Clarence Hutchenrider
Clarence Hutchenrider (13 June 1908 - 18 August 1991) was an American jazz clarinetist born in Waco, Texas. He was a member of the Casa Loma Orchestra led by Glen Gray. Originally from Detroit, the band was called the Orange Blossoms[1] before becoming Casa La Loma. Hutchenrider's gorgeous soloing [2] helped get them to the top of the bands of the early 1930s.
Hutchenrider started playing clarinet and saxophone when he was 14, he also led a band when he was in high school. While he was a member of Casa la Loma, he was the featured clarinetist and played baritone and alto saxophone. In 1943 Hutchenrider had a lung illness which made him come to a stop with his career for the next decade. It wasn’t long before he began to play with several groups. Later on he joined The Gully Low Band in 1982. He frequently performed in New York City jazz clubs, including the Gaslight, through the 1980s.
Hutchenrider was married a short time to model Barbara Lewis-Bradford. He had a daughter named Judith Moorefield Hutchenrider-Henderson and a son named Bradford Hutchenrider. In the late 1940s or 1950s he married his second wife, Barbara Schwartz, an avid animal lover. They lived in Flushing, New York from the 1950s until his death in 1991.
References
- Seddon, Eric (2012-09-01). "The Jazz Clarinet: Big Band Jazz Clarinet: Essential Performances (8)". The Jazz Clarinet. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
- "Clarence Hutchenrider | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
External links
- Clarence Hutchenrider Collection, ca. 1940’S-1991 Institute of Jazz Studies, Dana Library, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ.