OBITUARIES : Remembered for ‘What’s New?’ : Billy Butterfield, 71; Major Jazz Trumpeter

Jazz trumpeter Billy Butterfield, whose lyrical horn was featured on hundreds of recordings, including the original version of “What’s New?” with Bob Crosby’s band in 1938, died Friday at his home in North Palm Beach, Fla.

The 71-year-old Butterfield had been ill with throat cancer for several months but died of heart failure.

“He was one of the most respected and beloved of jazz trumpeters since the 1930s,” said Leonard Feather, jazz critic for The Times. “He had a pure tone and lyrical style often compared to the late Bobby Hackett. He was a very melodic player, not a composer but a trumpet player with a long track record.”

Born in Middletown, Ohio, Butterfield left school to tour with a college band and never went back, instead winning almost instant fame--first with Bob Crosby and later Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, the CBS and ABC studios, his own group and, more recently, as a charter member of The World’s Greatest Jazzband, a group of veteran traditional-style jazzmen reunited in the 1960s.

Besides the haunting “What’s New?” Butterfield is also especially remembered for his solo work on Benny Goodman’s La Rosita album in the early 1940s. He toured the world, played at the major jazz festivals and also recorded with foreign groups such as The Dutch College Swing Band. He had lived in Florida for the last 20 years.

Butterfield is survived by his wife of 36 years, Dorothy, formerly a singer in his band, and two daughters, Deborah and Judith. He also leaves two sons from a previous marriage, Michael and Patrick.

At the family’s request, contributions may be sent to the Hospice of Palm Beach County in North Palm Beach.