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Joe 'King' Oliver, legendary jazz cornettist, died on April 10th 1938

Joe 'King' Oliver, legendary jazz cornettist, died on April 10th 1938
We are a couple of days adrift with this reference, but it's a chance to recognise one of the great names of early jazz. Joe Oliver was born in Aben Louisiana, in 1885, later moving to New Orleans where he played cornet in the local brass bands and dance bands. He formed a band with trombonist Kid Ory during the 1910s which was reckoned to be the hottest in town, achieving popularity across the racial and economic divides in New Orleans. After an ugly ruckus in 1919, he moved to California and then Chicago, where he formed one of the greatest bands of the era, including his protege Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, Johnny Dodds and Lil Hardin, and they recorded tracks in 1923 which  remain as landmark Dixieland recordings. He expanded his ensemble to form the Dixieland Syncopators in 1926, remaining popular through the rest of the decade. However, the combination of Oliver's lack of business acumen and the impact of the Great Depression saw him fall on hard times - his managers stole his money, he lost gigs through overpricing himslef as a result, and lost his savings when a Chicago bank failed. He ended up stranded in Savannah, Georgia, where he worked as a janitor and died in poverty aged 53. He was not only an innovative musician and influential bandleader, but also a composer, writing many tunes which became standards of the genre, like Dippermouth Blues and Canal Street Blues. Louis Armstrong summed him up when he said "...if it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today. He was a creator in his own right." Acrobat has a collection of Oliver's recordings on catalogue - for details click here.
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