Joe “King” Oliver

Joe “King” Oliver 1885-1938
King Oliver pioneered the raw vocal sound of New Orleans trumpet. He was the connection between the early brass traditions and the jazz soloists following Louis Armstrong, his protegee.

Joe Oliver came to New Orleans from Abend, Louisiana in 1907 to be an apprentice cornetist with Manuel Perez in the Onward Brass band and the Eagle Band. By 1917, he began playing cornet with Kid Ory’s Band at Pete Lala’s Cafe. Kid Ory also gave him his stage name “King”. Originally a trombonist, King Oliver defined the various uses of trumpet mutes in jazz and created unique sounds with the trombone. He grew up at the time of marching bands and this greatly influenced his musical expression.

In 1918 King Oliver left New Orleans, traveling between Chicago and Los Angeles. He later settled in Chicago to make recordings, joining Bill Johnson at the Dreamland Ballroom. He would become a powerful lead to ragtime and brass bands. Louis Armstrong, a former student who he would have playing gigs by his side, called him “Papa Joe”. He called himself “The King” and brought Louis up to play second trumpet into his own formed band, King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, while performing at Linclon Gardens. (This is also where Louis met and then married Lil Harden.) Oliver’s band was not recorded until 1923, which featured Lil on piano, Louis on trumpet, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Bill Johnson Louis on bass, Johnny Dodds on clarinet and Baby Dodds on drums. The beginnings of polyphony emerged in these recordings.

The evolution of jazz forming, many musicians not fully compensated eventually left King Oliver’s band to pursue other opportunities. With the encouragement of Lil, Louis, who most loyal to Papa Joe, finally left as well to play with Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra in New York. King Oliver was to later follow him there. A few years after making cornet and piano duet recordings with Jelly Roll Morton, he in turn ended up contributing to the new jazz scene and worked at the Savoy Ballroom with his band the Dixie Syncopators. The distinct trumpet sound in Duke Ellington’s Orchestra was said to have emerged from the musicians who played with King Oliver.

1923 – King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band

Chime Blues
Zulu’s Ball
Just Gone
Chattanooga Stomp
Dippermouth Blues
Rag, Froggy More
Canal Street Blues
Mabel’s Dream
Sobbin’ Blues’ Snake

1924 – With Jelly Roll Morton
Tom Cat Blues
King Porter Stomp

1925- King Oliver’s Dixie Syncopators
Dr. Jazz
Sugar Foot Stomp
Snag It
West End Blues
Dead Man Blues