Nick LaRocca

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Nick LaRocca
Nick larocca.jpg
Background information
Birth nameDominic James La Rocca
Born(1889-04-11)April 11, 1889
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
DiedFebruary 22, 1961(1961-02-22) (aged 71)
Genres Dixieland, jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader
Instrument(s) Cornet, trumpet
Years active1912–59
Labels Victor, Okeh, Vocalion, Columbia, Southland
Formerly of Original Dixieland Jass Band

Dominic James "Nick" LaRocca [1] (April 11, 1889 – February 22, 1961), was an American early jazz cornetist and trumpeter and the leader of the Original Dixieland Jass Band, who is credited by some as being "the father of modern jazz". [2] He is the composer of one of the most recorded jazz classics of all-time, "Tiger Rag". He was part of what is generally regarded as the first recorded jazz band, a band which recorded and released the first jazz recording, "Livery Stable Blues" in 1917.

Contents

Background

Nick LaRocca was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of poor Sicilian immigrants. His father was Girolamo LaRocca of Salaparuta, Sicily and his mother was Vita De Nina of Poggioreale, Sicily. Young Nick was attracted to the music of the brass bands in New Orleans and covertly taught himself to play cornet against the wishes of his father who hoped his son would go into a more prestigious profession. LaRocca at first worked as an electrician, playing music on the side.

From around 1910 through 1916 he was a regular member of Papa Jack Laine's bands. While not considered as one of the most virtuosic or creative of the Laine players, he was well regarded for playing a solid lead with a strong lip which allowed him to play long parades without let up or to play several gigs in a row on the same day.

In 1916 he was chosen as a last-minute replacement for Frank Christian in Johnny Stein's band to play a job up in Chicago, Illinois. This band became the famous Original Dixieland Jazz Band, making the first commercially issued jazz recordings in New York City in 1917. These recordings were hits and made the band into celebrities.

Soon other New Orleans musicians began following the O.D.J.B.'s path, arriving in New York to play jazz. LaRocca was uneasy about competition. Frank Christian recalled that LaRocca offered him $200 and a return railway ticket to go back home. After a band featuring New Orleans musicians Alcide Nunez, Tom Brown, and Ragbaby Stevens won a battle of the bands against the O.D.J.B., drummer Ragbaby found his drum heads mysteriously slashed.

The band gave LaRocca the nickname "Joe Blade", and published a song called "Joe Blade, Sharp as a Tack".

LaRocca led this band on tours of England and the United States into the early 1920s, when he suffered a nervous breakdown. He returned to New Orleans and retired from music, going into the construction and contracting business. His chair in the band was taken by Henry Levine, a teenage trumpeter devoted to traditional jazz stylings. Levine later led one of the house bands on NBC's radio series The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street .

In 1936 Nick LaRocca reunited the ODJB for a successful tour and more recordings. LaRocca proclaimed that he and his band were the inventors of the now nationally popular swing music. He and the reunited Original Dixieland Jazz Band performed "Tiger Rag" in The March of Time newsreel segment titled "Birth of Swing," released to U.S. theaters February 19, 1937. [3] Personality conflicts broke up the band again in 1937, and LaRocca again retired from music. He died in New Orleans in 1961.

1923 release of "Tiger Rag" by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band as an Okeh 78 single, 4841B. Tiger Rag Okeh 4841B ODJB.jpg
1923 release of "Tiger Rag" by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band as an Okeh 78 single, 4841B.

Later life and controversy

In the 1950s, he wrote numerous vehement letters to newspapers, radio, and television shows, stating that he was the true and sole inventor of jazz music, damaging his credibility and provoking a backlash against him and his reputation and career.

When Tulane University established their Archive of New Orleans Jazz, now the Hogan Jazz Archive, in 1958, LaRocca donated his large collection of items related to the O.D.J.B. to Tulane, including several scrapbooks made by LaRocca. [4] [5]

At the same time, he worked with writer H.O. Brunn on the book The Story of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. In the book, LaRocca claimed that he founded the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1908. The book was dismissive of the other members of the O.D.J.B. It was perhaps kindest to clarinetist Larry Shields. [6]

Musicologists and historians who seek to assess LaRocca's contributions to jazz are hindered by LaRocca's self-aggrandizement.[ citation needed ] A balanced assessment would have to acknowledge that LaRocca was an important figure in taking jazz from a regional style to international popularity, the leader of the most influential jazz band of the period from 1917 to 1921, and a good player in a very early jazz style on records such as "Clarinet Marmalade". [7] LaRocca's playing and recordings were an important early influence on such later jazz trumpeters as Red Nichols, Bix Beiderbecke and Phil Napoleon. LaRocca's 1917 composition "Tiger Rag" was covered by Louis Armstrong in several different versions throughout his career, while Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, and The Mills Brothers also recorded important and influential cover versions of the jazz standard.

Honors

In 2006, his 1917 recording of "Darktown Strutters' Ball" with the Original Dixieland Jass Band was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Original Dixieland Jass Band</span> American jazz band

The Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) was a Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded many jazz standards, the most famous being "Tiger Rag". In late 1917, the spelling of the band's name was changed to Original Dixieland Jazz Band.

George Vital "Papa Jack" Laine was an American musician and a pioneering band leader in New Orleans in the years from the Spanish–American War to World War I. He was often credited for training many musicians who would later become successful in jazz music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emile Christian</span> American jazz trombonist (1895–1973)

Emile Joseph Christian, sometimes spelled Emil Christian, was an American early jazz trombonist; he also played cornet and string bass. He also wrote a number of tunes, including "Meet Me at the Green Goose", "Satanic Blues", and "Mardi Gras Parade".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Shields</span> American jazz musician

Lawrence James Shields was an early American dixieland jazz clarinetist. He was a member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the first jazz band to record commercially.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans Rhythm Kings</span>

Barnett, Kyle (2020). Record cultures: the transformation of the U.S. recording industry. Ann Arbor, [Michigan]: University of Michigan Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-472-12431-2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcide Nunez</span> Musical artist

Alcide Patrick Nunez, also known as Yellow Nunez and Al Nunez, was an American jazz clarinetist. He was one of the first musicians of New Orleans to make audio recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Edwards (musician)</span> American jazz trombonist (1891–1963)

Edwin Branford Edwards was an early jazz trombonist who was a member of the Original Dixieland Jass Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Christian (trumpeter)</span> American musician

Frank Joseph Christian was an American early jazz trumpeter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Brown (trombonist)</span> New Orleans dixieland jazz trombonist (1888–1958)

Tom P. Brown, sometimes known by the nickname Red Brown, was an American dixieland jazz trombonist. He also played string bass professionally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger Rag</span> 1917 jazz standard

"Tiger Rag" is a jazz standard that was recorded and copyrighted by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917. It is one of the most recorded jazz compositions. In 2003, the 1918 recording of "Tiger Rag" was entered into the U.S. Library of Congress National Recording Registry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Ragas</span> Musical artist

Henry Walter Ragas was a jazz pianist who was a member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the first jazz band to record commercially.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of New Orleans</span>

The music of New Orleans assumes various styles of music which have often borrowed from earlier traditions. New Orleans, Louisiana, is especially known for its strong association with jazz music, universally considered to be the birthplace of the genre. The earliest form was dixieland, which has sometimes been called traditional jazz, 'New Orleans', and 'New Orleans jazz'. However, the tradition of jazz in New Orleans has taken on various forms that have either branched out from original dixieland or taken entirely different paths altogether. New Orleans has also been a prominent center of funk, home to some of the earliest funk bands such as The Meters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palesteena</span> 1921 song by Original Dixieland Jass Band

"Palesteena", or, "Lena from Palesteena", was a 1920 song with lyrics by Con Conrad and music by J. Russell Robinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livery Stable Blues</span> 1917 single by Original Dixieland Jass Band

"Livery Stable Blues" is a jazz composition copyrighted by Ray Lopez and Alcide Nunez in 1917. It was recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band on February 26, 1917, and, with the A side "Dixieland Jass Band One-Step" or "Dixie Jass Band One-Step", became widely acknowledged as the first jazz recording commercially released. It was recorded by the Victor Talking Machine Company in New York City at its studio at 46 West 38th Street on the 12th floor – the top floor.

Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band fostered awareness of this new style of music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sensation Rag</span>

"Sensation Rag" or "Sensation" is a 1918 jazz instrumental by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. It is one of the earliest jazz recordings. It is not related to Joseph Lamb's 1908 "Sensation Rag", which is a ragtime piano piece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">At the Jazz Band Ball</span> Song

"At the Jazz Band Ball" is a 1917 jazz instrumental recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The instrumental is one of the earliest and most recorded jazz compositions. It is a jazz classic and a standard of the genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singin' the Blues (Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young, Con Conrad and J. R. Robinson song)</span> 1920 jazz composition

"Singin' the Blues" is a 1920 jazz composition by J. Russel Robinson, Con Conrad, Sam M. Lewis, and Joe Young. It was recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1920 as an instrumental and released as a Victor 78 as part of a medley with "Margie". The song was released with lyrics by vocalist Aileen Stanley in 1920 on Victor. In 1927, Frank Trumbauer, Bix Beiderbecke, and Eddie Lang recorded and released the song as an Okeh 78. The Trumbauer recording is considered a jazz and pop standard, greatly contributing to Frank Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke's reputation and influence. It is not related to the 1956 pop song "Singing the Blues" first recorded and released by Marty Robbins in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dixieland Jass Band One-Step</span>

"Dixieland Jazz Band One-Step" also known as "Dixie Jass Band One-Step" and "Original Dixieland One-Step" is a 1917 jazz composition by the Original Dixieland Jass Band released as an instrumental on a 78rpm record, issued by the Victor Talking Machine Company. The song is a jazz milestone as the first commercially released "jass" or jazz song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ostrich Walk</span>

Ostrich Walk" is a 1917 jazz composition by the Original Dixieland Jass Band released as an instrumental as an Aeolian Vocalion and a Victor 78. Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke recorded the song in 1927. The song is a jazz milestone as one of the first commercially released "jass" or jazz recordings.

References

  1. "ArchivesSpace Public Interface | Archives and Special Collections at Tulane University". Archives.tulane.edu. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  2. Gauthreaux, Alan G. (February 4, 2019). Italian Louisiana: History, Heritage, & Tradition. Arcadia Publishing. p. 153. ISBN   978-1-62584-915-1.
  3. Synopsis Archived February 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine (PDF), The March of Time Newsreels, HBO Archives
  4. "Collection: Dominic James "Nick" LaRocca papers | Archives and Special Collections at Tulane University". Archives.tulane.edu. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  5. "Original Dixieland Jazz Band: Nick LaRocca's Jazz Pioneers". OffBeat Magazine. September 1989. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  6. Brunn, H.O. The Story of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1960. Reprinted by Da Capo Press, 1977. ISBN   0-306-70892-2
  7. Stewart, Jack. "The Original Dixieland Jazz Band's Place in the Development of Jazz." New Orleans International Music Colloquium, 2005.

Sources