Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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CHALOFF, Serge

(b 24 Nov. '23, Boston MA; d there 16 July '57) Baritone sax. His mother was a music teacher, father played in Boston SO; studied piano, clarinet, self- taught on baritone; played with Boyd Raeburn '45, Georgie Auld, J. Dorsey '45--6; Sonny Berman date for Dial '46 incl. 'Nocturne', a striking Chaloff feature; joined Woody Herman '47, an anchor in the 'Four Brothers' reed section and featured on up-tempo 'Man, Don't Be Ridiculous'. As the first major bop player on the instrument he displaced Harry Carney in down beat polls three years in a row, but he was deeply infl. by Charlie Parker, not trying to play Parker on the baritone but discovering the richer power of the bigger instrument in the new idiom. Records late '40s on Savoy and Mercer with Al Cohn, Red Rodney, Oscar Pettiford, Denzil Best, other stars of the period; also on Keynote '47 and Futurama '49 with Rodney and the underrated trombonist Earl Swope, on the Boston Motiff label '49 with Charlie Mariano and Ralph Burns. He played with a Basie octet briefly '50; Serge Chaloff, Boston 1950 is on Uptown, recorded at the Hi Hat and elsewhere; but ill health intervened: he wrecked his career with drugs (he was a pusher in the Herman band) but the music survived; he returned to Boston, cleaned up and came back better than ever (though probably already suffering from cancer of the spine) with local men Mariano, Boots Mussulli (b 18 Nov. '17, Milford MA; d 23 Sept. '67: reedman and teacher, played with Stan Kenton, Charlie Ventura, Gene Krupa, etc), Herb Pomeroy (b 15 April '30, Glastonbury MA; trumpet, leader, teacher; led band at Newport '58, dir. Radio Malaysia Orchestra '62, Montreux '70, etc): '53--4 sessions incl. 'The Fable Of Mabel' (on Storyville and Black Lion); Boston Blow-up '55 and his masterpiece Blue Serge '56 (the last with Sonny Clark, Leroy Vinnegar and Philly Joe Jones) both on Capitol. He played well mid-'56 at a Metronome All-Star session and early '57 at a Four Brothers reunion for RCA. To his fluency and technique were added greater emotional understanding; his intensity and cathartic power continued to develop, yet though he knew he was dying there was no resignation. His complete recordings as leader were compiled by Mosaic on four CDs '93.