JOHNNY LETMAN

American jazz trumpeter, born 6 September 1917, died 17 July 1992 from discogs Never a household name, John Letman nevertheless had a long and frequently productive career as a solid and swinging trumpeter. He worked with Gerald Valentine in Illinois, Scat Man Crothers and Jimmy Raschelle in Columbus, OH, and then spent time playing in Chicago with Delbert Bright, Bob Tinsley, Johnny Lang, Nat King Cole (1938), Horace Henderson (1941-1942), Red Saunders (1942), and other local players. After a period living in Detroit (where he worked with Teddy Buckner and John Kirby), Letman settled in New York in 1944 and played with many groups including the Phil Moore Four, Lucky Millinder (1945), Cab Calloway (1947-1949), Milt Buckner, and the Count Basie Orchestra (1951). Letman spent the '50s and '60s mostly working in the studios, on television, and in Broadway shows although he also headed his own combo and recorded occasionally in jazz read more...