Louis Cottrell (December 25, 1878 – October 17, 1927) was an influential 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. "Old Man" Cottrell was the father of Louis Cottrell Jr. and great-grandfather of New Orleans jazz drummer Louis Cottrell. Cottrell was born and died in

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 ...

. He played with John Robichaux's orchestra in 1909 and with the Olympia Orchestra in New Orleans from 1900 to 1915. From 1916 to 1918 he played in

Chicago 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 ...

with Manuel Perez, then played with

A.J. Piron Armand John "A.J." Piron (August 16, 1888 – February 17, 1943) was an American jazz violinist who led dance bands during the 1910s thru the 1930s. Early life A.J. Piron was born August 16, 1888, to Octave Louis Piron and Marie Jeanne Zerin ...

until the time of his death. "Old Man" Cottrell has been credited as the innovator of the press roll in jazz drumming, and was a significant influence on most New Orleans drummers of the time, having taught Alex Bigard,

Baby Dodds Warren "Baby" Dodds (December 24, 1898 – February 14, 1959) was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is regarded as one of the best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era. He varied his drum patterns with accents and f ...

Paul Barbarin Adolphe Paul Barbarin (May 5, 1899 – February 17, 1969) was an American jazz drummer from New Orleans. Career Barbarin grew up in New Orleans in a family of musicians, including his father Isidore, three of his brothers (including Louis), and ...

, Louis Barbarin, Freddie Kohlman,

Cie Frazier Josiah "Cie" Frazier (February 23, 1904 – January 10, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. Frazier studied drums under several New Orleans jazz musicians, including Louis Cottrell, Sr., James William “Red Happy” Bolton, and Face-O Wood ...

and

Alfred Williams Alfred Hamilton Williams (born November 6, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos ...

References

*Mike Hazeldine, "Louis Cottrell, Sr." '' Grove Jazz'' online. *

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, p. 153. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cottrell, Louis 1878 births 1927 deaths American jazz drummers Jazz musicians from New Orleans 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Excelsior Brass Band members Olympia Orchestra members Drummers from Louisiana