Pee Wee Russell Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Charles Ellsworth Russell, much better known by his nickname Pee Wee Russell, (27 March, 1906 - 15 February, 1969) was a jazz clarinetist and saxophone musician.Russell was born in Maple Wood, Missouri and grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. In Muskogee about 1919 his father took young Ellsworth to a dance given by the then famous touring band The Louisiana Five featuring New Orleans jazz clarinetist Alcide Nunez. Russell was amazed by Nunez's improvisations. While he had ambitions to play music before, the event made Pee Wee decide that his primary instrument would be the clarinet and the type of music he would play would be jazz.
His family moved to Saint Louis, Missouri in 1920, then Pee Wee was enroled in the Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois. On the side he was playing clarinet with various dance and jazz bands. He began touring professionally in 1922 and traveled widely with tent shows and on river boats. He made his recording debut in 1924 with Herb Berger's Band in St. Louis, then moved to Chicago where he began playing with such notables as Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke.
From his earliest career, Russell's style was distinctive. His note choices were somewhat unorthodox when comapred to his contemporaries, and he was sometimes accused to playing out-of-tune. Though often labeled a dixieland musician, he tended to reject any such label.
In 1926 he joined Jean Goldkette's band, and the following year left to New York City to join Red Nichols. While with Nichols' band he also did much freelance recording studio work, on clarinet, soprano, alto, and tenor sax and bass clarinet. He worked with various bandleaders (including Louis Prima before beginning a series of residences at the famous jazz club Nick's in Greenwich Village, Manhattan in 1937.
He played with Bobby Hackett's big band and began playing with Eddie Condon, who he would continue working regularly for most of the rest of his life.
From the 1940s on his health was often poor, exacerbated by his problems with alcoholism, and he had periods where he could not play.
He played with Art Hodes, Muggsy Spanier and occasionally bands under his own name in addition to Condon.
In his last decade, Russell often played at jazz festivals and international tours organized by George Wein, including an appearance with Thelonious Monk. He formed a quartet with valve trombone player Marshall Brown, and included Ornette Coleman songs in his repetoire: Russell's unique, and sometimes derided approach was praised as ahead of its time, and cited by some as an early example of avant garde jazz.
Russell's last gig was with Wein at the inaugural ball for President Richard Nixon on 21 January, 1969.
Russell died in a hospital in Alexandria, Virginia.
The greatly imaginative improvisations of Russell when at his best remain an inspiration to later jazz clarinetists.
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