Jack McVea

The lasting renown attached to Jack McVea centers on his 1946 chart-topping single “Open the Door, Richard.” Even though that bestseller placed him in an R&B context, McVea operated as a swing stylist whose restrained tone differed sharply from the aggressive honking saxophonists then in vogue. During his teenage years he played banjo from 1925 to 1927 before changing to alto saxophone. Professional engagements began with his father, banjoist Satchel McVea, followed by Dootise Williams’ Harlem Dukes in 1932, Charlie Echols from 1934 to 1935, and then Claude Kennedy, Edyth Turnham, Cee Pee Johnson, and Eddie Barefield in 1936. Until 1940 McVea worked chiefly around Los Angeles, after which he joined Lionel Hampton as a baritone saxophonist. Three years with Hampton also included a stint alongside Snub Mosley, yet McVea attracted greater notice by appearing at the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert. From 1944 onward he headed his own ensemble for most engagements. A 1945 Slim Gaillard session that featured Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker further raised his profile, and the novelty success of “Open the Door, Richard” sustained his popularity through 1948. During the 1950s his visibility diminished, though he continued leading a small group in Los Angeles and performed with Benny Carter in 1956. As a leader he recorded for Rhythm, Melodisc, Apollo, Black & White, and Exclusive between 1945 and 1947, then for Combo and Ace from 1953 to 1955; an additional jazz album appeared on 77 in 1962. Between 1966 and the mid-1980s McVea directed a Dixieland trio at Disneyland, restricting himself to clarinet. Once that engagement concluded he stepped away from music altogether. Jack McVea passed away in Los Angeles on December 27, 2000.