“Moore hunched over his drums, hammering out a steady pulse...” – Ralph Berton KEY RECORDINGS: With THE WOLVERINE ORCHESTRA, 1924 With THE SIOUX CITY SIX, 1924 With THE ORIGINAL WOLVERINES, 1927-8 In 1920, young Vic Moore was just beginning to take an interest in music, particularly in the jazz which was becoming wildly popular among … Continue reading Heroes #13: Vic Moore, 1902-1976
Heroes #12: Alfred ‘Tubby’ Hall, 1895-1945
'I got my press roll from [...] Tubby Hall'– Baby Dodds KEY RECORDINGS: [?] With DOC COOK & HIS DREAMLAND ORCHESTRA, 1924 With LOUIS ARMSTRONG & HIS ORCHESTRA, dir. CARROLL DICKERSON, 1927-31 Addressing the early life and work of Alfred ‘Tubby’ Hall, hard on the heels of having finished introducing our previous Hero – Mr. Stan King … Continue reading Heroes #12: Alfred ‘Tubby’ Hall, 1895-1945
Heroes #11: Stan King, 1900-1949
"Come on, I want you to meet the world's greatest drummer, Stan King!" - Fud Livingston, as quoted by Timme Rosenkrantz KEY RECORDINGS: With THE CALIFORNIA RAMBLERS (VAGABONDS / LITTLE RAMBLERS / GOOFUS FIVE / UNIVERSITY SIX / VARSITY EIGHT / GOLDEN GATE ORCH. / etc. etc. etc.) 1923-6; 1927-9 With THE DORSEY BROTHERS ORCHESTRA, … Continue reading Heroes #11: Stan King, 1900-1949
See also: GLOSSARY, BIBLIOGRAPHY
Timeline
Heroes #10: Joseph ‘Kaiser’ Marshall, 1899-1948
“One of the great drummers of the early days of jazz” – Leonard Feather KEY RECORDINGS: With LUCILLE HEGAMIN, 1920-22 With FLETCHER HENDERSON & HIS ORCHESTRA, 1923-29 With McKINNEY’S COTTON PICKERS, 1929 With LOUIS ARMSTRONG, 1929 A select number of individuals in jazz history were awarded honorific ‘noble’ nicknames by their peers; some of these … Continue reading Heroes #10: Joseph ‘Kaiser’ Marshall, 1899-1948
Heroes #9: Chauncey Morehouse, 1902-1980
"The Dixieland drummer[’s] success depends entirely on his own originality" – Chauncey Morehouse KEY RECORDINGS: With THE GEORGIANS, 1922-24 With JEAN GOLDKETTE & HIS ORCHESTRA, 1926-27 With FRANKIE TRUMBAUER & HIS ORCHESTRA, 1927 With BIX BEIDERBECKE & HIS GANG, 1927 In jazz, as in many art forms, certain historical figures occasionally acquire a mythical status, … Continue reading Heroes #9: Chauncey Morehouse, 1902-1980
Library #4: The First Recorded Drum Solo in Jazz History*
Notated on the page in black and white, it looks innocuous enough. It consists of a very small unit of musical time - just one chorus of a thirty-two-bar tune (not a blues, despite the title) - and of those, it's the content of just nine bars which are important to us. But vitally important … Continue reading Library #4: The First Recorded Drum Solo in Jazz History*
Heroes #8 : Paul Barbarin, 1899-1969
“The warmth, the feeling, the swing, the beat, the everything, were there.” – Louis Armstrong KEY RECORDINGS: With KING OLIVER’S DIXIE SYNCOPATORS / KING OLIVER’S ORCHESTRA, 1926-9 With LUIS RUSSELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA, 1928-9 With JELLY ROLL MORTON’S RED HOT PEPPERS, 1929 With LOUIS ARMSTRONG & HIS SAVOY BALLROOM FIVE / HIS ORCHESTRA, 1929 When … Continue reading Heroes #8 : Paul Barbarin, 1899-1969
Library #3: On Transcription & Zutty Singleton: ‘My Little Dixie Home’ (1929)
Transcription. When anyone asks me how to learn more about 'twenties jazz drumming, I always say it comes down to three things: transcription, transcription, transcription. It doesn't have to be on posh music-notation software, it could be with pencil on manuscript paper, or even (with the right discipline), in your head. What matters is listening … Continue reading Library #3: On Transcription & Zutty Singleton: ‘My Little Dixie Home’ (1929)
Library #2: ‘The Bassist’s Perspective’: Pops Foster on Drums in the ‘Twenties
The great New Orleans bass player George 'Pops' Foster (1892-1969) played with almost every great black jazz artist in the 'twenties at some point or other, including King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory, 'Red' Allen, Sidney Bechet, Luis Russell and many others.He also left an autobiography rich in detail and humour, a … Continue reading Library #2: ‘The Bassist’s Perspective’: Pops Foster on Drums in the ‘Twenties
