New Orleans Jazz

Starting in the mid-1910s, African Americans from the mostly rural, former Confederate states began leaving their homes in large numbers. They headed north to the industrial cities and west to California. The motivations for this Great Migration were almost as varied as the people who moved, but two themes were common: the search for better jobs and the desire to leave the segregated life of the South. When New Orleanians left for the North and West, they took jazz with them. Like Bolden sitting in Johnson Park, Ory, Keppard, Oliver, and others played in their new homes and drew musicians to them. Once established, they sent for other players from home. Jazz spread like wildfire in the early 1920s.

The late 1910s and early 1920s also mark the point when white musicians began to take jazz seriously, and the beats ceased to be just a “black thing.” Nick Larocca wrote “Tiger Rag” in 1917, and the Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) began to play it. They quickly changed the spelling of the band’s name to “Jazz” when it was clear that the music was neither separate nor equal, but universal.

CAMPUS PLAYERS. By the 1920s, white musicians took up the beats of the Creole bands in numbers, as evidenced by the Tulanians, a group of students from Tulane University. The group (unidentified in this photograph) is shown playing a football-season school function. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

NORK. New Orleans–style jazz was firmly entrenched in Chicago by the 1920s. The New Orleans Rhythm Kings is an example of the combination of musicians from the two cities. Its members are, from left to right, George Brunies, trombone (New Orleans); bandleader Paul Mares, trumpet (New Orleans); Leon Roppolo, saxophone (New Orleans); Mel Sitzel, piano (Chicago); Volly De Faut, saxophone (Chicago); Lew Black, banjo (Chicago); and Steve Brown, sousaphone and bass (New Orleans). In the back is Ben Pollack, drums (Chicago). (Courtesy of LSM.)

ROLLIN’. Steamboats were used for both commerce and entertainment in the 1920s. Captains making the run from New Orleans to St. Louis and back would often engage a band for the cruise for passenger entertainment, offering musicians a chance at steady employment. Pictured here are the Belle of Calhoun (left) and the Belle of the Bends. (Courtesy of LOC.)

RIVER RUN. Fate Marable landed a gig aboard the SS Sidney, a Streckfus Lines excursion boat, and went about organizing bands for the line. This band included, from left to right, Warren “Baby” Dodds, drums; William “Bebé” Ridgley, trombone; Joe Howard, cornet; Louis Armstrong, cornet; Fate Marable, piano; David Jones, French horn; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Johnny St. Cyr, banjo; and George “Pops” Foster, string bass. The white man (in hat) standing behind Johnny Dodds may be John Streckfus, the boat’s owner. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

CAPITOL. Another Marable band is pictured here, this time from the SS Capitol. From left to right are Henry Kimball, bass; Boyd Atkins, violin; Johnny St. Cyr, banjo; David Jones, saxophone; Norman Mason, saxophone; Louis Armstrong, cornet; George Brashear, trombone; and Warren “Baby” Dodds, drums. Above the group is bandleader Fate Marable, on piano. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

CALIFORNIA. Papa Mutt Carey led the Jeffersonians in Los Angeles in 1924. The band included, from left to right, Leo Davis, Bud Scott, Ram Hall, Carey, and L.S. Cooper. (Courtesy of LSM.)

KID. Edward “Kid” Ory is shown in Los Angeles in 1924. Ory and his wife, Elizabeth, left New Orleans in 1919 during part of what became known in the United States as the Great Migration. In New Orleans music circles, the exodus was known as the New Orleans Music Diaspora. (Courtesy of LSM.)

KING’S DRUMS. Warren “Baby” Dodds (1898–1959), the younger brother of clarinetist Johnny Dodds, was one of the top drummers of the pre–big band era. After having disagreements about style with Fate Marable, Dodds and Louis Armstrong left Marable’s band, joining Dodds’s older brother in King Oliver’s band. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

CHICAGO. Drummer Francis Mosely (left) led Francois and His Louisianians, which included Kid Punch Miller (center) and Charles Ducasting (right). Originally from Raceland, Louisiana, Miller also played with Jelly Roll Morton in Chicago, eventually returning to New Orleans in his later years to play at Preservation Hall. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

CONVERSION. In 1919, the influence of Tom Brown (trombone) and Tony Giardina (clarinet) turned Clint Bush’s Band into a jazz combo. Bush is seen on the right (banjo). In the mid-1920s, Brown returned home to New Orleans, where he played with Johnny Bayersdorffer and recorded. (Courtesy of LSM.)

WELCOME. All-time great vaudeville comic Joe Frisco greets the Tom Brown Band from Dixieland upon their arrival in Chicago in the 1920s. Brown is directly behind Frisco, wearing a straw hat and playing the trombone. To the right of Brown are, from left to right, Ray Lopez, Larry Shields, and Deacon Loyacano. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

YACHTING. Wealthy New Orleanians occasionally engaged bands to play parties on their yachts. The 6 & 7/8’s String Band played on Adm. Ernest Jahncke’s yacht, the Aunt Dinah, in 1921. They are, from left to right, (first row) Howard McCaleb, Charles Hardy, Hilton “Midget” Harrison, Edmond Souchon, and Bill Gibbons; (second row) Bob Reynolds, Admiral Jahncke, and Shields O’Reardon. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

OKEH RECORDS. This is the first incarnation of Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five. They are, from left to right, Armstrong, Johnny St. Cyr, Johnny Dodds, Kid Ory, and Lil Hardin Armstrong. This was the first band “Pops” took into the recording studio, in 1927–1928. Armstrong used musicians he played with in New Orleans. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

ORIGINAL DIXIELAND. Johnny Stein’s Original Dixieland Jass Band is shown here in 1916. They are, from left to right, Alcide Nunez, Edwin Edwards, Henry Ragas, James Larocca, and leader Johnny Stein. The band would change the spelling of its name from “Jass” to “Jazz” in 1917. (Courtesy of LSM.)

NOLA TO NYC. As seen here, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band featured, from left to right, pianist Henry Ragas, clarinetist Larry Shields, trombonist Edwin Edwards, cornetist Dominick James LaRocca, and drummer Tony Sbarbaro. The band would later record the first jazz single, “Livery Stable Blues.” (Courtesy of NOPL.)

BOURBON STREET. The Jules Bauduc Orchestra is shown here in 1928 playing at the Silver Slipper, located at 426 Bourbon Street. They are, from left to right, Mike Lala, Luther Lamar, Roland Leach, Monk Hazel, Paul Peque, Jules Bauduc, Horace Diaz, Eddie Powers, and Oscar Marcour. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

ON THE WATER. For a party in 1923, Admiral Jahncke hired members of both the Tuxedo Orchestra and the Young Tuxedo Orchestra. Members of the combined band are, from left to right, (seated) Henry Julian, Bush Hall, Willard Thoumy, Lawrence Marrero, and John Marrero; (standing) Chinee Forster, Milford Dolliole, Bebé Ridgley, Bob Thomas, Duck Ernest Johnson, and Eddie Marrero. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPH. Members of the Emmanuel Perez Orchestra are seen here posing for the camera. They are, from left to right, (seated) Alfred Williams, drums; Earl Humphrey, trombone; Eddie Cherie, baritone sax; Adolphe Alexander Jr., alto sax; and Caffrey Darensburg, banjo; (standing) Osceola Blanchard, piano; Emmanuel Perez, trumpet; and two unidentified. (Courtesy of LSM.)

COTTON CLUB. Armond Piron’s band traveled to New York in 1923 to play the Cotton Club. Unlike many other African American musicians, these musicians did not join the diaspora, choosing instead to play in New Orleans. The band, led by violinist Piron (standing, right), consisted of, from left to right, Peter Bocage, trumpet; Bob Ysaguirre, trombone; Louis Cottrell, drums; Louis Warnacke, alto sax; Lorenzo Tio, clarinet and tenor sax; Steve Louis, piano; and Charles Bocage, banjo. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

CHRISTMAS. King Oliver sent out this holiday card in the early 1920s. Oliver’s band at the time included, from left to right, (seated) Baby Dodds, Honore Dutrey, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, and Lil Hardin Armstrong; (standing) Oliver and Bill Johnson. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

SAZERAC BALLROOM. Even though the best of the Creole players went off to other parts of the country, jazz continued to grow back home. Here are members of the Original New Orleans Owls in 1924. They are, from left to right, Dick Mackie, cornet; Monk Smith, saxophone; Red Mackie, bass (standing); Benjy White, saxophone; Eblen Rau, violin (standing); Rene Gelpi, banjo; and Earl Crumb, drums and bandleader. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

EARLY LOUIS. Louis Prima’s first band is shown here in 1922. The members are, from left to right, Prima, Ewell Lamar, unidentified, Irving Fazola, Johnny Viviano, and unidentified. The man in the black jacket (presumably the bandleader) is also unidentified. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

WEST END LINE. Situated halfway between downtown and West End, the appropriately named Halfway House was a nightclub located where the West End streetcar line turned off Canal Street and onto City Park Avenue. In 1923, the house orchestra consisted of, from left to right, Charlie Cordilla, Mickey Marcour, Leon Roppolo, Abbie Brunies, Bill Eastwood, Joe Loyacano, and Leo Adde. (Courtesy of LSM.)

YOUNG MUSICIANS. A group of teens practice with a mentor in front of a brewery on Jackson Avenue in 1912. Many of these youths would become well known throughout the city in only a decade. Those holding instruments are, from left to right, Happy Schilling, George Brunies, Abbie Brunies, Harry Shannon, Richie Brunies, and Bud Loyacano. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

BY THE LAKE. The Lakefront Loungers—from left to right, Abbie Brunies, Charlie Cordilla, and Stalebread Lacoume—are pictured here in West End in 1920. West End was a somewhat rural area until the 1940s, so it was easy for young musicians to hang out and practice music. They would play in West End Park for tips or find gigs at the hotels and nightclubs. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

CANAL STREET JAZZ. As jazz became more popular in the New Orleans white community, large hotels picked up on the trend as well. The Grunewald Hotel on Canal Street (now the Roosevelt Hotel) operated The Cave, a nightclub on the first floor, from 1918 to 1927. The club’s theme was a literal interpretation, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

SENSATION. Edwin B. (“Eddie” or “Daddy”) Edwards (1891–1963) played both violin and trombone with “Papa” Jack Laine in the early days. Alcide Nunez asked Edwards to go to Chicago with him to join Stein’s band. Edwards was the trombonist for the ODJB until he was drafted to serve in the Army during World War I. Upon his return to the United States, he formed a couple of bands in Chicago. He rejoined the ODJB in 1936, when James “Nick” Larocca reformed the group. Benny Goodman performed his piece “Sensation” at Carnegie Hall in 1938. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

RHYTHM KING. Paul Mares was a trumpeter and leader of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings (NORK). He left New Orleans for Chicago in 1919, when Abbie Brunies declined the NORK gig. Mares returned to New Orleans in 1924 to take over his family’s business from his father, who was also a cornet/trumpet player. Mares continued to play part-time in town, holding jam sessions at his home in Faubourg St. John (below). Those jam sessions became legendary when he purchased a larger house in Metairie and invited both local and Chicago musicians to join him. (At left, courtesy of LSM; below, Carlos May.)

PARIS. A very sullen-looking Sidney Bechet (right) joins New Orleanian Henry Saparo (holding banjo) in Benny Payton’s Orchestra in Paris in the early 1920s. Touring in Europe was a hard life for American musicians at the time since they were all but totally cut off from home. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

WIGGS. John Wigginton Hyman (1899–1977) began his musical career as a violinist before switching to the cornet and trumpet. In the late 1920s, he took a job in New Orleans as a teacher at the State Band and Orchestra School, playing gigs at night with his band, John Hyman’s Bayou Stompers. Under the name Johnny Wiggs, he played music full-time in the 1940s. (Courtesy of LSM.)

SOULFUL. Johnny Dodds (1892–1940) played clarinet and alto sax in Kid Ory’s band in the 1910s, as well as on the riverboats with Fate Marable. He left New Orleans to join King Oliver’s band in 1921, playing with Oliver until his band broke up in 1924. He then replaced Alcide Nunez as the clarinetist in the house band at Kelly’s Stables in addition to recording with Louis Armstrong. Though a musician first, Dodds also was part owner of a Chicago taxicab company with his brothers. (Courtesy of LSM.)

INFLUENTIAL. Because so few of the early jazz greats were recorded while they were in New Orleans, the 1927 recordings of Sam Morgan’s band are highly regarded. Morgan’s band included, from left to right, (seated) Nolan Williams, Isaiah Morgan, Sam Morgan, Earl Fouche, Andrew Morgan, and Johnny Dave; (standing) Jim Robinson and Sidney Brown. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

YELLOW. Born in St. Bernard Parish, Alcide Nunez (1884–1934) was of Isleño heritage, which led to his nickname “Yellow.” Nunez grew up in Faubourg Marigny, where he learned clarinet and became a regular in “Papa” Jack Laine’s band. He left New Orleans for Chicago in 1916, playing with Stein’s Dixie Jass Band, then the ODJB, but resigned from the band before they recorded. He also played with Tom Brown and spent some time playing in New York City. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

MISSED OPPORTUNITY. Frank Christian (1887–1973) was the first choice of Alcide Nunez, Eddie Edwards, and Johnny Stein to be the trumpet player in Stein’s band in Chicago. Christian declined, however, since he and his New Orleans band had a full schedule, figuring it was safer for him to stay at home. Christian (right), shown here in a promotional photograph with Alcide Nunez (left) and Tom Brown, later went north, first to Chicago, then to New York City. There, he formed the Original New Orleans Jazz Band, with Jimmie Durante on the piano. When that band broke up, he toured throughout the 1920s, playing vaudeville and various gigs. (Courtesy of LSM.)

PRESERVATION FAILURE. The Halfway House is seen here in its prime as a jazz club (above) and in its death throes (below). After remaining vacant for a time, the building, located on City Park Avenue near the beginning of Canal Street, became the office of a pest-control company. When that company vacated, preservationists made efforts to restore it, but a fire in 2002, combined with damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, made that endeavor impossible. It was demolished in 2008. (Above, courtesy of NOPL; below, Carlos May.)