Biography
Georgie Auld sustained an extended career marked by steady evolution in his tenor approach, shifting with changing styles while fitting comfortably into diverse settings. He relocated from Canada to the United States in the final years of the 1920s; though he began on alto, exposure to Coleman Hawkins prompted a switch to tenor. During his 1937–1938 stint alongside Bunny Berigan, his phrasing closely echoed that of Charlie Barnet. A 1939 engagement with Artie Shaw, during which he briefly directed the ensemble after Shaw departed for Mexico, preceded a move to Benny Goodman’s band, where Auld’s sound aligned more closely with Lester Young’s. Serving as a key contributor under B.G., he participated in Sextet sessions that featured Cootie Williams and Charlie Christian. Returning to Shaw’s group in 1942, Auld next formed his own orchestra, which operated from 1943 to 1946 as a strong bridge between swing and bop; over time the lineup incorporated emerging modernists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Erroll Garner, and Freddie Webster, while Sarah Vaughan appeared on several recordings. Once the big band dissolved, he concentrated on smaller ensembles with a pronounced bop focus. In 1950 he joined Count Basie’s octet, after which he pursued freelance work for the rest of his professional life, keeping a modest public presence yet continuing regular international travel and retaining his commitment to jazz. In 1977 he took a minor screen part portraying a bandleader and supplied the tenor solos for Robert De Niro in the otherwise unremarkable Liza Minnelli film New York, New York.
Albums
