Paul Quinichette

Tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette was born in Denver in 1921 (some say earlier) and as a youth met his mentor Lester Young.  Paul adopted Young’s style, and played the sax with the same creamy, free-flowing, lithe tone, although he also had his own very personal invention and attack.

While Paul was college trained, he also was a product of the vernacular western swing tradition.  His first major work was with Jay McShann’s big band.  Quinichette’s breakthrough came with the Count Basie orchestra, joining in 1951 at the inception of Basie’s “New Testament” band.  There he filled the role of principal tenor sax soloist much as Pres, Lester Young, once did, and by then Quinichette fully garnered the loving moniker the “Vice-Pres”.

Just as Mercury/Clef was recording Basie’s new ensemble, they also signed up Quinichette to back Dinah Washington on her discs.  With Basie’s urging and support, Quinichette was provided several record dates as a leader of small combos, which propelled him to a solo career.  Throughout the 1950's, he performed in various settings and made many records as a leader.  Quinichette also appeared on albums in blowing sessions with the likes of John Coltrane and Gene Ammons, and he accompanied Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan on some of their famous vocal recordings.

Beset by health problems, and also the victim of the decline of jazz’s popularity during the rock and roll invasion, Quinichette retired from music in the 1960's and worked as an electrical engineer and television technician.  He came back in the 1970's as part of the classic jazz revival scene, performing with Brooks Kerr at Churchill’s, at the West End Café, and with Jay McShann once again, one of the “Last of the Blue Devils”.  Quinichette died in 1983.

originally broadcast February 16, 2014; re-broadcast July 11. 2021

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