George Brunies

George Brunis and Tony Parenti , Jimmy Ryan's (Club), New York, circa August 1946. Photo: Gottlieb

George Clarence Brunies , which in the 1960s George Bruni's called, (* 6. February 1902 in New Orleans ; † 19th November 1974 in Chicago ) was an American jazz - trombonist of the early jazz ( New Orleans- , Chicago Style ).

Live and act

Brunies was born into a musical family, he played early in his father's family band with his brothers Henry "Henny" Brunies (1891–1932), Merritt (1895–1973, cornet, trombone, band leader), Richard and Albert ( "Abbie", 1900–1978, cornet, band leader), who also became musicians. At the age of 8 he played alto horn in Papa Jack Laine 's band, but switched to the trombone a few years later. Although he never learned to read music, he picked up pieces by ear very quickly. He played in numerous bands in New Orleans (such as that of Laine's son Alfred "Baby" Laine and his brother Abbie's Halfway House Orchestra ) and on the paddle steamers of the Mississippi River before he went to Chicago in 1921, where he was in 1919 had a short engagement with the band of Ragbaby Stevens . With friends from New Orleans like the cornetist Paul Mares and the clarinetist Leon Roppolo , he played in the later New Orleans Rhythm Kings , at that time still the house band of the Friar's Inn ("Friars Society Orchestra").

Technically it was so good that it usually emerged victorious from the frequent “Battle of Bands”. His Tailgate game was often copied (e.g. his solo in the "Tin roof blues"). He played with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings until they broke up in 1924 and then joined the band of entertainer and clarinetist Ted Lewis until 1934 . After a short time in Louis Prima's band , he played regularly at Nick's New York jazz club until 1938. In 1939 he joined Muggsy Spanier's band , with whom he made well-known recordings at the time, but returned to Nick's a year later, where he performed until 1946. He then worked for Eddie Condon before returning to Chicago in 1949 to lead his own band. In 1959 he took part in the Playboy Jazz Festival .

The Brunies family

George Brunies' grandfather, Richard Brunies (* 1832), emigrated from Switzerland via Bremerhaven to New Orleans in 1858, with little more than his violin in his luggage. In 1860 he married Sophie Weser, of German descent, in New Orleans, with whom he had several children, including Richard Henry Brunies, the father of George Brunies. He married the German-born Elizabeth Lotz, with whom he had seven children. The mother played the piano, the father the violin. In addition to the aforementioned George, Merritt, Henry and Abbie, there was a daughter Data (born around 1887, she played guitar), Rudolph "Rudy" Brunies (1886–1957), who played bass, and Richard "Iron Lip" Brunies (Rich Brunies, 1889–1960), who played the trumpet. Except for Rudy (who was a full-time brewer) and Data, who only played in the family band, they all became well-known jazz musicians in New Orleans. The family lived in an affluent area called the Irish Channel (with many European immigrants) which was across Canal Street from the French Quarter . The children played in a family band and were tutored by the family friend, Papa Jack Laine . The father often took the boys with him to play street musicians at the French Market. Their main occupation was a pastry shop and a brewery at the same time (both in the same building from 1888 to around 1900).

Web links

• Biography at Redhotjazz
• Woelfle in Rondo Magazin about the Muggsy Spanier recordings
• Suzanne Fischer to the New Orleans Rhythm Kings

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ate van Delden: Albert Brunies and the Halfway House Orchestra , based on family memories. Then also the life data. Barry Kernfeld et al. Grove Music Online partially states something different: Richard Brunies 1889–1961, Rudy Brunies 1884–1955.