 This engagement launched his career as a trumpeter and he went on to play with Art Hodes and James P. Johnson at the Jazz at Town Hall concert in September 1946.He then moved to the midwest and after a brief stint in the Chicago Jazz scene he returned to the Savoy Cafe as a member of Edmond Hall's band and eventually moved west to experience the west coast jazz scene in California.His inability to read music forced him to decline gigs with Benny Goodman and Woody Herman while emphasizing his preference of informal jamming.