Elbert Pee Wee Claybrook

Elbert “Pee Wee” Claybrook (March 13, 1912- February 25, 1996) was a prominent tenor saxophonist from St. Louis, Missouri. He lived a life of over 50 years playing jazz swing music.^[1][2] He began his musical career in the late 1930s playing with the Fate Marable Mississippi riverboat band.

In the 1930s, he was playing with many famous jazz artists such as Jimmy Blanton, Jimmy Forrest, Sid Catlett, Art Blakey, Sweets Edison and Clark Terry.^[3] In 1942, Pee Wee and his buddy Clark Terry were inducted into the U.S. Navy, and sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station band near Chicago, Illinois. In 1944, he was reassigned to the Navy's Pre-Flight School located at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California.^[4][5][6][7]

Career

Mr. Claybrook was an immense contributor to the Bay Area Jazz scene for over 50 years.^[8] He played with the Swing Fever Band^[9] performing at many of the Northern California jazz clubs, concert tours, Monterey Jazz Festival, Cotati Jazz Festival, and the Los Angeles Classic Jazz Festival.^[10] Because of his immense influence in the music scene in Jazz music in Northern California,^[11] the Napa Valley Jazz Festival established the “Peewee Claybrook Award”. Thanks to Peewee’s collaborations with Clark Terry^[12] his sounds are heard and known to international jazz audiences.^[13]

St. Louis is known for jazz. It was a renown history hub where Jazz artist nurtured the development of jazz music that influenced, and engulfed the world with its wonderful musical gift to the world. To name a few musicians along with Pee Wee Claybrook that kindled the big band music scene in St. Louis were; Clark Terry, trumpeter, bands like George Hudson’s Orchestra,^[14] Eddie Randall’s Blue Devils,^[15] Dewey Jackson, Jeter-Pillars Orchestra, St. Louis Crackerjacks.^[16] The clubs that were part of this creation and development, including the Plantation,^[17] the Four Roses, the Golden Lily. Racism was a part of the Jazz environment in St. Louis. The Plantation Club in St. Louis was for 'White Only' customers.^[18] The Plantation Club did not allow Black musicians to fraternize with their white customers, or to enter the club through the front door. They made St. Louis known around the world for its contributions in music and to jazz. Many artist were raised in the mist of these creative geniuses such as; Jimmy Forrest, Jimmy Blanton, Miles Davis. Many creative minded inventors of sound, form and jazz made their way to St. Louis such as; Tab Smith, Shorty Baker, Floyd Smith (musician), Walter Page, Kenny Clarke, Sid Catlett, Art Blakey, and Harry “Sweets” Edison came to St Louis to be a part of the heyday of big bands in St. Louis.

St. Louis was a hub for music and dance, such as the St. Louis shag. It was the place where artists such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Jimmie Lunceford came to play with many of the seasoned musicians in St. Louis, such as Pee Wee Claybrook. Many of St. Louis’ creative musical artists were drafted into the military during World War II. Music played an enormous role in regards to moral in the battle fields and at home.^[19][20][21] This had an enormous effect on the music scene in St. Louis. It was devastating for Jazz in St. Louis.

In 1944 Pee Wee Claybrook was transferred out West to California. The Big band era was waning after World War II. After being in the Navy Pee Wee stayed in California, and played with Earl Hines known as (Earl “Fatha” Hines) in San Francisco. Pee Wee continued his musical relationship with Vernon Alley, who had also been a member of the U.S. Navy 45-piece regimental band at the Navy's Pre-Flight School located at St. Mary's College, in Moraga, California. He was a family man and ‘he kept his day job’. He bought a home in the new community, Parchester Village, Richmond, California, that was developed after WWII.

In 1995, Peewee reunited with his longtime navy and musical friend Clark Terry for a historic reunion concert at Berkeley'sThe Freight and Salvage Club. The reunion was recorded and Pee Wee was in excellent form on his tenor saxophone at the age of 84. The session was released 1995 as the album Reunion: Clark Terry and Pee Wee Claybrook.^[22][23]

Discography

• Reunion: Clark Terry and Pee Wee Claybrook, released November 21, 1995
• Grand Masters of Jazz, released Oct 15, 2013 on the Openart label, with the Swing Fever Big Band^[24][25]

References