Jazz trombonist and composer, born in Indianapolis, IN. He took up the trombone at 14 after studying the piano. While working professionally in New York City in the 1940s, he was inspired by the bebop movement; his recordings of the period with Charlie Parker and others show him to be the first slide trombonist to answer the demands of the style for speed, articulation, and harmonic sophistication. From the 1960s he worked largely as a composer for films and televison, but his playing continues to influence modern jazz trombonists.