[Dixielandjazz] Alphonse Pico short Bio

[Steve Barbone]

Below is Picou's Bio from Yanow's All Music Guide. He wrote down the High
Society Solo around 1913, and arranged the music in more jazzy time when he
was with the Tuxedo Brass Band. (Just before he moved to Chicago) This
wonderful player is virtually unknown to many current OKOM fans and
consequently very underrated from a jazz history point of view. (IMO)

Note also the theory that the High Society solo may have been based partly
upon an idea first put forth by George Baquet, another underrated reed
player in New Orleans back when "Dixieland" meant "South". Picou was the
arranger for the High Society routine that we know today, and probably for
arranging the original March into a jazz warhorse.

Those gray beards among us who listened to Jazz from New Orleans on the
radio late at night in the 1940s are certainly well aware of him as he was
featured often. <grin>

Cheers,
Steve Barbone 
 
Alphonse Picou had such a long career and he reached so far back in jazz
history that it is surprising that he was only 82 when he died. Picou
started playing guitar when he was 14, took up clarinet the following year
and was working professionally as early as 1894; he was part of the birth of
jazz. Picou was flexible enough to work with both reading bands and those
that featured improvisation; his piccolo solo on "High Society" (first
devised while with the Tuxedo Brass Band and possibly based a bit on a
George Baquet idea) was the first famous set solo in jazz, one that is still
played during that song. Picou, who formed the Independence Band in 1897,
played with virtually every significant New Orleans jazz musician including
Freddie Keppard, Bunk Johnson and Manuel Perez. He lived in Chicago during
1914-18 but then returned to New Orleans permanently. During the depression
years he worked during the day as a tinsmith and only played part-time.
Picou made his recording debut with Kid Rena in 1940 (being the best part of
those poorly recorded sides) and later in the decade he worked regularly
with Oscar "Papa" Celestin. Alphonse Picou (who never led a record date of
his own) was heard at his best with Celestin (during performances, radio
broadcasts and recordings) despite being in his early seventies. After
Celestin's death, Picou led his own group at the Paddock in New Orleans and
played regularly until shortly before his passing, a last living link to the
days of Buddy Bolden. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide