Post 295: LEARN FROM LOUIS DUMAINE, ARMAND PIRON AND SAM MORGAN

If you want to know what the authentic New Orleans bands sounded like in the 1920s, it's easy to study some fine examples. We must be grateful to the original sound recordists and to all who have perpetuated their work by means of various technologies over the decades and - more recently - those who have put the music on to YouTube.

I'm thinking at the moment of three bands in particular. Their total recorded output is not huge; but there is plenty from which we can learn, with careful study.

Louis Dumaine's Jazzola Eight recorded only four tunes. The pieces themselves don't get much attention these days, but the recordings are a lesson to all traditional jazz musicians in how their instrument should contribute to an effective ensemble. These repay close scrutiny. For an example,

CLICKHERE.

Next, think of Armand Piron (violinist) and his classy orchestra. They gave us lovely performances of such numbers as these (mostly composed by the band members):

Bouncing Around

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate

Mamma's Gone, Goodbye

Kiss Me Sweet

Bright Star Blues

Louisiana Swing

Red Man Blues

Sud Bustin' Blues

For an example of a typical well-arranged piece (with great ensemble work) that many of us still try to emulate,

CLICK HERE.

Then there's the eight-piece Sam Morgan's Band (with big Jim Robinson on trombone). It recorded just eight tunes in 1927. They included Bogalusa Strut, Mobile Stomp and Short Dress Girl (all composed by Morgan) as well as three spirituals, notably Over in the Gloryland, which is still very popular. These recordings powerfully influenced the repertoire and drive of many of today's bands. For a stomping performance that gives you the full flavour of this band,

CLICK HERE.

Post 294: LOUIS DUMAINE'S JAZZOLA EIGHT GIVE US SOME LESSONS

What a great historical document the Victor Recording Company provided for us in March, 1927, when they took equipment down to New Orleans and recorded four tunes (one of them twice) played by Louis Dumaine's Jazzola Eight.

These recordings give us the genuine article – authentic New Orleans jazz of the 1920s and of the kind so many of us are still trying to reproduce.

Louis Dumaine

Louis Dumaine lived from 1890 until 1949 and was a leader of brass bands and marching bands in New Orleans, as well as running his 'Jazzola Eight'. From this only known photo, he appears to have been a tall, thin man, taking care to dress smartly.

The Jazzola Eight were:

Louis Dumaine (leader and cornet and trumpet)

Morris Rouse (piano and composer)

Louis James (clarinet and tenor sax; born 1890, he played with such big names as Frankie Duson, Dumaine and even Percy Humphrey at Preservation Hall in his final years)

Earl Humphrey (trombone; one of the famous Humphrey brothers, he was still playing in New Orleans in the 1960s; and died in 1971)

Willie Joseph (clarinet)

Leonard Mitchell (banjo and vocals)

Joe Howard (tuba; born in 1870, he worked with many of the famous early bands, such as Celestin's, and went on playing well into his seventies)

James Willigan (drums; he had a short life but played in some famous early bands).

There were other musicians, such as Yank Johnson (trombone) who worked in this band, but not on the recordings.The tunes the company recorded (with the composers as named on the 78s) were:

Franklin Street Blues (Louis Dumaine and Eddie Jackson)

Red Onion Drag (Louis Dumaine and Eddie Jackson)

Pretty Audrey (Louis Dumaine and Morris Rouse)

To-Wa-Bac-A-Wa (Louis Dumaine and Eddie Jackson)

The Good News is that you can still hear all these performances on YouTube.

Franklin Street Blues is an example to us all – with excellent teamwork, clear driving leadership by Dumaine, unpretentious pleasant solos from clarinet and cornet; and a good blues vocal.

Red Onion Drag is in F. What an interesting and curious piece this is! Incidentally, it's very easy to pick up. It has a 16-bar introduction and then goes into a 16-bar chorus which to me sounds very similar to the tune known later as Rip 'Em Up Joe. And there's a third theme slightly different and even a fourth that sounds like (and may have been the source of) Lily of the Valley. The whole piece is another great example of teamwork, with some fine but unpretentious ensemble playing. Note Rouse's piano solo.

Pretty Audrey is a spirited up-tempo piece in Bb. After an 8-bar introduction and spikey 16-bar 'Verse', it goes into a 32-bar Chorus on the good old 'Bill Bailey / Golden Leaf Strut' type of chord structure. There is exciting, energetic ensemble work; and Dumaine chooses to play a chorus against offbeat stop chords. Willie Joseph shows great fluidity on clarinet.

To-Wa-Bac-A-Wa is a piece we have come to know better as The Bucket's Got a Hole in It. The tune is well arranged, played in F, with varied ensemble choruses. There's a clarinet solo chorus against offbeats; and even a neat little front-line ensemble one-bar 'break' (King Oliver style) in the final chorus.

Give them a listen! Start by by clicking HERE.

By the way, we should all be deeply grateful to Andy Wolfenden, who has made this and many other recordings of past greats available on YouTube. Check out his Channel.

Post 183: CHORUSES AGAINST OFF-BEAT STOP CHORDS

I wish there was more variety of treatments of choruses in the performances of our bands. There are many ways of making 'solo' choruses more interesting. The use of long held notes (as backing) is one. Another is the use of stop chords (for example, the rest of the band - apart from the soloist - playing just the first two beats of each bar).

One of my favourites is the use of OFFBEAT stop chords. In other words, the soloist plays fluently over all four beats of the bar, while the rest of the band plays only the second and fourth beats.

Similarly, you can have the full rhythm section playing a chorus of offbeats only while the melody instruments all continue to play normally. That is very effective.

Like all good things, the device should be used sparingly. For example, in a 32-bar chorus, one instrument could play 16 bars against offbeat stop chords, with another taking over for the remaining 16 bars accompanied by conventional rhythm section backing.

The use of offbeat stop chords impresses audiences and indeed it does not always come easily to the musicians. In particular, the soloist must not let himself or herself be thrown by the unusual rhythm. It takes practice. When taking a solo against offbeat backing, it's best to hit the first note of the bar firmly, at least at the start, to establish clearly where it actually is!

The offbeat stratagem is not at all new. It is an authentic part of the New Orleans tradition.

You can hear Louis Dumaine demonstrating it well with his Jazzola Eight in 1927. Louis himself plays a chorus of Pretty Audrey against such a rhythmic background.

CLICK HERE.

Notice what happens at 1 minute 15 seconds into the recording. Louis plays a full fast 32 bars against stop chords. It is an exciting effect.

In the same year, the great Sam Morgan Band made recordings in New Orleans. Notice what happens in the band's recording of Mobile Stomp.

CLICK HERE.

At 1 minute 28 seconds, for the third chorus, the rhythm section switches to a stop chord offbeat rhythm, against which the reeds continue to improvise prettily over the full bars.

Let us all try more of these variations. Of course, the best bands already do.

CLICK HERE

for a clever variant in which the front line (cornet, trombone and reeds) plays the stop chords while the banjo takes the solo. Note what happens at 1 minute 37 seconds. What about that as an example to us all?