Milt Larkin

Milt Larkin (born October 10, 1910, Houston, Texas - d. there, August 31, 1996) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.

Larkin was an autodidact on the trumpet, and got his start playing in Texas in the 1930s with Chester Boone and Giles Mitchell. Between 1936 and 1943 he led his own band, touring the southwest United States and had gigs at the Rhumboogie Café in Chicago, in Kansas City, and at the Apollo Theater in New York City. Personnel in the band included Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, Eddie Vinson, Tom Archia, Cedric Haywood and Wild Bill Davis. This ensemble won high praise but never recorded.

Larkin disbanded the group when he entered the Army. From 1943 to 1946 he played in Sy Oliver's army band, also playing on trombone. Larkin first recorded after leaving the service, recording with a number of ensembles over the next decade. In 1956 he moved to New York and led a septet at the Celebrity Club. In the 1970s he returned to Houston and retired.

From 1979 to 1994, Milt Larkin was the leader of the Milt Larkin Allstars and the founder of Get Involved Now, a non-profit group that served inhoused audiences in Houston, TX. Members of his group included Jimmy Ford [alto sax], Arnett Cobb [tenor sax], Basirah Dean [piano/keyboard], Clayton Dyess [guitar], Terry T. Thomas [bass], and Richard Waters [drums] as well as many other musicians who sat in his big band. He did hundreds of performances for crippled and burned children, special needs children, mentally ill patients and elderly audiences. He was the recipient of the Jefferson Award for community service and performed regularly on the Annual Houston Jazz Festival and the Annual Juneteenth Blues Festival in Houston. Milf Larkin was featured in a documentary which was produced and aired on PBS called "The Bigfoot Swing." Although he suffered from Alzheimer's disease in the last few years of his life, he performed flawlessly at the Milt Larkin birthday bash on October 10, 1994 for his 84th birthday. He died on August 31, 1996 of pneumonia and his funeral was attended by many musicians, politicians and members of the press.

References

Personal recollection of Basirah Dean, pianist for Milt Larkin for 15 years.

• Scott Yanow, Milt Larkin at Allmusic

External links

• Larkin, Milton and Louis Marchiafava and Charles Stephenson. Milton Larkin Oral History, Houston Oral History Project, January 5, 1988.