King Oliver
Joe "King" Oliver was one of the great New Orleans legends, an early giant whose legacy is only partly on records. In 1923, he led one of the classic New Orleans jazz bands, the last significant group to emphasize collective improvisation over solos, but ironically his second cornetist (Louis Armstrong) would soon permanently change jazz. And while Armstrong never tired of praising his idol, he actually sounded very little like Oliver; the King's influence was more deeply felt by Muggsy Spanier and Tommy Ladnier.
Although originally a trombonist, by 1905 Oliver was playing cornet regularly with various New Orleans bands. Gradually he rose to the top of the crowded local scene, and in 1917 he was being billed "King" by bandleader Kid Ory. A master of mutes, Oliver was able to get a wide variety of sounds out of his horn; Bubber Miley would later on be inspired by Oliver's expertise. In 1919, Oliver left New Orleans to join Bill Johnson's band at the Dreamland Ballroom in Chicago. By 1920, he was a leader himself and, after an unsuccessful year in California, King Oliver started playing regularly with his Creole Jazz Band at the Lincoln Gardens in Chicago. He soon sent for his protégé Louis Armstrong, and with clarinetist Johnny Dodds, trombonist Honore Dutrey, pianist Lil Harden, and drummer Baby Dodds as a core, Oliver had a remarkable band whose brilliance was only hinted at on records. As it is, the group's 1923 sessions far exceeded any jazz previously recorded; Oliver's three chorus solo on "Dippermouth Blues" has since been memorized by virtually every Dixieland trumpeter.
Unfortunately, the Creole Jazz Band gradually broke up in 1924. Oliver recorded a pair of duets with pianist Jelly Roll Morton but otherwise was off records that year. He took over Dave Peyton's band in 1925 and renamed it the Dixie Syncopators; Barney Bigard and Albert Nicholas were among the members. New recordings resulted (including "Snag It," which has a famous eight-bar passage by Oliver) but when the cornetist moved to New York in 1927, his music was behind the times and he made some bad business decisions (including turning down a chance to play regularly at the Cotton Club). Worse yet, his dental problems (caused partly by an early liking of sugar sandwiches) made playing cornet increasingly painful and, on many of his later recordings, Oliver is barely present (although he did a heroic job on 1929's "Too Late"). Pianist Luis Russell took over the Dixie Syncopators in 1929 and, although Oliver's last recordings (from 1931) are superior examples of hot dance music, he was quickly becoming a forgotten name. Unsuccessful tours in the South eventually left Oliver stranded there, working as a manager of a poolhall before his death at age 52.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Have You Heard of King Oliver, Vol. 2
Dixieland - Released by Supreme Media on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Wonder If She's Waiting
King Oliver, King OliverJelly Roll Morton, Butterbeans And Susie
Jazz - Released by shes waiting on 26 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The World's Jazz Crazy
King Oliver, Red Onion Jazz Babies, Trixie Smith & her Down Home Syncopators
Jazz - Released by Cherry Red Records on 18 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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My Music My Mood My Soul
Jazz - Released by Classics Works Recordings on 29 Sep 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Because I Am Your Friend
King Oliver, Chocolate Dandies (King Oliver's Orch.)
Jazz - Released by Because I Am Your Friend on 23 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Farewell Blues
Jazz - Released by Music Today Records on 27 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
King Oliver and His Dixie Syncopators
King Oliver, King Oliver & His Dixie Syncopators
Jazz - Released by Jazz Essential on 13 Jun 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Figures / King Oliver (1923 -1930)
Jazz - Released by Collector Records Greece on 10 Aug 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The King Of New Orleans
Jazz - Released by Saar srl on 24 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The King of Jazz Story - All Original Recordings - Remastered
Jazz - Released by Silver Classics Jazz on 24 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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My Happy Heaven (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Underground Inside Records on 11 Mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Joseph King Oliver, Vol.1
Jazz - Released by King Jazz on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'm Crazy 'bout My Baby (In Chronological Order 1930 - 1931)
Jazz - Released by HotJazz on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Cradle of Jazz - King Oliver
Jazz - Released by History on 4 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
High Society (78Rpm Remastered)
Blues - Released by Oldies But Goodies Records on 20 Feb 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jubilee
Alternative & Indie - Released by 4013212 Records DK2 on 3 Jan 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
King Oliver's Dixie Syncoptors
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -