Original Memphis Five
The Original Memphis Five was an early jazz quintet founded in 1917 by trumpeter Phil Napoleon and pianist Frank Signorelli. Jimmy Lytell was a member from 1922 to 1925. The group made many recordings between 1921 and 1931, sometimes under different names, including Ladd's Black Aces[1] and The Cotton Pickers. Richard Cook and Brian Morton, writing for The Penguin Guide to Jazz, refer to the group as "one of the key small groups of the '20s".[2]
Original Memphis Five | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Ladd's Black Aces The Cotton Pickers |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Years active | 1917–1990 |
| Labels | Gennett Columbia Brunswick |
| Past members | Phil Napoleon Frank Signorelli Jimmy Lytell Miff Mole Jimmy Durante Tommy Dorsey Jimmy Dorsey |
The group formed around 1917.[1] The name Original Memphis Five was first used in 1920, and applied to various small groups of white musicians throughout the decade.[1] The Ladd's Black Aces name was used from 1921 until 1924.[1] Cook and Morton identify Jimmy Lytell and Miff Mole as standout musicians in the group.[1] Jimmy Durante played piano with Ladd's Black Aces, while both Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey were members of the Original Memphis Five.[1] Occasional vocalists were Anna Meyers, Annette Hanshaw and Vernon Dalhart (as George White).
Both Red Nichols and Miff Mole later led their own groups named Original Memphis Five.[1] Phil Napoleon, however, would continue using the group name until 1990.[1] An example of two of their recordings for Columbia was "Mobile Blues" and "How Come You Do Me Like You Do" on Columbia # 260-D in 1924.
References
- Morton, Brian; Richard Cook (2010) [1992]. The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (10th ed.). New York: Penguin. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-0-14-104831-4.
- Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). New York: Penguin. pp. 1066–1067. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
