Minor Hall (March 2, 1897 – October 16, 1959), better known as Ram Hall,''Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians''

Levin, Floyd Floyd Levin (September 24, 1922 – January 29, 2007) was a jazz historian and writer whose articles were published in many magazines, including ''Down Beat'', '' Jazz Journal International'', ''American Rag'', and '' Metronome''. ...

(2002), p. 32. University of California Press At Google Books; retrieved June 11, 2013. 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

drummer active on the

New Orleans jazz New Orleans Jazz may refer to: * Dixieland, a style of jazz music (New Orleans Jazz) * * New Orleans Jazz (NBA team), professional basketball team that relocated and became the Utah Jazz *New Orleans Jazz football club New is an adjective referri ...

scene. He was the younger brother of Tubby Hall. Minor Hall was born in

Sellers, Louisiana Norco is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,984 at the 2020 census. The community is home to a major Shell petroleum refinery. The CDP's name is derived from the New Orleans Refi ...

. He studied at New Orleans University until 1914, then began playing with

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz. He was b ...

in the middle of the decade. He played in various New Orleans ensembles, including the Superior Band, then moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

in 1918. He took his brother's spot in Lawrence Duhe's band briefly before serving in the U.S. Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. By the time he returned,

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 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 ...

was leading Duhe's band, which Hall rejoined in 1921. In 1926 he played with

Jimmie Noone Jimmie Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca. Classica ...

, and then moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

for an extended run with

Mutt Carey Thomas "Papa Mutt" Carey (September 17, 1891 – September 3, 1948) was an American jazz trumpeter. Early life Carey was born in Hahnville, Louisiana,Kernfedl, Barry, ed. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. Macmillan, 1994. p. 185. and move ...

's Jeffersonians (1927–32). He played in the Winslow Allen Band in the 1930s, but took a hiatus from music for part of the decade, and served briefly in the Army again in 1942. In 1945 he rejoined Ory in his Creole Jazz Band and became one of his most longstanding members, remaining with Ory's ensemble until 1956, when he retired on account of poor health. Hall never led his own recording date, though he recorded extensively with Ory and also did some recording with Louis Armstrong in the 1940s. He died in

Sawtelle, California Sawtelle is a district in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California, partially within the West Los Angeles subregion. It was established in 1899 and named after a manager of the Pacific Land Company who was initially responsible fo ...

, aged 61.

References

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles a ...

, Minor Hallat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Minor 1897 births 1959 deaths American jazz drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers People from Norco, Louisiana Jazz musicians from Louisiana 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians