HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Birth of Jazz: Dixieland Jazz Band

It was around World War I that ragtime began its shift toward jazz, slightly sooner in the South, such as New Orleans. Among the earliest to record jazz was the Original Dixieland Jass Band to become the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. As like the question of who first recorded rock, which comes down to arbitrary choice depending on what's called rock, who made the first jazz record might also be contested depending on what is called jazz. The ODJB is usually credited with the first jazz disc per 'Livery Stable Blues' recorded on 26 February 1917 toward Victor 18255-B, that followed in the same session by 'Dixieland Jass Band One-step' (Victor 18255-A with "one-step" referring to the foxtrot). Another candidate is proffered in Wilbur Sweatman's composition, 'Down Home Rag', published in 1911 and recorded as a ragtime by the Six Brown Brothers in NYC on 8 July 1915 toward Victor 17834. The Versatile Four put away "Down Home Rag' in January 1916 toward HMV C 654. Sweatman himself recorded it in December of 1916 toward Emerson 7161. Renditions by the Versatile Four or Wilbur Sweatman match a jazz definition insofar as they are lively ragtime foxtrots (dances). What distinguished 'Livery Stable Blues' is that it is in blues form with individual parts probably improvised. The ODJP may sound a little rusty now, not taking melodious excursions to the lengths that future jazz musicians would, but it was an improvisational band. Improvisation is at the heart of jazz despite what is generally credited as the first published jazz score by Jelly Roll Morton per 'Jelly Roll Blues' in 1915, providing a basis for making up variations. Morton claims to have written 'Jelly Roll Blues' as early as 1905. He didn't record it until 1924 as a piano solo.

The ODJB issued 'Livery Stable Blues' on 7 March of 1917. That may have been the first jazz issued, but others vie that jazz was earlier recorded, only later released, by the team of Arthur Collins and Byron Harlan per 'That Funny Jas Band From Dixieland' in which they describe what is jas. Collins & Harlan had recorded that in November 1916 toward issue on Edison Blue Amberol 3140 in April 1917. They recorded it again in December 1916 toward Edison Diamond Disc 50423-L released in May. It went down again on 12 January 1917 toward Victor 18235-B. There was also Borbee's Jass Orchestra which made its recording debut per 'It's a Long, Long Time' on 14 February 1917 prior to the ODJP. That was distributed on Columbia A2233 in July. Borbee's Jass Orchestra, though, was more a popular hotel dance band identified as "sweet" than a jazz operation. Other dance orchestras more at popular than jazz were Paul Whiteman's and Benny Goodman's, though at various degrees of infusion with jazz. Whoever recorded or issued the first jazz, others like the Frisco Jazz Band, Charles Adams Prince and W. C. Handy followed the same year.

The term "jazz" is what finally stuck upon an etymology including jis, jas, jass, et al, each with variously threading connotations. The first time "jazz" was used in association with music was a spasm band in New Orleans named The Razzy Jazzy Spasm Band which had to change its name from the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band which was already taken. The latter had been formed out of the Newsboys Spasm Band run by Stalebread Charlie (Emil Lecoume) and partner, Warm Gravy, in 1895. This was a bunch of orphaned or otherwise impoverished kids, barefoot in photographs, which performed spasm music, that is, of no particular kind but exuberant and impromptu with improvised instruments like pebbles in cans, cigar box fiddles, combs and washboards. These rough kids who played music off the cuff were an early version of the jug band which later emerged to greater renown in the twenties via such as the Memphis Jug Band. The jug band would later cross the Atlantic to England where it was known as skiffle in the fifties.

"Jazz" referred to high energy or "pep" in its usage by the Razzy Jazzy Spasm Band. It referred the same in its first-known literary usage on 2 April 1912 in the 'Los Angeles Times' sports headline, "Ben's Jazz Curve" concerning a game between the Portland Beavers and the Los Angeles Angels during which pitcher, Ben Henderson (Beavers), revealed his plans to put so much "jazz" (wobble) in his curve ball that batters wouldn't be able to do anything with it. But Henderson's pitch awobble that couldn't pass a drunk test was no match for the bucking jazz of later air flight. The Beavers lost, yet the connection to baseball is probably the avenue by which the term arrived to wide usage. "Jass" was the alternate of "jazz" used interchangeably until it began to recede perhaps because it was less connected to pep and vigor than such as gism. The Original Dixieland Jass Band changed its name to the more conservative Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1918. Sweatman followed suit later that year when he changed the name of his Original Jass Band to his Original Jazz Band. That didn't prevent either Eubie Blake or Duke Ellington from disliking "jazz" as a term not because it was connected to spasms, but because it could be traced remotely, howsoever unintentionally, to ejaculations. Perhaps such oughtn't be excessively loud either leaked or uttered.

The Dixieland Jazz Band had been formed in Chicago in early 1916 as Stein's Dixie Jass Band, first performing at Schiller's Cafe on March 3, 1916, consisting of Johnny Stein (drums), Alcide Nunez (clarinet), Eddie Edwards (trombone), Henry Ragas (piano) and Frank Christian (cornet), the last soon replaced by Nick LaRocca who became leader and main composer of what eventually became the ODJB (Original Dixieland Jass Band) to play its first gig at Reisenweber's Cafe in Manhattan in early 1917. Stein had been replaced at drums in June of 1916 by Tony Sbarbaro. Clarinetist, Larry Shields, had replaced Nunez in October of 1916. As mentioned, the ODJB issued its first record in 1917 per 'Livery Stable Blues' (Victor 18255). That same year they appeared in the silent film, 'The Good for Nothing'.

Below are three renditions of Sweatman's 'Down Home Rag' progressing via recording dates toward ODJP's 'Livery Stable Blues' with Collins & Harlan's 'That Funny Jas Band From Dixieland' along the way. Morton's jazz composition, 'Jelly Roll Blues', that was recorded considerably later is included for comparison. The solo is a piano roll gone down for Vocalstyle Music in early June of 1924. The 78 rpm Gennett session was held on 9 June 1924 and may have been recorded simultaneously? The score to 'Livery Stable Blues' was published as 'Barnyard Blues' in 1917 shortly after its release. Dancing to which later ragtime and early jazz referred was the foxtrot brought to the ballroom by Vernon and Irene Castle in 1914. The foxtrot remained popular far beyond the Roaring Twenties. Bill Haley's 'Rock Around the Clock' of 1954 was for foxtrot. The following stack is a brief cartoon of a blending shift from ragtime to jazz.

'Down Home Rag' Six Brown Brothers 8 July 1915 toward Victor 17834

'Down Home Rag' The Versatile Four Jan 1916 toward HMV C 654

'That Funny Jas Band' Collins & Harlan Nov 1916 toward Edison Blue Amberol 3140

'Down Home Rag' Wilbur Sweatman Dec 1916 toward Emerson 7161

Score to Sweatman's 'Down Home Rag' first published 1911

'It's a Long, Long Time' Borbee's Jass Orchestra 14 Feb 1917 toward Columbia A2233

'Jelly Roll Blues' Jelly Roll Morton 9 June 1924 toward Gennett 5552-A

'Jelly Roll Blues' Morton & His Red Hot Peppers 16 Dec 1926 toward HMV B.9848

Score to Morton's 'Jelly Roll Blues' first published 1915

Score to ODJB's 'Livery Stable Blues' published as 'Barnyard Blues' 1917

'Livery Stable Blues' Original Dixieland Jass Band

Recorded 26 Feb 1917 in NYC toward Victor 18255 Charts: #4 June 1917

Composition: Nick LaRoca

'Darktown Strutter's Ball' Original Dixieland Jass Band

Recorded 31 May 1917 in NYC toward Columbia A2297 Charts: #2 Nov 1917

Composition: Larry Shields

'Clarinet Marmalade Blues' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 17 July 1918 in NYC toward Victor 18513

Composition: Larry Shields / Henry Ragas

Ragas died of flu on February 18, 1919, his replacement J. Russell Robinson. By 1919 the band was popular enough to invade London where they also recorded. Thus began the long tradition of jazz in Great Britain, binding it further in common with the United States beyond World War I. Jazz would pass back and forth across the Atlantic until it became R&B, then rock, the musical relationship between Americans and Brits, as well as Canadians, taking up the larger portion of music during the 20th century. The next musically close overall to the United States has probably been Germany one way or another. But it was the British, not German, Invasion, by which the Brits used rock to avenge the attack by the ODJB two score earlier. 'Tiger Rag' below was recorded numerously and probably the ODJB's most popular title overall. This had charted at #1 in August 1918 upon issue on Victor 18472. Other artists would put this 'Tiger Rag' in the Top Ten including Ted Lewis twice in 1923 and 1927, the Mills Brothers in 1931, Ray Noble in 1934 and Les Paul with Mary Ford as late as 1952.

'Ostrich Walk' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 12 May 1919 in London toward Columbia 736

Composition: Nick LaRocca / Larry Shields

'Tiger Rag - One-step' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 19 May 1919 in London toward Columbia 748

This had charted at #1 in Aug 1918 on Victor 18472

Composition: Nick LaRocca / all members of band

'My Baby's Arms' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 8 Jan 1920 in London toward Columbia 805

Composition: Joseph McCarthy / Harry Tierney

Returning to the States, the ODJB toured the country until 1924. The issue of 'Jazz Me Blues' below charted at #9 in September of 1921. A typo at MusicVF has Victor 18772 listed as 18798 which is actually 'Dangerous Blues' / 'Royal Garden Blues', the latter charting at #3 in November 1921.

'Margie' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 1 Dec 1920 in NYC toward Victor 18717 Charts: #9 March 1921

Composition: Con Conrad / J. Russel Robinson

'Palesteena' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 4 Dec 1920 in NYC toward Victor 18717 Charts: #3 March 1921

Composition: Con Conrad / J. Russel Robinson

'Jazz Me Blues' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 3 May 1921 in NYC toward Victor 18772 Charts: #9 Sep 1921

Composition: Tom Delaney

'Some of These Days' Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Recorded 3 Jan 1923 in NYC toward OKeh 4738 Charts: #5 April 1923

Composition: Shelton Brooks

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band dissolved in 1925 upon the nervous breakdown of LaRocca. All that they had recorded up to that point was necessarily acoustic. Later versions of the band, however, reformed to as late as 1946. Their records issued in the thirties and forties were electronic, thus arrived with improved fidelity, though their heydays as America moved into the Roaring Twenties were long since over.