David M.

Wilken




Article - Solo Transcription - References






Introduction
Although the trombone is less
often heard as a solo instrument,
many legendary performers have
left distinctive marks on the
history of jazz. Each of these
trombonists is indebted to earlier
trombonists and other musicians
who influenced the styles of jazz
trombone. This line of
development can be traced from
early Dixieland trombonists, such
as Kid Ory and Miff Mole to
today's original sounding
trombonists Ray Anderson and
Craig Harris. Throughout the
history and evolution of jazz,
important trombonists influence
the musicians who follow with
developments in harmony,
melody, rhythm, and technique.
This is the first part of a series of
articles that will cover this line of
influences from the earliest years
of jazz to the present day. Since it
is impossible to cover all the great
jazz trombonists, this document
will instead focus on the most
influential players. As many
trombonists influenced more than
one generation of new musicians,
while performing in more than
one style of jazz, a strict line of
development is impossible.
"Dixieland"
In the early 1900s to the 1920s a
style of music developed in New
Orleans spread to other parts of
the country, particularly Chicago.
This new music, often labeled as
Dixieland, was the first example
of what is generally classified as
"jazz." Dixieland jazz was
performed by smaller groups,
usually for dancing purposes. The
band--usually a trombonist,
cornetist, clarinetist, bass
instrument (either a tuba or
double bass), chordal instrument
(either a banjo or piano), and a
drummer--would advertise their
dance by marching in parades or
playing in a wagon pulled around
the street of New Orleans. The
trombonist, in order to have
enough room to maneuver his
slide, would sit at the back of the
wagon, giving the name "tailgate
trombone" to this style.
Dixieland was primarily
improvised music. The trombone
would either outline the chords by
playing something similar to a
tuba or bass, or--more likely--play
a countermelody to the cornet.
The most striking feature of the
countermelody was the glissandos
and other raucous effects that
could be produced with the slide
trombone. While the trombonist
was improvising a
countermelody, the clarinetist
would play an obligato line above
the cornet melody. The rhythm
section supported these three
separate lines with a march-like
beat. Trombone soloists in these
early jazz bands used lots of
glissandos and growls, with less
subtlety than the cornet and
clarinet solos.
Edward "Kid" Ory
Perhaps the most well known of
the tailgate trombonists was
Edward "Kid" Ory. Born in
Louisiana in 1886, Ory began his
musical career around 1910 in
New Orleans. His style and large
rough tone became the epitome of
a good Dixieland sound. Ory
attacked his notes percussively
and often utilized glissandos,
growls, and smears. His solos
were simple melodically and
harmonically--most often just a
few repeated notes--but he played
with a raw and energetic quality
that made him one of the most
feared musicians when it came to
contests between the bands of
New Orleans.
In 1925 Ory was easily coaxed to
Chicago when asked by King
Oliver to join his band with the
first genius of jazz, Louis
Armstrong, on trumpet. Ory's
association with Armstrong
would later give him immortality
through his playing on the classic
recordings of Louis Armstrong's
Hot Five and Hot Seven. Through
1925 to 1932 Ory played with
other jazz greats such as Dave
Peyton, Jelly Roll Morton and Ma
Rainey.
1933 began a nine year period of
almost no musical production for
Ory. He moved back to California
to take over his brother's chicken
farm and played only
sporadically. By 1942, however,
he started playing with Barney
Brigard's band and got swept up
in the 1940s revival of traditional
Dixieland jazz. He continued to
lead his own group, Kid Ory's
Creole Jazz Band, throughout the
1950s. Eventually ill health
forced Ory to move to Hawaii in
1961, where he played
occasionally. Ory stopped playing
completely in 1971 due to his
health, and in 1973 he died of
pneumonia and heart failure.
The following transcription of
Ory's solo on "When the Saints
Go Marching In" is a good
example of his style. Throughout
the solo Ory uses the glissandos
and growls that he is known for.
Ory also employs a fast vibrato
that begins almost as soon as the
note is played. These are all
musical devices that were
commonly used by trombonists of
the Dixieland era.
This solo is simple harmonically
and melodically. The second
chorus is a virtual repeat of the
first chorus. Many times Ory
simply outlines the chord triad,
such as measures 7, 12, 23, and
28. He also plays the minor third
(A flat) in measures 4 and 20,
which is one of the so called "blue
notes" of the blues scale (The
blues scale in the key of A flat is:
A flat, C flat, D flat, D natural, E
flat, and G flat. The sound of the
C flat on an A flat triad is one of
the blue notes.). This use of the C
flat gives these measures a blues-
like sound.
Miff Mole
Miff Mole, born Irving Milfred
Mole in 1898, was perhaps
stylistically the opposite of Kid
Ory. Although both played in the
Dixieland format, Ory's style was
boisterous and rough, Mole's was
more technical with a brighter
sound. Mole also avoided the
glissandos and growls that Ory
favored. Mole's first contact with
jazz came through the popular
recordings of the Original
Dixieland Jazz Band, the first
recorded examples of this music,
which included Edwin "Eddie"
Edwards on trombone. Fascinated
with the new sound, Mole
attended performances in New
York and quickly began to imitate
what he heard. Along with a
group of other New York
musicians, Mole recorded
hundreds of tunes under many
different names, including the
Original Memphis Five and
Ladd's Black Aces (named as a
marketing ploy for the black
population).
After working with many other
groups, including Charlie Randall
and the Abe Lyman Orchestra he
began a long association with
cornetist Red Nichols in 1925. A
five-year partnership produced
many excellent bands under
various names such as Red
Nichols & His Five Pennies and
Miff Mole & and His Little
Molers. During this time, Mole
also became the trombonist with
the studio band of radio station
WOR and worked many
recording sessions at the NBC
studios.
In 1938 Mole joined the
enormously popular Paul
Whiteman Orchestra and played
with the group for two years until
poor health forced him to leave.
After leaving Whiteman, he
played part time for the Benny
Goodman Orchestra. The last few
years of Mole's life were
frustrating ones for Mole. Even
though he had founded a new
trend in jazz trombone, and had a
great influence on many
trombonists in the 1920s, the
listening public had begun to
listen to a new style in jazz
known as Swing.
There are many more trombonists
who deserve mention for their
work in the Dixieland style.
Many, such as Freddie Assunto of
the Dukes of Dixieland and Turk
Murphy, got their start in the
Dixieland revival of the 1940s.
Many others, such as Vic
Dickenson and J. C.
Higginbotham were known for
performing both in Dixieland and
Swing jazz styles.