Dicky Wells

One of the more adventurous trombonists of the swing era, the distinctive Dicky Wells was somewhat innovative, playing his horn in a speech-like style filled with a great deal of color, humor, and swing. Although he came to fame with Count Basie in 1938, Wells had been a major-league player for a decade before that. After moving to New York in 1926, he recorded with Cecil Scott (to hilarious effect on "In a Corner") and Spike Hughes, in addition to working with Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, and Teddy Hill; during a European tour with Hill he recorded extensively. The Basie...