Wilbur de Paris (January 11, 1900 – January 3, 1973)[1] was a
trombone player and band leader known for mixing
Dixieland jazz with
swing.[2]
Career
Wilbur de Paris was born January 11, 1900, in
Crawfordsville, Indiana. His father, Sidney de Paris Sr., was a musician and taught him and his brother
Sidney how to play music.[3] He played
alto saxophone in his father's circus band.[4]
In 1919, de Paris began his career in Philadelphia in a small band.[5][3] He visited New Orleans in 1922 and worked with
Louis Armstrong and
Armand J. Piron. Throughout the 1920s, he worked in Philadelphia and New York, including as band leader.[4] During this time he permanently switched from saxophone to trombone.[6] Among the musicians de Paris worked with were
Stuff Smith,
Dave Nelson,
Noble Sissle (with whom he toured Europe), and
Edgar Hayes.[4]
De Paris toured with
Teddy Hill's orchestra from 1936–1937 and recorded with the
Mills Blue Rhythm Band. Again he joined Louis Armstrong, playing with him from the end of 1937 until the end of the decade.[4]
While De Paris remained an obscure figure during this era, his brother Sidney achieved fame as a trumpet soloist. In 1944, the brothers recorded together for the first time as The DeParis Brothers for
Commodore Records, producing four songs.[3] He briefly toured with
Ella Fitzgerald and
Roy Eldridge before leading his own small band.[7]
In late 1945, de Paris broke up his group to join
Duke Ellington with whom he stayed until 1947.[7]
Sponsored by the
U.S. State Department, de Paris toured Africa in 1957 as part of the President's International Program for Cultural Relations.[8]