Flemming was a member of
James Reese Europe's 15th New York National Guard Band with
Eugene Mikell, and then Europe's 369th U.S. Infantry Band in
France in 1917. After the war, he also studied at the
Frank Damrosch Conservatory in New York, playing cello there. He later studied at the
St. Cecilia Academy in
Florence and the
University of Rome. He played with
Fred Tunstall in 1921 and recorded with
Johnny Dunn before joining
Sam Wooding and
Bobby Lee's band in
Philadelphia. Wooding left the U.S. to tour Europe in the mid-1920s, and Flemming continued to play with him stateside when they returned in 1927. Late in the 1920s he joined
Lew Leslie's Blackbirds show, which toured
London and
Paris toward the end of the decade. Around 1930, he formed his own band in Europe, the
International Rhythm Aces, in addition to doing continued work with Wooding. They collaborated in
Berlin, then Flemming found work accompanying
Josephine Baker. He appeared in
Buenos Aires with his ensemble early in the decade. In 1933 he played in
Paris, and then made tour appearances in
Calcutta,
Shanghai, and
Ceylon. In the mid-1930s, he also worked as a vocalist in Berlin (1935–1937), and played with
Sestto Carlin's Society Orchestra in Italy. In 1936, he interpreted for the U.S. at the
Olympic Games. Flemming returned to the United States at the end of the 1930s to play with
Earl Hines, but was prevented from joining the band due to problems with the city musicians' union. He played with
Fats Waller first in 1929–1943 recordings that were released by RCA Records in 2000 where he sat in as a trumpeter, and later in
Cicero, Illinois from 1940 to 1942, singing and playing trombone. After time playing with
Noble Sissle, he moved to
California and worked for the
Internal Revenue Service from 1943 to 1949. He occasionally appeared in films at this time, including
Pillow to Post and
No Time for Romance. In 1949, he took a vacation to
New York City and elected to move there. He played freelance for a time, then under
Red Allen from 1953 to 1958. He moved to
Spain in 1964 and held residencies in
Madrid,
Torremolinos, and
Málaga; near the end of his life he recorded with
Albert Nicholas and
Walter Bishop, Sr. After more time in Italy and Germany, he returned to the U.S. in 1976 and died shortly thereafter. ==References==