Louis Freddie Kohlman (August 25, 1918 – September 29, 1990, aged 72) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
drummer, vocalist, and bandleader who was a native of New Orleans. He studied under the famed drummer
Louis Cottrell, Sr., and
Manuel Manetta.
Biography
Freddie Kohlman was born in New Orleans and began playing professionally as a teenager,
[Obituary: "Louis Freddie Kohlman, Jazz Drummer, 75"]
''New York Times'', October 4, 1990. working with
A. J. Piron,
Joe Robichaux,
Papa Celestin
Oscar Phillip Celestin (January 1, 1884 – December 15, 1954) better known by stage name Papa Celestin was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
Life and career
Celestin was born in Napoleonville, Louisiana, to a Creole family, son of a s ...
, and
Sam Morgan. He moved to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
in the middle of the 1930s, where he played with
Albert Ammons
Albert Clifton Ammons (March 1, 1907 – December 2, 1949) was an American pianist and player of boogie-woogie, a blues style popular from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s.
Life and career
Ammons was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were pi ...
,
Stuff Smith
Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song "If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper").
Smith was, alo ...
,
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...
, and
Lee Collins. After returning to New Orleans in 1941, he led his own band from 1944. Among the musicians in his band was pianist
Dave "Fat Man" Williams. In the mid-1950s he played briefly with
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
and recorded as a leader with the Jambalaya Four (1953), then became the house drummer at
Jazz, Ltd.
Jazz, Ltd. was a Dixieland jazz band, nightclub and a record label in Chicago.
The band was active from June 1947 to April 1978 and was led and managed by Bill Reinhardt. The nightclub was active from June 1947 to February 1972 and was managed b ...
in Chicago ("where he played with everyone from Billie Holiday to Art Hodes")
before returning to New Orleans once again in the 1960s. There he played with
Louis Cottrell, Jr.
Louis Albert Cottrell Jr. (March 7, 1911 - March 21, 1978) was a Louisiana Creole jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He was the son of the influential drummer Louis Cottrell, Sr., and grandfather of New Orleans jazz drummer Louis Cottrell ...
, the
Dukes of Dixieland
The Dukes of Dixieland was an American, New Orleans "Dixieland"-style revival band, originally formed in 1948 by brothers Frank Assunto, trumpet; Fred Assunto, trombone; and their father Papa Jac Assunto, trombone and banjo. Their first records ...
, and the
Onward Brass Band
The Onward Brass Band was either of two brass bands active in New Orleans for extended periods of time.
Onward Brass Band (c. 1886–1930)
This incarnation of the Onward Brass Band played often in its early history at picnics, festivals, parades, ...
(1968). In 1969 he appeared at the
New Orleans Jazz Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...
. As a member of the
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans jazz band founded in New Orleans by tuba player Allan Jaffe in the early 1960s. The band derives its name from Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. In 2005, the Hall's doors were closed for a p ...
, he traveled widely in the United States and overseas.
He played in European festivals with his own groups in the 1970s and 1980s. He recorded with
Chris Barber
Donald Christopher "Chris" Barber OBE (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with " Petite Fl ...
and
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
in 1980, and also appears on record with
Albert Nicholas
Albert Nicholas (May 27, 1900 – September 3, 1973) was an American jazz clarinet player.
Career
Nicholas's primary instrument was the clarinet, which he studied with Lorenzo Tio in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Late ...
,
Art Hodes
Arthur W. Hodes (November 14, 1904 – March 4, 1993), was a Russian Empire-born American jazz and blues pianist. He is regarded by many critics as the greatest white blues pianist.
Biography
Hodes was born in Mykolaiv, in present-day Ukrain ...
,
Bob Wilber
Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his caree ...
,
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 List of best-selling music artists i ...
, the
Excelsior Brass Band, and the
Heritage Hall Jazz Band.
Kohlman appeared in several films, including ''
Pete Kelly's Blues'', ''
Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to:
* ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake
* ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields
** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...
'' and ''
Angel Heart
''Angel Heart'' is a 1987 American neo-noir psychological horror film, an adaptation of William Hjortsberg's 1978 novel ''Falling Angel''. The film was written and directed by Alan Parker, and stars Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, an ...
''.
"Louis Freddie Kohlman"
''Orlando Sentinel'', October 4, 1990.
He died of cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
at his home in New Orleans, aged 75.
Selected discography
* ''Freddie Kohlman'', 1955
* ''All of Me'', 1977
References
*Leonard Feather
Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.
Biography
Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...
and Ira Gitler
Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...
, ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford, 1999, p. 390.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohlman, Freddie
1918 births
1990 deaths
Jubilee Records artists
American jazz drummers
American jazz bandleaders
Deaths from cancer in Louisiana
Jazz musicians from New Orleans
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Onward Brass Band members
Dukes of Dixieland members
Preservation Hall Jazz Band members