Terry, Clark [Mumbles] (St. Louis, 14 Dec 1920)
Trumpeter and flugelhorn player
He performed with Charlie Barnet (1947) and in Count Basie's big band and small groups (1948-51) before
beginning an important affiliation with Duke Ellington, which lasted from 1951
to 1959. During this period Terry took part in many of Ellington's suites and
acquired a lasting reputation for his wide range of styles (from swing to hard
bop), technical proficiency, and infectious good humor. After leaving Ellington
he became a frequent performer in New York
studios and a staff member of NBC; he appeared regularly on the "Tonight
Show," where his unique "mumbling" scat singing became famous.
He also continued to play jazz with musicians such as J. J. Johnson and Oscar
Peterson, and led a group with Bob Brookmeyer which
achieved some popularity in the early 1960s. In the 1970s Terry began to
concentrate increasingly on the flugelhorn, from which he obtains a remarkably
full, ringing tone. In addition to his studio work and teaching at jazz
workshops, Terry toured regularly in the 1980s with small groups (including
Peterson's) and as the leader of his Big B-A-D Band (formed c. 1970). His humor
and command of jazz trumpet styles are nowhere more apparent than in his
"dialogues" with himself, either on different instruments or on the
same instrument, muted and unmuted.
J. Bradford
Robinson
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, © Macmillan Reference Ltd
1988