* En anglais uniquement
A very talented trombone soloist influenced by
Jack Teagarden but possessing his own brassier sound,
Lou McGarity was a strong asset to many bands and jam sessions. He started out playing violin when he was seven, not switching to trombone until he was 17.
McGarity studied at the University of Georgia from 1934-36, gigged locally in the South (including with Kirk DeVore and Nye Mayhew), and toured with
Ben Bernie from 1938-40 before hitting the big time with
Benny Goodman from 1940-42.
McGarity not only played with Benny Goodman's big band but with his smaller groups -- the first trombonist to do so.
McGarity, who through the years often teamed up with his friend and fellow trombonist
Cutty Cutshall (including with
Goodman), worked with Raymond Scott's Orchestra at CBS from 1942-44, spent time in the military and then rejoined
Benny Goodman for a time in 1946. Starting in 1947, he worked as a busy studio musician in New York, often appearing nightly with Dixieland-oriented musicians, including the
Lawson/
Haggart band, and with the many groups of
Eddie Condon. He worked with
Bob Crosby in the mid-'60s and was a key member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band from 1968-70 before bad health shortened his life.
McGarity recorded as a leader for MGM (four selections in 1955), Jubilee in 1959, Argo in 1959 and Fat Cat's Jazz in 1970. ~ Scott Yanow