* En anglais uniquement
One of Sweden's finest trumpeters,
Rolf Ericson played in the U.S. often enough to gain a strong reputation. He started on trumpet when he was eight and, after hearing
Louis Armstrong play in Stockholm in 1933, he switched to jazz.
Ericson recorded in Sweden with
Alice Babs and others starting in 1945, moved to New York in 1947, and played with
Charlie Barnet (1949) and
Woody Herman (1950). After returning to Sweden in 1950, he recorded as a leader and with
Arne Domnérus and Leonard Feather's Swinging Swedes. He also toured and recorded with
Charlie Parker. Back in the U.S. during 1953-1956,
Ericson played with the big bands of
Charlie Spivak,
Harry James,
the Dorsey Brothers, and
Les Brown and was with
the Lighthouse All-Stars. In 1956, he toured Sweden and played with
Ernestine Anderson and
Lars Gullin. During 1956-1965 in the U.S.,
Ericson was with
Dexter Gordon,
Harold Land,
Stan Kenton,
Woody Herman,
Maynard Ferguson (1960-1961),
Buddy Rich,
Benny Goodman,
Gerry Mulligan, and
Charles Mingus, among others. There were also occasional tours with
Duke Ellington during 1963-1971 and plenty of freelance jobs. In 1971, he settled in Germany as a studio musician, but
Ericson returned to the U.S. several times over the next couple of decades. His warm tone and creative yet melodic style were always considered an asset. ~ Scott Yanow