The Tuxedo Brass Band, sometimes called the Original Tuxedo Brass Band, was one of the most highly regarded
brass bands of
in the 1910s and 1920s.
It was led by
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 ...
starting about 1910. Many noted
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 m ...
greats played in the band. The group never recorded (though the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, a dance band using some of the same musicians, did record in the mid-1920s).
Personnel varied; as with most such New Orleans brass bands of the era, a group no larger than three
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
s or cornets, two trombones, one or two clarinets, alto horn, baritone horn, bass horn, snare drum, and bass drum considered sufficient for most jobs. The team of Papa Celestin playing a driving lead,
Manuel Perez with sweet variations and
Joe Oliver's hot bluesy counter melodies was remembered by many musicians of the era as the finest brass band trumpet team heard in the city.
Other notables who played in the band included
Louis Armstrong,
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 ...
,
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 mov ...
,
Louis Dumaine,
Eddie Atkins, Harrison Barnes,
Sunny Henry,
Jim Robinson,
John Casimir,
Johnny Dodds,
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 ...
,
Alphonse Picou
Alphonse Floristan Picou (October 19, 1878 – February 4, 1961) was an important very early American jazz clarinetist of New Orleans, Louisiana, who also wrote and arranged music.
Early life and education
Alphonse Picou was born into a prosper ...
,
George Guesnon,
Isidore Barbarin,
Louis Keppard,
Chinee Foster,
Black Benny Williams, and
Zutty Singleton
Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton (May 14, 1898 – July 14, 1975) was an American jazz drummer.
Career
Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana, United States, and raised in New Orleans. According to his ''Jazz Profiles'' biography, his unusual ...
.
A group of younger musicians formed the
Young Tuxedo Brass Band, which is still in existence.
References
Notes
* ''New Orleans Jazz: A Family Album'' by Al Rose and Edmond Souchon, Third Edition, Louisiana State University Press, 1984
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Musical groups from New Orleans
Brass bands from New Orleans