Theodore "Fats"Navarro

I often wonder where did Clifford Brown get his influence, after doing some research i discover that Fats Navarro was one of his biggest influences and if you listen to "Fats" you can hear Clifford playing thur him. Here is a brief look at Fats Navarro.

Fats Navarro was born Theodore Navarro in Key West, Florida on September 24th, 1923. his father was Cuban, African-American, and . As a child, Navarro had piano lessons, but then switched to
trumpet and tenor saxophone. While still in high school in Key West he
began to play professionally on the tenor saxophone, before switching
definitively to trumpet in 1941, A band on the road traveling north to
Cincinnati His main influences on trumpet until that time had been his
third cousin Charlie Shavers and then, more significantly, Roy
Eldridge, the harmonic link between Louis Armstrong and the beboppers of
he 1940s.In late 1943 Navarro joined Andy Kirk's band, and the presence of
Howard McGhee in the trumpet section brought a bebop influence to his
playing. His first recordings were In 1944, while the Kirk band was in
New York, Navarro sat in at Minton's (sometimes referred to as "the bebop
laboratory") In January 1945 he replaced Dizzy Gillespie, who was by
then a significant influence on him, in Billy Eckstine's band. At that
time this was the most modern and influential big band, having had
several notable members besides Gillespie, including Charlie Parker,
Dexter Gordon, and Art Blakey. In June 1946 Navarro left Eckstine,
choosing to work with Lionel Hampton in 1948) primarily in the New York
area. He acquired the nickname "Fats" because of his weight,
cherubic face, and high voice. Navarro married Rena Clark sometime
in the late 1940s and had one daughter. He died in New York City,
A few recorded solos with the Eckstine band exist, but most of
Navarro's work is in the small-band format favored by the beboppers; he
made more than 100 recordings primarily as a sideman with groups
led by Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Tadd Dameron, Kenny Clarke, Coleman
Hawkins, and Dexter Gordon, among others. A small number of these
recordings are compositions by Navarro himself.
Navarro had a highly individual style, and was, along with
Gillespie, one of the leading bebop trumpeters of the 1940s. He had a
big, beautiful sound, quite different from Gillespie's, and
though he had a wide range (concert Fs above high C appear regularly in
his solos), he exploited the upper
register less than Gillespie. Very
long, clearly articulated phrases and a strong sense of swing
characterize his style. In these respects and in his general fluency
Navarro was a significant influence
on, most importantly, Clifford Brown, among many others. According
to Gillespie himself quoted in an
obituary by George Simon in Metronome (Oct. 1950), Navarro was
"the best all-around trumpeter of them all. He had everything a
trumpeter should have: tone, ideas, execution, and reading ability."