Early Jazz & King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

King Oliver

Born in Aben, Louisiana, on 19 December 1881, highly esteemed cornet player, Joe King Oliver, had known Buddy Bolden. Freddie Keppard was Oliver's chief rival in taking Bolden's place as New Orlean's premiere bandleader upon Bolden's permanent hospitalization in 1907.

Oliver took his wife and daughter to Chicago for the first time in 1918. In 1921 he took his band to California where they played gigs in Oakland and San Francisco. Returning to Chicago the next year, he began calling his group the Creole Jazz Band. Oliver had been mentor to Louis Armstrong in earlier days in New Orleans, presenting his younger protégé with his first cornet. Now both Oliver and Armstrong would make their first recordings together on April 5, 1923, in Richmond, Indiana, along with Lil Hardin Armstrong on piano, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Baby Dodds on drums, Honore Dutrey on trombone and Bud Scott at banjo, all of whom first recorded at that session. Those issued tracks were 'Just Gone', 'Canal Street Blues', 'Mandy Lee Blues', 'I'm Going to Ear You Off My Mind' and 'Chime Blues' (some sources have 'Chime Blues' recorded on 6 April).

'Just Gone'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Recorded 5 April 1923 in Richmond IN    Matrix 11383-B   Gennett 5133

First recording to issue for all

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Piano: Lil Armstrong

Banjo: Bud Scott   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Oliver / Bill Johnson

'Canal Street Blues'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Second recording to issue for all

Recorded 5 April 1923 in Richmond IN   Matrix 11384-B   Gennett 5133

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Piano: Lil Armstrong

Banjo: Bud Scott   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Oliver / Louis Armstrong

'Mandy Lee Blues'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Third recording to issue for all

Recorded 5 April 1923 in Richmond IN   Matrix 11385-C   Gennett 5134

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Piano: Lil Armstrong

Banjo: Bud Scott   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Marty Bloom / Walter Melrose

'Dipper Mouth Blues'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Dipper Mouth: Louis Armstrong's nickname

Recorded 6 April 1923 in Richmond IN   Matrix 11389-B   Gennett 5132

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Piano: Lil Armstrong

Banjo: Bud Scott   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Oliver / Louis Armstrong

'Froggie Moore'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Recorded 6 April 1923 in Richmond IN   Matrix 11390-B   Gennett 5135

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Piano: Lil Armstrong

Banjo: Bud Scott   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Benjamin Spikes / John Spikes / Jelly Roll Morton

'High Society Rag'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Recorded 24 June 1923 in Chicago   Matrix 8393-B   Okeh 4933

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Clarinet: Johnny Dodds

Piano: Lil Armstrong   Banjo: Bud Scott   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Clarence Williams

'Sobbin' Blues'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Recorded 24 June 1923 in Chicago   Matrix 8394-B   Okeh 4906

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Clarinet: Johnny Dodds

Piano: Lil Armstrong   Banjo: Bud Scott   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Art Kassel / Vic Berton

A few titles below have discrepancies in recording dates. Those for September are also given commonly as 24 December of 1923 which would make that the Creole Jazz Band's last studio session, or so it has been believed. Stacking herein is per Lord who refers to the newer Louis Armstrong sessionography, 'All of Me' by Jos Willems published by Scarecrow Press in 2006 [alt]. The October date below is probably c 5-15 October 1923 which Lord narrows to 11 October. It is also dated c 25-26 October 1923. Lord shows no session that late for the Creole Jazz Band (excepting the possibility of December), wrapping up the group's session history on 16 October, making 'New Orleans Stomp' their last recorded title from that date. See also Michael Minn.

'Mabel's Dream'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Recorded Sep or 24 Dec 1923 in Chicago

Matrix 1622-1 or 1622-2   Both issued as Paramount 20292

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Bass sax: Charlie Jackson

Piano: Lil Armstrong   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Ike Smith

'Southern Stomps'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Recorded Sep or 24 Dec 1923 in Chicago

Matrix 1623-1 or 1623-2   Both issued as Paramount 12088

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Bass sax: Charlie Jackson

Piano: Lil Armstrong   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Richard Jones

'Riverside Blues'   King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Recorded prob c 11 Oct 1923 in Chicago   Matrix 8484-A   Okeh 40034

Cornet: King Oliver / Louis Armstrong   Trombone: Honore Dutrey

Clarinet: Johnny Dodds   Bass sax: Charlie Jackson  Banjo: Johnny St. Cyr

Piano: Lil Armstrong   Drums: Baby Dodds

Composition: Richard Jones / Tommy Dorsey

Oliver's Creole Jazz Band dissolved in early 1924, the Dodds brothers remaining in Chicago while Oliver toured with the Armstrongs married in February. Oliver recorded variously until forming the Dixie Syncopators, his first issue with that ensemble being 'Deep Henderson' from a session on April 21, 1926, in Chicago. He later issued titles as King Oliver & His Orchestra. 'St. James Infirmary' below is the famous jazz standard first appearing in print as 'Gambler's Blues' in 1925, an anonymous American traditional. It was copyrighted as 'St. James Infirmary' to Joe Primrose (Irving Mills) in 1929 who wrote multiple versions. Personnel is listed approximately.

'The Trumpet's Prayer'   King Oliver and His Orchestra

Recorded 1 Feb 1929 in NYC

Matrix 48334-1 issued on Victor V38039   Matrix 48334-2 issued on RCA PM42411 (France)

Trumpet: Louis Metcalf   Trombone: J.C. Higginbotham

Alto sax: Charlie Holmes   Tenor sax: Teddy Hill

Piano: Luis Russell   Tuba: Bass Moore   Drums: Paul Barbarin

Composition: King Oliver

'St. James Infirmary'   King Oliver and His Orchestra backing Frank Marvin

Recorded 28 Jan 1930 in NYC   Victor 22298

Trumpet: Henry Red Allen / Bubber Miley   Trombone: Jimmy Archey

Clarinet: Bobby Holmes / Glyn Paque / Walter Wheeler

Alto sax: Glyn Paque   Tenor sax: Walter Wheeler

Piano: Don Frye   Guitar: Jean Stultz   Banjo: Arthur Taylor

Tuba: Clinton Walker   Drums: Paul Barbarin

Composition: King Oliver

Due to pyorrhea Oliver was forced to quit playing cornet in 1937. Having lost his life savings to a failed bank during the Great Depression, he then took custodial work in a pool hall in Savannah, becoming manager until his death of arteriosclerosis on 10 April the next year. Among other big names with whom Oliver had often recorded were Clarence Williams and Sara Martin.