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Jay Cameron

1928 – 2001

Baritone saxophonist

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About Jay Cameron

Lived 1928 – 2001 (aged 72). Jay Cameron was an American saxophonist and jazz musician.

Jay Cameron (September 14, 1928 – March 20, 2001) was an American jazz reed musician who played the baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, and B-flat clarinet.

Career Cameron began as an alto saxophonist but later recorded with bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, and B-flat clarinet. His career began in the early 1940s in Hollywood with Isaac M. Carpenter's band, with whom he played until 1947. He became best known for his work on baritone saxophone, which was his primary instrument for over 50 years.

Cameron moved to Europe near the end of the decade and played with Rex Stewart, Bill Coleman, Roy Haynes and Henri Renaud in France and Italy; in the early 1950s Cameron gigged around Belgium, Germany, and Scandinavia. In 1955 he played steadily in Paris with a band that included Bobby Jaspar, Barney Wilen and Jean-Louis Chautemps. He returned to the United States in 1956, playing in the bands of Woody Herman (1956) and Slide Hampton (1960). He also worked with Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Maynard Ferguson (1957–58), Freddie Hubbard (1958), Candido Camero, Bill Barron, André Hodeir, Hal McKusick, and Les and Larry Elgart. He led the International Sax Band and the Third Herdsmen. In the late-1960s, Cameron toured with Paul Winter.

Personal life Cameron was born in New York City and died in San Diego.

Discography As leader Jay Cameron's International Sax-Band (Swing, 1955)

As sideman With Slide Hampton Slide Hampton and His Horn of Plenty (Strand, 1961) Sister Salvation (Atlantic, 1960) Somethin' Sanctified (Atlantic, 1961) Two Sides of Slide (Charlie Parker, 1961) Jazz with a Twist (Atlantic, 1962) Drum Suite (Epic, 1962) Exodus (Philips, 1962) Explosion! The Sound of Slide Hampton (Atlantic, 1962)

With others Bill Barron, Modern Windows (Savoy, 1962) Cándido Camero, Conga Soul (Roulette, 1962) Maynard Ferguson, A Message from Newport (Roulette, 1960) Dodo Greene, Ain't What You Do (Time, 1959) Roy Haynes, Roy Haynes Modern Group (Swing, 1955) Woody Herman, Blues Groove (Capitol, 1956) Andre Hodeir, American Jazzmen Play Andre Hodeir's Essais (Savoy, 1957) Hal McKusick, Cross Section-Saxes (Decca, 1958) Hal McKusick, Now's the Time (Decca, 1995) Anthony Ortega, Jazz for Young Moderns (and Old Buzzards, Too) (Bethlehem, 1959) Anthony Ortega, Earth Dance (Fresh Sound, 2001) Herb Pomeroy & Maynard Ferguson, Trumpets Out Front (Vogue, 1971) Paul Winter, New Jazz On Campus (Columbia, 1963) Paul Winter, Jazz Meets the Folk Song (Columbia, 1964) Paul Winter/Bola Sete & Vince Guaraldi, Ralph J. Gleason's Jazz Casual (Koch, 2001)

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Important facts

People in Jay Cameron's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Jay Cameron's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Jay Cameron?

baritone saxophonist

When was Jay Cameron born?

Jay Cameron was born on 14 September 1928 in New York City.

When did Jay Cameron die?

Jay Cameron died on 20 March 2001 in San Diego.

What was Jay Cameron's occupation?

Jay Cameron was a saxophonist and jazz musician.

What nationality was Jay Cameron?

Jay Cameron was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jay Cameron

· Wikidata: Q183005

· DBpedia: Jay Cameron

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jay Cameron. https://biography.guide/jay-cameron/

MLA: "Jay Cameron." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jay-cameron/.

Chicago: "Jay Cameron." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jay-cameron/.

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