Emanuel "Manuel" Perez (December 28, 1871 – 1946) was an American early New Orleans jazz

cornetist The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopra ...

and bandleader.

Life

Some details of his early life remain obscure. He was born into a Creole of Color family of Spanish, French and African descent. One of his ancestors was an officer of the free black regiment which fought in the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...

. At the turn of the century, Perez became a member of 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, parade ...

, leading it from 1903 to 1930. He also started his own brass band, called the Imperial Orchestra, which operated from 1901–08. The Onward Brass Band was one of the most respected of its day. Some of the best-known players in New Orleans were a part of the group, including

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of Mute (music), mutes in jazz. Also a notable c ...

Peter Bocage Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

Lorenzo Tio Lorenzo Tio Jr. (April 21, 1893 – December 24, 1933) was an American clarinetist from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, as were his father Lorenzo Tio Sr. (1867–1908) and uncle Louis "Papa" Tio (1862–1922). Their method of playing the ...

George Baquet George Francis Baquet (July 22, 1881 – Jan. 14, 1949) was an American jazz clarinetist, known for his contributions to early jazz in New Orleans. His father, Theogene V. Baquet, eminent New Orleans musician and educator, was also a clarinetis ...

Isidore Barbarin Isidore Jean "John" Barbarin (September 24, 1871 – June 12, 1960) was an American jazz cornet and alto horn player. He was a mainstay of the Dixieland, New Orleans jazz scene in the decades around the turn of the 20th century. Barbarin was b ...

, and Benny Williams. The Perez-Oliver two cornet, or "trumpet" team, was one of the most renowned in New Orleans. Perez was known for his beautiful tone, staying close to the lead, while Oliver improvised variations as a second cornet part. Later, Perez went north 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 1915, playing with Charles Elgar's Creole Orchestra at the Arsonia Cafe and also with the Arthur Sims Band. Although Elgar and his Creole Orchestra recorded a few sides (albums) during this period, Perez is not heard on any of these early recordings. Returning to the Crescent City in the 1920s, he played in the District ( Storyville), on

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

excursions with

Fate Marable Fate Marable (December 2, 1890 – January 16, 1947) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Early life Marable was born in Paducah, Kentucky to James and Elizabeth Lillian (Wharton) Marable, a piano teacher. Fate had five siblings, includin ...

, and in parades with the Maple Leaf Orchestra. Perez suffered a stroke in 1930. During this period, he worked with his brother, who owned a moving company, while he ran the used furniture store.

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic temp ...

said of him in the early 1940s:

I was down in New Orleans and I saw Manuel before he died. I saw him and I couldn't bear to see him; it was something awful. He just began to slobber at the mouth when you spoke to him...And when he looked at you there wasn't anything in his eyes … it was like they were missing from his face, and his face, it had just come apart.

Perez suffered a series of strokes that left him disabled and caused his death in 1946.

Style and legacy

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 ...

stated "Manuel and Joe King Oliver played together in the Onward Brass Band, really something to listen to when they played for parades and funerals. They had twelve musicians in their brass band. Eddie Jackson used to really swing the tuba when the band played marches. They sounded like a forty piece brass swing band." Armstrong would follow the brass band in the second line, as he listened to those early musicians whom he idolized in his youth. In contrast to Buddy Bolden and his more improvisational free approach, Perez was a sight-reader and highly technical musician, some say he refined the play of Bolden and allowed for more of an orchestral (big band) style.

comments "Manuel Perez was one. He was a musicianer; he was sincere. He stuck to his instrument." In the terminology of early 20th century New Orleans musicians, a "musicianer" was someone with good technical ability on their instrument adept at sight-reading written music. Manuel Perez was an innovator, with a supreme sound. His legacy might be best understood, in looking at the musicians that praised him, and the styles he influenced. King Oliver went on to become the jazz impresario of Chicago. Sidney Bechet toured the world featuring some of the same sounds Perez himself had played while battling other bands on the neutral ground of

Claiborne Avenue Claiborne Avenue is a major thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana. It runs the length of the city, about , beginning at the Jefferson Parish line and ending at the St. Bernard Parish line; the street continues under different names in both dire ...

, and sitting solitary on the banks of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

References

Other sources

* Bechet, Sidney. ''Treat it Gentle''. * Armstrong, Louis. ''In his own words: selected writings''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Manuel 1871 births 1946 deaths Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz bandleaders American jazz cornetists Louisiana Creole people of Spanish descent American people of Spanish descent