JACK SHELDON

Original Lion

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Jack Sheldon is an unequaled trumpeter, superb vocalist and all-around great entertainer.  At the age of 15 he was already performing at various venues throughout the East Coast.  He soon moved to California where he was quickly recognized as a Jazz Great.

 

Along with Lester Young in the 30s, Dizzy Gillespie in the 40s and Zoot Sims in the 50s, Jack Sheldon is one of the Original Lions of the West Coast Sound.

 

As an integral part of the West Coast Scene of the 1950s, he played an important role in developing that era’s bebop-inspired sound.  His solid connection to that vibrant period in West Coast Jazz surfaces with each impeccable solo.

 

Sheldon, a premier improviser, is one of only a handful of trumpet players throughout jazz history who has developed his own distinctive signature “sound”.  It’s an inimitable sound that comes from his heart and soul…what Miles Davis called “a voice”.  Although the trumpet is one of the most physically demanding instruments in jazz, Jack Sheldon’s technique, dexterity, sound, and overall ability improve with each passing year…this is a singular accomplishment.

 

Sheldon’s collaborative list is indeed long and impressive:  Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Curtis Counce, Harold Land, Shelly Manne, Art Pepper, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Diane Schuur, Ray Brown, Zoot Sims, Marty Paich, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel and many other greats.

 

Five-time recipient of the prestigious Playboy International Artist of the Year Award, Jack Sheldon continues to dazzle audiences with his prodigious chops and unerring sense of swing at live performances throughout the year, most often on the West Coast with his big band, The Jack Sheldon Orchestra, or his group The Jack Sheldon California Cool Quartet™.

 

A true trumpet virtuoso, Jack Sheldon continues to be a featured soloist on innumerable soundtracks.  It was his sensuous trumpet solo that immortalized Johnny Mandel’s “The Shadow of Your Smile” from the Taylor-Burton film The Sandpiper.  Today his lyrical trumpet continues to garner the spotlight on television and motion picture soundtracks.  A personal favorite of Sheldon’s is the soundtrack from the motion picture Object of Beauty.  Sheldon is indeed one of the world’s great trumpet players.

 

Jack Sheldon is also a sublime vocalist.  The L.A. Times proclaims, “Jack Sheldon is one of the top jazz singers of the day - simply splendid!”.  His soulful vocals are featured in an abundance of television and motion picture soundtracks including Speechless, Stuart Saves His Family and Bogus.  He also has numerous jazz vocal recordings to his credit including two distinctive duets with the great Rosemary Clooney, on two separate Concord CD releases.

 

In 1991 Jack Sheldon debuted his 18 piece jazz big band, The Jack Sheldon Orchestra, and has three landmark recordings featuring this power outfit currently available on the Butterfly Records label:  Jack Sheldon Sings,  Jack is Back! and JSO Live! On The Pacific Ocean.  The Hollywood Reporter proclaims,  “Sheldon leads the roaring, deep-throated beast through its boss repertoire”.

 

He’s recently signed a multi-record deal with Butterfly Records which will include two new releases this year; California Cool (featuring The Jack Sheldon California Cool Quartet - street date Oct. 15, 2004) and Freaky Friday (featuring Jack Sheldon and Jack Marshall - December 2004 release).

 

A multi-talented entertainer, Jack Sheldon has also starred and guest-starred in numerous television shows and major motion pictures over the years including his own sit-com, Run Buddy Run, and twenty years as featured soloist, resident comedian, and vocalist on The Merv Griffin Show.  Another highlight is his role as “Des Long” in Mike Hammer-Private Eye ; a two-part episode entitled “Songbird” where Sheldon is given free-reign to adlib and improvise throughout the filming…a classic! …and brilliant use of Sheldon’s improvisational skill by producer/director, Doug McIntyre.  Other especially memorable roles include the bandleader, “Wally”, in For the Boys (debut of The Jack Sheldon Orchestra), “Norman” in Lush Life, a cameo in the opening of The Radioland Murders (in which he does his own stuntwork), and “Whitebeard” in Dear God.

 

In addition, Jack Sheldon’s distinctive voice-over work has been heard consistently over the years on innumerable commercials, motion pictures and animated shows including The Simpsons, Family Guy and Johnny Bravo.  But his most powerful and critically acclaimed voice-over project has certainly been his unforgettable vocalizing on Conjunction Junction and Just a Bill from the Schoolhouse Rock series.  Both of these vocal performances by Jack Sheldon have achieved cult fame.  Sheldon is indeed “The Voice of Schoolhouse Rock”.

 

Jack Sheldon’s importance to the entertainment industry has been a constant throughout his career from bebop to voice-overs.  He is living proof that jazz and show-biz do mix.  Jack Sheldon’s mark on the world of entertainment is indelible.

 

The Official Jack Sheldon Website: WWW.JACKSHELDON.COM