Don Sleet

Although little known, Don Sleet was a gifted hard bop/post-bop trumpeter who had an attractive, smooth tone along the lines of Kenny Dorham and Art Farmer. Dorham was a strong influence on Sleet's playing, and certain aspects of Miles Davis' lyricism had a major impact on him as well. But Sleet had a bigger tone than Davis; he favored a medium tone that was bigger than Davis and Chet Baker but not as big as the Fats Navarro/Clifford Brown school of trumpeting.

Sleet was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on November 27, 1938 but grew up in San Diego, where he studied both jazz and classical as a teenager. In fact, the trumpeter played classical for three years with San Diego Symphony, although jazz was his main focus. Sleet also spent a lot of time in Los Angeles, and it was in Los Angeles that he studied with trumpeter Shorty Rogers and met vibist Terry Gibbs (who hired him to play in...

Read more

Don Sleet Albums

2 records

Albums featuring Don Sleet

4 records