Jazz Artists Who Have Nicknames

[patricia]

Now, around the corner comes LOUIS "BIG EYE" NELSON, who was born in, where else, New Orleans in 1885 and played clarinet.

Now, I don't think that Nelson had a particularly big eye, but he was one of the best clarinet-players in New Orleans, at the dawn of JAZZ.

His musical beginnings were with Tio, as a pupil. His style has been described as warm-toned and his associations were with the very best in New Orleans jazz, including with the legendary Buddy Bolden. This experience was before 1900.

While with Bolden's band, Nelson played bass. He also was with other groups, and played violin, as well as guitar.

By 1904, Nelson had settled on clarinet and gave his reason for switching that it was the easiest instrument to carry if he had to run. At the time, race riots were frequent in New Orleans.

Nelson worked for about ten years with the Ninth Ward band, the Golden Rule orchestra and with the Imperial Band Superior Orchestra. He specialized for a long time on the C clarinet and then moved to the more familiar B-flat. George Russell preferred Nelson's B-flat. Excellence versis excellence, IMO though.

Baby Dodds said of Nelson, "He'd show a youngster all he knew - but he knew how to be stern with those of us who were learning."

I was facinated to learn that Nelson taught Sidney Bechet.

He toured with Freddie Keppard's Original Creole Orchestra in 1916, but mostly he played in New Orleans. He worked constantly, in cabarets, function rooms and theatres.

There was a short period in which his career plateaued, though he continued to play. In 1940 there was a revival of interest in New Orleans Jazz and along with it, a renewed interest in Nelson. He recorded eight sides for Delta with Kid Rena's Jazz Band, having been asked to do so by Heywood Broun.

Two years after being passed over by Bill Russell to record with Bunk Johnson, he had been re-discovered. Apparently Russell had heard our guy on a bad night at Luthjen's cabaret.

Then, in 1948 he continued his residency at Luthjen's and had been featured in an article by Robert Goffin in Jazz Record.

The revival and the recognition of his talent and contribution to jazz happened just in time, because LOUIS "BIG EYE" NELSON, died the following year in August of 1949 at fifty-four years old.

Edited March 2, 2004 by patricia

[patricia]

Those of you who thought that Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki were doing something original by marrying on the Tonight Show, some years ago, they weren't.

Back in 1916, BUTTERBEANS [Jodi Edwards] and SUSIE [susie Hawthorne] did just that, but not on the Tonight Show, but on stage, during their act.

Now, Butterbeans and Susie worked with a comedian named [budd]"Stringbeans" LeMay, until he died in 1917. They then branched out with their own act in the St. Louis area.

In 1924 they were signed by the legendary label, OKeh. The pair recorded more than sixty sides for the label in the mid to late thirties.

They also toured extensively, playing theatres, cabarets and music halls and were a very successful duo. Their accompanist was Eddie Heywood Sr.

The act was a hit, mainly because they didn't just sing, although Butterbeans had a fine, fine voice, but were a complete act, with tremendous charisma and hilarity, two qualities that served them well, throughout their more than thirty year career. They were a regular act at the Apollo.

In 1960 Butterbeans and Susie recorded again and this time, Eddie Heywood Jr. played piano in the band.

Edited March 2, 2004 by patricia

[patricia]

Back in the 1930's RED NORVO [Kenneth Norville] played in Paul Whiteman's band and his instrument, the xylophone was considered a novelty instrument. Red also played the vibraharp and after a time with Whiteman's organization, he formed his own band.

His band was popular during the mid-thirties, and into the early forties, with it's low-key approach engineered by his arranger, Eddie Sauter. The band was, some say, held back by Red's attempt to showcase the limited voice of his wife at the time, Mildred Bailey.

When the band rolled into the mid to late forties, Norvo followed in the footsteps of Lionel Hampton and Adrian Rollini and ramped up his xylophone and while retaining the rhythmically choppy style he had developed combined with the terminal tremolos and many described him as the Jess Stacy of the vibes.

Norvo's style evolved with jazz's development and Norvo, while with Benny Goodman's orchestra in the mid-forties, for an all-star session which introduced the work of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

In 1946, Norvo was with Woody Herman's band. Following that, he settled on the West Coast and formed a drummerless trio with Ted Farlow and Charles Mingus.

This group was clearly influenced by BeBop, but was the first of the chamber music outfits, which sprang up in the 1950's.

In 1959 the Red Norvo quintet backed a live performance, featuring Frank Sinatra in Australia. This collection has great versions of "Perdido" and "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea", as well as wall-to-wall Sinatra.

Norvo was still up and around in the 1980's, after he suffered a stroke and often played Las Vegas. He also toured Europe with Ted Farlow, several times during the same period.

RED NORVO died in April of 1999 at eighty-one.

Edited March 2, 2004 by patricia

[Chuck Nessa]

Anyone knows if NAPPY LAMARE is one of those two guys on this cover?

Bauduc is the guy with his arms crossed, so.........

[EKE BBB]

DIZZY REECE

[EKE BBB]

LOUIS BIG EYE NELSON

[EKE BBB]

RED NORVO

[patricia]

The next musician to be honoured is EGGY [Derek] LEY, who played soprano and alto saxophones, sang and was also a leader.

Germany was the starting point for Eggy, where he led a Dixieland band in the mid-fifties to the early sixties. He was born in London in 1928.

Eggy returned to London in the early sixties where he joined Radio Luxembourg, playing resident at the Tatty Bogle Club.

Freelancing followed, as well as producing for BFBS, from 1969-1983.

He co-led Jazz Legend with Hugh Rainey.

From 1983 Eggy fronted the Hot Shots, as well as running a jazz magazine called Jazzin' Around.

In addition to those achievements, he also toured abroad and recorded.

Eggy is recognized as one of the pioneers of the classic soprano saxophone in Britain.

In the late 1980's Eggy moved to Canada, but unfortunately soon after, suffered a crippling stroke.

EGGY LEY died in December of 1995. He was sixty-seven years old.

Edited March 10, 2004 by patricia

[patricia]

I was going to profile the fabulous Jack Teagarden, who did have a nickname, "T", but Jack has reams of biographical material available already.

I decided, instead to highlight his little brother, "CUB" [Cloris Lee] TEAGARDEN, the least known of the family. The Teagarden clan had FOUR siblings, Jack, Norma, Charlie and little brother, CUB.

During the 1930's Cub was a drummer, who played all around the U.S. Midwest.

He joined his brother, Jack's band in 1939 and was with that band until 1940.

After his sojourn with Jack, he worked with the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra and also had his own band.

Cub, unlike the rest of the family, didn't stay with his musical career, but instead left music in 1948 and took a day job with General Telephones in Long Beach.

Little CUB TEAGARDEN died in 1969.

Edited March 2, 2004 by patricia

[patricia]

And now, we have BABS GONZALES [Lee Brown] who was a singer, in various clubs on both the East and West coasts, before organizing his own group. His group was known as Three Bips And A Bop and was very popular from 1946-1948.

I was interested to discover that this group included Tadd Dameron and Rudy Williams and that they were the first ones to record "Oop Pop A Da", which was covered, later, by Dizzy Gillespie.

Babs was the vocalist and also road-managed the James Moody band brom 1951-1953.

He also was involved in record sessions with Jimmy Smith, Bennie Green and Johnny Griffin.

For the rest of his career Babs worked as a soloist and performed in Europe.

He was one of the very first U.S. performers to appear at Ronnie Scott's in 1962.

He published his own albums on a miriad of labels, as well as distributing a two volume set of his autobiography.

Babs Gonzales is probably better known as a rabid promoter of JAZZ, in the most unlikely outlets. If he could get people to listen to jazz, he did. He continued to be involved in many activities on the fringes of jazz and show business.

There was even a short period in which he worked as Errol Flynn's chauffeur!!!

BABS GONZALES died in 1980 at sixty-one.

[EKE BBB]

EGGY LEY

[EKE BBB]

BABS GONZALES

[patricia]

Thank you so much, EKE BBB for the great pictures.

I think that BABS is out of the frame, somehow though.

***later edit*** Babs is now back and he looks MAHVELOUS!!!!

.................................

We now have the trumpet player, KID [Avery] HOWARD, born in New Orleans in 1908.

Originally, Kid was a drummer in several bands, including those of Andrew Morgan and trumpeter, Chris Kelly.

Kelly's playing blew Howard away and he took up the trumpet. He then became a regular player with the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, Allen's Brass Band, at the same time playing with small groups, as well as a brass band of his own.

Kid continued his career in the thirties, playing regularly in clubs and in theatres.

In 1943, he recorded with George Lewis, then worked regularly with Lewis later, in 1952 onward.

By the time the 1960's came around, Kid Howard was a familiar figure at Preservation Hall. His style was described as hot and driving and he was held in very high regard by Dixieland aficianadoes.

In 1966, KID HOWARD's funeral was held in his hometown and was attended by the Eureka, Olympia and also the Onward brass bands and was one of the biggest and best-attended funeral processions ever held, at least to that point in New Orleans.

Edited March 3, 2004 by patricia

[EKE BBB]

Sometimes pictures taken from Gottlieb´s site are bigger than the common screen size! You must scroll to the right.... which is very boring...

And now...

AVERY "KID" HOWARD

[patricia]

Kid looks great and, if I might dare to be irreverant, perhaps he was called "Kid" because he had to wear somebody else's pants. Holy moly!! Either he is shrinking, right before our eyes, or he had a really bad tailor. "Break at the shoelaces" means nothing to whoever sold him those pants.

But, I digress. Great picture.

..........................................

I know that you were wondering if there were very many musicians who played alto sax, clarinet, trombone, trumpet AND recorder. Well, the wait is over. The man is "LAZY ADE" MONSBOURGH [Adrian Herbert} who began his career with Graham Bell, in Australia, while he was still in his early teens.

He became a major figure on the Australian jazz scene in the forties, right through the seventies. He worked with Roger Bell, Don Roberts and Dave Dallwitz.

For over thirty years he led his own band, Lazy Ade's Late Hour Boys starting in 1944, near the end of the war. They played Eastern Europe in 1947, and Britain in 1951 and 1952. It was during his period in Britain that he met Humphrey Lyttleton and produced such classic recordings as "Don't Monkey With It" and "Hoppin' Mad" in 1951.

After his success in Britain, Lazy Ade returned to Australia and gradually faded from the international scene.

But, that doesn't mean that he quit playing. On the contrary. He continued to play in jazz clubs, conventions and making recordings. His best known recording was the Brighton Jazz Parade sessions in 1984.

Have a look around for "Wild Life" [1971 Swaggie] which is a compilation of sessions from 1956-1970. Roger Bell describes it as "an object lesson in the performance of a small-group back-room musicians" type of jazz. Lazy Ade is on alto saxophone and clarinet . Worthwhile.

Edited March 3, 2004 by patricia

[patricia]

The name, BUDDY [boniface Ferdinand Leonardo] DEFRANCO comes up frequently, due to his associations with so many legendary musicians and bands throughout his long career.

He plays clarinet, alto saxophone and bass clarinet.

Buddy began his career in the early forties, with several name bands, including those of Gene Krupa, Charlie Barnet and Tommy Dorsey, with whom he served three stints, from 1944-1948. When he was with Dorsey he was featured on clarinet.

Defranco, when he was not with name bands, did a lot of small group work in Chicago, New York and California.

He was also with Count Basie's octet in 1950-1951.

Interesting to me was that, while with Basie's organization, Defranco played in a film short, but was not allowed to be seen with the all-black group, being replaced on-screen by Marshall Royal.

In 1951 he formed his own big band, then a quartet in 1952, for three years. The quartet included Art Blakey and Kenny Clark. Later Sonny Clark was part of his group.

In 1966 Buddy Defranco became leader of the Glenn Miller ghost band for eight years.

Then came the late seventies and, along with occasional solo work, Buddy became involved with jazz education. At the same time, he continued to accept work as a soloist and made several tours of Europe in the 1980's.

In the early eighties, Defranco formed a partnership with Terry Gibbs, who is described as a consummate technician.

Now, there has always been criticism of Buddy Defranco that he has technique with no taste, but this salvo has also been levelled at such giants as the great Oscar Peterson and Buddy Rich.

The most frequent slam against Defranco has been that his technique is so perfect, that he lacks spontenaety. Those who love jazz because of it's improvisational aspect may have a point, but I don't think that a standard, beautiful approach to his instrument, compared to a more creative, spontaneous expression, used by other players is necessarily a bad thing. Buddy Defranco, IMO, simply appeals to an audience that likes familiarity, rather than constant change.

Edited March 4, 2004 by patricia

[EKE BBB]

BUDDY DE FRANCO

[patricia]

Thank you EKE BBB. Great picture.

[patricia]

And now we have another New Orleans jazzer, "PAPA" [Oscar] CELESTIN, born in 1884 in La Fourche, Louisiana. Papa Celestin played trumpet and also sang.

Papa Celestin had what is described as an off-centre embouchure and was with the Algiers Brass Band in the early 1900's.

Soon after, he played with Henry Allen Sr.'s Olympia band and led that band from 1910-1913.

It wasn't long before he led his Tuxedo Brass Band in becoming one of New Orleans' most popular bands in 1917.

This band included the wonderful trombonist, William "Bebe" Ridgely, playing dances for the lucrative white society dance market. His band featured star names, like Zutty Singleton, Kid Shots Madison, Manuel Manetta and Paul Barnes.

The OKeh label recorded Celestin in the 1920's as well as did Columbia and he remained a big New Orleans attraction.

The Depression put a temperary halt to Celestin's musical endeavors and he worked in shipyards during the war.

When the war was over, Dixieland enjoyed a revival and Celestin's band was at the forefront. His reorganized band had another burst of success and recorded again, this time for the De Luxe label in 1947.

By 1949 the band was starring on Bourbon Street at the Paddock Lounge.

They were also recording regularly, as well as appearing on TV and doing radio work.

In 1953, Papa Celestin performed for Dwight Eisenhower and a bust of Papa was bought by the New Orleans Jazz Foundation. This bust stands today in the Delgado Museum in New Orleans.

PAPA CELESTIN died in 1954 at seventy years old.

Edited March 4, 2004 by patricia

[patricia]

ZIGGY ELMAN [Harry Finkleman] was not only a trumpet player, but a multi-instrumentalist, born in Philidelphia in 1914.

Ziggy began his career with Alex Bartha's house band, playing trombone. Bartha's band played Atlantic City's Steel Pier ballroom.

Benny Goodman replaced his lead trumpeter, Pee Wee Erwin with Ziggy in 1936 and Ziggy stayed with Goodman for four years. The triumvirate of Elman/James/Griffin was formed, in what many consider Goodman's greatest band.

In 1938 Elman was featured soloist in Goodman's band and recorded sixteen very successful sides for Bluebird. Four songs, which became classics for Goodman's band were recorded during that period. They were, "Fraulich In Swing", "Bublitchki", "And The Angels Sing" with words by Johnny Mercer and "Who'll Buy My Bublitchki?"

It's interesting that Elman apparently learned to play clarinet in one day, in order to perform a live version of "Bach Goes To Town" with Goodman's band in the late thirties.

In 1940 Elman was with Tommy Dorsey's band, usually leading the trumpet section.

He then moved to Los Angeles, trying, unsuccessfully, a couple of times to run his own big band. The timing was wrong in that the popularity of big bands was at a low period. Couple that with the second American Federation Of Musicians recording ban and it's not difficult to see his dilemma.

That is not to say that Elman wasn't playing. He was doing good work for film studios, radio and TV. He did record one album, "Tribute To Benny Goodman" by Jess Stacy and the Famous Sideman.

Elman also appeared in The Benny Goodman Story. Oddly, his playing was dubbed by Manny Klein.

Unfortunately, Ziggy was downed by a series of nervous breakdowns, combined with his well-known drinking problems.

ZIGGY ELMAN died at only forty-six years old in June of 1968.

Edited March 4, 2004 by patricia

[EKE BBB]

PAPA CELESTIN

Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra: (Left to Right) Bill Matthews, Guy Kelly, Papa Celestin, Jeanette Salvant, Narvin Kimball, Joe Lawrence, Chinee Foster, Joe Rouzon, Simon Marrero, Clarence Hall

[EKE BBB]

ZIGGY ELMAN

[patricia]

Thank you EKE BBB!!! Fabulous pictures.

.....................................

Now we have a drummer, ALBERT "TOOTIE" HEATH, born in Philidelphia in 1935.

Tootie is the younger brother of Jimmy and Percy Heath. He moved to New York in 1957 and made his debut with the great John Coltrane, who was a fellow Philidelphian.

In the late fifties and early sixties he toured with J.J. Johnson. He then was in a trio, with Cedar Walton and Bobby Timmons.

Then, in 1965, he moved to Europe to work with George Russell and the pianist, Friedrich Gulda.

Heath accepted a residency in Copenhagen with Kenny Drew in the late sixties, and was there for two years.

Tootie returned to the U.S. in 1968, joining Herbie Hancock's sextet. He then went to the Yusef Lateef quartet.

He recorded with Kenny Drew and also with Anthony Braxton in Copenhagen in 1974.

That was followed by his joining the Heath Brothers in 1975 and stayed with them for three years.

He then left the group to freelance, although he did play with them occasionally.

TOOTIE HEATH is known as a dynamic and driving drummer, often compared to Kenny Clarke. He is a team-player, never drawing attention to himself, but more of a supportive and versatile drummer, drawing the rest of the band into a cohesive unit.

Edited March 4, 2004 by patricia

[EKE BBB]

Yeah, Tootie! Great drummer, who was part of Tete Montoliu´s trio and recorded in some of the most outstanding Tete discs, basically for Steeplechase.

TOOTIE HEATH

Ferdinand Povel, Tete Montoliu, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Henk Haverhoek

[EKE BBB]

OK. That was Tete´s photo . Now here´s Tootie in the spotlight