Papa Jack Laine

"Papa Jack" Laine, simply Papa Jack, (actually George Vitell Laine, * September 21, 1873, † June 1, 1966 ) was an American brass - band leader and drummer of the early jazz (then usually called Ragtime ) until the First world War.

Life and work

Papa Jack Laine is sometimes referred to as " the first white jazz musician ." His first band, The Reliance, he led in 1891; he organized bands for parades, propaganda and dance events in New Orleans, where his bands usually had the last name " Reliance ". He frequently flouted since the " Reconstruction" period re-imported (from about 1876) segregation laws ( " Jim Crow Laws " ), by describing him employed African-American musicians just as Mexicans or Cubans. Many jazz musicians who later the New Orleans Jazz wore to the north, as all members of the Original Dixieland Jass band, but also George Bruni and his brothers, Sharkey Bonano and Tom Brown were temporarily employed by him. In its piano -less Jack Laine 's Ragtime Band Lawrence Vega played (cornet ), Achille Baquet ( cl ), Dave Perkins ( trb ), Abraham Morton (guitar ) and Willy Guitar (double bass). Ramsey, Smith write in 1939 by the irony towards the representatives of a "white origin " of Dixieland, the two were colored in this granddaddy of all Dixieland Combinations.

In 1917 he retired from the music business. He was a blacksmith and later ran a garage or car repair shop. There are no recordings of his band, but he has given some interviews.

1951 yet emerged recordings with Johnny Wiggs, Harry Shields and Tom Brown, which had been organized by the New Orleans jazz fan Edmond Souchon, who thereby also played guitar and banjo. There are also recordings from 1959 also with Johnny Wiggs and Souchon ( Tulane University, for American Music ).

Swell

• Rex Harris & Brian Rust: Recorded Jazz: A Critical Guide. London, Penguin Books, 1958.
• Frederic Ramsey, Charles Edward Smith: Jazzmen 1939