Jazz / Dixieland, New Orleans Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Trombone Jazz
Alton Redd Drums
Ben Borders Drums
Benjamin Franklin Spikes Composer
Bill Johnson Composer
Bud Scott Vocals, Guitar, Banjo
Buster Wilson Piano
Dink Johnson Clarinet
Ed Garland Standup Bass
Edward Ory Composer
Edwin H. Morris Composer
Gerhard Wessely Remastering
Howard Rye Liner Notes
James Ryder Randall Composer
Jimmie Noone Clarinet
Joe Darensbourg Vocals, Clarinet
John Spikes Composer
Johnny Parth Producer, Compilation Producer, Compilation
Kid Ory Trombone, Composer, Tuba, Vocals
Minor Hall Drums
Mutt Carey Cornet
Porter Steele Composer
Roberta Dudley Vocals
Rudi Blesh MC
Spikes' Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra Performer
Traditional Composer
Walter Melrose Composer
Zutty Singleton Drums
This CD, one of the very few put out by the blues label Document that is actually jazz rather than blues, is a historic gap filler. Trombonist Kid Ory & His Sunshine Orchestra (also sometimes called Spikes' Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra!) was the first black band from New Orleans to make it onto records. Its two instrumentals from 1922 ("Ory's Creole Trombone" and "Society Blues") feature some primitive but lively playing by Ory, cornetist Mutt Carey, clarinetist Dink Johnson, pianist Fred Washington, drummer Ben Borders, and the inaudible bass of Ed Garland. The same band backs a pair of dated vocals apiece by singers Roberta Dudley and Ruth Lee. Jumping to 1944, this CD has a broadcast version of "Mutt's Blues" by Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band (with trumpeter Mutt Carey and clarinetist Jimmie Noone), a pair of obscure four-song sessions by the same group (with Joe Darensbourg taking the spot of the deceased Noone) cut for Exner and Decca and rarely reissued, and Ory's appearance with his band on Ruby Blesh's This Is Jazz radio program of August 9, 1947. The latter lasts a half-hour and features Ory, Darensbourg, trumpeter Andrew Blakeney, pianist Buster Wilson, guitarist Bud Scott, bassist Ed Garland, and drummer Minor Hall performing seven numbers including "Oh Didn't He Ramble," "Maryland, My Maryland," and "Savoy Blues." Kid Ory's mid-'50s group would actually be more powerful than this early version but the music is full of infectious spirit. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Kid Ory
Active Decades: '10s, '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s
Born: Dec 25, 1886 in LaPlace, LA
Died: Jan 23, 1973 in Honolulu, HI
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Dixieland, New Orleans Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Trombone Jazz
Kid Ory was one of the great New Orleans pioneers, an early trombonist who virtually defined the "tailgate" style (using his horn to play rhythmic bass lines in the front line behind the trumpet and clarinet) and who was fortunate enough to last through the lean years so he could make a major comeback in the mid-'40s. Originally a banjoist, Ory soon switched to trombone and by 1911 was leading a popular band in New Orleans. Among his trumpeters during the next eight years were Mutt Carey, King Oliver and a young Louis Armstrong and his clarinetists included Johnny Dodds, Sidney Bechet, and Jimmie Noone. In 1919, Ory moved to California and in 1922 (possibly 1921) recorded the first two titles by a Black New Orleans jazz band ("Ory's Creole Trombone" and "Society Blues") under the band title of Spike's Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra. In 1925 he moved to Chicago, played regularly with King Oliver, and recorded many classic sides with Oliver, Louis Armstrong (in his Hot Five and Seven), and Jelly Roll Morton, among others.
The definitive New Orleans trombonist of the 1920s, Ory (whose "Muskrat Ramble" became a standard) was mostly out of music after 1930, running a chicken ranch with his brother. However in 1942 he was persuaded to return, and after a stint with Barney Bigard's group, he formed his own band. Ory's group was featured on Orson Welles' radio show in 1944 and the publicity made it possible for the band to catch on. The New Orleans revival was in full swing and Ory (whose group included trumpeter Mutt Carey and clarinetists Omer Simeon or Darnell Howard) was still in prime form. He appeared in the 1946 film New Orleans (and later on in The Benny Goodman Story) and worked steadily in Los Angeles. After Mutt Carey departed in 1948, Ory used Teddy Buckner, Marty Marsala, Alvin Alcorn (the perfect musician for his group), and Red Allen on trumpets and his Dixieland bands always boasted high musicianship (even with the leader's purposely primitive style) and a consistent level of excitement. They recorded regularly (most notably for Good Time Jazz) up to 1960 by which time Ory (already 73) was cutting back on his activities. He retired altogether in 1966, moving to Hawaii.
--- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
