[Dixielandjazz] Lionel Ferbos

[Steve Barbone]

This article was sent by list mate Norman Vickers to his jazz friends. I
converted the "attachments" to regular form so it could be forwarded as a
post to the DJML.

Lionel Ferbos is one of the many black jazz musicians who play Dixieland,
yet are virtually invisible to a large segment of Dixieland Fans.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone



THE MUSIC LIVES ON 

Saturday night, Lionel Ferbos will celebrate his 95th birthday with two
shows at Snug Harbor. Ferbos is the oldest active jazz musician in town, and
he¹ll play two shows at 8 and 10 p.m. with his own band, Lionel Ferbos and
the Louisiana Shakers. Admission price includes entrance to the birthday
party and presentation of a cake for one of the country¹s living jazz
legends. 

Who is Lionel Ferbos, anyway? See below:

Lionel Ferbos trumpets way into history - By Jan Clifford, Contributing
Writer - Talkback -  April 25, 2005

Lionel Ferbos is one of the treasures of New Orleans' living history. He is
one of the most accomplished trumpet players in a city renowned for its
trumpet players; but beyond that, he is a gentleman whose quiet elegance and
playful intellect bear testament to an earlier time.

At 93 years old, Ferbos is the oldest actively performing musician in New
Orleans. Every Saturday night he leads the Palm Court Jazz Band in the Palm
Court Jazz Cafe, one of the premier live jazz venues in the city. Crammed
wall-to-wall with American, German, Japanese and all manner of international
tourists who appreciate New Orleans traditional jazz, along with local jazz
fans and even local musicians, the Palm Court resounds with Ferbos'
high-spirited trumpet leading the band.

Ferbos was born in New Orleans' 7th Ward in 1911, into a family tradition of
tinsmithers. Finishing elementary school at 11 years old, Ferbos adopted his
father's trade and worked in the family shop on Governor Nicholls Street.
They would buy stove pipes and roll them out to make sheet metal, and
fashioned such practical items as chicken feeders and watering cans.

There were musicians all around the neighborhood. Danny Barker lived on the
block where Ferbos' father worked. When he was 15, Ferbos bought a used
cornet from a pawnshop and began lessons with Professor Chaligny, a
well-known and respected instrument teacher. According to Ferbos, Chaligny
was very particular about teaching and would not let a student begin to blow
his instrument until that student knew how to read music and had mastered
the rudiments of music theory.

Ferbos went on to study with Albert Snaer and Eugene Ware, the latter of
whom wrapped a towel around Ferbos' head and chin and tied it snugly on top,
seizing his cheeks into correct form for blowing the horn. Ware gave him
free lessons, and Ferbos made sure to repay the courtesy years later by
donating lessons to young musicians at Lafayette Elementary School.

Working as a tinsmith by day and playing music at night, Ferbos began some
of his first professional jobs in the early 1930s with the Starlight
Serenaders. They performed at the Pythian Roof Garden, the Pelican Club, San
Jacinto Hall, the Autocrat Club, Southern Yacht Club and the New Orleans
Country Club. He became a member of the musicians' union.

Although the Depression was looming, some musicians were able to salvage
their savings. John Robichaux, a musician who played mostly high society
events, got word from observing his clients that a financial crash was
imminent and that the banks were about to close.

Work opportunities indeed did dry up during the Depression. Ferbos adopted a
number of jobs "just to make a few nickels." He landed a bicycle delivery
job at a meat market on Gentilly Boulevard for $6 per week, but without
knowing how to ride a bicycle. "I broke a few groceries before I got the
hang of it," he admitted. Ferbos worked at Krauss department store, sold
gadgets, and pulled shifts at the Higgins shipyard.

In 1932 Ferbos joined Captain Handy's Louisiana Shakers and played the
Astoria and toured the Gulf Coast. He later backed Mamie Smith while playing
with the Fats Pichon Band.

It was during that time that Ferbos met and married Margarite Gilyot. He
attributes the success of their marriage to their equanimity in hard times.
"If we had a dime we had a dime. If we had a dollar we had a dollar," he
said. They had a combined salary of $13 a week during the Depression, when
streetcar rides cost seven cents. Margarite worked in a factory for a
script, redeemable in stores in lieu of cash. "You couldn't get what you
wanted but you could get a lot of things," Ferbos said.