Cat Anderson

Cat Anderson stands out as potentially the finest high-note trumpeter in history. On “Satin Doll,” captured during Duke Ellington’s 70th Birthday Concert, his solo delivers a fully coherent chorus built from notes so elevated that few, if any, other jazz trumpeters across time could manage more than a couple. He acquired his initial trumpet skills at the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston before joining tours with the Carolina Cotton Pickers, the ensemble that marked his entry into recordings. Between 1935 and 1944 he performed alongside groups led by Claude Hopkins, Lucky Millinder, Erskine Hawkins, and Lionel Hampton. Hampton appreciated his command of extreme registers, whereas Hawkins is said to have dismissed him due to envy. In 1944 Duke Ellington brought him aboard for the first time, creating an ideal environment where Ellington crafted demanding passages tailored to his abilities, granting Anderson both visibility and consistent earnings. Beyond excelling in the upper range, Anderson demonstrated expertise with mutes and produced a pleasing sound in lower registers, remaining unmatched at the highest altitudes despite close approaches by Maynard Ferguson, Jon Faddis, and Arturo Sandoval. His tenure with Ellington spanned 1944-1947, 1950-1959, and intermittent periods from 1961 through 1971. Though he sometimes formed and fronted his own groups, he invariably returned. Following Ellington’s passing, Anderson made his home on the West Coast and frequently performed with area big bands, among them an energetic outfit directed by Bill Berry.