Ray Nance

Ray Nance, born in Chicago in 1913, passed quite 25 years to play trumpet, cornet, violin, to dance and sing in the Duke Ellington's orchestra.

"Ray Nance never played a bad note in his life, so this makes him unique among artists who practice freedom of expression in music. Singer, violonist, cornetist, and dancer, he is consistently a gas!...
There's really only one. Ray Nance."

"Ray Nance n'a jamais joué une seule fausse note de sa vie, ce qui en fait un personnage unique parmi les artistes attachés à la liberté d'expression en musique. Chanteur, violoniste, trompettiste et danseur, il est excellent en tout! ... 

C'est un pur artiste, et aucun trompettiste n'improvise sur le "Take the "A" train" de Billy Strayhorn sans citer des passages de son solo dans le premier enregistrement de ce morceau...

Que dire d'autre de cette homme de petite taille, mais qui dominait de dix coudées ses collègues et concurrents? Ray Nance est unique."

Duke Ellington in "Music is my mistress" - 1973

More details and music about this amazing artist, across his career, at "Latino Bar"

& as a prologue,

Duke Ellington - C Jam Blues (1942) with Ray Nance playing violin