Once the jazz ball gets rolling and records can document what a person has done, we begin to see a lineage of influences among those who play a certain instrument. The grandfather of the jazz coronet was Buddy Boldon.

Buddy (1877-1931) was considered to have the first ever real jazz band in 1895. From what jazz historians have determined, everything before this time wasn't really classified as "jazz," but this is really just up to personal interpretation in my opinion. Buddy's compositional method was heavily influenced by gospel music and not only would it show in his writing, but he would often times make his coronet emulate the voices of gospel singers. He was a man to play many genres but was most famous for his "hot" tunes. Buddy if often credited as bringing popularity to accenting the and of 4, a rhythm that you'd be hard-pressed to fine a swing tune not having anymore. No one except those from this time have every listened to Buddy play because he passed away before he ever got a chance to record. (Interesting fact: this is the only known photo of Boldon).

Next in line in the lineage was Freddie Keppard (1889-1933). As you can tell by the linked video, Freddie was able to get into the recording studio before his death. Despite being given the oppotunity to record early within his career, Freddie did not record until what many would consider to be past his prime. His refusal to get into the recording studio was based on the fear of others stealing his ideas! If he had gone in earlier to record, the entirety of jazz history could have been affected. Another thing to note about Freddie is that he and his band (The Original Creole Orchestra) were the first New Orleans band to travel.

Tomorrow we'll discuss the next coronetists in the lineage including the infamous Louis Armstrong.

"Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but is a gift that America has given the world." - Ahmad Alaadeen