[Dixielandjazz] Some information on the Art Hickman Orchetra

[G. William Oakley]

* <http://www.redhotjazz.com/hickmaninfo.html>Art Hickman and his 
Orchestra started out at the St. Francis Hotel (335 Powell Street) in 
San Francisco in 1913. In those early years of Jazz he was even 
described by the press as the originator of Jazz, which was clearly not 
the case and which Hickman also denied. In 1916 the jazz craze started 
up in New York City with the success of the Original Dixieland Jass Band 
<http://www.redhotjazz.com/odjb.html>. The popularity of this style of 
music continued to grow and in 1919 the Hickman Orchestra went to New 
York to play at the Biltmore Hotel and record with Columbia. The trip 
was very successful for the band and they returned briefly to San 
Francisco in 1920, but they were soon offered a part in Ziegfeld 
Follies. The Follies was one of the hottest show business tickets in 
those days and the Hickman returned to New York and were part of the 
show for five months in 1920. In 1921 Hickman sent a smaller group to 
London, England to play under the name of Art Hickman's New York London 
Five <http://www.redhotjazz.com/newyorklondon.html>. Hickman did not 
accompany band on this trip. Returning to California the band played 
residencies at hotels in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1926 Hickman 
Orchestra joined another Ziegfeld show, this time in Palm Beach, 
Florida, but in the midst all of this success, Hickman's health began to 
fail and he had to turn down gigs. In 1929 he was hospitalized and he 
died in 1930 of Banti's disease. The style of Jazz that Art Hickman's 
Orchestra played had a lot in common with the early music of Paul 
Whiteman's Orchestra <http://www.redhotjazz.com/pwo.html> (who also 
started out in San Francisco). Both groups saw themselves elevating the 
music beyond the wild and crazy sounds of Original Dixieland Jass Band 
<http://www.redhotjazz.com/odjb.html> and Ted Lewis 
<http://www.redhotjazz.com/tedlewis.html> and in the words of Whiteman 
<http://www.redhotjazz.com/whiteman.html>, "trying to make a lady out of 
Jazz". *
-------------- next part --------------

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: 270.12.57/2163 - Release Date: 06/08/09 12:30:00