Leon "Leo" Adde (April 21, 1904 – March 1, 1942) 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 ...

drummer.

Career

Adde began by playing the

cigar box A cigar box is a box container for cigar packaging. Traditionally, cigar boxes have been made of wood, cardboard or paper. Spanish cedar has been described as the "best" kind of wood for cigar boxes because of its beautiful grain, fine texture ...

on percussion, and played as a duo with Raymond Burke on the streets of

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 ...

in the mid-1910s. Adde joined the Halfway House Orchestra under

Abbie Brunies Albert "Abbie" Brunies (January 19, 1900 - October 2, 1978) was an American jazz cornetist. Brunies came from a famous New Orleans musical family, which counted among its members George Brunies and Merritt Brunies. Brunies was the leader of the ...

early in the 1920s, and played in Johnny Miller's New Orleans Frolickers at the end of the decade. Adde also recorded in the 1920s with

Johnny Bayersdorffer Johnny Bayersdorffer (4 August 1899 – 14 November 1969) was a New Orleans jazz cornetist and bandleader. Bayersdorffer was a popular bandleader at the Spanish Fort resort on Bayou St. John by Lake Pontchartrain. He is best remembered to ...

and with the

New Orleans Rhythm Kings The New Orleans Rhythm Kings (NORK) were one of the most influential jazz bands of the early to mid-1920s. The band included New Orleans and Chicago musicians who helped shape Chicago jazz and influenced many younger jazz musicians. They compos ...

. In the 1930s, Adde drummed with the Melody Masters, led by

Sharkey Bonano Joseph Gustaf "Sharkey" Bonano (April 9, 1904 – March 27, 1972), also known as Sharkey Banana or Sharkey Bananas, was an American jazz trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist. His musical abilities were sometimes overlooked because of his lo ...

and

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (; December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he ...

's brother Leon Prima. He moved with the ensemble to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where they sometimes performed as the New Orleans Melody Masters. Later in the decade, he recorded with the New Orleans Owls, and returned to New Orleans before the end of the 1930s.

References

1904 births 1942 deaths American jazz drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians New Orleans Rhythm Kings members Drummers from New Orleans {{US-jazz-drummer-stub