| Some Important Early New Orleans Jazz Musicians |
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| Only a handful, out of hundreds, of talented early jazz musicians are represented on this page, because time and space wouldn't permit as many as I would've liked to include on the Old New Orleans site, as much as I hated to limit the number. I hope you'll do some research online or at your library to find out more about the early jazz greats of New Orleans. Enjoy. Nancy Brister. |
| In 1938, during the revival of the New Orleans style of jazz, Mezz Mezzrow (left), James P. Johnson (seated), Tommy Ladnier (right) and Sidney Bechet (not shown) performed in 3 recording sessions organized by jazz critic, Hugues Panassie (standing, center). |
| Tony Parenti, shown in 1911, at about the age of ten, had a long career in New Orleans and New York. In the 1920's, he led a band at the LaVida Club on Burgundy Street, New Orleans. |
| Like other early New Orleans jazz musicians, Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau's career had a resurgence in the 1930's-'40's. Right up to his death in 1949, he was described as exuberant and zestful. |
| Left: Alphonse Picou and Oscar "Papa"Celestin on Picou's 71st birthday Below, Joseph "Cornbread" Thomas stands by Oscar "Papa" Celestin's grave on the day that Dave Oxley was buried; New Orleans, 1974. |
| Alphonse Picou, shown standing, with his wife, was a popular clarinetist, born in New Orleans in 1878. He played in many early influential bands, including Buddy Bolden, Bunk Johnson, Papa Jack Laine and Freddie Keppard, as well as the Olympia and Excelsior Brass Bands. He traveled to Chicago and New York, but came back to New Orleans, saying he preferred his hometown. He was a fixture at clubs in the French Quarter for many years. When he died in 1961, his funeral procession was one of the largest the city had ever had. Albert Glenny, seated, was a bass player who, also, played in Buddy Bolden's band, as well as many others. He was born in New Orleans in 1870 and died there in 1958. |
| Freddie Keppard, standing, was among the great New Orleans horns. Early on, he played in the Olympia Orchestra and Frank Dusen's band, before joining Bill Johnson to create the Original Creole Orchestra. Some musicians who remembered Buddy Bolden said that Freddie Keppard sounded more like Bolden than anyone else. Keppard moved to Chicago where he remained the rest of his life. "Big Eye" Louis Nelson Delisle, seated, was born and spent most of his life in New Orleans. Like many of the early jazz musicians, he was playing in the Storyville District by the time he was a teenager. He played with several bands, including the Original Creole Orchestra. |
| Prof. Toney Jackson, pianist; from the description on this photo, taken in the 1890's: "Mr. Jackson is one of the best entertainers in the city, and is well liked. He is a good card." Image courtesy of infrogmation at Wikimedia Commons. |
| Louis "Kid Shots" Madison, New Orleans, 1946. As a youngster, Louis Madison played with Louis Armstrong in the Waif's Home Band. He later worked in Papa Celestin's Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra and the Eureka Brass Band. He preferred to stay in New Orleans rather than travel and continued playing music at night while he worked for the city during the day. Kid Shots Madison's own band played at the Cadillac Cafe and the P & L Club and many others. He died in 1948 in New Orleans. |
| Left: George Vital "Papa Jack" Laine, 1952. ~ Right: Arnold Loyacano stands at the door of Laine's former home in the French Quarter. Papa Jack Laine was a popular band leader in the city from the late 1890's til about 1920. He was a drummer, but gained a reputation for his skill at arranging and booking bands. His bands usually had the name Reliance in their title. Many of the New Orleans musicians who took jazz all across the country, at one time, worked in one of Laine's bands. He retired early from the music business, but lived a long life and was often interviewed about the early days of jazz in the city. Just a few of the jazz musicians who worked for Papa Jack Laine: Abbie, Merrit, Richie & George Brunies, Achille Baquet, Frank & Emile Christian, Eddie Edwards, Marcus Kahn, Joe & Johnny Lala, Nick LaRocca, Joe & Arnold Loyacano, Alcide Nunez, Alphonse Picou, Lawrence Veca...and many more. Papa Jack Laine died in 1966. |
| Well-known trombonist, Bill Matthews, in photos above; the one on the left shows him before a parade in New Orleans in 1960. Bill Matthews made recordings with Oscar Celestin, Alphonse Picou, George Lewis, Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau, Alton Purnell, Lawrence Marrero, Albert Burbank and many others; and performed with several bands at clubs and events throughout the area. Bill Matthews died in 1964. |
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| Joseph Gustaf "Sharkey" Bonano was born in the lakefront Milneberg area of New Orleans in 1904. He was an extremely talented trumpet player and he traveled widely and with a number of different bands. There's an interesting story about Sharkey Bonano that goes like this: Arturo Toscanini heard him play in New York and asked him to come to a rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic to play a few numbers for the orchestra; after which, Toscanini berated his trumpet section about their inabilities to get tones out of their instruments like Sharkey Bonano could. He died in New Orleans in 1972. |
| Left to right: Clarinetist "Big Eye Louis" Nelson; bass player Pops Foster; drummer Paul Barbarin; Sidney Bechet; bass player Albert Glenny; clarinetist Alphonse Picou, in their hometown of New Orleans, 1944. |
| Tom Brown was born in 1888 and one of the early jazz musicians in New Orleans. He brought his Dixieland Jazz Band to Chicago early on and, also, toured nationally, but came back to New Orleans, where he opened a music shop and played in a number of bands, including his own, Tom Brown and his New Orleans Jazz Band, for the rest of his life. He died in 1958. |
| Avery "Kid" Howard was born in New Orleans in 1908. He played in bands such as the Eureka Brass Band, Tuxedo Brass Band and led the Original Zenith Brass Band; he, also, played and recorded with George Lewis. He played at New Orleans' Preservation Hall for the last several years of his life and passed away in 1966. |
| Paul Barbarin, one of the best of the early jazz drummers, was the son of Isidore Barbarin, who played mellophone and trumpet in the Excelsior Brass Band and the Onward Brass Band. Two of Paul's brothers, Louis and Lucien, were, also, highly regarded jazz musicians. Paul Barbarin played with several bands throughout his career, including Buddy Petit, Freddie Keppard, King Oliver's Dixie Syncopators, Luis Russell's Orchestra and Sydney Bechet's band. After stays in Chicago and New York, Paul Barbarin returned home to stay in the 1940's, leading bands of his own. In the 1960's, he re-organized his dad's Onward Brass Band and he played at Preservation Hall. Paul Barbarin passed away in 1969 in New Orleans. Five generations of New Orleans Barbarins have been jazz musicians; the latest, gifted trombonist, Lucien Barbarin, performs with Harry Connick, Jr. |
| Arthur "Monk" Hazel was born across the MS River from New Orleans in 1903. He was a drummer and cornetist who played with many bands, including Abbie Brunies' Halfway House Orchestra, Tony Parenti, Johnny Wiggs. He spent time in New York and Hollywood, but eventually returned to New Orleans, where he worked with Joe Caprano, Sharkey Bonano, Mike Lala and many others, as well as recording with Pete Fountain and Al Hirt. Monk Hazel died in New Orleans in 1968. |
| Santo Pecora was born in New Orleans in 1902. He played with many bands: Johnny DeDroit, Leon Roppolo, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and Sharkey Bonano. After awhile in Chicago, he returned home to New Orleans and continued to play in clubs and on riverboats, remaining a fixture in the local jazz scene until the 1960's. Santo Pecora died in 1984. |
| Sidney Bechet, pictured above, was born in New Orleans in 1897 and grew up in a musical family. He toured early on and played in Chicago with Freddie Keppard and King Oliver. He began as a clarinetist, but, while in England one time, bought a saxophone and taught himself to play it; it became the primary instrument of his career, though he still occasionally play clarinet. In the 1920's, he made some recordings with Louis Armstrong and these records constitute one of the most important bodies of New Orleans jazz and were very influential on musicians of the time. Work slowed during the Depression, but with the New Orleans jazz revival of the 1930's-40's, his fortunes improved and the made several recordings and toured Europe for the first time in 20 years and was wonderfully received. In 1951, he moved to France and remained there the rest of his life. Sidney Bechet died in 1959. |
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