Teddy Napoleon

Teddy Napoleon (January 23, 1914 – July 5, 1964) was an American swing jazz pianist. He was the nephew of Phil Napoleon and the older brother of Marty Napoleon.

Napoleon's first professional engagement was with Lee Castle in 1933. He played with Tommy Tompkins for several years before working as a freelance musician in New York. In the 1940s he played in several big bands, including those of Johnny Messner and Bob Chester, before signing up with Gene Krupa in 1944. He worked under Krupa intermittently for the next fourteen years, including on many of Krupa's big band releases in the 1940s, and in his trio settings with Charlie Ventura. He also spent time working with Flip Phillips, Bill Harris, and Eddie Shu.

Napoleon moved to Florida in 1959 and led his own trio there, though he never recorded as a leader.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 23, 1914 (Brooklyn), Died July 5, 1964

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 81397 8/14/1951 A cabin in the cotton Neal Hefti Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81398 8/14/1951 Bing bong bing Neal Hefti Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81399 8/14/1951 Uncle Jim Neal Hefti Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81749 10/22/1951 Charmaine Neal Hefti Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81750 10/22/1951 Regular man Neal Hefti Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 81751 10/22/1951 Uncle Jim Neal Hefti Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Napoleon, Teddy," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/333309.

Napoleon, Teddy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/333309.

"Napoleon, Teddy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/333309

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