|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Oliver was blinded in one eye as a child, and often played while sitting in a chair, or leaning against the wall, with a derby hat tilted so that it hid his bad eye. Joe was famous for using mutes, derbys, bottles, and cups to alter the sound of his cornet. He was able to get a wild array of sounds out of his horn with this arsenal of gizmos. Bubber Miley is said to have been inspired by his sound.
Oliver started playing in New Orleans around 1908. At various times he was a member of several of the marching bands like, The Olympia Band, The Onward Brass Band, The Original Superior Band, and The Eagle. He often worked in Kid Ory's band and in 1917 he was being billed as "King" by the bandleader. In 1919 he moved to Chicago with Kid Ory and played in Bill Johnson's band, The Original Creole Orchestra at the Dreamland Ballroom. He toured with the band, but when he returned to Chicago in 1922 he started King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band at Lincoln Gardens.
Oliver had a life long sweet tooth. He was famous for his love of sugar sandwiches, This of course lead to dental problems that made playing his cornet very painful. On top of that he was suffering from a bad back. In 1929 Luis Russell took over the Dixie Syncopators and changed the name to Luis Russell and his Orchestra. Oliver continued to record until 1931, but he was quickly becoming a forgotten name. He continued to tour the South with various groups, until he ran out of money and settled in Georgia, where he worked as a janitor in a poolroom.
From;
Joe Oliver is one of the most important figures in early Jazz. When we use the phrase Hot Jazz, we are really referring to his style of collective improvisation (rather than solos). He was the mentor and teacher of Louis Armstrong, Louis idolized him and called him 'Papa Joe'. Oliver even gave Armstrong a cornet, after he was realeased from the Colored Waifs Home.
Oliver imported his protege Louis Armstrong from New Orleans, The band also included Johnny Dodds, Honore Dutrey, Lil Hardin, and Baby Dodds among others. The group's 1923 sessions were a milestone in Jazz, introducing the playing of Louis Armstrong to the world. Unfortunately the Creole Jazz Band gradually fell apart in 1924. Oliver went on to record a pair of duets with pianist Jelly Roll Morton that same year, and then took over Dave Peyton 's band in 1925, renaming it the Dixie Syncopators. Oliver moved the band to New York in 1927, where he made some lousy business decisions, like turning down the regular gig at the Cotton Club, that decision went on to catapult Duke Ellington to fame.
King Oliver by Martin T. Williams, Barnes, 1960