Honoré Dutrey (c. 1894 in
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
– July 21, 1935 in
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
) was a
dixieland
Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...
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 ...
trombonist
The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the air column inside the instrument to ...
, probably best known for his work in
King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band
Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of Mute (music), mutes in jazz. Also a notable com ...
.
In New Orleans, Dutrey played with the
Excelsior Brass Band
The Excelsior Brass Band was a brass band from New Orleans active between 1879 and 1931. It was one of the earliest recognized brass bands on the New Orleans jazz scene.
The Excelsior was founded in 1879 by Théogène Baquet, who led it until ...
and with
John Robichaux's orchestra.
His playing has been contrasted with that of other New Orleans trombonists such as
Kid Ory
Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, Trombone, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of Music of New Orle ...
, in that he met the older harmonic and rhythmic functions. Recording with
King Oliver
Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wro ...
's Creole Jazz Band, Dutrey displays his clean tailgate style. Rather than crowding the polyphonic improvisation of the other musicians, his transparent playing offers the important element of stable harmonic counterpoint.
He suffered from asthma most of his life after a ship accident damaged his lungs while he was in the Navy in 1917.
To combat his asthma on the band stand, he would inhale a nasal spray prescribed to him by a doctor.
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic.
Life and career
Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar wh ...
wrote that
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
worked with many trombonists in his career, "
ut asgreat as some of them were
..there was never another Honore Dutrey," likely referring to his smooth glissando style.
Asthma was the cause of Dutrey's death on July 21, 1935.
References
Jazz musicians from New Orleans
Dixieland jazz musicians
American jazz trombonists
American male trombonists
1890s births
1935 deaths
20th-century American trombonists
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Excelsior Brass Band members
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