His 25 years as the bandleader on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson arguably made Doc Severinsen the best known trumpet player in North America.
Severinsen took over the post in 1967, the year after Skitch Henderson departed, but had been a member of the orchestra on The Tonight Show since 1952 when it was hosted by Steve Allen.
The fame that came from the television gig enabled Severinsen to begin recording a series of LPs for Command, the groundbreaking stereo label headed by Enoch Light. And when Light put out his own albums Severinsen was the lead trumpeter in the band.
High, Wide & Wonderful came along in 1965 and included a version of Toots Thielemans's Bluesette. The Belgian musician had had a worldwide hit with his unison guitar and whistling recording of the song three years earlier.
Bluesette
High, Wide & Wonderful has not been been made available on CD or as a legal download.
At age 86 Doc Severinsen, who has lived in Mexico since 2006, still occasionally appears with a big band or a small Latin group. Visit his website for tour dates.
Here's some vintage Doc as he appears with a couple of other trumpet greats on the Steve Allen hosted Tonight Show in the 1950s.
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