During his heyday in the 1920s, Paul Whiteman conducted a publicity campaign to be crowned the “King of Jazz.” The title did not fit the man in terms of influence or invention—Louis ARMSTRONG and Duke ELLINGTON among others, had a much stronger claim. However, he was not the figure of derision that is so often portrayed. At a time when the colour lines were hard and fast, Whiteman’s orchestra was the leading white ensemble, both in terms of musicianship and in popularity.
Whiteman was born in Denver, Colorado, on March 28, 1890, the son of the musical director for the city’s schools. He was given his first viola at age seven, and eventually played with the Denver Symphony Orchestra and several Bay Area ensembles after moving to San Francisco in 1911. He developed a strong interest in popular music and, through frequent visits to local saloons, became acquainted with jazz. As he wrote in his 1926 autobiography, jazz “hit me hard … rhythmic, catching as the smallpox and spirit-lifting.” He got his first opportunity to lead a band while serving in the navy during World War I.
After the war he settled in New York City, where he organised the Paul Whiteman Orchestra (originally the Ambassador Orchestra), soon to be America’s dominant pop-jazz band. A glance at the line-up of the orchestra reveals legendary names such as cornetist Bix BEIDERBECKE, saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, trumpeter Henry Busse, guitarist Eddie Lang, violinist Joe Venuti, and singers Bing CROSBY and Mildred Bailey. Whiteman’s arrangers—including the great Bill Challis—were also among the best in the business. Unsurprisingly, this gathering of talent produced a string of hits—from the breakthrough 1920 single “Whispering” to late 1920s releases such as “Coquette” and “That’s My Weakness Now.”
Besides issuing some of the most popular instrumental and vocal recordings of the 1920s, Whiteman also made musical history on February 12, 1924, when he produced the groundbreaking, multi-genre concert Experiment in Modern Music. The high-spot of this concert was the composer George GERSHWIN playing his own Rhapsody in Blue—a work specially commissioned for the event. Whiteman made jazz popular, if not respectable. It was his concept of the big band show, immortalised by the 1930 film, King of Jazz, that prevailed for years to come.
Many critics have dismissed Whiteman’s music. His orchestra’s output has often been seen as simplified and corny. However, many of the late 1920s recordings, especially numbers featuring Crosby and Beiderbecke, and those with the Rhythm Boys (a vocal trio consisting of Crosby, Al Rinker, and Harry Barris), still sound fresh and exciting today.
Whiteman provided a platform for some of the greatest performers of his time. As Joe Venuti said: “Don’t ever make fun of Paul Whiteman. He took pride in having the finest musicians in the world and paid the highest salaries ever paid.”
Whiteman was more than fair to his bandsmen, keeping a place in the orchestra for Bix Beiderbecke during his many illnesses, dealing with difficult behaviour from performers like Venuti, and releasing artists if they were offered something better.
During the 1930s Whiteman continued to lead successful orchestras. Then in 1944, he gave up regular bandleading and became musical director of ABC radio.
Paul Whiteman died of heart failure on December 29, 1967 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Few musical legends are more deserving of re-evaluation than this imaginative conductor and talent-spotter who was, if not the “King of Jazz,” at least King of the Jazz Era.
Terry Atkinson
SEE ALSO: BIG BAND JAZZ; JAZZ; POPULAR MUSIC.
FURTHER READING
DeLong, Thomas. Pops: Paul Whiteman, King of Jazz (Piscataway, NJ: New Wind Publishing, 1983).
SUGGESTED LISTENING
Paul Whiteman: Featuring Bix Beiderbecke; Paul Whiteman: Victor Masters.