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After joining a military band on piano and saxophone as part of his call-up for national service, Red Mitchell began his career as a performing musician on double bass. He initially played with Jackie Paris and Mundell Lowe, then in the late '40s with bandleader Chubby Jackson, before joining Woody Herman's band for three years. Health problems forced him to take a period of enforced rest in the early '50s, but he soon recovered and embarked on a series of collaborations with Red Norvo, Tal Farlow, Gerry Mulligan and Hampton Hawes. He played with Hampton Hawes for over ten years, during which time he participated in an exceptional number of recorded sessions and concerts. By the end of the 50s, Red Mitchell was still putting together trios, quartets, quintets and more. Among his most regular collaborators were saxophonist James Clay, pianists Lorraine Geller and André Prévin, and drummers Billy Higgins and Shelly Manne. After prolonged studio activity and appearances with Hampton Hawes, Ornette Coleman and Dizzy Gillespie, Red Mitchell was one of a number of American musicians to take a step back and settle in Europe for a while. He chose Copenhagen, Denmark, where, like other exiled Americans, he performed on the Café Montmartre stage. There, he met up with local musicians in vogue, including Bobo Stenson and Rune Carlsson, with whom he formed a trio. After Copenhagen, Red Mitchell moved to Stockholm, where he performed with Toots Thielemans and Jim Hall, among others. His Scandinavian years were marked by a succession of significant encounters, as he made new recordings with Clark Terry, Jimmy Rowles, Phil Woods and others. He died shortly after his return to the USA, leaving behind one of the most voluminous discographies of his career, mainly as an accompanist, but also recognized for his career as a leader. History will also remember him as the man who alerted the Contemporary label to the existence of a promising saxophonist, none other than Ornette Coleman.
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