Saturday 28 May 2022

Tommy Ladnier born 28 May 1900


Thomas James Ladnier (May 28, 1900 – June 4, 1939) was an American jazz trumpeter. With a full and rough intonation, greatly influenced by the playing of King Oliver, he was the first of the trumpeters of the second generation of New Orleans jazz to achieve his own rigorous and austere sound. A specialist in blues and in accompanying female vocalists, he was a highly regarded musician in his time. Hugues Panassié – an influential French critic, jazz historian, and renowned exponent of New Orleans jazz – rated Ladnier, sometime on or before 1956, second only to Louis Armstrong. 

Ladnier was born in Mandeville, Louisiana – located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, with New Orleans on the opposite shore. Beginning 1914, Ladnier performed in Mandeville's Independence Band at the Dew Drop Dance Hall, led by clarinetist Isidore Frick. Trumpeter Bunk Johnson sometimes played with this band and gave young Ladnier lessons. In 1917, Ladnier moved with his mother to Chicago and worked in the stock yards. 

Ladnier married Daisy Mathews on February 1, 1920, in Chicago. Around 1921, he became a professional musician. He played for some time in St. Louis with Charlie Creath. Beginning in 1923, he played in Chicago and made many recordings for Paramount Records with pianist Lovie Austin, accompanying blues singers Ma Rainey, Ida Cox, and Alberta Hunter. 

For some time, Ladnier played with his inspiration, King Oliver. He emulated Oliver's freak style on the solo in "Play that Thing" with Ollie Power's Harmony Syncopators in September 1923. On March 13, 1923, in Chicago, Ladnier's mother, Willie Ladnier died from a gunshot at a party quarrel. 

                              

Ladnier joined pianist Sam Wooding in 1925 for an extensive tour of Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, and Russia. This orchestra recorded in Berlin. He returned to New York and became the hot soloist for the Fletcher Henderson orchestra from 1926–1927. He returned to the Sam Wooding Orchestra for another tour of Germany, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, and France, then left in January 1929 to work freelance in Paris. 

Ladnier in white suit with Sam Wooding's Orchestra

A short tour with dancer Harry Fleming brought him to Spain, where he met dancer Louis Douglas and joined him in November 1929 in Paris, acting as orchestra leader. He again free-lanced in Paris until summer 1930 when he joined the Noble Sissle dance band, performing in Paris and London. 

Tommy Ladnier’s recordings with Paramount Records earned him the name “The Praying Cornet.” During this period, he developed a more direct style inspired by Louis Armstrong, which he later refined into a forerunner of the swing style. Ladnier’s use of syncopations was outstanding and his intensity sometimes overwhelming. In his last recordings his playing is more simplified. Ladnier was a true jazz improviser whose varied playing can be heard in the many alternate take recordings. Tommy Ladnier also learned during his European years that skin colour was not so important there and he loved the “colour-blind” Frenchmen. 

He returned to U.S. at the end of 1930 and stayed with Sissle until January 1932. The Sissle orchestra made some recordings in London and New York. Back in America in 1932, Ladnier and Sidney Bechet formed the New Orleans Feetwarmers. During the Depression, they tried to run a tailor shop in Harlem, but neither was interested in business. Ladnier left New York and played in the east, sometimes giving trumpet lessons. For a year, he lived in Stamford, Connecticut.  

In 1938, Hugues Panassié, a French critic and record producer who met Ladnier in Paris in 1930, visited New York. He found Ladnier and recorded the Panassié Sessions with Sidney Bechet and Mezz Mezzrow. Ladnier and Bechet participated in the first From Spirituals to Swing concert arranged by John Hammond in December 1938. Ladnier's last studio recording was on February 1, 1939, in New York as a sideman with singer Rosetta Crawford  accompanied by James P. Johnson's Hep Cats. 

Mezzrow, Panassie & Laddnier

At age 39, Ladnier, died unexpectedly of a heart attack June 4, 1939, while staying at Mezz Mezzrow's apartment at 1 West 126th Street, which was a six-story, 48-unit residential building in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. It fell upon Mezzrow to take care of Ladnier's belongings and bury him. The memorial service was on Friday, June 9, 1939. Ladnier was buried at Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, Staten Island, an African American cemetery.

Despite efforts by Mezzrow and friends, the grave remained unmarked for nearly 69 years until a marker carved from Nero Granite was engraved by Bob Sprauge and was placed on site by Bob Lang in 2008. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & blackpast org.)

2 comments:

boppinbob said...

After getting this album as a digital download, I found most of the mp3’s gave Ladnier as main artist when in fact he wasn’t. At least all the song titles are correct. You’ll find the right artists information on the track list and artwork which I borrowed from discogs.

So for “Tommy Ladnier Collection 1923-39 (2CD) (Acrobat 2017)” go here:

https://workupload.com/file/pp5nUzeeLmq

Disc 1
Track Title Artist
1 Play That Thing Ollie Powers' Harmony Syncopators (1923)
2 Ida Cox's Lawdy Lawdy Blues Ida Cox with Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
3 Black Man Blues Edmonia Henderson with Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
4 Bad Luck Blues Ma Rainey with Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
5 Lucky Rock Blues with Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders (1924)
6 Kentucky Man Blues Ida Cox with Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
7 Jelly Roll Blues Edmonia Henderson with Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
8 Steppin' On The Blues Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
9 Traveling Blues Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
10 Charleston Mad Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders (1925)
11 Heebie Jeebies Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
12 Mojo Blues Lovie Austin And Her Blues Serenaders
13 The Chant Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra (1926)
14 Clarinet Marmalade Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
15 Senegalese Stomp Clarence Williams' Blue Seven
16 Sweet Thing Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
17 Snag It The Dixie Stompers (1927)
18 Tozo Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
19 Stockholm Stomp Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
20 Fidgety Feet Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
21 The Wang-Wang Blues The Dixie Stompers
22 Livery Stable Blues Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra
23 The St. Louis Blues The Dixie Stompers
24 Goose Pimples The Dixie Stompers

Disc 2
Track Title Artist
1 Hop Off Fletcher Henderson And His Orchestra (1927)
2 Loveless Love Noble Sissle & His Sizzling Syncopators (1931)
3 Basement Blues Noble Sissle & His Orch.
4 Sweetie Dear New Orleans Feetwarmers (1932)
5 I Want You Tonight New Orleans Feetwarmers
6 I've Found A New Baby New Orleans Feetwarmers
7 Maple Leaf Rag New Orleans Feetwarmers
8 Shag New Orleans Feetwarmers
9 Revolutionary Blues Mezz Mezzrow & His Orch.(1938)
10 Comin' On With The Come On Mezz Mezzrow & His Orch.
11 Swingin' For Mezz Mezz Mezzrow & His Orch.
12 Ja-Da Tommy Ladnier And His Orchestra
13 Really The Blues Tommy Ladnier And His Orchestra
14 When You And I Were Young, Maggie Tommy Ladnier And His Orchestra
15 Weary Blues Tommy Ladnier And His Orchestra
16 Royal Garden Blues Mezzrow/Ladnier Quintet
17 Everybody Loves My Baby Mezzrow/Ladnier Quintet
18 I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None O' This Jelly-Roll Mezzrow/Ladnier Quintet
19 If You See Me Comin' Mezzrow/Ladnier Quintet
20 Gettin' Together Mezzrow/Ladnier Quintet
21 I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate New Orleans Feetwarmers
22 Stop It Joe Rosetta Crawford with J.P. Johson & His Hep Cats (1939)
23 My Man Jumped Salty On Me Rosetta Crawford with J.P. Johson & His Hep Cats
24 Double Crossin' Papa Rosetta Crawford with J.P. Johson & His Hep Cats

This 2-CD set draws from the 180 or more sides he recorded during his career, selecting material which provides a showcase for his often overlooked and under-estimated talent in the context of some of the best jazz of his time.

rev.b said...

I didn't know very much about Tommy Ladnier, so thanks for addressing that situation and for clarifying the track information.