Bunk Johnson on Buddy Bolden's band

"Now here is the list about that Jazz Playing. King Bolden and myself were the first men that began playing Jazz in the city of dear old New Orleans and his band had the whole of New Orleans Real Crazy and Running Wild behind it. Now that was all you could hear in New Orleans, that King Bolden's Band, and I was with him and that was between 1895 and 1896 and they did not have any dixie land Jazz Band in those days. Now here are the Bands that were in their prime in them days: Adam Olivier Band, John Robichaux, old Golden Rule, Bob Russell Band. Now that was all. And here is the thing that make King Bolden Band be the First Band that played Jazz. It was because it did not Read at all. I could fake like 500 myself; so you tell them that Bunk and King Bolden's Band was the first ones that started Jazz in the City or any place else. And now you are able to go now ahead with your Book."

Preface to Jazzmen (1939), edited by Frederic Ramsey Jr. and Charles Edward Smith, from a letter to the editors by Bunk Johnson

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"Aquí está la lista de esa música de jazz. King Bolden y yo fuimos los primeros que empezamos a tocar jazz en la vieja y querida ciudad de Nueva Orleans y su banda volvía loca y salvaje de verdad a toda Nueva Orleans. Esa banda de King Bolden es todo lo que se podía oír en Nueva Orleans y yo estuve con él entre 1895 y 1896 y no había ninguna banda de dixie land en aquellos días. Éstas son las bandas que estaban en la cumbre: la banda de Adam Olivier, John Robichaux, la Golden Rule y la banda de Bob Russell. Eso es todo. Y aquí está la causa por la que la de King Bolden fue la primera banda que tocó jazz: porque no éramos capaces en absoluto de leer. Yo podía improvisar unas 500; así que díganles que Bunk y la banda de King Bolden fueron los primeros que empezaron con el jazz en la Ciudad o en cualquier otro sitio. Y ahora ya pueden seguir con el libro."

Prólogo a Jazzmen (1939), editado por Frederic Ramsey Jr. y Charles Edward Smith, de una carta enviada por Bunk Johnson a los editores.

Alphonse Picou playing High Society (1958)

Alphonse Picou (born New Orleans, October 19, 1878 and died New Orleans, February 4, 1961) formed his own Independence Band in 1897 and played with Oscar Duconge in 1899, the Excelsior Band (1900) and Freddie Keppard's Olympia Band. Then he had short periods with other bands such as Bunk Johnson's, Wooden Joe Nicholas' and Emanuel Perez's. He was semi-retired in the 30's, but due to the New Orleans revival he started to play again making records with Kid Rena (1940) and Papa Celestin (1947).

Picou is best known for originating the clarinet part on the standard "High Society". Although it is believed that George Baquet was the first clarinet player who played the difficult solo part of "High society", it is without doubt Picou who made it popular. He has been mistakenly credited as the writer of this tune, but in fact it was a 1901 marching band composition by Porter Steele. Picou made his own arrangement, making it gently swing and paraphrasing the Piccolo part to create his famous clarinet solo, which became a standard part that every New Orleans clarinetist should be able to duplicate.

Now you can watch him playing "High Society" with the Paul Barbarin band. Although the uploader states it was recorded in New Orleans, I think it could be from an Art Ford's Jazz Party on December 25, 1958, with the following line-up, according to Bruyninckx and Lord discographies: Punch Miller, Percy Humphrey (tp) Jim Robinson (tb) Alphonse Picou (cl) Armand Hug (p) George Guesnon (bj) Alcide Pavageau (b) Paul Barbarin (d).

Old jazz magazines - record ads [2]

After my initial post displaying several record advertisements from old jazz magazines, Michael Steinman commented very appropriately in his Jazz Lives blog (nice title for a post: "Swing Archaeology") about the old 78 rpm discs as a very different way of having access and listening to our beloved jazz music:

“(...) If you don’t know the music represented here, these ads might seem charmingly archaic but no more meaningful than drawings of old-time detergent boxes or tubes of toothpaste.

But if you do know what it must have meant to buy the new Art Hodes session on Signature, these ads are tender artifacts of a time when “a record” was a two-sided 78 rpm disk, highly breakable, costing anywhere from thirty-five cents to a dollar, and it was something to treasure. We who collect jazz now and are able to buy every record Fats Waller made (for example) on twenty-four compact discs, should stop a minute and recall such pleasures, even if they had vanished before we were born (...)”.

For his (and I hope others') delight, here’s a new batch of record ads, extracted from Jazz Session magazine and published from May 1945 to July 1946. All single 10" or 12" 78 rpm discs and albums with three 78 rpm discs are represented here, labels being Asch, Blue Note, Disc, Jazz Information, Session, Keynote, Capitol and H.R.S.

American Music DVD: New Orleans Jazzmen

The fourth and final American Music DVD (GHB Jazz Foundation) brings us so much mythically rare material that lovers of New Orleans jazz have been patiently waiting for it for more than four years. It is only thirty-two minutes long, but it includes ten different previously unissued film sequences dating from 1947 to 1986, some silent and some with sound, some in black and white and others in colour.

The most outstanding discovery is one of the only two known Bunk Johnson's appearances on film, shot in 1947 at the Chicago home of David and Marilyn Bell. The film shows Bunk in a wide variety of roles: apparently running wild for the camera, playing his trumpet, pouring whiskey into it, drinking whiskey, demonstrating trumpet playing to several young musicians, breaking a 78 rpm record and trying to play it on an old gramophone and finally feeding a large dog. It's silent footage, but the accompanying Bunk's American Music recordings fit really well.

Other highlights include Punch Miller playing at Preservation Hall in the 60s and demonstrating how dances were organized when he first moved to New Orleans from rural Louisiana in the 1920s, legend Fess Manetta playing several instruments at the same time, Kid Thomas band at the Top Top Club on the West Bank (1957) or Kid Howard's group recording for Music of New Orleans, Barry Martyn's label.

Treat yourself to spend twenty dollars on this DVD, and you'll never regret it!

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Los amantes del jazz de Nueva Orleans hemos estado esperando más de cuatro años por el cuarto y último DVD editado por el sello American Music (GHB Jazz Foundation), pero ha merecido la pena. En sólo 32 minutos se incluyen diez grabaciones míticas e inéditas, filmadas entre 1947 y 1986, algunas con sonido y otras no, algunas en blanco y negro y otras en color.

El mayor hallazgo es la inclusión de una de las dos únicas apariciones de Bunk Johnson en pantalla, grabada en 1947 en casa de David y Marilyn Bell en Chicago. Además, Punch Miller en concierto en Preservation Hall (años 60), el legendario Fess Manetta tocando varios instrumentos a la vez, la banda de Kid Thomas actuando en el Top Top Club (1957) o el grupo de Kid Howard grabando para el sello de Barry Martyn, Music of New Orleans.

Absolutamente recomendable para adictos al jazz de Nueva Orleans y otras especies raras de aficionados.