Buddy Bolden and his Orchestra

This is the only known photograph of Buddy Bolden and his Orchestra, taken in 1905. Standing left to right: William Warner, Willie Cornish, Buddy Bolden, and James Johnson; seated are Frank Lewis and Jefferson Mumford. (photographer unknown)

The person most often credited with inventing jazz is cornettist, Buddy Bolden (1877-1931). Since his career was over before the first jazz recording was made, all we have left of his playing career is legend.

Bolden was famous for his big bold cornet sound, as well as for his bold personality. His style had a solid blues form; however he played closer to ragtime than to jazz.

Legend has it that he was so popular that he had eight bands playing on the same night and he’d rush from one to the others. The Bolden Band(s) were playing ragtime with improvised embellishments by the late 1890s. His band featured cornet, clarinet, trombone, guitar, bass and drums. Its repertoire included a mix of popular dance numbers played in both ragtime and blues. By the turn of the century, many New Orlean’s bands had begun playing in the collective improvisational style pioneered by Buddy Bolden. One of those groups was the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the group which made the first ever jazz recording.

In 1906, Buddy began suffering periods of derangement. The following year he was committed to a mental hospital outside of New Orleans after an outburst in the streets which involved him attacking his mother and his mother-in-law. Bolden remained in that mental hospital for 24 years until his death.

While Buddy’s musical life was short, the impact he would have on music was not. According to Louis Armstrong, “He was just a one-man genius that was ahead of them all … too good for his time.”

Source: neworleans.com