Willie Dennis

One of the steadiest jazz trombonists ever, and severely underrecorded as soloist, Willie Dennis was very fluid and smooth, and totally knowledgeable of trombone limitations and how to get around them through lip and slide movements. During the '40s, Dennis worked in the big bands of Elliot Lawrence, Claude Thornhill, and Sam Donahue. During the '50s, he recorded twice with Charles Mingus and toured with him for a few months in 1956 and 1957. He played overseas with Benny Goodman and Woody Herman before joining Buddy Rich in 1959. Dennis worked frequently in Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band in the early '60s, then went to the Soviet Union with Goodman in 1962. ~ Ron Wynn