Jimmy Palao

James Florestan "Jimmy" Palao ( born February 19, 1879 in Algiers (Louisiana ); † January 8, 1925 in Chicago ) was an American musician of the early and the New Orleans Jazz. He mainly played the violin, but it was a multi-instrumentalist and composer.

Work

Palao lost his mother at age five and was raised by his father and grandmother Spriggs, which is why he was also known under the name Jimmy Spriggs. He received a good musical education and was in contrast to many other former jazz musicians read music. Besides violin, he also played saxophone, Mellophone, cornet, banjo and alto horn. Palao first played in the church of his aunt ( The Sacred Heart of Mary Church), 1897 /98, Pacific Brass Band and from 1897 to 1900 in the Brass Band of Henry Allen senior in Algiers. In 1900 he founded his own band in the 1900s, first published ragtime compositions, and from 1903 to 1905 he played in the band of Buddy Bolden, he also taught in music. 1905 to 1907 he was in the Imperial Orchestra, founded by Manuel Perez.

Since Palao notes could read and as a violinist pretending the pace, he is also sometimes referred to as head of the Imperial Orchestra ( there is a photo of that time with a leader on his cap ). In 1913, he was in Los Angeles with Bill Johnson. Johnson and Palao 1914 were founders of the Original Creole Orchestra, in which Freddie Keppard played, he often on the violin the tone for his improvisational pretending because Keppard could not read music, and Dink Johnson, Eddie Vincent ( trombone), Norwood Williams (guitar) and George Baquet. Bill Johnson was the manager, and Palao is often expressed as a conductor, as he read notes and pretended the pace as in the Imperial Orchestra - star of the band was Keppard. They toured nationally, and the band contributed greatly to jazz in the country to make known. They went from 1914 to vaudeville tour and existed until 1918.

After the dissolution of the original Creole band he played with Lawrence Duhe, King Oliver ( 1921/22, in California ), in Jones Dreamland band Jolly jazzing Leopards ( with Lil Armstrong ), John Wycliffe 's Syncopated Ginger Snaps ( the song and dance duo the Dave and Tressie accompanied ) and with Fess Williams. In Chicago he played more banjo and saxophone as a violin. He died of tuberculosis.

He married in 1905 and had four daughters. The descendants later lived in Chicago and there is also his legacy ( Chicago History Museum ).