Of all the musicians who populated the "trombone" sections of professional big bands back in the "swing" era, not many played the "Valve Trombone".
Having come from Puerto Rico, where many municipalities offered musical instruction, Juan Tizol was one of the few.
A bit of trivia...
"Tizol first arrived in New York in 1917, but returned home, overwhelmed by the size of the city. In 1920, however, he and some friends stowed away on a British steamer and identified themselves as crew members when they got off on Ellis Island. By that time Tizol had gambled away all his money and lost even his trombone. By the end of the year, though, he joined the pit band at the legendary Howard Theater in the Washington area known as Black Broadway.
Duke Ellington played piano regularly at the Howard Theater before he formed his own band, and so came to know Tizol’s musicianship. Ellington’s first band, formed in 1923, had no trombonist. He quickly hired a succession of trombonists, but like most bands of the time, had only one. After 1926, it was Tricky Sam Nanton."
Tizol and Ellington story continues here...
https://music.allpurposeguru.com/201...ve-trombonist/
