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Nick LaRocca
La Rocca started playing with the Papa Laine's Reliance Brass Band in New Orleans. He formed the Original Dixieland Jass Band in New Orleans in 1914. The group referred to itself as America's first Jazz band. They played wacky novelty-based jazz and they were very popular in New York City during World War One.
The band featured La Rocca on cornet; Larry Shields on clarinet; Eddie Edwards on trombone; Tony Sbarbaro on drums and Henry Ragas on the piano.
The group had originally come to Chicago under the name of Stein's Dixie Jass Band with Yellow Nuñez on clarinet, but he was replaced with Larry Shields from Tom Brown's Band From Dixieland after a dispute with La Rocca. The band moved to New York in 1917. The band's name changed to the Orignal Dixieland Jass Band and they were an immediate success.
They released the world's first Jazz record on February 26, 1917 with "Livery Stable Blues", coupled with "Dixie Jass Band One Step" for the Victor Talking Machine Company. This record besides being the first ever Jazz record was wildly successful selling over one million copies. La Rocca composed and recorded the famed "Tiger Rag."
Before the band left for its successful tour of England, Ragas died and his place was taken by J. Russell Robinson. Edwards didn't want to go to England and he was replaced by Emil Christian. The group broke up in 1925 after La Rocca suffered a complete nervous breakdown and returned to New Orleans. The band re-formed briefly in 1938 and recorded some of their old songs for Victor. La Rocca retired from music after that and became a building contractor in New Orleans.
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"Sicily Jass" e il primo secolo del jazz discografico
by Mario Calvitti
Nel 2017 ricorre un importante anniversario per il jazz. Risale infatti a cento anni fa, esattamente al 26 Febbraio 1917, l'incisione di quello che è generalmente considerato il primo disco di jazz della storia, un 78 giri contenente due brani, uno per facciata: Livery Stable Blues" e One Step," registrati dalla Original Dixieland Jass Band (il vocabolo jazz usato per descrivere quel genere musicale nato da poco, figlio di blues e ragtime, non aveva ancora trovato la sua grafia definitiva). ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson