Avery "Kid" Howard (April 22, 1908,

New Orleans 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 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

- March 28, 1966, New Orleans) 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 ...

trumpeter, associated with the New Orleans jazz scene. Howard began on drums at about age fourteen, but switched to

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

and then trumpet after playing with Chris Kelly. In New Orleans, he played in the 1920s with the Eureka Brass Band, Allen's Brass Band, and the Tuxedo Brass Band. He led his own bands late in the 1920s and early in the 1930s; it was his band which played at the jazz funeral for

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 ...

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

and

Ira Gitler Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...

, ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford, 1999. pp. 331-332. He played in the Palace Theatre pit orchestra from 1938 to 1943. In 1943, he recorded with George Lewis, considered to be among his best recordings.

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 ...

, Kid Howardat

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In 1946, he led the Original Zenith Brass Band, but played only locally for the next few years. In 1952 he returned to playing with Lewis, where he would remain until 1961. His later recordings with Lewis are uneven because he was battling with

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

, which interfered with his abilities as a soloist. He fell ill in 1961 and left Lewis's band, and upon his recovery he led his own band from 1961 to 1965 and recorded several times; these recordings were also highly praised.The Hottest Trumpet - The Kid Howard Story - Brian Harvey - Jazzology Press 2008 He continued to play in New Orleans 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 ...

and other venues up until his death of a

brain hemorrhage The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

in 1966.

Discography

* ''Kid Howard and His La Vida Jazz Band'' (1961, Icon Records) * ''"Kid" Howard And His New Orleans Jazz Band At Zion Hill Church'' (1965, Nobility Recording Co.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Kid 1908 births 1966 deaths American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Jazz musicians from New Orleans 20th-century American trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Onward Brass Band members Eureka Brass Band members