Adolphus 'Doc' Cheatham, Jazz Trumpet Legend, Dies At 91
Submitted By N.O.V.A. July 2005
Times Picayune 	06-3-1997


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The symbolism was obvious when Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton settled into a
local studio in September to record a cross-generational "trumpet summit" of
traditional New Orleans jazz. There was Cheatham, at 91 one of the last living
links to the dawn of jazz, passing the torch to Payton, at 23 one of the idiom's
brightest young lights.

That recording session turned out to be Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham's last. He died
Monday in a Washington, D.C., hospital after suffering a stroke. He would have
turned 92 on June 13.

Mr. Cheatham lived in New York City, but in his final years his heart and playing
style belonged to New Orleans.

Until a 1992 appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, he hadn't
visited the city since passing through with Cab Calloway's band in the 1930s. But
he became a frequent visitor in recent years, performing at private functions, a
school fair and the Palm Court Jazz Cafe, and making regular Jazzfest appearances.

His sweet-natured tone and personality endeared him to local jazz fans. And some
of the most enduring records of his long career could turn out to be his later
ones, discs of straight-ahead traditional New Orleans jazz such as "Swinging Down
in New Orleans, Vol. 1" on the local Jazzology label and "Nicholas Payton & Doc
Cheatham," the collaboration with Payton that was released by Verve Records just
before this year's Jazzfest.

Arthritis made walking difficult for Mr. Cheatham in recent years, but his vibrant
playing belied his frail frame. Elbows pointed outward, head back, horn arched
skyward, he lofted trumpet solos that emphasized lyricism and articulation over
flash.

Mr. Cheatham's jazz was sweet-tempered rather than stodgy, interspersed with sly
humor. He strove to make audiences smile and swing rather than sit back with
detached studiousness.

At Economy Hall during this year's Jazzfest, he and the ensemble backing him
stumbled at the end of "Jeepers Creepers." They all cracked smiles, as did much of
the audience. Then they nailed the ending on the second try, to generous applause.

During his 70-year career, Mr. Cheatham crossed paths with figures known today
mostly from history books and vintage recordings. He was born in Nashville in
1905. At 15, he joined a children's band at a church, playing drums first, then
cornet. He was largely self-taught and earned the nickname "Doc" because he often
performed at a medical college.

By the early 1920s, Mr. Cheatham was playing in a Nashville theater's house band,
often backing blues singers. He moved to Chicago, where he found it difficult to
get work because, as he told jazz critic Whitney Balliett years later, "the New
Orleans musicians had everything wrapped up." But the music of King Oliver (Mr.
Cheatham used a mute that once belonged to Oliver), Freddie Keppard, Louis
Armstrong (whom Mr. Cheatham would befriend) and others made a lasting impression
on him.

He left Chicago for Philadelphia in 1927, then moved on to New York and joined Sam
Wooding's band, earning a reputation as a top lead trumpet player. He played with
McKinney's Cotton Pickers, a renowned jazz orchestra, and later spent eight years
with Calloway, whom he called "the greatest leader I ever worked for."

Later, he played briefly with Benny Carter and was a member of various Latin
orchestras and the house band at George Wein's Mahogany Hall in Boston. He began
to emerge as a soloist with Wilbur De Paris' "New New Orleans Band;" he first sang
on records in the 1960s with pianist Sammy Price.

It wasn't until Mr. Cheatham was in his 80s, holding down a steady weekly gig at
New York's Sweet Basil club, that he earned his reputation as a leader. His
profile was higher recently than at any other point in his career, due in part to
his collaboration with Payton.

They first met seven years ago while performing on a cruise ship and quickly
developed a mutual admiration. After Mr. Cheatham expressed interest in making an
album with Payton, a group of local fans began to put the project together with
the intention of releasing it themselves.

But then Verve, Payton's label, decided to pick up the record. "We thought it was
a rare opportunity to document some history and to demonstrate that there is a
continuity to this musical tradition," senior vice president Richard Seidel said.
"We believe the meeting of the two is an extremely newsworthy event."

It certainly was to Mr. Cheatham. "It's been a long time since these songs that
we're recording have been played, a very long time," he said during a break in the
recording session at Ultrasonic Studios. "If you don't record them, people are
going to forget them. A lot of people have never heard them in the first place.

"A long time ago, I wanted to do a record with Louis Armstrong, but I had better
sense than to ask him. I think Nicholas is the closest one to Louis, so I'm happy
to be as close as I can to someone like that."

Mr. Cheatham performed Saturday with Payton at Blues Alley, a jazz club in
Washington. Reports said he was in good spirits, which he normally was, especially
after performing with Payton.

He collapsed in his hotel room Sunday and died early Monday.

Payton was traveling Monday and unavailable for comment. In September he said,
"There was no hesitation for me to do (the album with Mr. Cheatham). It is an
honor and a privilege. Aside from being a very great musician, what I love about
Doc is he's a wonderful human being. I really enjoy working with him. I think we
inspire each other to try to play at our best. It's a dialogue between us."

That dialogue, preserved on "Nicholas Payton & Doc Cheatham," ensures that a
prediction Mr. Cheatham once made to Balliett may not come to pass.

"I'm almost the last of the line," Mr. Cheatham said. "When I'm gone, it'll be
just about over, my kind of playing. It will be as if it hadn't existed at all, as
if all of us hadn't worked so long and hard."

Mr. Cheatham is survived by his wife, Nellie, and a daughter, Alicia.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete.