"Ory's Creole Trombone" is a

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 ...

composition by

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz. He was ...

. Ory first recorded it in Los Angeles in 1921 (or 1922, according to other sources). The band included Ory on trombone,

Mutt Carey Thomas "Papa Mutt" Carey (September 17, 1891 – September 3, 1948) was an American jazz trumpeter. Early life Carey was born in Hahnville, Louisiana,Kernfedl, Barry, ed. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. Macmillan, 1994. p. 185. and moved ...

on cornet,

Dink Johnson Ollie "Dink" Johnson (1892 – November 29, 1954 was a Dixieland jazz pianist, clarinetist, and drummer. Background Johnson was born in 1892, most likely in New Orleans, although the date is disputed and some sources have cited the place of b ...

on clarinet, Fred Washington on piano,

Ed Garland Edward Bertram Garland (January 9, 1895 – January 22, 1980) was a New Orleans jazz string bass player. He was commonly known as Ed Garland, and sometimes Montudie Garland (a nickname he disliked). Biography Ed Garland was born in New Orlea ...

on bass and Ben Borders on drums. The recording of "Ory's Creole Trombone" was released by

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and

Reb Spikes Benjamin Franklin "Reb" Spikes (October 31, 1888 – February 24, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist and entrepreneur. His composition with his brother John, "Someday Sweetheart", has become an often-recorded jazz standard. Biography Spikes w ...

' short-lived Sunshine Records label. It was the first issued recording session by an African American jazz band from New Orleans. (Contrary to sometimes repeated misinformation that it marked the first jazz recording made by a black orchestra that honor goes to

Wilbur Sweatman Wilbur Coleman Sweatman (February 7, 1882 – March 9, 1961) was an American ragtime and dixieland jazz composer, bandleader and clarinetist. Sweatman was one of the first African-American musicians to have fans nationwide. He was also a trail ...

. ) Other numbers recorded the same day included "When You're Alone Blues", "Krooked Blues", "Society Blues", "That Sweet Something Dear", "Maybe Some Day" and "Froggie Moore". Ory's band was called Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra, but they used the name "Spike's Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra" for the Sunshine recordings. The label also released the same records credited to the Sunshine Band. According to Reb Spikes, recording studio owner Arne Nordskog first put his own Nordskog labels on the produced records; Spikes then had to paste the Sunshine label over Nordskog's. The original records have become collector's items. In many cases the Sunshine label has eroded and parts of the Nordskog label can be seen beneath it. Some of the masters from the recording sessions were lost due to heat when they were transported from the West Coast to a pressing plant in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The melting wax rendered four of the six recordings completely unusable and left an audible click on the pressings of "Ory's Creole Trombone". Ory recorded the piece several times. In 1927 he made a recording as part of

Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

. In 1945 he recorded it in Los Angeles with Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra. "Ory's Creole Trombone" has clear

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

elements and is closer to the old New Orleans style than the music of many New Orleans musicians who recorded in Chicago, such as

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 ...

. The composition is divided into 16-bar sections. Sections A and B follow the original melody closely with improvised variations. Section C functions as a chorus; this part is played in Ory's original recording as collective improvisation, while in Louis Armstrong's later recording the C section works as solo improvisation by Armstrong and clarinetist

Jimmie Noone Jimmie Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca. Classical ...

Notes

{{cite web , title=Kid Ory's Creole Orchestra , publisher=Red Hot Jazz Archive , url=http://www.redhotjazz.com/oryscreole.html , accessdate=25 August 2011 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103181031/http://www.redhotjazz.com/oryscreole.html , archive-date=3 January 2015 , url-status=dead 1921 compositions Jazz compositions Compositions by Kid Ory United States National Recording Registry recordings