Mandolin in Early Jazz

joef

There is a nice example of early style jazz mandolin on the Folkways label, now handled by the Smithsonian.
The band were the Six and Seven Eighths String Band of New Orleans, and they began their playing careers around 1912.
Folkways recorded some of them in 1949.

They are the only recordings of a New Orleans string band I know of. Are there any others?

I'll attach an mp3 of Tiger Rag

regards
Joe

Ted Gottsegen

Hi Joe,

joef wrote:

There is a nice example of early style jazz mandolin on the Folkways label, now handled by the Smithsonian.
The band were the Six and Seven Eighths String Band of New Orleans, and they began their playing careers around 1912.
Folkways recorded some of them in 1949.

They are the only recordings of a New Orleans string band I know of. Are there any others?

I'll attach an mp3 of Tiger Rag

regards
Joe

Cool tune! Just for clarification, the 6 & 7 1/8ths wasn't considered a jazz band, but a ragtime band, even back in the 1920's there was a big distinction between the two. There were lots of regional string bands during this era and in this area that played folk tunes, rags and popular numbers (in addition to trad French, Spanish, Italian and Creole tunes) on the streets and for private affairs. The lines get blurred sometimes because it's New Orleans and during the late 1940's when the trad revival hit, there was a rush to get the authentic New Orleans music, which many called jazz regardless of what it was.

Best,

Ted

joef

Thanks Ted. Even if it's not "jazz" it still puts the mandolin there in the melting pot of New Orleans and gives players an earlier reference rather than working back from Grisman et al :-). I find it interesting how the mandolin plays lines in a similar way to New Orleans clarinet.
You're right about the mix of tunes - this CD has classic jazz numbers eg Clarinet Marmalade, High Society and ODJB One-Step as well as things like Bei Mir Bist Du Schon, Tico-Tico and a Hawaiian medley.

There's some info on the band here: http://www.thejazzgazette.be/february2002issue.htm

regards
Joe