soloist of all time"). ^WB says he Aamself can still play well. He

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1 1» <k < WELLMAN BRAUD 1 I [only]- Retyped May 1957 Also present: William Russell, Richard B. Alien ft I Wellman Braud was born in St- James Parish [Louisiana], January 25, 1891, on the rice farm owned by his father, who still owns it. WB "came up" playing mandolin and violin. He began his professional career in New Orleans playing various and sundry jobs. He had played drums with the Beehive Brass Band, of Jamestown, Louisiana, and also with3claiborne Williams, of Donaldsonville; at that time Williams was leader of the St. Joseph band- WB left New Orleans in < about 1914, going to Chicago, where he [later?] joined the Original Creole Band (in New Orleaas, known as the Olympia Band) ; members of that band were George Baquet [clarinet], Freddy Keppard [comet], Roy Palmer [trombone], Tubby Hall [drums] and WB, bass- WB studied bass with a Professor Jackson, in Chicago- Ia also stmdied his favorite instrument, tropbone, modeling his style on that of Kid _ Ory (around Chicago, was called "Young Ory"). In 1919 his lips went bad, so he took yp bass exclusively. He copied the tone and fingering of WilliamfMoranfi.e., Marrero] and [Henry] Kimball, of New Orleans. Of the present-day bassists, he admires Milt Hlnton, Slam Stewart and [the late] Jimmy Blanton ("one of the greatest (J''..e. soloist of all time"). WB says he Aamself can still play well. He says he had a year with the Kid Ory band, and he enjoyed it, because he has always admired Ory's playing- WB made several recordings with Ory, who has been under contract to Good Time Jazz records for several years; WB says Lester Koening, head of GTJ, says the records WB made with Ory are the best ever made. WB also likes some Ory recordings made with Alvin Alcorn [trumpet] [on GTJ, with WB]. In *

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3 WELLMAN BRAUD 2 I [only]-retyped?- 't}f May r, 1957.'T y y 1919, WB was with fellow-new Orleanian [Charles] Elgar*s Creole K» Band, a group of 17 pieces, which played at the Municip&l Pier in Chicago. Asked about Roy Palmer, WB says that was Lawrence Duhe"s band [Cf. above]7 besides Palmer and WB, tliere were Lil Hardin ([later] Armstrong), piano, Duhe, clarinet, Sidney Becliet, clarinet, Bab Frank, piccolo, "Sugar Johnny" [Smith], comet, Tubby Hall, drums. Frarria played violin parts on the piccola; WB says he was very t t }- r..' fine, because he was told so by musicians from the Georgia Minstrels Brass Band that he was; Frank was in that band, and so were [Louis] "Papa" Tio (according to WB, father of Lorenzo Tio)[Jr,/ but obviously not] and [Alphonse] Picou, both New Orleans clarinetists. The leader of the band was Fred Simpson, known by WB in New York. Frank could read and fake. WB speaks of his own ability to read and fake. He contrasts a technical musician and a soulful musician. -.6w He then tells a story about Sidney Bechet, [then with Noble Sissle?], who was invited by James Reese Europe, leader of a famous military band, in New York in 1917, to join his band; Bechet told him be A didn't read, but Europe asked him to come to a rehearsal, Bechet did/ y T ekct in and played a cadenza in "Poet and Peasant" [overture], cutting the twelve clarinetists Europe already had in the band. He objects to the introduction of bop into Dixieland bands. WB tells how the k Ellington arrangements come about; sometimes the arrangements come /wy <i'tdief" from phrases the various bandsmen play; sometimes the written arrangements are embellished as they are absorded into the band's library. WB says the sound and style come from "soul" ttiat the individual

4 .V. WELLMAN BRAUD 3 I [only]-retyped May 4EO, musicians have. WB mentions Barney Bigard, Otto Hardwick/ Johnny Hodges, Bubber Miley, "Tricky Sam" [Nanton]- WB confirms a state- / ment that Ellington took part of Joe Oliver's "Camp Meeting Blues' and made his own "Creole Love Call" from it; WB says Ellington also took a tune of Lorenzo Tio, Jr., and made "Mood Indigo" from it, improving/ in both instances, on the originals. WB says he liimself made a movie witln the Earl Carroll Vanities/ "Murder at the Vanities" [on subsequent interview, , T-ie says "Belle of the Nineties"], and improvise ssolo of [Liszt'] "Second Hungarian Rhapsody"; the swing version'was a success. WB says he has been complimented by arrangers, including S Oliver of the Tommy Dorsey band, who said they learned a lot about bass from listening to him. WB says he is credited with being the originator of the "Walking bass" [style]. WB / ṇ '\{» says the bass players in his youth played two beats to the bar/ and used the bow a lot. The first assists WB heard "pick" the instrument were Billy Marrero, [Henry] Kimball and Steve Brown? the latter, also of New Orleans/ was witlt [Jean] Goldkette' s Kittens; he.went to Chicago about 1913, with the band of his brother, Tom Brown; he has a son who is also a fine bassist. Steve Brown is now the business agent of the [musicxare'] union in Detroit. WB says Brown was on fhe finest records (in the bass line) that Paul Whiteman ever made, althoug'h he did not read. WB and SB have a mutual admiration society. He discusses bass technique and talent, WB says both Duhe and Bechet were playing clarinet in the band previously cited; Bechet took up soprano sax in 1918, which is the instrument he still plays, although he is better than most clarinetists, f?. -J. too. WB mentions Becliet's one-man band recordings [c: l940lvith

5 \.A 4.t. < WELLMAN BRAUD t:' 4 / I [only]-retyped ft-. May 1957 f- <r f *.T f 1 <. J / / Duhe SBplayed an obligatto to LD' s lead as a rule. WB says Bechet 'A is the best clarinet accompanist for singers, and that next are Barney Bigard and Jinunie Noone.?H' ).,.;, - Billy Marrero and his sons, John, Simon, and Lawrence are men- R f tioned. Simon!L,-: is still ae, Uo Braud's name was originally spelled "Breaux". All of WB's family are farmers and/or brickmasons, so tt-iey all live near each other,.in a little place called Brookstown, Louisiana, about sixtyfive miles upriver from New Orleans. He came to New Orleans in about 1911, where he remained until about 1914, then to Chicago. WB lived on St. Mary Street, between Annunciation and Chippewa, at the time. WB began playing on mandolin and violin, could play a little guitar,nd lyed trombone with a medicine show in Chicago/ ft in WB played tuba on a few records because that is what was wanted. He names a few recordings, but says "Black arid Tan" Fantasy was made with string bass. WB says he wrote "Double Check Stomp", whicli was named from [a much-used quip in] Amos and Andy; the Ellington band, with WB, was in the movie, "Check and Double ' Chec'kC' with Amos and Andy; WB was in a.lot of moview, which he names. WB says his very first records were [with Ellington] "Birmingham Breakdown" and "Black and Tan Fantasy*'; he hadn't recorded with anyone before. WB says Mamie Smith was the first colored artist to record. *\.t' i?,'))i.so(jr an yia.b'l,1r WE menti6ns his friend, Wilbur 6we&tman, who wrote "Down Home Rag". WB says there were no bands in the District,, only pianos. WB says Buddy Christian, of New Orleans, has a big band [in New York] and is doing well. End of Reel I [only] if. '-» c K1 :>.

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