Birthday with Hot lips

It's my birthday on this particular Music Monday. Among musicians with a birthday today, most famous is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart(1756-1791). I'm not much into Mozart's style though. So, who else? There's "Hot Lips" Page - he sounds interesting and, as it happens, today while we're out and about I could possibly find myself not very far from his city of birth.

Oran Thaddeus Page (January 27, 1908 – November 5, 1954) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader born in Dallas, Texas, United States. He was better known as Hot Lips Page by the public, and Lips Page by his fellow musicians. He was known as a scorching soloist and powerful vocalist. (From Wikipedia)

His life was cut short, aged 46 by heart attack, followed by pneumonia.

A brief bio by Scott Yanow

One of the great swing trumpeters in addition to being a talented blues vocalist, Hot Lips Page's premature passing left a large hole in the jazz world; virtually all musicians (no matter their style) loved him. Page gained early experience in the 1920s performing in Texas, playing in Ma Rainey's backup band. He was with Walter Page's Blue Devils during 1928-1931, and then joined Bennie Moten's band in Kansas City in time to take part in a brilliant 1932 recording session. Page freelanced in Kansas City and in 1936 was one of the stars in Count Basie's orchestra but, shortly before Basie was discovered, Joe Glaser signed Hot Lips as a solo artist. Although Page's big band did alright in the late '30s (recording for Victor), if he had come east with Basie he would have become much more famous. Page was one of the top sidemen with Artie Shaw's orchestra during 1941-1942 and then mainly freelanced throughout the remainder of his career, recording with many all-star groups and always being a welcome fixture at jam sessions.

St James' Infirmary is a favourite blues number of mine, so a version with vocal by "Hot Lips" with Artie Shaw's orchestra:

And with Pearl Bailey ~ Baby It's cold Outside