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Henry Walter Ragas (November 2, 1890 – February 18, 1919) was a jazz pianist who was a member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the first jazz band to record commercially.
He played piano with the Original Dixieland Jass Band on their earliest recording sessions. As such, he is the very first jazz pianist to be recorded (not counting piano rolls), although his contributions are barely audible due to the primitive recording equipment available. His role in the band was to fill out the chords and to provide a bass line. He did not play solos on the recordings.
Ragas gained experience as a solo pianist during the period from 1910 to 1913. He traveled with Johnny Stein's band to Chicago in 1916 and left the group to form the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the first jazz group to record. Ragas was on the band's first 21 recordings, including "Bluin' the Blues", which he composed. He also wrote "Lazy Daddy", " Dixieland Jass Band One-Step", " Clarinet Marmalade Blues", and " Reisenweber Rag".
He played on many Original Dixieland Jass Band classics and standards such as "
U.S. Library of Congress, National Jukebox, featuring original ODJB recordings on Victor.
* Wilbur Sweatman's Original Jazz Band's recording of Henry Ragas' compositio
"Bluin' the Blues"
(December 5, 1918) at the Internet Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ragas, Henry 1891 births 1919 deaths 20th-century American pianists American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in New York (state) Jazz musicians from New Orleans Original Dixieland Jass Band members 20th-century American male musicians People from Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Background
He played piano with the Original Dixieland Jass Band on their earliest recording sessions. As such, he is the very first jazz pianist to be recorded (not counting piano rolls), although his contributions are barely audible due to the primitive recording equipment available. His role in the band was to fill out the chords and to provide a bass line. He did not play solos on the recordings.
Ragas gained experience as a solo pianist during the period from 1910 to 1913. He traveled with Johnny Stein's band to Chicago in 1916 and left the group to form the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the first jazz group to record. Ragas was on the band's first 21 recordings, including "Bluin' the Blues", which he composed. He also wrote "Lazy Daddy", " Dixieland Jass Band One-Step", " Clarinet Marmalade Blues", and " Reisenweber Rag".
He played on many Original Dixieland Jass Band classics and standards such as "Livery Stable Blues
"Livery Stable Blues" is a jazz composition copyrighted by Ray Lopez (''né'' Raymond Edward Lopez; 1889–1979) and Alcide Nunez in 1917. It was recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band on February 26, 1917, and, with the A-side and B-side, ...
", regarded as the first jazz recording; "Tiger Rag", one of the most recorded songs in jazz history; and " Clarinet Marmalade", "Fidgety Feet", " At the Jazz Band Ball", " Sensation Rag", "Bluin' the Blues", and " Dixieland Jass Band One-Step".
He died in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919. He was replaced by J. Russel Robinson.
Grammy Hall of Fame
" Darktown Strutters' Ball" (1917) by Original Dixieland Jass Band was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006.References
External links
U.S. Library of Congress, National Jukebox, featuring original ODJB recordings on Victor.
* Wilbur Sweatman's Original Jazz Band's recording of Henry Ragas' compositio
"Bluin' the Blues"
(December 5, 1918) at the Internet Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ragas, Henry 1891 births 1919 deaths 20th-century American pianists American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in New York (state) Jazz musicians from New Orleans Original Dixieland Jass Band members 20th-century American male musicians People from Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana