Kid Ory, born Edward Ory in 1886, is widely considered one of the best trombonists ever to play Jazz. He began as banjo player but then moved on to slide trombone in his early teens. He learned the instrument by playing an old trombone handed down to him from the Civil War era.
In 1910, Ory moved to New Orleans and had one of the best known bands in the city. The band was a bit of a revolving door, but at times contained names like King Oliver, Mutt Carey, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone and Louis Armstrong.
During the 1920's, Ory would move his band to Los Angeles and then to Chicago. He was helping spread the sound and popularity of New Orleans Jazz nationwide. He was very active in Chicago recording with Armstrong and Jellyroll Morton. Ory would also mentor Benny Goodman and Charles Mingus.
Then, out of nowhere, the Great Depression happened. Ory retired from music to run a chicken farm in Los Angeles.
In 1943, Ory returned to music and became an important force in reviving interest in New Orleans Jazz. His band of All Stars made many radio broadcasts on The Orson Welles Almanac program in 1944. This led to a series of recordings for the Crescent label.
Listen to: "Tiger Rag" by the Mercury All-Star Jazz Combination
featuring Kid Ory from 1944.
Ory retired from music in 1966 (this time the retirement stuck) and he spent his last years in the beautiful state of Hawaii.
You can hear Kid Ory's great blend of New Orleans Jazz right here on Swing City Radio.
