Olympia Orchestra | |
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Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
Genres | Jazz |
Years active | c.1906–late 1910s |
Past members |
The Olympia Orchestra was an American jazz dance band active in New Orleans from around 1906 into the late 1910s.
The Olympia Orchestra was founded by Freddie Keppard, and typically held between five and seven members. The instrumentation usually consisted of cornet, trombone, clarinet, guitar or banjo, piano, tuba or double bass, and drums. This group established Keppard's reputation as a cornetist; when he left the group in 1914, A.J. Piron became its leader, and he added King Oliver as the group's cornetist.
Under Keppard, the group's personnel included Joseph Petit, Alphonse Picou, Sidney Bechet, Louis Keppard and Ernest Trepagnier; under Piron, they included Zue Robertson, Clarence Williams, Billy Marrero (Lawrence Marrero's father), John Lindsay, and Louis Cottrell Sr.
Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wrote many tunes still played today, including "Dippermouth Blues", "Sweet Like This", "Canal Street Blues", and "Doctor Jazz". He was the mentor and teacher of Louis Armstrong. His influence was such that Armstrong claimed, "if it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today."
Sidney Joseph Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic temperament hampered his career, and not until the late 1940s did he earn wide acclaim. Bechet spent much of his later life in France.
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