Otto Hardwick

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From right: Barney Bigard, Ben Webster, Otto Hardwick, Harry Carney, Rex
Stewart, Sonny Greer, Wallace Jones (?), Ray Nance.
Photography by William P. Gottlieb.
Otto James "Toby" Hardwicke (May 31, 1904 – August 5, 1970) was a
saxophone player associated with Duke Ellington.
Biography[edit]
Hardwick started on string bass at the age of 14, then moved to C
melody saxophone and finally settled on alto saxophone. A childhood
friend of Duke Ellington's,[1] Hardwick joined Ellington's first band in
Washington, D. C. in 1919. Hardwick also worked for banjoist Elmer
Snowden at Murray's Casino.
In 1923, Ellington, Hardwick, Snowden, trumpeter Arthur Whetsol, and
drummer Sonny Greer had success as the Washingtonians in New York
City. After a disagreement over money, Snowden was forced out of the
band and Duke Ellington was elected as the new leader.
They were booked at a Times Square nightspot called the Kentucky
Club for three years where they met Irving Mills, who produced and
published Ellington's music.
Hardwick occasionally doubled on violin and string bass in the 1920s,
but specialized on alto sax. He also played clarinet and bass, baritone
and soprano saxes.
Hardwick left the Duke Ellington band in 1928 to visit Europe, where he
played with Noble Sissle, Sidney Bechet and Nekka Shaw's Orchestra,
and led his own orchestra before returning to New York City in 1929.
He had a brief stint with Chick Webb (1929), then led his own band at
the Hot Feet Club, with Fats Waller leading the rhythm section (1930),
led at Small's before rejoining Duke Ellington in the spring of 1932,
following a brief stint with Elmer Snowden.
He played lead alto on most Ellington numbers from 1932 to 1946 but he
was rarely heard as a soloist because Johnny Hodges got many of the
alto solos. Famous exceptions are: Black and Tan Fantasy, In a
Sentimental Mood and Sophisticated Lady. Hardwick, with his creamy
tone, was almost always the lead alto in the reed section of the Ellington
orchestra except in some situations where Ellington required the more
cutting tone of Johnny Hodges' alto to set the tone of the ensemble.
After Hardwick's departure (and replacement by Russell Procope) it
soon became the norm for Johnny Hodges to take the ensemble lead as
well as taking the lion's share of the solos on alto sax.
He remained with Ellington until May 1946, when he left the band
because of Ellington's dislike of Hardwick’s girlfriend. Hardwick went on
to freelance for a short time in the following year, and then retired from
music.
In his biography of Ellington, author James Lincoln Collier says that “In a
Sentimental Mood,” “Sophisticated Lady,” and “Prelude to a Kiss” are
adaptations of Hardwick melodies.
References[edit]
1 ^ The Rough Guide to Jazz Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestley, Brian;
Alexander, Charles Google books
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Otto
Hardwick.
• http://www.basssax.com/ottohardwick.htm
show
• vte
Duke Ellington (discography)
Auth • BNF: cb138949604 (data) GND: 1120052831 ISNI: 0000 0000
ority 6310 2064 LCCN: no2001045724 MusicBrainz: 4fd648b7-
contr e5a7-4d4e-b3c8-6c3c7f3b4da8 SNAC: w6rh0cc9 VIAF:
ol 49408218 WorldCat Identities (via VIAF): 49408218
<img src="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1"
alt="" title="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;" />
Categories: Swing saxophonistsSwing clarinetistsAmerican jazz
clarinetistsAmerican jazz saxophonistsAmerican male
saxophonists1904 births1970 deathsDuke Ellington Orchestra
members20th-century American musicians20th-century
saxophonistsMale jazz musicians

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This page was last edited on 10 February 2019, at 04:06 (UTC).
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