Wayman Carver
Wayman Carver (December 25, 1905, Portsmouth, Virginia – May 6, 1967, Atlanta) was an American jazz flutist and reeds player. He is considered as a pioneer of the use of the flute in jazz. Carver was a rare jazz flautist active during the swing era, and was among the earliest soloists on his main instrument to perform jazz, although Alberto Socarras preceded him by about five years. Many historians credit him as the first pure jazz flutist. His first professional experience was with J. Neal Montgomery. After he moved to New York City in 1931, he recorded and performed with Dave Nelson, and played with Elmer Snowden (1931–32), Benny Carter, and Spike Hughes (1933). His recordings from this time, among the first which included jazz flute, are cited by jazz flutists during the late 1940`s and early 1950`s as being models for their playing. From 1934 to 1939, he played with Chick Webb on both saxophone and flute. After Webb died, he continued in the orchestra during its period of leadership under Ella Fitzgerald until 1941. After leaving the jazz scene, he became a professor of music at Clark College, where he taught saxophonists George Adams and Marion Brown, among others. Tenor saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess named Carver as one of his early flute teachers. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Portsmouth (independent city in Virginia, United States), Died May 6, 1967 (Atlanta (capital city of Georgia, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1934 - 1940
Roles Represented in DAHR: flute, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 119 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | MS-031431 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately late January 1939 | Tea for two | Chick Webb Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, flute | |
| Victor | MS-031432 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately late January 1939 | Crazy rhythm | Chick Webb Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, flute | |
| Victor | MS-031433 | 16-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | approximately late January 1939 | Blue skies | Chick Webb Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, tenor saxophone, flute | |
| Decca | 38593 | 10-in. | 9/10/1934 | That rhythm man | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 38594 | 10-in. | 9/10/1934 | On the sunny side of the street | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 38595 | 10-in. | 9/10/1934 | Lona-1 | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 38596 | 10-in. | 9/10/1934 | Blue minor-1 | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 39138 | 10-in. | 11/19/1934 | It's over because we're through | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 39140 | 10-in. | 11/19/1934 | Don't be that way | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 39141 | 10-in. | 11/19/1934 | What a shuffle-1 | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 39142 | 10-in. | 11/19/1934 | Blue Lou | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 39614 | 10-in. | 6/12/1935 | I'll chase the blues away | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 39615 | 10-in. | 6/12/1935 | Down home rag-1 | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone, arranger | ||
| Decca | 39616 | 10-in. | 6/12/1935 | Are you here to stay? | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 39617 | 10-in. | 6/12/1935 | Love and kisses | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60054 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | Rhythm and romance | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60055 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | Moonlight and magnolias | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60056 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | I'll chase the blues away | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60057 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | I may be wrong (but, I think you're wonderful) | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60058 | 10-in. | 10/12/1935 | Facts and figures | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 60999 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | Love, you're just a laugh | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 61000 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | Cryin' my heart out for you | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 61001 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | under the spell of the blues | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 61002 | 10-in. | 4/7/1936 | When I get low I get high | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone | ||
| Decca | 61123 | 10-in. | 6/2/1936 | Go Harlem-1 | Chick Webb Orchestra | instrumentalist, flute, tenor saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Carver, Wayman," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/201649.
Carver, Wayman. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/201649.
"Carver, Wayman." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Wayman Carver
Discogs: Wayman Carver
Allmusic: Wayman Carver
Grove: Wayman Carver
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Carver, Wayman Alexander, 1905-1967 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86142006
Wikidata: Wayman Carver - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1275235
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/27869271
MusicBrainz: Wayman Carver - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/d98fcfdf-b183-4eff-89bf-e5abf94ab02f
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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