Gene Roland
Gene Roland (September 15, 1921 – August 11, 1982) was an American jazz musician, composer, and arranger who contributed richly to American jazz, especially through his work with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Born in Dallas, Texas, he played multiple instruments, including the trumpet, trombone, and saxophone, and collaborated with musicians including Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie. Roland was pivotal in defining the unique 'Four Brothers' sound that influenced big band jazz. Throughout his career, he contributed groundbreaking arrangements and compositions for many major bands, performing globally and working with Denmark's Radiohus Orchestra. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Dallas (city in the state of Texas, United States), Died August 11, 1982 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1947 - 1963
Roles Represented in DAHR: arranger, leader, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | D7VB-0402 | 10-in. | 1/3/1947 | Bill's mill | Count Basie Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Victor | D7VB-1483 | 10-in. | 8/6/1947 | You're the dream of a lifetime | William Johnson ; Musical Notes (Bill Johnson) | Male vocal solo, with vocal trio and jazz/dance quintet | songwriter | |
| Victor | D9VB-0046 | 10-in. | 1/6/1949 | Birdland | Charlie Ventura Bop for the People | Jazz/dance band, with vocal duet | songwriter | |
| Decca | 75642 | 1/3/1950 | I get a kick out of you-2 | Artie Shaw Orchestra | arranger | |||
| Decca | 113530 | 5/23/1963 | Soft winds | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113531 | 5/23/1963 | 'Round midnight | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113532 | 5/23/1963 | Bottoms up | Gene Roland ; Gene Roland | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113533 | 5/23/1963 | A stranger in town | Gene Roland | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113534 | 5/23/1963 | The gold dust twins | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113535 | 5/24/1963 | Suzie's theme | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113536 | 5/24/1963 | Foofnik | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113537 | 5/24/1963 | A smooth one | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113538 | 5/24/1963 | The wrong blues | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader | |||
| Decca | 113539 | 5/24/1963 | The great lie | Gene Roland ; Clark Terry | arranger, leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Roland, Gene," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103942.
Roland, Gene. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103942.
"Roland, Gene." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Gene Roland
Discogs: Gene Roland
Allmusic: Gene Roland
Grove: Gene Roland
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Roland, Gene - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82158874
Wikidata: Gene Roland - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1501435
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/64205908
MusicBrainz: Gene Roland - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2ae5058c-6bce-4e83-9bbe-5801f55aa7a3
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/102757 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/102757
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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