Fate Marable

Fate Marable ( born December 2, 1890 in Paducah, Kentucky; † January 16, 1947 in St. Louis, Missouri ) was an American big band leader and pianist who mainly played on Mississippi riverboats, where an important mentor for many musicians of old-time jazz was.

Marable learned piano from his mother and started early to play (from 1907) on the paddle- steamers on the Mississippi where he in 1917 (Kentucky Jazz Band as a copy of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, then Fate Marable Orchestra, Boyd Atkins belonged ) to 1940, a band headed. He usually played on the steamers of the Strekfus line, where he temporarily replaced with the " Sam Morgan Jazz Band ". The steamer went from May to November between New Orleans and St. Paul in Minnesota. Partially mixed part, only for " white" audience on some days. Most played smaller bands on the day and two big bands at night. They played not only jazz, but also a lot of dance music. In the 1930s, he had also temporarily Charlie Creath as co- leader. A badly healed wound finger forced him in 1940 to a long pause - then he played in clubs in St. Louis, where in 1947 he died of pneumonia. As he put emphasis on discipline and note reading skills, he was an important teacher ( and a good season - employment) for many musicians of early jazz, the partially systematic training otherwise could not afford. Zutty Singleton rewrote a commitment to young musicians at Marable with the words " now you come to the conservatory ." His musicians he recruited mostly in New Orleans, among others were Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Baby Dodds, King Oliver, Zutty Singleton, Johnny St. Cyr, Pops Foster, Jimmy Blanton, Tommy Ladnier, Red Allen, Gene Sedric, Earl Bostic temporarily members of his band. Marable played on the ships at the Calliope ( Calliope ), whose keys were sometimes so hot that he had to wear gloves and a raincoat together with hat against the condensing water vapor.

His only recordings with the Fate Marables Society Syncopators from 1924 in Okeh in New Orleans ( only 2 pieces, Frankie and Johnny, Pianoflage ). You only give a meager impression of the game of his bands.