Papa Jack Laine

Papa Jack Laine
Laine in 1906
Laine in 1906
Background information
Birth nameGeorge Vital Laine
Also known asJack Laine, Papa Jack, Papa Laine
Born(1873-09-21)September 21, 1873
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
OriginNew Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJune 1, 1966(1966-06-01) (aged 92)
Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresMarching band
Traditional jazz
Jazz
Blues
Rag-time
Instrumentdrums

George Vital "Papa Jack" Laine (September 21, 1873 – June 1, 1966)[1] was an American musician and a pioneering band leader in New Orleans in the years from the Spanish–American War to World War I.[2] He was often credited for training many musicians who would later become successful in jazz music.

Laine's Reliance Brass Band was the first to fuse European, African, and Latin music. The earliest jazz musicians can be traced back to playing in the Reliance Brass Band or being influenced by those who had.[3]

Many of the New Orleans musicians who first spread jazz around the United States in the 1910s and 1920s got their start in Laine's marching band, including the members of the Original Dixieland Jass Band.[4]

  1. ^ Lee, William F. (2005). American Big Bands. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 13. ISBN 9780634080548. Retrieved 10 April 2018. Big Bands.
  2. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Papa Jack Laine: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  3. ^ "Birthplace of Jazz", New Orleans Music History Online, neworleansonline.com; accessed October 8, 2014.
  4. ^ ""Papa" Jack Laine (1873-1966)". Red Hot Jazz Archive. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.