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44 Jazz
were not infrequently called upon to dodge the flying
bullets as they played.
In Chicago, as in New Orleans, the jazz musicians did not seek out the milieu in which they played. It was a case of supply and demand: these places had the money and could afford to pay a living wage to the practitioners of the new music.
The Creole Jazz Band
In May 1921, 'King' Oliver formed his famous Creole Jazz Band. He was supported by Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lil Hardin on piano (note, another lady pianist) and Johnny's brother Baby Dodds (from the Fate Marable Riverboat orchestras) on drums.
From the start, the Creole Jazz Band was a terrific success. Oliver left Chicago for a spell to make a tour of California with his band. There he was offered a fantastic salary to stay. But he turned the offer down: for one thing, Chicago was now the hub of the jazz world, and you were out of things when you travelled away. Then again, once you had settled in Chicago as a musician, it was not always healthy to leave for good.
Hollywood, naturally, had begun to be interested in the spreading* fame of jazz. Movie magnates were making tempting offers to the best jazz musicians. But the gangsters had no intention of losing their favourite entertainment, and thus they devised their own routine for coping with Hollywood. If a musician showed any intention of leaving, he was firmly discouraged. If he persisted, his request was finally |
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