[Dixielandjazz] Who "invented" jazz

[Stephen G Barbone]

Those of us who are interested in examining the "inventors" of jazz  
might see:

http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/music/musichistory/jazzbirthplace.html

Bear in mind when reading this, that it mentions Papa Jack Laine's  
Band in 1895 as a candidate. Then bear in mind that Papa Jack Laine's  
Reliance brass Band included such white jazz pioneers as Nick LaRocca,  
Larry Shields, Tony Sbarbaro, and Eddie Edwards, Well before the ODJB  
was formed.  It also included George Brunies and others.

Though, like LaRocca, Laine claimed Blacks had nothing to do with the  
invention of jazz, he also hired light skinned Creoles, such as  
Alphonse Picou and Achille Bacquet to play in his band so there was  
certainly some cross-fertilization early on.

Bacquet, who often, if not always passed for white, went on to play,  
1917 and record, 1918 with Jimmy Durante's (Another Italian) "Original  
New Orleans Jazz Band" in NYC starting in 1917. You can hear this band  
on the redhotjazz.com site.

Another take on the "inventors" may be found at:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/originsarticle.html

Note there that JRM's contributions to jazz are many and early in  
chronology. Perhaps, if we had to attribute "jazz" to one man, his  
claim would actually be the strongest.

There is also some discussion of early white jazz, and song copyright  
lawsuits regarding songs like "Livery Stable Blues" in Richard  
Sudhalter's "Lost Chords". Were tunes like these "traditional"? Today,  
because La Rocca copyrighted "Tiger Rag" it is assumed by many that he  
was the original song writer of the piece. That, is debated by JRM as  
well as Sidney Bechet and others who insist it was already a staple  
played by many bands when LaRocca copyrighted it.

So who invented jazz?

Italians have as good a claim as anybody. New Orleans was an entry  
port city for many Sicilians, and other Italians including musicians;  
La Rocca, Sbarbaro, Cordilla, Manone, Prima, Roppolo, Parenti, Lizana,  
Scaglione, Bonano, Barocco, Allesandra. Lala, Mello, Veca, Giardino,  
Pecora,
Provenzano, Liberto, Franzella, Pinero, Almerico, Capraro, Palmisano,  
Capraro, Coltraro, Papalia, Davilla, Schiro, Mangiapane, Loyocano  
Galladoro, Federico, and list mate's Russ's namesake, Guarino.


Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband