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Clark Terry, internationally famed trumpeter and flügelhorn player and one of contemporary music's great innovators, is celebrated for his great technical virtuosity, swinging lyricism and impeccable good taste. His sunny, upbeat personality and dramatic flair make Clark Terry a spellbinding teller of musical tales. A Founding Artist of the Kennedy Center who first appeared there during the 1971-72 inaugural season, Terry has headlined premier jazz events and been featured on television programs throughout the world.
As director of the Clark Terry Great Plains Jazz Camp, an advisor to the National Association of Jazz Educators and a much sought-after clinician, he has often been referred to as "America's number one jazz educator." He is also the noted author of Let's Talk Trumpet: From Legit to Jazz, Interpretation of the Jazz Language, and Clark Terry's System of Circular Breathing for Woodwind and Brass Instruments.
In the 1940s, after his Navy service, Terry's musical star rose rapidly in the bands of Charlie Barnett, Charlie Ventura, Eddie Vinson, and then, in 1948, the great Count Basie. He has influenced younger musicians such as Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. In the 1950s his use of the flügelhorn legitimized the instrument in a jazz setting. In 1951, Clark Terry joined Duke Ellington's orchestra where he stayed for eight years as a star soloist, both on tour and on recordings.
As the first black musician on the NBC Television payroll, Clark Terry became a television star as one of the spotlighted players in the Tonight Show band. During this period, he scored a smash hit as a singer with his irrepressible "Mumbles."
When the Tonight Show moved to Los Angeles, Terry remained in New York to pursue a busy schedule as a studio musician and as a touring jazz star worldwide. In recent years, he has piloted one of today's sassiest large ensembles, Clark Terry's Big Band, as well as the quintet, Clark Terry and His Jolly Giants.
Terry's honors include a doctorate in humane letters from the University of New Hampshire and numerous other honorary degrees from institutions including the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of South Carolina. He was also the first jazz artist to be honored with its highest award for distinguished service to music by the national music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. The U.S. State Department selected Terry and his band for tours to the Middle East and Africa as American ambassadors of good will. He was also inducted into Kansas City's Jazz Hall of Fame.
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