Emmett Hardy

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Emmett Louis Hardy (born June 12, 1903 in Gretna (Louisiana) , † June 16, 1925 in New Orleans ) was an American cornet player of early jazz.

Live and act

Hardy's parents were both musicians; At first he played piano, guitar, and from the age of twelve he played the cornet. He had lessons in New Orleans with Papa Jack Laine and played in his band from 1917 and then in the orchestra of Norman Brownlee . He played from December 1920 in New Orleans in the backing band of the vaudeville artist and Shimmie Queen Bee Palmer . He went on tour with her in 1921. After the breakup of their band in 1921 in Davenport (Iowa) he worked in the band of Carlisle Evans , which was engaged on a Mississippi paddle steamer (SS Capitol). He is said to have influenced the young Bix Beiderbecke in Davenport (Chicago's closest landing stage for the Mississippi steamship) when he played in the backing band of Bee Palmer and was one of the attractions in the band of Carlisle Evans in 1921 alongside clarinetist Leon Roppolo . From this backing band emerged the later New Orleans Rhythm Kings , and Hardy played with them when they were engaged at the Friar's Inn in Chicago in 1921 . He played the second cornet after Paul Mares in this Friar's Society Orchestra and also played in smaller formations in Chicago with the violinist Oscar Marcour , the Boswell Sisters and Monk Hazel . Before the band's first recording session, Hardy returned to New Orleans due to problems with the musicians' union, where he led his own group, but did not record any records. He played briefly in Norman Brownlee's orchestra and was inactive for the last year of his life before dying of tuberculosis at the age of just 22 .

Shortly before his death, Hardy and some of his friends were still making private recordings on a phonograph drum . When Hardy's tuberculosis worsened and his death was imminent, a decision was made to keep the recordings. One copy of the cylinders has survived, which is said to have been stored in the Jazz Archives of Tulane University , but which has not yet been found.

Similar to Buddy Bolden , of whom no recordings exist either, a legend developed around his game. He is said to have held and won a cutting contest with Louis Armstrong in 1919 and was a role model, for example, for Beiderbecke's playing around the leading voice, which in turn was denied by other contemporary witnesses. Among his admirers was the young Red Allen , who had lessons with Hardy. Chris Kelsey dedicated the 2000 album In Search of Emmett Hardy to him .

Lexical entry

  • John Chilton: Who's Who of Jazz . Macmillan 1972

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Richard M. Sudhalter and Philip R. Evans Bix - Man and Legend (Arlington House, New Rochelle, New York 1974, Schirmer 1975)
  2. ↑ Information from M. Kimball: Living with Jazz History: Emmett Hardy's Home & Music ( Memento of the original from December 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / blog.prcno.org
  3. ↑ Digby Fairweather : Rough Guide: Jazz.
  4. ↑ Detailed portrait
  5. ^ Sudhalter, Evans Bix , 1974, p. 49
  6. ↑ John Chilton : Ride, Red, Ride: The Life of Henry 'Red' Allen . P. 7
  7. ↑ Bill Bennett: Chris Kelsey Un-Ironic Quartet - In Search of Emmett Hardy (2000) in JazzTimes
personal data
SURNAME Hardy, Emmett
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hardy, Emmett Louis (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American early jazz cornet player
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Gretna (Louisiana)
DATE OF DEATH June 16, 1925
Place of death New Orleans