Ernie Caceres

The brother of norteño violinist Emilio and trumpet and piano player Pinero, Ernie Caceres found his musical voice through jazz. In addition to long stints as a member of bands led by <a href="spotify:artist:5Wx29PEKBUtWOiTA3kOOXq">Bobby Hackett</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3okiREk3dV4F8BmK7cpEJf">Jack Teagarden</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2aAHdB5HweT3mFcRzm0swc">Glenn Miller</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4WoGga7UeRcmjD4ufif4nG">Tommy Dorsey</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2KSxJY1WxGGVYSmoM0N54P">Woody Herman</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1YaB5mqH5zlJqvJaKIsBrS">Eddie Condon</a>, he recorded with <a href="spotify:artist:19eLuQmk9aCobbVDHc6eek">Louis Armstrong</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1RsmXc1ZqW3WBs9iwxiSwk">Sidney Bechet</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4EYVgfZJ8wKXWmIvCx3gOY">Ruth Brown</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4RvXA7BDgqNgGDjsSSJnPc">Roy Eldridge</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5V0MlUE1Bft0mbLlND7FJz">Ella Fitzgerald</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5RzjqfPS0Bu4bUMkyNNDpn">Dizzy Gillespie</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3GAp4nVDIMnsYFZnD9DWSz">Hot Lips Page</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1Mxqyy3pSjf8kZZL4QVxS0">Frank Sinatra</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0u61vtGdkaLTguZ5mVxLjK">Muggsy Spanier</a>. A native of Rockport, TX, Caceres began his career in 1928 with a series of Texas bands. Together with his brother Emilio, he relocated to Detroit and then to New York, where they worked as session musicians. Joining <a href="spotify:artist:5Wx29PEKBUtWOiTA3kOOXq">Bobby Hackett</a>'s band during the summer of 1938, Caceres went on to be one of New York's in-demand sidemen. He played tenor saxophone in <a href="spotify:artist:3okiREk3dV4F8BmK7cpEJf">Jack Teagarden</a>'s band in 1939 and then accepted an invitation to join <a href="spotify:artist:2aAHdB5HweT3mFcRzm0swc">Glenn Miller</a>'s orchestra. During the two years that he remained with the group, he recorded prolifically and appeared in the film Sun Valley Serenade. Except for a brief period in 1945 when he served in the United States Army, Caceres continued to record with a lengthy list of jazz musicians. Forming his own quartet in 1949, he performed regularly at the Hickory Log in New York and made many television appearances with the <a href="spotify:artist:23wr9RJZg0PmYvVFyNkQ4j">Gary Moore Orchestra</a>. After performing with the Billy Butterfield Band during the early '60s, Caceres returned to Texas in 1964. Four years later, he re-formed his group with Emilio and began performing every weekend at San Antonio nightspot the Landing. He continued to perform until succumbing to throat cancer in the early '70s. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi