[Dixielandjazz] King Oliver

[Bill Haesler]

ROBERT R. CALDER concluded in his fine summary of the later Oliver 
bands as follows:
> I'm sure Russell had a great deal to do with the 1926 and immediately 
> subsequent Oliver bands coming into their own, and establishing a 
> model to be followed, built on, emulated.

Dear Robert,
I wholeheartedly agree.

> I might speculate on whether Dave Nelson had the musical background 
> needed to organise later Oliver bands to deliver or develop ideas 
> provided by Oliver, or approved by Oliver, but there's surely a strong 
> case for granting Luis Russell crucial importance, indeed treating the 
> trajectory of his musical development as in some respects continuous 
> with Oliver's.

Mmmmmmmmm. I doubt that Chris Hillman and his research colleagues Roy 
Middleton and Richard Rains would agree. Refer to their historical and 
discographal research essay, 'Dave Nelson and Others' (2005. Cygnet 
Productions).
Dave Nelson arrived in Chicago from Louisiana in 1925 and may have 
worked at some time with his uncle, Joe Oliver, before moving to New 
York in mid-1929. On his arrival Nelson worked with the Luis Russell 
band.
Oliver did not have a band and, according to Chris and his mates, "lost 
little time recruiting his nephew to get one together for him and 
provide him with tunes and arrangements; both to enable him to fill his 
engagements and to carry out his recording commitments to Victor - for 
which he also employed several of [Charlie] Skeete's musicians. The 
result of the latter was a series of fine sessions which show Nelson's 
arranging talents to the full as well as providing him with the 
opportunity to prove that, under controlled conditions, he was a 
perfectly adequate trumpet soloist and leader of a band." This is also 
confirmed on page 119 of Laurie Wright's bio/discography, 'King Oliver'.
Kind regards,
Bill.