morse. and many others.
In the late 1960’s into the early 1970’s, May conducted many recreations of big band era classics, recorded by Capitol. May transcribed NOTE FOR NOTE from the original recordings of big band legends such as Harry James, Charlie Barnet, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and others and then conducted a group of all-star veteran musicians on the sessions, including some of the original performers such as singers Helen Forrest, Helen Ward and Tex Beneke.
Almost all of the music that was recorded was selected by the producer of the project, Capital Executive Producer, Dave Cavanaugh. The criteria that guided Cavanaugh’s selection was largely centered around which pieces of music in the swing idiom from the years 1930-1958 had been either very popular, or less popular but had considerable musical merit, or absent popularity, were just excellent examples of swing.
This was a mammoth project. The Time-Life label released these as boxed sets titled as “The Swing Era,” whose marketing was focused on the fact that these high-fidelity stereo recordings allowed listeners to enjoy the music with a depth and realism that the 78 rpm recordings of that era had never been able to fully capture.
The personnel that Billy May assembled for these numerous Capital recordings was ‘world class’. Joe Graves was a regular member of the trumpet section.
May, who was a trumpet player himself, had the highest regards for Joe Graves trumpet playing skills. So much so, that May selected Joe Graves to play, note for note transcriptions of ALL of the famous trumpet solo’s performed by Harry James, Bunny Berigan, Randy Brooks, and possibly other big band era trumpet soloists.
According to Joe Graves daughter, Jodi Graves Creager, after the Time-Life label released the “The Swing Era’ box set recordings, Harry James called Graves at home and said “Joe…you sound more like me than I do.”
In a nutshell, there were only two trumpet players who could play like Harry James. HARRY JAMES WAS THE OTHER!
Harry James passed away in 1983. James estate decided to launch a Harry James ‘Ghost Band’ Orchestra. The estate hired Joe Graves to lead the ‘Harry James ‘Ghost Band’ and play all of Harry James famous trumpet solo’s. Sadly, a few years into this gig, Graves developed serious dental problems and had to walk away from his exemplary music career for good.
See more about Joe Graves.
Graves jazz discography begins in 1947 where he played lead trumpet on Jimmy Dorsey big band recordings recordings.
Graves also recorded in 1947 with Ray McKinley and then Charlie Barnet.
The 1947 Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra recording was recorded live at The Town Hall in New York City on December 6, 1947.
Joe Graves – lead trumpet, Clark Terry, James Nottingham, Jimmy Campbell, Doc Severinson.
This was a Columbia (CL 639) recoding entitled ‘CHARLIE BARNET – TOWN HALL JAZZ CONCERT’.
“Caravan” TOWN HALL JAZZ CONCERT’ 1947 Live
Joe Graves – lead trumpet, Clark Terry, James Nottingham, Jimmy Campbell, Doc Severinson.
This was a Columbia (CL 639) recoding entitled ‘CHARLIE BARNET – TOWN HALL JAZZ CONCERT’.
Dick Shanahan on drums. Clark Terry might have played the opening trumpet solo. Doc Severinson might have played the concluding trumpet solo.
In 1948, Graves returned to Jimmy Dorsey again, this time standing next to Maynard Ferguson.
Ferguson was the featured ‘high note’ trumpet soloist. And, Joe Graves was the lead trumpet player.
This recording is embedded into the bottom of this page.
“Ciribiribin” performed by Joe Graves from the Time Life Series of The Swing Era.
The trumpet solo is an exact, note for note transcription of the famous original “Ciribiribin” performed by the great Harry James.
Graves performs this difficult trumpet solo with astounding precision and in a wonderfully moving musical manner that is every bit equal to the Harry James original solo.
Joe Graves tone, articulation, vibrato, and musical phrasing are a ringer to Harry James.
There were two trumpet players in the world who could play like Harry James. Harry James was the other.
THIS IS A REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE OF THIS FAMOUS SOLO!
“Tango Blues” (1961) Glen Gray salutes Harry James
Recorded by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra for Capitol in December of 1961 in Hollywood.
Joe Graves is featured on the trumpet solo which is a superlative reconstruction of Harry Jame’s solo on the original recording of “Tango Blues’.Plas Johnson performs the tenor sax solo.
The opening sonorous ‘tango style’ ostinato is played by baritone saxophone master Chuck Gentry
The trumpet section was beyond ‘TOP DRAWER!’
The incomparable Conrad Gozzo played lead trumpet. The rest of the trumpet section included:
‘Shorty’ Sherock, Mannie Klein, Uan Rasey and Joe Graves as the featured trumpet soloist.
For the story behind this fabulous recording:
See “Tango Blues” – Glen Gray salutes Harry James
“Lollipops and Roses”
Joe Graves and the Diggers 1965 (Capital)
From the album entitled “The Great New Swingers”
This is a Latin flavored arrangement that features Plas Johnson on Tenor Sax and Shelly Mann on drums.
“Witchcraft”
Joe Graves and the Diggers 1965 (Capital)
From the album entitled “The Great New Swingers”
This is a Latin flavored arrangement that features Plas Johnson on Tenor Sax and Shelly Mann on drums.
“Autumn Leaves”
Joe Graves and the Diggers 1965 (Capital)
From the album entitled “The Great New Swingers”
This is a bossa nova flavored arrangement that features Plas Johnson on Tenor Sax and Shelly Mann on drums.
According to Graves daughter, Jodi Graves Creager, Joe Graves was particularly partial to the bossa nova rhythm.
Toward the end of the track, beginning around the 02:25 minute mark, Graves rips into some impressive latin inspired ‘pyrotechics’ that show of his strong upper register.
“I Can’t Get Started”
From the Time Life Series of The Swing Era. 1967
This Joe Graves solo performance is a note for note transcription of the famous original Bunny Berrigan trumpet solo.
Many fine trumpet players have recorded ‘I Can’t Get Started’. Joe Graves remarkable solo is the ‘BEST OF THE BEST!
“Autumn Serenade” (1970)
Billy May Salutes Harry James
Joe Graves performs a magnificent rendition of a transcript of Harry James famous original solo.
Composed by Peter DeRose; Billy May reconstructed his original arrangement for this recording.
Directed by Billy May and the Swing Era Orchestra for Capitol on September 21, 1970 in Hollywood.
The trumpet section: John Best-lead trumpet; Pete Candoli, Shorty Sherock, Uan Rasey and Joe Graves
“Man with the Weird Beard” Soundie
Ray Bauduc Band with Joe Graves on trumpet
Soundies are three-minute American musical films, produced between 1940 and 1947
“Rhapsody in Blue” Featuring Maynard Ferguson 1947 with Jimmy Dorsey Band
This is the famous “Rhapsody in Blue” featuring Maynard Ferguson as trumpet soloist when Ferguson was 20 years old with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.
This recording is a Live 1948 Radio Broadcast (a remarkable 2nd Performance of this tune during that broadcast)
Joe Graves was the lead trumpet player.
The Author of this article about the great trumpet player, Joe Graves, would like to thank his daughter, Jodi Graves Creager for posting the YouTube videos referenced above to YouTube.
