#early jazz

Dixon's Jazz Maniacs

NEW ORLEANS / THE GOLDEN ERA OF JAZZ.

Another Jazz gem , an authentic 1919 Grand Ball invitation , music by Kidd Buddie Petite’s Jazz band .  About Kidd Buddie ( from The Syncopated Times) 

“Buddie Petit was, at the height of his powers, considered one of the greatest of the New Orleans cornet players. Although he never recorded, many of the second and third generations of Crescent City jazzman revered him and got their professional start in his many bands.Petit was born Joseph Crawford in 1895 in White Castle, a small town about one hundred miles west of New Orleans. His father died while he was still a young man and his mother decided to move to New Orleans around the turn of the century. Soon after arriving she married trombonist Joseph Petit. Buddie took his stepfather’s surname and, to avoid confusion with Petit Sr, changed his first name to Buddie.He began playing music shortly after moving to New Orleans, presumably after hearing his stepfather, learning from one of jazz’s most infamous characters, Bunk Johnson. Many of the later day New Orleanian trumpeters like Lee Collins and Punch Miller recalled Petit’s style as modeled very closely on Bunk’s.By age 20, Petit’s reputation as a solid player was firmly established and in 1917 Petit and trombonist Frankie Dusen headed west for Los Angeles to join Jelly Roll Morton’s band. The experience was apparently not a great one, and Petit returned to New Orleans refusing to tour outside of the gulf coast again.Buddie continued to lead successful dance and brass bands for the next several years and, unusual for a band leader, always played second cornet. Collins did recall that during funeral processions on the way back from the cemetery Petit would take solos. One of Louis Armstrong earliest band experiences was playing second-line cornet in one of Petit’s marching bands. During the later part of his life, Buddie seems to have been relatively inactive in music and died in 1931. Louis Armstrong was one of the pall-bearers at Petit’s funeral. Unfortunately, there are no known recordings featuring the great cornetist.”

Item No. E4984-71

DImensions: 4″ x 2 1/2″ 

Available , contact us for more details.

504.581.3733 / t

My 365 favourite albums

31. The Robot Ate Me - On Vacation pt 1 & pt. 2 (Swim Slowly, 2004)

Listen if you like: Little Wings, Mount Eerie, early bigband jazz

My first introduction to the genius Ryland Bouchard is, was this album. On Part 1, he uses old jazz sounds and turns them into happy songs about genocide, dictators and so on. I only now notice how these early jazz recordings are related to what the Caretaker does. Bouchard however turned into indie folk-songs related to Mount Eerie. 

FREDDIE “KING” KEPPARD

Another important piece of New Orleans & Jazz history . A late 1910’s ticket / invitation for a 4th of July celebration picnic to be given at Manuel’s Pavilion in the old Milneburg town ( Lake Pontchartrain Port ) Manuel’s was only one out of the many Jazz venues at Milneburg, others included the Bombela, Fahey & Gahagan’s , the Hazel Club , the Hilda Club, Sam’s Camp, Quarella’s and many other public and private camps and clubs. Unlike the West End and Spanish Fort ( regulated by the railroad companies that owned them ) Milneburg and Bucktown were more freewheeling with camps to “ Picnic” (party) with bands hired cheaply for entertainment and dancing . Old timers described battles of the bands (bucking / cutting contests ) where camps were so close to each other that one band would try to outplay the other. Back to the card , besides the local historical importance of Milneburg town in early Jazz we have here one of the most important Jazz musicians to come out of Nola , no other than Freddie Keppard, here leading his Olympia Jazz Band ! Keppard ( 1890-1933) was born in the Creole of Color community of Downtown New Orleans, La. He grew up and worked as a shoe shine on Basin Street before becoming a musician. His older brother Louis Keppard was also a profesional musician . Freddie succeeded Buddy Bolden as “king” of the cornet players in New Orleans. A one in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of New Orleans and Jazz history . And remember , “ Walk it Sweet Mamma, that’s all “ Item No. E4984-72

Dimensions: 4″ x 2.5″

Contact us for more details.

504.581.3733 / t