Don Sleet

Donald Clayborn Sleet (November 27, 1938 – December 31, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was a member of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars and Lenny McBrowne and the Four Souls. Widely considered a gifted musician, compared to the likes of Art Farmer and Kenny Dorham, Sleet had a short career as a result of his drug abuse, recording only one album as a leader.

Life and career

Early years Sleet was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on November 27, 1938. His father was a music teacher at school from whom he began to take lessons at age nine. His family moved to San Diego, California, when he was ten years old. There he took piano lessons for four years before taking up the trumpet. In the summer of 1960 he became a member of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars. In October 1960, Sleet went to New York with The Four Souls to record their second and final album, Eastern Lights, supervised by Ornette Coleman.

All Members Sleet's only session as a leader took place on March 16, 1961. Recorded in New York under the supervision of Orrin Keepnews, All Members also featured the musicians Jimmy Heath (tenor saxophone), Wynton Kelly (piano), Ron Carter (double bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums). The album was released by the Jazzland label (a subsidiary of Riverside) and was described as "outstanding" by Down Beat. AllMusic's Alex Henderson described the album as a "fine hard bop date" where Sleet "shows himself to be a captivating soloist". The album was reissued in 2001 as part of Fantasy Records' Original Jazz Classics series. In the summer of 1964, Sleet played in Shelly Manne's My Fair Lady with the Un-original Cast, his last session.

Style An "expressive, swinging player", Sleet was influenced by Chet Baker, Miles Davis and Kenny Dorham amongst others. He has also been compared to Art Farmer due to his "smooth tone".

Family Sleet got married in the 1970s but never had children. His younger brother David was a professional drummer in the 1960s and a member of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers.

Discography

As leader 1961: All Members (Jazzland)

As sideman With Lenny McBrowne and the Four Souls Lenny McBrowne and the 4 Souls (Pacific Jazz, 1960) Eastern Lights (Riverside, 1960)

With Shelly Manne My Fair Lady with the Un-original Cast (Capitol, 1964)