The Buddy Bolden  Revival Orchestra


Buddy Bolden is widely recognized as the leader of the first real jazz orchestra. Born in New Orleans in 1877, Buddy began building his band from members of  Charles Galloway's dance band around 1896. By 1897 he was becoming known as the first man to play the hot blues and by 1900 he was the toast of black New Orleans - called King Bolden, the father of jazz.
Unfortunately he suffered severe mental illness and was hospitalized in 1907. He was never to leave and died there in 1931.

The Buddy Bolden Revival Orchestra is the brainchild of  jazz historian Daniel Hardie. It was established late in 2004 with the help of Sydney jazz band leaders Geoff Bull and Trevor Rippingale.
Its mission is to recreate the music of the earliest jazz orchestras with contemporary instrumentation and authentic performance practices, using a repertoire selected from compositions played by early bands during the first ten years of jazz. {Ca 1897-1908}
Performances are supported by research into early jazz history conducted by Daniel Hardie and published in his four recently published books. (For details Click Here)
The Buddy Bolden Revival Orchestra aims to present the kind of music Buddy Bolden played to jazz lovers and the public, through the media of concerts, festivals and recorded performances. Its inaugural performance - a celebration of Buddy Bolden's Birthday - was conducted for  the Sydney Jazz Club on 9th September  2005.

 

           Above: The Buddy Bolden Revival Orchestra at the Southern Highlands Classic Jazz and Ragtime Festival 15th April 2007

The members of the orchestra are:

Violin: Daniel Weltlinger
Cornet: Geoffrey Bull
Clarinet: Paul Furniss
Valve Trombone: John Bates
Guitar: Paul Finnerty
Bowed Bass: Stan Valacos
Trap Drums: Anthony Howe
 Associate members:
Retaw Boyce (Violin)
Ian Bloxsom (drums)
David Seidel (Bowed Bass)

Enquiries should be directed to the Convenor at the following address:

Daniel Hardie
60 Chelmsford St.
Newtown 2042
Phone: (02) 9557 2533
or email to: darnhard@ozemail.com.au

Listen to 'Don't Go Way Nobody': Click Here

For more musical and video examples go to the music site:
http://www.esnips.com/web/BuddyBoldenRevivalOrchestra

 Authentic Instruments

For centuries the banjo was the favourite instrument of African-American slaves but strangely it did not appear in jazz bands before the 1920's. The six-stringed Spanish guitar was  played in the street corner bands in New Orleans before 1900 and this was the instrument introduced to the earliest jazz bands, including Buddy Bolden's Orchestra. Brock Mumford who played with Bolden is shown here playing a large flat-top Spanish guitar. Such instruments were relatively cheap and many were apparently bought by mail order from the Sears-Roebuck catalogues of the time.

To return to the Early Jazz History web site Click Here