We all have an interesting relative or two in the family tree...
If we are lucky, that person is "famous" rather than "infamous" :)
New Year's Eve is our next worldwide celebration. And every celebration features a band and lively music.
Let's travel back in time to the Roaring '20s and Jazz Bands.
(All photos are from my family's personal collection.)
Louisiana Five, Anton (Tony) Lada. Far left/back row
Anton (Tony) Lada. My grand-uncle (My maternal grandmother was his "baby' Sister.
He was a composer, musician, performer, and a founding member of the musicians' guild, which is now merged with SAG.
While all the promo material stated he was a Chicago native, he was actually from Prague, Czechoslovakia. He immigrated with his parents and siblings (except my grandmother, who was born in Chicago) as a young child.His family, though immigrants, opened a small business in Chicago and provided music lessons for all six of their children.
Tony was classically trained and a member of the Wisconsin orchestra at age 16.
Drummer and bandleader Anton Lada's 1918 recordings with the Louisiana Five were among the very first commercial releases of music considered to be jazz. Lada had also drummed in an early version of the Original Dixieland "Jass" Band (later renamed the Jazz Band).
Jazz recording history in early 1917
Also of note: with a personnel consisting of Alcide "Yellow" Nunez on clarinet, Charlie Panelli on trombone, Karl Burger on banjo, Joe Cawley on piano, and Lada on drums, the band's style was unique among the now-considered standard "jass" bands of the time.
Whereas most featured a cornet as the lead voice, the Louisiana Five featured Nunez himself on clarinet, leading the tunes. While this comes as a shock to many listeners of this pivotal group, one must remember that at the time, there were no official guidelines for how jazz ensembles should be composed.
Their records for Edison, Columbia, Emerson, and Okeh are a treat to hear. While the original combo broke up in the early 1920s, Lada continued to record under the Louisiana Five name for a few years after that, even relocating to California, recording there too around 1925. The Sunset label promoted the ensemble as Anton Lada's Louisiana Lads.
https://secondhandsongs.com/work/137494/all
According to discographers, Lada's final recordings were made in the mid-'20s; however, his popular groups continued performing live. In 1941, Lada relocated to Hollywood, scoring motion pictures and developing into a similar style and status as Raymond Scott.
A devout Christian Scientist, Tony Lada refused medical aid when he suffered from a ruptured appendix, passing away in his early 50s.
Anton (Tony) Lada co-wrote jazz and ragtime numbers with pianist Spencer Williams, notably "Arkansas Blues" and "Barcelona."
I hope you've enjoyed my bit of family history.His signature on a Christmas card, 1936
My grandmother was very proud of her brother (as was the entire family). She loved to tell stories and share the fashion trends and "Hollywood gossip" from times gone by.
From the YouTube video link: Sadly, very little has been written about this important group, and even less has been reissued, and even less has been played in its original style. In fact, the only major recreation that has occurred recently of this group's style was done by Dan Levinson's Roof Garden Jass Orchestra. Now, for the first time in 98 years, David Jellema, Colin Hancock, Westen Borghesi, Dan Walton, and Ryan Neubauer recreate the sounds and style of the Louisiana Five before the recording horn, in their rendition of the popular period tune, which is almost guaranteed the band played, "Ja Da (Ja Da Ja Da Jing Jing Jing)".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsLgNthetVU
Thanks to the members of the band, as well as Jim Cartwright (of Immortal Performances...not Dynamic Systems [sorry, typo]!), John Knox, Benjamin Canaday, Tim Knapp, John Levin, the Hogan Jazz Archive, the Nunez Family, and the Louisiana Five for the fantastic music!
- The First American Band to tour Europe
- Performed at the famed Troubadour https://www.troubadourlondon.com/
- SAG card and his friends: Bing Cosby and Jimmy Durante
