Alphonse Picou

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Alphonse Floristan Picou (born October 19, 1878 in New Orleans ; † February 4, 1961 ) was a Creole clarinetist and one of the earliest jazz musicians in New Orleans. In addition to George Baquet and his teacher Lorenzo Tio , Picou was considered the most important clarinetist of the first generation of New Orleans jazz with his fluent playing . Among today's jazz clarinetists, he is best known for his development of the clarinet part in the high society that has become the standard and which should prove to be one of the most influential in early jazz.

Live and act

Alphonse Picou (right) with Papa Celestin (1950, Photo: Stanley Kubrick )

Picou had only learned the trombone at the age of fourteen before switching to the clarinet and playing ragtime in Boo Boo Fortunea's Indepence Orchestra before joining the Accordiana Band in 1894 . At the turn of the 19th and 20th century Picou played in the band Excelsior Brass and moved on to the Olympic Orchestra of Freddie Keppard . He then worked at George Moret , John Robichaux and Bunk Johnson . In the years leading up to World War I , he played in the Tuxedo Brass Band in New Orleans. Around 1915 he played briefly in Chicago with Manuel Perez at the Arsonia Café, but returned to New Orleans after two years. His compositions such as "Onzaga Blues", "Olympia Rag", "Alligator Hop" and "Snake Rag", some of which were commissioned by King Oliver , were played out a lot. In 1918 he played in the band of Wooden Joe Nichols . He made his way into salon orchestras and brass bands in the 1920s , which essentially played different music. He retired from the music business in 1932 and worked as a plumber from then on. At the time of the Dixieland Revivals of the 1940s, Picou returned to the stage, played and recorded with Papa Celestin and Kid Rena . He led his own small group in New Orleans in the 1950s and performed with the Eureka Band . When he died in 1961, there was an extensive " Jazz Funeral " with 2500 participants through the streets of New Orleans.

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personal data
SURNAME Picou, Alphonse
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Picou, Alphonse Floristan (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH October 19, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH New Orleans
DATE OF DEATH 4th February 1961
Place of death New Orleans