Fate Marable

Fate Marable ( December 2, 1890 in Paducah , Kentucky ; † January 16, 1947 in St. Louis , Missouri ) was an American big band leader and pianist who mainly played on Mississippi steamers and was an important teacher for many musicians there of old-time jazz.

Life

Marable learned piano from his mother and early on (from 1907) began to play on the paddle wheel steamers on the Mississippi, where he played from 1917 (Kentucky Jazz Band as a copy of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, then Fate Marable Orchestra , which also included Boyd Atkins belonged to) led a band until 1940. Most of the time he played on the steamers of the Strekfus line, where he alternated at times with the "Sam Morgan Jazz Band". The steamers sailed between New Orleans and St. Paul , Minnesota , from May to November. Partly only for "white" audience, partly mixed on some days. Usually smaller bands played during the day and two big bands at night. Not only did they play jazz, they also played a lot of dance music. He also had Charlie Creath as a co-leader for a time in the 1930s . A badly healed finger wound forced him to take a long break in 1940 - after which he played clubs in St. Louis , where he also died of pneumonia in 1947. Because he valued discipline and the ability to read music, he was an important teacher (and a good seasonal activity) for many early jazz musicians, some of whom could not otherwise afford systematic training. Zutty Singleton described an engagement of young musicians with Marable with the words "now you come to the conservatory". He recruited his musicians mostly in New Orleans, including Louis Armstrong , Johnny Dodds , Baby Dodds , King Oliver , Zutty Singleton, Johnny St. Cyr , Pops Foster , Jimmy Blanton , Tommy Ladnier , Red Allen , Gene Sedric , Earl Bostic at times members of his band. Marable played the steam organ (Calliope) on the ships , the keys of which sometimes got so hot that he had to wear gloves and a raincoat and hat to protect against the condensing steam.

His only recordings are with the Fate Marables Society Syncopators at Okeh in New Orleans in 1924 (2 tracks only, Frankie and Johnny , pianoflage ). They only give a poor impression of the playing of his bands.

literature

• William Kenney Jazz on the River. University of Chicago Press 2005.
• James CollierLouis Armstrong. Diogenes, p. 102.
• Wilma Dobie : Remembering Fate Marable . Stmyville 38 (December 1971)

web links

• Fate Marable at Redhot Jazz
• Big Bands Database