Pee Wee Russell

Pee Wee Russell
Pee Wee Russell, New York, 1946
Background information
Birth name	Charles Ellsworth Russell
Born	(1906-03-27)March 27, 1906 Maplewood, Missouri, United States
Origin	Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States
Died	February 15, 1969(1969-02-15) (aged 62) Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Genres	Jazz, bebop, dixieland, swing, post-bop, free jazz
Occupation(s)	Clarinetist, saxophonist, composer
Instruments	Clarinet, saxophone
Associated acts	Red Nichols, Bobby Hackett, Thelonious Monk, Marshall Brown, Eddie Condon

Charles Ellsworth Russell, much better known by his nickname Pee Wee Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was a jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet.

With a highly individualistic and spontaneous clarinet style that "defied classification", Russell began his career playing Dixieland jazz, but throughout his career incorporated elements of newer developments such as swing, bebop and free jazz. In the words of the poet Philip Larkin, "No one familiar with the characteristic excitement of his solos, their lurid, snuffling, asthmatic voicelessness, notes leant on till they split, and sudden passionate intensities, could deny the uniqueness of his contribution to jazz."

Pee Wee Russell was born in Maplewood, Missouri, and grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. As a child, he first studied violin, but "couldn't get along with it", then piano, disliking the scales and chord exercises, and then drums – including all the associated special effects. Then his father sneaked young Ellsworth into a dance at the local Elks Club to a four- or five-piece band led by New Orleans jazz clarinetist Alcide "Yellow" Nunez. Russell was amazed by Nunez's improvisations: "[He] played the melody, then got hot and played jazz. That was something. How did he know where he was or where he was going?" Pee Wee now decided that his primary instrument would be the clarinet, and the type of music he would play would be jazz. He approached the clarinettist in the pit band at the local theatre for lessons, and bought an Albert-system instrument. His teacher was named Charlie Merrill, and used to pop out for shots of corn whiskey during lessons.

His family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1920, and that September Russell was enrolled in the Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois. He remained enrolled there until October the following year, though he spent most of his time playing clarinet with various dance and jazz bands. He began touring professionally in 1922, and travelled widely with tent shows and on river boats. Russell's recording debut was in 1924 with Herb Berger's Band in St. Louis, then he moved to Chicago, where he began playing with such notables as Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke.