Jimmy Nun American jazz clarinetist. Date of Birth: 23.04.1895 Country: USA

1. Biography of Jimmy Noone
2. Early Career
3. Collaboration and Success
4. Legacy

Biography of Jimmy Noone

Jimmy Noone was an American jazz clarinetist and conductor, born on April 23, 1895, near New Orleans in Cut Off, and passed away on April 19, 1944, in Los Angeles.

Early Career

Noone initially began playing the guitar, but at the age of fifteen, he switched to the clarinet. In 1913-1914, he played in Freddie Keppard's orchestra, initially replacing Sidney Bechet and eventually taking his place. In 1917, Noone left New Orleans and moved to Chicago, where he performed with Keppard's Creole Orchestra until its breakup in the spring of 1918. After a brief return to New Orleans, Noone left for good in the fall of 1918, accompanying King Oliver. Upon their arrival in Chicago, the musicians joined Bill Johnson's orchestra, where Noone worked until 1920.

Collaboration and Success

For the next six years, Noone collaborated with Doc Cook and his Dreamland Orchestra. It was during this time that he made his first recordings. In the fall of 1926, Noone's most successful period began when he managed to form his own orchestra, named "Jimmie Noone’s Apex Club Orchestra," after the main concert venue where they performed. The band included renowned jazz musicians, such as pianist Earl Hines. In 1928, the Apex Club Orchestra recorded a series of highly acclaimed records. Throughout the 1930s (except for 1931 and 1935 when he toured in New York), Noone lived in Chicago, occasionally playing with small groups in various clubs. In the early 1940s, Noone, along with trombonists Kid Ory and Jack Teagarden, as well as drummer Zutty Singleton, became interested in reviving old New Orleans jazz and began performing in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Legacy

Noone participated in Orson Welles' all-star concert shortly before his death. Alongside Sidney Bechet and Johnny Dodds, Noone was one of the prominent representatives of the classical New Orleans jazz school on the clarinet. In the early stages of his career, his style was influenced by contemporary performers, especially Bechet. Later, Noone improved his sound quality and performance technique under the guidance of Franz Schoepp, an academic clarinetist living in Chicago at the time. Noone's recordings with Oliver's orchestra in 1923 are considered classical, showcasing his brilliant solo performances and unique interpretation of "blue" notes. In later years, Noone's performance style evolved, evident in the recordings with the Apex Club Orchestra (1928), where he gave the leading role to the saxophone and executed complex contrapuntal lines using the middle and lower registers of the clarinet.