Tricky Sam Nanton

Tricky Sam Nanton

Walter Sylvester Nanton, known professionally as Tricky Sam Nanton, was an influential American jazz trombonist noted for pioneering the "wah-wah" mute technique and as a principal soloist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His work with Ellington, contemporaries in the Harlem Renaissance, and recordings for major labels helped shape the sound of swing and big band jazz during the 1920s–1940s. Nanton's innovations influenced brass players across genres, from Louis Armstrong to later studio musicians in New York City and Los Angeles.

Early life and education

Nanton was born in New York City and grew up during the era of the Harlem Renaissance, where he encountered figures like James P. Johnson, Fletcher Henderson, Will Marion Cook, Florence Mills, and Eubie Blake. He studied trombone informally with local musicians who had links to bands led by John Philip Sousa, Papa Jack Laine, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, and Buddy Bolden. Frequenting venues associated with Savoy Ballroom, Cotton Club, Apollo Theater, Renaissance Ballroom, and Small's Paradise exposed him to performers such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, Earl Hines, and Fats Waller. Nanton's formative years overlapped with migrations and performance circuits connecting Chicago, New Orleans, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Detroit.

Career and collaborations

Nanton joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in the early 1920s, collaborating with bandmates and visiting soloists including Johnny Hodges, Bubber Miley, Cootie Williams, Harry Carney, Washingtonians, and arrangers like Billy Strayhorn. He recorded and performed alongside guest artists such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Mills Blue Rhythm Band, and leaders like Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman. Nanton's career involved sessions for labels including Victor Records, Columbia Records, Brunswick Records, Okeh Records, and Pathé Records. Tours brought him into contact with promoters and venues such as Irving Mills, Carnegie Hall, The Cotton Club, Roseland Ballroom, Savoy Ballroom, Carnegie Hall and international circuits that included London, Paris, and Berlin. Collaborations extended to composers and songwriters like Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer.

Trombone style and "wah-wah" mute technique

Nanton developed a signature plunger mute technique—later termed the "wah-wah"—working with contemporary brass innovators including Bubber Miley and Cootie Williams. His approach combined the use of a plunger with hand manipulation and mouthpiece control learned from earlier practitioners associated with New Orleans styles like Kid Ory, Jelly Roll Morton, and King Oliver. The effect was employed in arrangements by Ellington and collaborators such as Billy Strayhorn, Juan Tizol, Sidney Bechet, Johnny Hodges, and Harry Carney, and on compositions including Black and Tan Fantasy, Mood Indigo, East St. Louis Toodle-Oo, and Creole Love Call. Nanton's technique influenced trombonists and brass players in orchestras led by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and later studio musicians who worked with Gershwin film scores and Hollywood recording sessions.

Major recordings and performances

Nanton featured on landmark recordings and performances with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, including studio sessions for Victor Records and concert engagements at venues like the Cotton Club, Carnegie Hall, and international tours to Paris and London. Notable recordings include sessions of East St. Louis Toodle-Oo, Black and Tan Fantasy, Mood Indigo, and live broadcasts with guest artists such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. He participated in radio broadcasts on networks including NBC, CBS, and worked under producers and impresarios like John Hammond, Irving Mills, and William Paley. These performances connected him to a wider jazz ecosystem involving record producers at Victor, arrangers like Don Redman, and contemporaries in big band scenes such as Duke Ellington's Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Benny Goodman Orchestra, and Fletcher Henderson Orchestra.

Influence and legacy

Nanton's innovations shaped trombone voicing in swing, big band, and later modern jazz, influencing players such as Cootie Williams, Lawrence Brown, Tommy Dorsey, Jack Teagarden, Curtis Fuller, J.J. Johnson, and studio brass sections in New York City and Los Angeles. Scholars and critics including Gunther Schuller, Martin Williams, Rex Stewart, Stanley Crouch, and institutions like Smithsonian Institution and archives in Library of Congress have documented his contributions. His techniques persist in pedagogy at conservatories such as Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Berklee College of Music, and influence modern performers appearing at festivals like Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and venues like Lincoln Center and Blue Note Jazz Club. Legacy projects, reissues by RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and curated anthologies by labels such as Legacy Recordings and Bear Family Records continue to circulate his recordings.

Category:American jazz trombonists Category:20th-century American musicians Category:Duke Ellington Orchestra members