Joseph William Thomas, also known as Brother Cornbread (December 3, 1902 – February 18, 1981) 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 ...

clarinetist and singer, closely-associated with the New Orleans jazz scene.

Career

Thomas's first professional gig was in New Orleans with trombone player Joe Harris in 1923. Soon after that, he worked with

Jack Carey Jack Carey (1889 – 1934) was an American jazz trombonist and the leader of the Crescent City Orchestra. The authorship of the famous ''Tiger Rag'' tune is attributed to him by some. During his career, he performed with Sidney Bechet. Carey ...

, Chris Kelly, and

Kid Rena Henry "Kid" Rena (August 30, 1898 – April 25, 1949) was an American jazz trumpeter, who was an early star of the New Orleans jazz scene. Biography He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Rena may have taken lessons from Manuel ...

. He recorded with

Charles Derbigny Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

in 1941, but the recordings were not publicly released until the 1960s, by which time Thomas had become a figure in the

Dixieland revival Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

movement. He led his own ensemble at New Orleans's H&J Tavern for much of the 1940s, then, in 1951, became a sideman for

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 ...

. He worked with this ensemble for years, including after

Papa French Albert "Papa" French (November 16, 1910 – September 28, 1977) was an American jazz musician, banjo player, and band leader in New Orleans. He was a banjo player in the Original Tuxedo Brass Band of New Orleans. This band was founded in 19 ...

and

Eddie Pierson Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology * Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

had taken over as leader. Other associations in the 1950s and 1960s included work with

Freddie Kohlman Louis Freddie Kohlman (August 25, 1918 – September 29, 1990, aged 72) was an American jazz drummer, vocalist, and bandleader who was a native of New Orleans. He studied under the famed drummer Louis Cottrell, Sr., and Manuel Manetta. Biography ...

Punch Miller Ernest Miller, also known as Punch Miller or Kid Punch Miller (June 10, 1894 – December 2, 1971), was an American traditional jazz trumpeter. Miller was born in Raceland, Louisiana, United States. He was known in New Orleans, Louisiana, where h ...

, the

Olympia Brass Band The Olympia Brass Band is an American jazz brass band from New Orleans. The first "Olympia Brass Band" was active from the late 19th century to around World War I. The most famous member was Freddie Keppard. In 1958, saxophonist Harold Dejan, ...

, and on Swedish television with

Sweet Emma Barrett "Sweet Emma" Barrett (March 25, 1897, New Orleans, Louisiana – January 28, 1983) was an American, self-taught jazz pianist and singer who worked with the Original Tuxedo Orchestra between 1923 and 1936, first under Papa Celestin, then William ...

in 1968. In the 1970s he worked with the Legends of Jazz, replacing

Joe Darensbourg Joe Darensbourg (July 9, 1906 – May 24, 1985) was an American, New Orleans-based jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, notable for his work with Buddy Petit, Jelly Roll Morton, Charlie Creath, Fate Marable, Andy Kirk, Kid Ory, Wingy Manone, J ...

References

;Footnotes ;General references *"Joe Thomas (i)". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd edition, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Joe American jazz clarinetists Jazz musicians from New Orleans 1902 births 1981 deaths Olympia Brass Band members