Positive Quiddity: Uan Rasey

Introduction by the Blog Author

I’ll bet you never heard of Uan Rasey.  But you’ve probably heard him!  He was a dynamite Hollywood trumpet player for the MGM orchestra from 1949 into the seventies, the soloist for the opening and closing themes for the movie Chinatown and a widely respected professional by other musicians in Los Angeles.

                                                                     Uan Rasey

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Obituary

Uan Rasey (August 22, 1921 – September 26, 2011), the renowned trumpet player best known for his studio recordings, has passed away.

Uan was the first trumpet of the MGM film studios orchestra from 1949 until the early 1970s, and performed on nearly every MGM film score from the late 1940s until the early 1970s, along with film scores from many other motion picture studios.

Some of his career highlights include An American in Paris, Singin’ in the Rain, and West Side Story.

Our thoughts are with Uan’s family.

http://brassmusician.com/uan-rasey-hollywood-trumpet-legend-has-died/

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Brief Biography

The annals of jazz and popular music have their share of star trumpet players: Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Maynard Ferguson Harry James, Wynton Marsalis, Bunny Berigan, Al Hirt, Doc Severinsen, and Wingy Manone come to mind. But the chances are very good that, ahead of all of these renowned figures, the average music listener may well have heard the music of Uan Rasey. A trumpet virtuoso to equal all rivals, Rasey has played with everyone from Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra to the Monkees, and on film scores from An American in Paris to Chinatown. His trumpet can be heard throughout Jerry Goldsmith's score for the latter film, one of the great, classic uses of the solo instrument in the history of cinema. Rasey spent the years 1949 through 1974 working for MGM Studios, and played lead trumpet on movies like An American in Paris and West Side Story. As a recording artist, he's played with the likes of Sinatra, Crosby, Nat "King" Cole, Mel Tormé, Anita O'Day, Doris Day, the Andrews Sisters, Benny Carter, Ray Anthony, Frankie Laine, Louis Prima, Judy Garland, Ella Mae Morse, and the Monkees. Since his retirement from MGM, he continued to participate in commercial recordings.

By Bruce Eder

http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/uanrasey