Bunk Johnson in New Orleans - 1895

from Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It, page 36:

I went with Adam Oliver's band, my first band, played with them just a short while, and I had the opportunity of hearin' King Bolden's Band at Lincoln Park. And I got crazy to play with Bolden and Bolden played my style of music. I liked to read, but I played that head music better--more jazz to it. I liked to read, and I could read good, but Bolden played pretty much by ear. And made up his own tunes; but everything that he played, I could whistle, I could play. And I jumped Olivier's band and went with Bolden. That was in 1895.

cite as

Nat Hentoff and Nat Shapiro, Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It (London, 1992), p. 36. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1433436283678 accessed: 4 December, 2024

location of experience: New Orleans

Listeners

Bunk Johnson
cornettist, Jazz trumpeter, Bandleader
1879-1949

Listening to

hide composers
New Orleans Brass Band music performed by Buddy Bolden

Experience Information

Date/Time 1895
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, outdoors, in public

Originally submitted by 5011Henning on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 17:44:44 +0100
Approved on Sat, 20 Aug 2016 16:27:15 +0100