Rob and Earl Swope were brothers. Earl was three years older, and both played a gorgeous, deft and warm-toned trombone. In the late 1940s, Earl played with Woody Herman while Rob played with Buddy Rich, Chubby Jackson and Gene Krupa. The brothers from Washington, D.C., were in the same trombone section on only a handful of recordings: with Elliot Lawrence's band in 1951, with Joe Timer and the Orchestra backing Charlie Parker and Bud Powell in 1953 and backing Dizzy Gillespie in 1955. But on those live sessions, the Swopes were largely swamped by the orchestra. [Photo above, from left, Rob Swope, Earl Swope and Doug Goss]
One of the best albums on which to hear the Swopes together and individually is on a little-known album that featured them—Jazz Under the Dome, by the Freddy Merkle Group. Merkle was a Washington, D.C., drummer who recorded just one album—this one—in May 1957 for the Vik label. For the album, the Washington group took on the compositions and arrangements of Bill Potts, who also was from D.C.
The recording session was broken into two parts. The first featured a quintet—Earl Swope (tb), Al Seibert (ts), Bill Potts (p, arr, cond), John Beal (b) and Freddy Merkle (d). The songs they recorded were Shhhh!, Pernod 806, Lunch Box, Happy Daze and Pottsville, U.S.A. [Photo above of Earl Swope]
The second session featured the addition of John Payne (tp), Joe Bovello (tp), Hal Posie (tp), Rob Swope (tb), Ted Efantis (ts) and Joe Davie (bar), bringing the group to 11. The songs they recorded were D.C. Current, 555 Feet High, White House, Aide de "Comp" and Proto Cool. [Photo above of Bill Potts]
The Swopes' solos are as follows:
- Proto Cool—John Beal, Joe Davis, Ted Efantis and Bill Potts
- Pottsville, U.S.A.—Al Seibert, Earl Swope, Bill Potts, and John Beal
- White House—John Payne, Joe Davis, Earl Swope and Al Seibert
- Pernod 806—Al Seibert, Earl Swope and Bill Potts
- 555 Feet High—Rob Swope, Earl Swope, Al Seibert and Joe Bovello.
- Happy Daze—Al Seibert, Earl Swope and Bill Potts
- Aide De "Comp"—Bill Potts, Ted Efantis, Al Seibert, Hal Posey, Earl Swope and Joe Bovello
- Shhhh!—Al Seibert, Earl Swope, Bill Potts and John Beal
- D.C. Current—Ted Efantis, Rob Swope, John Payne and Earl Swope.
- Lunch Box—Earl Swope, Al Seibert and Bill Potts.
This is a gorgeous album, and Potts' pieces were smart and punchy without being cliche or cute. As we can hear on 555 Feet High and D.C. Current, the only songs on which the Swopes have solos together, Rob had a more pronounced attack while Earl had a slightly gentler, smoother tone. Rob's last recording date was in 1959 with the Gene Roland Octet while Earl's was in 1962 with Washington guitarist Charlie Byrd for Riverside. Both had spent years hopelessly and tragically hooked on drugs. Rob died in 1967 and Earl died in 1968. [Photo above of Bill Potts conducting in 1959]
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Freddy Merkle Group's Jazz Under the Dome here and here.
JazzWax note: For an earlier JazzWax post on Earl Swope, go here.
JazzWax clips: Here's 555 Feet High (the height of the Washington Monument), with Rob taking the first trombone solo and Earl the second...
Here's a rouser, D.C. Current, with Rob soloing first and Earl second...
