Hello internet readers and welcome to another write-up moment. After more than a century of historic importance, it’s clear the word “jazz” means many different things to many different people. Depending on who’s doing the talking, it can either mean a highly specific musical style, or almost nothing.
He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes, including the rubber plumber's plunger, derby hat, bottles, and cups. He is American jazz cornet/trumpet player, composer, and bandleader Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver. From 1908 to 1917, he played cornet in New Orleans brass and dance bands, in the city's red-light district, also known as "Storyville". The band was considered one of the most exciting and hottest in New Orleans, and King Oliver's popularity was in high demand in all music opportunities.
After Storyvilles closure in 1917, Oliver moved to Chicago, where he continued working with many of his New Orleans colleagues, performing in a number of Chicago clubs. In the summer of 1921, he took a group to the West Coast, playing successful engagements in San Francisco/Oakland area. He returned to Chicago the following year, performing in the Royal Gardens Cabaret as King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band. The personnel included his protégé Louis Armstrong on second cornet. Recordings made by the group in 1923 demonstrated the New Orleans style of collective improvisation, also known as Dixieland, and were able to expose a new sound to a broader audience.
Oliver credits jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden as an early influence, and in turn was a major influence on numerous younger cornet/trumpet players in New Orleans and Chicago, including Tommy Ladnier, Paul Mares, Muggsy Spanier, Johnny Wiggs, Frank Guarente, and Armstrong. In April 1938, Joe Oliver passed away at the young age of 56. Louis Armstrong's statement " I still think that if it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today. He was a creator in his own right."