Alcide Louis "Slow Drag" Pavageau (March 7, 1888 – January 19, 1969) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

ist and guitarist.

Biography

Pavageau was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He started his career as a dancer, mastering a dance called the Slow Drag which resulted in his nickname. He learned the guitar as a young man from his cousin Ulysses Picou, a singer in New Orleans. Pavageau came from a musical family and was related to families like the Tios, Picous, and Pirons who formed some of the earliest jazz bands. He played

Buddy Petit Buddie Petit (born Joseph Crawford; most likely 1896 or 1897 — July 4, 1931), also spelled Buddy Petit, was an American early jazz cornetist. His year of birth has been given in various sources as ranging from 1887 to 1897. He gave December 2 ...

Bunk Johnson Willie Gary "Bunk" Johnson (December 27, 1889 – July 7, 1949) was an American prominent jazz trumpeter from New Orleans. Biography Birth Johnson gave the year of his birth as 1879, although Johnson stated on his 1937 application for Socia ...

, and

Herb Morand Herbert Morand (1905 – February 23, 1952) was an American jazz trumpeter, associated with the New Orleans jazz scene. Morand began on trumpet at age eleven after hearing King Oliver. He played with Nat Towles in New Orleans, then moved to Ne ...

. Johnson bragged that he taught Louis Armstrong how to play cornet by ear. He started playing bass in 1927 when he was 39 years old and joined George Lewis's band in 1943. He also played in

's band in New York City in 1945. He toured with Lewis through the end of the 1950s. In 1961, while playing with the Louis Cottrell Trio, he recorded ''New Orleans: The Living Legends'' for Riverside. He worked at

Preservation Hall Preservation Hall is a jazz venue on St Peter Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The building is associated with a house band, a record label, and a non-profit foundation. History of the jazz hall In the 1950s, art de ...

in the 1960s and recorded one album as a leader in 1965 in addition to frequent recording with Lewis. Pavageau was the son of Ferreol "Joseph" Pavageau and Alice Philippe. He was the descendant of a marriage between two of the oldest Creole families in New Orleans. His family traced their roots to wealthy French planters who were displaced by the Haitian Revolution and friends of Bienville, the founder of New Orleans. For almost 40 years, he was the Grand Marshal of the Second Line of the Mardi Gras Parade. The second line is known for twirling ornamental umbrellas during their gatherings. The twirling of umbrellas may have been adapted from the early Italian immigrant custom of using umbrellas at funeral processions. Alcide died in 1969 in New Orleans at the age of 80. Although rumors abound about Alcide Pavageau being a nephew of renowned New Orleans

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * West African Vodún, a religion practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

queen

Marie Laveau Marie Catherine Laveau (September 10, 1801 – June 15, 1881)''Marie Laveau The Mysterious Voodoo Queen: A Study of Powerful Female Leadership in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans'' by Ina Johanna Fandrich was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of ...

, this is not true.

Discography

As leader

* ''Slow Drag's Bunch'' (Jazz Crusade)

As sideman

Sweet Emma Barrett "Sweet Emma" Barrett (March 25, 1897, New Orleans, Louisiana – January 28, 1983) was an American self-taught jazz pianist and singer who worked with the Original Tuxedo Orchestra between 1923 and 1936, first under Papa Celestin, then William R ...

, ''New Orleans' Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band'' (Preservation Hall, 1964) * Louis Cottrell Jr., ''The Louis Cottrell Trio: Bourbon Street'' (Riverside, 1961) *

, ''New Orleans 1944'' ( American Music) * Bunk Johnson, ''Hot Jazz'' ( RCA Victo, 1946) * George Lewis, ''New Orleans Jazz Band And Quartet'' (Riverside, 1954) * George Lewis, '' George Lewis & Turk Murphy at Newport'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

, 1957) * George Lewis, ''The Perennial George Lewis'' (Verve, 1958) * Jim Robinson, ''Jim Robinson's New Orleans Band'' (Riverside, 1961) * Jim Robinson, ''Jim Robinson Plays Spirituals And Blues'' (Riverside, 1961)

References

;Footnotes ;General references *

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

, Alcide Pavageauat

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

External links

Alcide Pavageau
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavageau, Alcide 1888 births 1969 deaths American jazz double-bassists American male double-bassists 20th-century American double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Preservation Hall Jazz Band members