The world of big band jazz would not be the same if it wasn't for the contributions of Don Redman. His arrangements would cement several of the cornerstones of the style as eventually codified by one of his greatest admirers, Duke Ellington.

A native of West Virginia, Redman was a child prodigy. He was honking out notes on trumpet as early as age 3, and by the time he was a teenager he was proficient enough on all woodwind instruments that he was working professionally. Studies at Storer College and the Boston Conservatory followed, eventually leading to his moving to New York in 1923 to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra.

As Henderson's chief arranger, Redman was responsible for crafting some of the band's most memorable and innovative charts. In addition to being harmonically ahead of their time, they also incorporated revolutionary rhythmic and structural concepts. Rhythmically, Redman incorporated aspects of the burgeoning style of the band's star soloist, trumpeter Louis Armstrong, into his soli sections, infusing the band with an intense sense of swing and excitement. Structurally, he would often pit the sax and brass sections against one another in call-and-response, an idea that would become a hallmark of the great swing bands of the 1930s.

After leaving Henderson in 1927, Redman worked as the musical director for McKinney's Cotton Pickers before finally forming his own orchestra in 1931. The band experienced some surprise popular success, recording a Vitaphone short film for Warner Bros. in 1933 as well as providing the soundtrack for a Betty Boop cartoon the same year. Although he was forced to disband his group in 1940, Redman remained busy as an arranger for the bands of Count Basie, Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James, as well as serving as Pearl Bailey's musical director in the 1950s. He passed away in 1964, leaving behind an indelible legacy that continues to stand strong to this day.