Born Richard Byron Wetmore in Glens Falls, New York,[1] he played the violin before entering the Army, but wished to join the Army Band and taught himself to play the cornet. He had formal musical training at the New England Conservatory of Music, but credited his improvisational skills to his period in the army.[2]
Jack Chambers, a University of Toronto professor who writes about jazz, called Wetmore "a jazz chameleon with professional skills on both trumpet and violin, and equally at home playing Dixieland or bebop or cool jazz." Chambers subsequently stated about the mid-1950s album, Wetmore Plays Zieff, as "beautifully crafted, and it stands as one of the most obscure great records in modern jazz."[2] A track from his album, Dick Wetmore (1952), was included in the Smithsonian Institution's collection of greatest jazz recordings.[1]
Wetmore performed into the 21st century, until shortly before his death, at the age of 79, from emphysema in Indianapolis, Indiana.[1]
Discography
As leader
Dick Wetmore (Bethlehem, 1955)
As sideman
Vinnie Burke, Vinnie Burke's String Jazz Quartet (ABC-Paramount, 1957)
