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Teddy Napoleon (January 23, 1914 – July 5, 1964)[1] was an American swing jazz pianist. He was the nephew of Phil Napoleon and the older brother of Marty Napoleon.[1]
Napoleon's first professional engagement was with Lee Castle in 1933.[1] He played with Tommy Tompkins for several years before working as a freelance musician in New York.[1] In the 1940s he played in several big bands, including those of Johnny Messner and Bob Chester, before signing up with Gene Krupa in 1944.[1] He worked under Krupa intermittently for the next fourteen years, including on many of Krupa's big band releases in the 1940s, and in his trio settings with Charlie Ventura.[1] He also spent time working with Flip Phillips, Bill Harris, and Eddie Shu.[1]
Napoleon moved to Florida in 1959 and led his own trio there, though he never recorded as a leader.
- ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1793. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.