Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Leon Joseph Roppolo was born on March 16, 1902 in Lutcher, Louisiana but by age ten was living in New Orleans. Young Leon’s first instrument was the violin, but being a fan of the New Orleans marching bands he wanted to play clarinet. Soon excelling on clarinet, he played youthful jobs for parades, parties and at Milneburg on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. By his teens he left home with Bee Palmer’s group that evolved into the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, that become one of the hot jazz bands in 1920s Chicago along with King Oliver’s band. Leon’s style influenced many younger Chicago musicians, most famously Benny Goodman.
Following the breakup of the Rhythm Kings he went to New York City jazz scene and recorded with the Original Memphis Five and the California Ramblers. Returning to New Orleans he briefly reformed the Rhythm Kings, made a few recordings but primarily worked with other bands like the Halfway House Orchestra, with whom he recorded on saxophone.
Roppolo soon began exhibiting more eccentric behavior and violent temper outbursts. Too much for his family to take, Leon was committed to the state mental hospital. Aging and feeble far beyond his years in his later life, he would come home for periods when a relative or friend could look after him, and he would sit in with local bands on saxophone or clarinet.
Leon Roppolo, nicknamed “Rap” and who played clarinet, saxophone and guitar, passed away in New Orleans at the age of 41 on October 5, 1943. He left for posterity such compositions as Farewell Blues, Gold Leaf Strut and Make Love To Me, the latter recorded by Jo Stafford in 1954 and that hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts and #2 on Cashbox.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Chauncey Morehouse was born on March 11, 1902 in Niagara Falls, New York and was raised in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania where he learned and played drums from an early age. He also played piano and banjo and while in high school led a group called the Versatile Five. He landed a job with Paul Specht’s orchestra in 1922, touring with him through Europe in 1923.
Through the Roaring Twenties Chauncey played with The Georgians, Jean Goldkette, Adrian Rollini and Don Voorhees. He recorded with Frankie Trumbauer, Bix Beiderbecke, Red Nichols, The Dorsey Brothers, Joe Venuti and many others.
By 1929 Morehouse was active for the next decade chiefly as a studio musician, working in radio and television in and around New York City. In 1938, he put together his own percussion ensemble which played percussion tuned chromatically.
Morehouse invented a set of drums called the N’Goma drums, which were made by the Leedy Drum Company who endorsed Morehouse during his career. His career in the studios continued into the 1970s when he retired from studio work and began playing jazz again, mostly at festivals.
In his later years Morehouse made appearances at Carnegie Hall for the Tribute to Bix concert for the Newport Jazz Festival, and at one of the early Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festivals in Davenport, Iowa. Chauncey Morehouse passed away on October 31, 1980 in Medford, New Jersey, aged 78.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Eddie Higgins was born Edward Haydn Higgins on February 21, 1932 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and began study of piano with his mother. His professional career began in Chicago while attending Northwestern University. He played the most prestigious clubs in Chicago for more than two decades in the 50s and 60s with his longest tenure at the London House, playing opposite Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Errol Garner, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, and George Shearing among others.
As a leader he amassed a number of recordings during the Chicago years but as a sideman he added many more albums working with Wayne Shorter, Coleman Hawkins, Bobby Lewis, Freddie Hubbard, Jack Teagarden and Al Grey to name just a few.
Equally adept in every jazz circle Eddie was able to work in Dixieland, modal, bebop and swing as well as being a persuasive, elegant and sophisticated pianist whether he was soloing or accompanying a singer.
Higgins eventually moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, played in local clubs, performed the jazz festival circuit, toured Europe and Japan, and continued to record up until his death on August 31, 2009 at 77.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
De De Pierce was born Joseph De Lacroix Pierce on February 18, 1904 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A trumpeter and cornetist, his first gig was with Arnold Dupas in 1924. During his time playing in New Orleans nightclubs he met Billie Pierce, who became his wife as well as a musical companion. They took residence as the house band at the Luthjens Dance Hall from the 1930s through the 1950s.
They released several albums together but stopped performing in the middle of the 1950s due to illness, which left De De Pierce blind. By 1959 they had returned to performing with De De touring with Ida Cox and playing with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band before further health problems ended his career.
On November 23, 1973, De De Pierce, best remembered for the songs “Peanut Vendor” and “Dippermouth Blues”, passed away at the age of 69.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Jimmy Maxwell: The Trumpet Master You’ve Heard a Thousand Times
Born on January 9, 1917, in Stockton, California, Jimmy Maxwell was practically born with a trumpet in hand—he picked up the instrument at the remarkable age of four. Even as a child prodigy, he understood the value of serious training, studying throughout the 1930s with a roster of legendary brass teachers, including the renowned Herbie Clarke.
A Young Gun in the Swing Era
During the vibrant 1930s, Maxwell’s precocious talent found him working alongside some of the biggest names in jazz: Gil Evans, Jimmy Dorsey, vocalist Maxine Sullivan, and bandleader Skinnay Ennis. His big break came when he joined the prestigious Benny Goodman Orchestra—a gig that announced his arrival as a world-class player.
The Golden Age of Television
In 1943, Maxwell transitioned to what would become a legendary three-decade run as a studio musician for NBC. Night after night, his trumpet graced America’s living rooms through The Perry Como Show, The Patti Page Show, The Pat Boone Show, and The Tonight Show. While many musicians might have settled into such comfortable work, Maxwell’s restless talent demanded more.
A Secret Weapon on Countless Sessions
Maxwell’s studio work was merely the foundation. In 1962, he toured the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War—music as cultural diplomacy. He appeared on hundreds of recordings and commercials, becoming one of those invisible giants whose sound defined an era. As a sideman, he lent his brilliant tone to sessions with Woody Herman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oliver Nelson, Gerry Mulligan, Maynard Ferguson, Quincy Jones, the New York Jazz Repertory Company, and Chuck Israels’ National Jazz Ensemble.
That Haunting Solo
Perhaps Maxwell’s most iconic moment came when he played the unforgettable trumpet solo for The Godfather soundtrack—that lonely, haunting theme that perfectly captured the film’s operatic melancholy. Millions heard it; few knew the master behind it.
Full Circle
Later in life, Maxwell returned to his roots, working with Dixieland jazz and swing ensembles and even reuniting with Benny Goodman for nostalgic performances. In 1977, he finally stepped into the spotlight as a leader, recording a session for Circle Records—a rare glimpse of Maxwell unfiltered.
Though he eventually retired from recording and performing, Maxwell never stopped teaching. From 1950 until 2001—an astonishing fifty-one years—he passed on his knowledge to new generations of brass players. When he passed away on July 20, 2002, the world lost not just a brilliant musician, but a patient mentor who had helped shape the sound of American music for over seven decades.
If you’ve watched television, heard a commercial, or listened to jazz from the mid-20th century, you’ve almost certainly heard Jimmy Maxwell’s trumpet—even if you never knew his name.
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