Phil Napoleon

Phil Napoleon, actually Filippo Napoli, ( born September 2, 1901 in Boston, † September 13, 1990 in North Miami, Florida ) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader of the early New Orleans jazz.

Napoleon enjoyed in his childhood classical training on trumpet. As a teenager, he played in various dance bands. Napoleon was one of the first white musician on the northeast coast, has picked up the then-new New Orleans Jazz.

In 1917 he founded with pianist Frank Signorelli the Original Memphis Five whose music is modeled on the lines of the Original Dixieland Jass band. The Original Memphis Five was in the 1920s one of the busiest jazz bands in New York and participated in many labels partially under pseudonyms to as " The Charleston Chasers ". In the band, among other things, played Miff Mole, Red Nichols, Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey, Dave Tough, Pee Wee Russell, Jack Teagarden, Gene Krupa, Glenn Miller, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang. After the band broke up in 1928, Napoleon worked as a studio musician for NBC radio.

In 1937 he had also briefly own big band, which started for Variety, but had little success. From 1943 to 1947, he jumped into the big band of his former band member Jimmy Dorsey in Los Angeles, the band members went out during the war. After that he was the NBC studio musician again. 1950-1956 he put his "Original Memphis Five" on new, who played in New York in " Nick's ". They were joined by his nephew Marty Napoleon. In 1956 he moved to Miami where he led his own club " Napoleon 's Retreat " and still frequently played. In 1960 he took part at the Newport Jazz Festival and recorded the album Phil Napoleon and His Memphis Five.