Don Elliott

All Music Guide:

An extremely popular player in the '50s, Don Elliott was a fine soloist in the swing mode. He first studied piano and accordion, then played baritone horn and mellophone in his high school band. He switched to trumpet while playing in local dance bands, and as a teen worked with fellow teen Bill Evans. Elliott studied harmony at the Institute of Musical Art in New York in the mid-'40s, then played trumpet in an army band. Following that, he studied arranging and vibes at the University of Miami in 1947. When he returned to New York, Elliott played with George Shearing, Teddy Wilson, and Benny Goodman. He later performed and recorded with Terry Gibbs and Buddy Rich before forming his own band. Elliott took "miscellaneous instrument" honors in Down Beat five straight years in the late '50s. During the '60s and '70s, he did Broadway shows and composed film scores and songs for radio and television commercials. He returned to jazz in 1975, serving as a guest soloist with the New York Jazz Repertory Company at Carnegie Hall.

Wikipedia:

Don Elliott (October 21, 1926 in Somerville, New Jersey – July 5, 1984 in Weston, Connecticut) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. His album Calypso Jazz is considered by some jazz enthusiasts to be one of the definitive calypso jazz albums. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career. Elliott was also a longtime associate of Quincy Jones, contributing vocal work in particular to many of Jones' film scores.

Elliott played mellophone in his high school band and played trumpet for an army band. After study at the University of Miami he added vibraphone to the list. He recorded with Terry Gibbs and Buddy Rich before forming his own band. From 1953 to 1960 he won the Down Beat readers poll several times for "miscellaneous instrument-mellophone."

Known as the "Human Instrument", Don Elliott additionally performed jazz as a vocalist, trombonist, flugelhornist and percussionist. He pioneered the art of multitrack recording, composed countless prize-winning advertising jingles, prepared film scores, and built a thriving production company. Elliott scored several Broadway productions, including James Thurber's The Beast in Me and A Thurber Carnival, in the latter of which he performed with the Don Elliott Quartet. He also provided one of the voices for the novelty jazz duo the Nutty Squirrels.

Elliott lent his vocal talents to such motion picture soundtracks as The Getaway starring Steve McQueen, $ (Dollars) starring Warren Beatty, The Hot Rock starring Robert Redford and The Happy Hooker starring Lynn Redgrave.

Elliott owned and operated one of the very first multitrack recording studios in New York City and in Weston, Connecticut, where he died of cancer.