Other Jazz

Jazz royalty is a term that reflects the many great jazz musicians who have some sort of royal title in their names or nicknames. more...

Home
Accessories/ Storage
CDs
Cassettes
Music Memorabilia
Other Music Formats
Records
10" Singles
12'' Singles
7'' Singles
78 RPM
Albums/ LPs
Avant-Garde/ Experimental
Blues
Brass Bands/ Military Bands
Children's
Christmas/ Seasonal
Classical
Ballet/ Dance
Chamber
Choral
Early Music/ Baroque
Keyboard
Opera/ Vocal
Orchestral
Organ Music
Other Classical
Comedy
Compilations
Country
Dance
Big Beat
Breakbeat
Chillout/ Ambient
Disco
Drum 'n' Bass/ Jungle
Electronica
Garage
Hard House
Hardcore/ Rave
House
Lounge/ Downtempo
Old Skool
Other Dance
Progressive House
Techno/ Industrial
Trance
Easy Listening
Instrumental
Vocal
Folk
American
English
Other Folk
Indie/ Britpop
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Irish Folk/ Traditional
Jazz
Acid/ Fusion
Big Band/ Swing
Bop
Contemporary
Free/ Avant-Garde
Latin
Other Jazz
Traditional/ Dixieland
Metal
Death Metal
Heavy Metal
Nu-Metal
Other Metal
Speed/ Thrash Metal
Other Albums/ LPs
Pop
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Pop & Beat: 1960s
Beat: 1960s
Pop: 1960s
The Beatles
R&B/ Soul
Funk
Mainstream
Motown
Northern Soul
Other R&B/ Soul
R&B
Soul
Rap/ Hip Hop
East Coast
Freestyle
Gangsta
Hip Hop
Old School
Other Rap/ Hip Hop
West Coast
Reggae/ Ska
Dancehall
Dub
Other Reggae/ Ska
Popular
Roots
Ska
Religious/ New Age
Rock
Alternative
Classic
Country
Doo Wop/ 50s Rock 'n' Roll
Elvis
Folk
Glam
Gothic
Grunge
Hard
New Wave
Other Rock
Progressive
Psychedelic/ 60s Garage
Punk
Rockabilly
Soft
Soundtracks/ Themes
Film
Musicals
Other Soundtracks/ Themes
TV
Spoken Word
World Music
Other Records

Earliest jazz "monarchs" in New Orleans

The practice goes back to New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, back before the music was commonly known as "jazz". Buddy Bolden was known as "King Bolden", as the top hot music and hot trumpeter of the city.

The realization that such titles might have commercial or public relations values also dates to this era. Violinist and bandleader Alex Watzke, observing Bolden's popularity, started billing himself as "King Watzke", and paid children coins to publicly point at him as he walked down the street and say "There goes King Watzke". While he succeeded in appending that nickname to himself, some fellow musicians used it more with amusement than with the respect accorded to Bolden.

After Bolden was institutionalized in 1907, his crown was taken by Freddie Keppard. "King Keppard" ruled until 1914 when Joe Oliver bested him in musical battle.

Joe Oliver left New Orleans in 1919. Some later writers have assumed that the trumpet crown at that time went to Oliver's protegé Louis Armstrong, but Armstrong and his contemporaries made no such claim. Armstrong had a powerful rival in Buddie Petit, whom many ranked higher than young Armstrong in the period of 1919-1922. Neither billed himself as "king".

National jazz kings

Oliver was known as "King Oliver" in Chicago, and still regarded as the jazz king as late as 1925, when Louis Armstrong returned to Chicago from New York City. Armstrong's great respect and affection for Oliver was probably a factor in never claiming Oliver's kingship, although at the urging of his wife Lil Hardin Armstrong Louis Armstrong was billed as the "world's greatest jazz trumpeter", rendering Oliver's title more ceremonial than a claim of supremacy.

Meanwhile in New York City, Paul Whiteman billed himself as the "King of Jazz". His nationally popular band with many hit records arguably played more jazz-influenced popular music than jazz per se, but to the dismay of many later jazz fans Whiteman was widely known as "King of Jazz" in the 1920s and early 1930s and a motion picture The King of Jazz starring Whiteman and his band appeared in 1930.

Jelly Roll Morton was one of many annoyed by Whiteman's claim and had enough bravado to challenge it. In 1924 he billed his band as "the Kings of Jazz", but the title never caught on.

The New Orleans Rhythm Kings were popular in Chicago.

Swing era

Benny Goodman was regularly called the "King of Swing". His rival, Artie Shaw, was often called "King of the Clarinet". Goodman's song "King Porter Stomp" was written by Jelly Roll Morton after a piano player he knew named Porter King. Later a little-known bandleader took the name "King Porter".

Read more at Wikipedia.org