Joe "King" Oliver

Joe "King" Oliver, (December 19, 1885 – April 8, 1938) was a bandleader and jazz musician.

Oliver's Music

As a player, Oliver was strongly interested in altering his horn's sound. He pioneered in the use of mutes, including the plumber's plunger, derby hat, and bottles and cups in the bell of his horn. His recording "WaWaWa" with the Dixie Syncopators can be credited with giving the name wah-wah to such techniques.

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Although Oliver performed mostly on cornet, the instrument is virtually identical to the trumpet. Oliver is second on the historical list of the greatest jazz trumpet innovators: Buddy Bolden, Oliver, Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis.

Related Topics:
Cornet - Trumpet - Buddy Bolden - Roy Eldridge - Dizzy Gillespie - Miles Davis

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Oliver was also noted as a composer, having written Armstrong's early hit, "Dippermouth Blues", as well as "Sweet Like This", "Canal Street Blues", and "Doctor Jazz", the latter virtually the theme song of Jelly Roll Morton, a frequent collaborator.

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Louis Armstrong nicknamed Oliver calling him "Papa Joe". Oliver gave Armstrong the first cornet that Louis was to own. Armstrong called Oliver his idol and inspiration all his life.

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