Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Warren “Baby” Dodds (pronounced “dots”) was born on December 24, 1898 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the younger brother of clarinetist Johnny Dodds and is regarded as one of the very best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era, and one of the most important early jazz drummers. Some of his early influences include Louis Cottrell, Harry Zeno, Henry Martin, and Tubby Hall.

Dodds gained reputation as a top young drummer in New Orleans, and worked on Mississippi River steamship bands with young Louis Armstrong. In 1921 moved to California to work with Joe “King” Oliver, and followed Oliver to Chicago, which would be his base of operations.

Dodds recorded with Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Art Hodes, his brother Johnny Dodds and by the late 1940s he worked at Jimmy Ryan’s in New York City. He also worked with Bunk Johnson when he would return to New Orleans. After suffering three strokes in 1949 and 1950, Dodds tutored and played in public irregularly, though he was unable to complete entire performances. In 1954 he played for a Natty Dominique recording session that featured bassist Israel Crosby and pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong.

Dodds was among the first drummers who improvised while performing to be recorded. He varied his drum patterns with accents and flourishes, and he generally kept the beat with the bass drum while playing buzz rolls on the snare. This play would be a long roll that lasted till the following beat, which created a smoother time feel that he later developed into the jazz ride pattern most commonly used ever since. He continues to be admired for the creativity of his playing and he believed in playing something different for every chorus of every tune. Additionally Dodds is perhaps the first jazz drummer to record unaccompanied: in 1945 he recorded two solos for Circle Records, and the next year recorded a series of solos and reminiscences for Folkways Records.  Baby Dodds, jazz and Dixieland drummer passed away on February 14, 1959.

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