Pioneering bebop trumpeter Fats Navarro never led a band in his brief 26 years, but he helped establish the blueprint for a new sound and collaborated with some of jazz’s finest along the way. Born in Key West, Florida, on September 24, 1923, he picked up the trumpet as a teen and quickly left Florida after he graduated high school. He toured in various bands before settling in New York City in 1946, where he played in big bands with Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman. He also regularly shared the stage with Charlie Parker, and performed in smaller combos with Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, and drummer and fellow bebop innovator Kenny Clarke. For much of his short professional career, he was seen as a leading light in the up-and-coming bebop movement, and was often discussed in the same breath as Dizzy Gillespie, the reigning king of bebop trumpet. Navarro struggled with health issues and drug addiction, and died in New York City on July 7, 1950. His appearances on sessions for other artists have been compiled since his death, with Blue Note’s Fats Navarro Memorial Album serving as an ideal entry point for curious listeners.
