Biography
It makes sense why a jazz trumpeter might prefer to drop the name "Louis" to distance himself from a towering figure on the same horn, just as adopting a regal prefix feels natural in a style already crowded with Dukes, Counts and other self-styled monarchs. Louis "King" Garcia earned his widest recognition serving as a sideman in groups fronted by the Dorsey Brothers, whether they worked separately or as a unit. Born in Puerto Rico, he first played trumpet while still in high school and soon entered the Municipal Band of San Juan. Jazz reached him there through close family ties: the band’s director, Manuel Tizol, was the uncle of Juan Tizol, the well-known Duke Ellington sideman also remembered for instigating knife fights.
After a stint with the Victor Recording Orchestra, Garcia moved to the United States in the early 1920s. By the middle of the decade he was performing with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and later joined an orchestra led by Emil Coleman. Although the Dorsey Brothers connection left the deepest mark on his discography, his work with Coleman proved more extensive; he returned to that ensemble for regular engagements throughout the 1940s. Studio work expanded sharply in the 1930s, covering the Dorsey dates as well as sessions issued under Garcia’s own name and accompaniments for the little-known vocalist Amanda Randolph.
In 1935 he appeared with the Vic Berton Orchestra; the following year found him alongside Richard Himber, a move that carried him further from jazz into society dance bands. Momentum increased when several seasons with the Nat Brandwyne outfit gave way, in 1939, to membership in the Louis Prima Big Band. The 1940s brought continued studio calls of many kinds, culminating in his leadership of his own Latin band toward the end of the decade. An eventual move to California in the 1960s removed him from the scene as health problems curtailed further playing. He is unrelated to the trumpeter Louis Garcia associated with Nueva Creacion.
After a stint with the Victor Recording Orchestra, Garcia moved to the United States in the early 1920s. By the middle of the decade he was performing with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and later joined an orchestra led by Emil Coleman. Although the Dorsey Brothers connection left the deepest mark on his discography, his work with Coleman proved more extensive; he returned to that ensemble for regular engagements throughout the 1940s. Studio work expanded sharply in the 1930s, covering the Dorsey dates as well as sessions issued under Garcia’s own name and accompaniments for the little-known vocalist Amanda Randolph.
In 1935 he appeared with the Vic Berton Orchestra; the following year found him alongside Richard Himber, a move that carried him further from jazz into society dance bands. Momentum increased when several seasons with the Nat Brandwyne outfit gave way, in 1939, to membership in the Louis Prima Big Band. The 1940s brought continued studio calls of many kinds, culminating in his leadership of his own Latin band toward the end of the decade. An eventual move to California in the 1960s removed him from the scene as health problems curtailed further playing. He is unrelated to the trumpeter Louis Garcia associated with Nueva Creacion.