Don Rader (born 1935)
Don Rader, born in Rochester, Pennsylvania, studied trumpet from the age of five with his father. He joined the US Naval School of Music in 1954 and played in the Navy band.
From 1959 he played with, arranged and recorded with Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, Count Basie, Louis Bellson, Harry James, Terry Gibbs and Frank Foster. From 1967 to 1972 he toured with Les Brown, was a featured soloist in Stan Kenton’s band, and taught in Kenton’s jazz workshops. In 1972 he formed his own quintet in Los Angeles and was much in demand as a freelance musician.
Rader moved to Germany in 1983 to join Erwin Lehn’s radio band. He played with Peter Herbolzheimer, Dieter Reith, Klaus Weiss, among others, and at several German and Swiss radio stations. He returned to LA in 1985, and worked with Terry Gibbs, Louis Bellson, Benny Carter, Bill Holman, Stan Kenton, Della Reese, Supersax, Dianna Ross, Les Brown, Henry Mancini, Percy Faith, Harry James, and at film and TV studios.
Rader emigrated to Australia in 1994 where he recorded and worked with visiting artists, including Natalie Cole, Jim McNeeley, Bob Florence, Rob MacConnell and many Australian artists. He has toured with Della Reese, Sarah Vaughan, Andy Williams, Percy Faith, Diana Ross, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope (many times).
Rader has been active in jazz education, performing and adjudicating at college festivals. He lectured in trumpet improvisation at Sydney University and has written articles for Jazz Educators Journal.
Biography by Paul Kaufman
The Les Tomkins interview
Rader was recorded in conversation with Les Tomkins in London in 1964 while touring with Count Basie. He describes his experience of playing in great big bands, and the compliment he felt it was to be the only white player in Basie’s band.
Don Rader: Article 1
Image Details
| Interview date | 1st January 2004 |
|---|---|
| Interview source | Jazz Professional |
| Image source credit | Hgrgrnd7 |
| Image source URL | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wi... |
| Reference number | |
| Forename | Don |
| Surname | Rader |
| Quantity | 1 |
Interview Transcription
Don Rader was born in Rochester, Pennsylvania in 1935 and began trumpet studies at the age of five with his father. He went into the US Naval School of Music in 1954.
Don worked with Woody Herman from 1959-'61, Maynard Ferguson '61-'63, Count Basie
'63-'64 and Woody Herman again in 1965. He wrote arrangements for all three bands. He then played with Louis Bellson, Harry James, recorded with Terry Gibbs an worked with Frank Foster’s quintet.
From 1967 to 1972 he played with Les Brown on three world tours. Later became a featured soloist in the Stan Kenton band, and taught in Kenton’s jazz workshops. In 1972 he formed his own quintet with numerous concerts and classes throughout the country. During this period he was also much in demand as a freelance musician in Los Angeles.
Don moved over to Germany in 1983 to work with Erwin Lehn’s radio band at the Suddeutscher Rundfunk in Stuttgart. He also freelanced in Europe during this time with, among others, Peter Herbolzheimer, Dieter Reith, the drummer Klaus Weiss, and played sessions at the German radio stations NDR Hamburg, WDR Cologne and at Zurich Radio.
He went back to Los Angeles and was employed on a freelance basis from 1985 to 1993. During this period and the 1966-'82 period he worked on a regular basis with Terry Gibbs, Louis Bellson, Benny Carter, Bill Holman, Stan Kenton, Della Reese, Supersax, Dianna Ross, Les Brown, Henry Mancini, Percy Faith, Harry James, all of the major motion picture studios and live and filmed television.
On 1994 Rader emigrated to Australia in 1994 and started to freelance there. During this period he had many motion picture calls and recording sessions there. He also worked with visiting artists, including Natalie Cole, Jim McNeeley, the bandleaders Bob Florence and Rob MacConnell as well as many Australian artists.
At the time of writing (2004) he is currently still freelancing in Sydney and in Los Angeles and is the trumpet improvisation lecturer at the Sydney University Conservatorium of Music.
Don has been active in the field of jazz education, performing and adjudicating at many college jazz festivals. He has written a number of articles for Jazz Educators Journal.
He can be heard as soloist on Woody Herman’s Greasy Sack Blues, My Funny Valentine and Poor Butterfly on Woody’s Winners.
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