Percy Gaston Humphrey (January 13, 1905 – July 22, 1995) 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 and bandleader 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 ...

, Louisiana. In addition to his band, Percy Humphrey and His Crescent City Joymakers, for more than thirty years he was leader of the Eureka Brass Band. He also played in the band of the pianist Sweet Emma Barrett. From its opening in the early 1960s until shortly before his death, Humphrey played often 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 ...

, traveling internationally for performances with the

Preservation Hall Jazz Band The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans jazz band founded in New Orleans by tuba player Allan Jaffe in the early 1960s. The band derives its name from Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. In 2005, the Hall's doors were closed for a ...

and his own bands. Percy Humphrey was the younger brother of clarinetist Willie Humphrey and trombonist Earl Humphrey. His father was clarinetist Willie Eli Humphrey. His grandfather was "Professor" Jim Humphrey, who took the train from New Orleans to sugar cane plantations during the 1890s to teach music to children of plantation workers.

Leader of Eureka Brass Band (1946-1975)

The Eureka Brass Band was founded in 1920 by trumpeter Willie Wilson. The band's members included clarinetists Willie Parker, John Casimir, and George Lewis. Humphrey took over the band in 1946 and led the group for the remainder of its existence. The members of the band varied, usually having nine to eleven members. Typical instrumentation was three trumpets, two trombones, two reeds, tuba, snare drum, and bass drum. Reed instruments were many, including the saxophones that often are found among jazz bands, but the clarinet is characteristically the signature reed instrument of New Orleans jazz. They recorded prolifically, for such labels as Pax, Alamac, Folkways, Jazzology, and Sounds of New Orleans. A 1951 album, '' New Orleans Parade'', features Humphrey, trombonists Charles "Sunny" Henry and Albert Warner, and saxophonist Emanuel Paul. Their 1962 sessions, ''Jazz at Preservation Hall, Volume 1: the Eureka Brass Band of New Orleans'', issued on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, features Humphrey and his brother, Willie, trumpeters Kid Sheik Cola and Peter Bocage, trombonists Albert Warner and Oscar "Chicken" Henry, Emanuel Paul on tenor saxophone, Wilbert "Bird" Tillman on

sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass musical instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J.W. Pepper & Son, J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was design ...

, snare drummer Cie Frazier, and bass drummer Robert "Son Fewclothes" Lewis. The Eureka Brass Band disbanded in 1975, but Humphrey subsequently revived the name for festival performances and other appearances. He continued to lead his own band and perform at Preservation Hall until his death in New Orleans in 1995. His last performance was at the annual New Orleans jazz festival in April, three months before his death at the age of ninety.

Discography

* 1953 ''Percy Humphrey at Manny's Tavern'' ( Biograph) * 1954 ''Sounds of New Orleans, Vol. 1'': ''Paul Barbarin & His Band/Percy Humphrey's Jam Session'' ( Storyville) * 1961 ''Percy Humphrey's Crescent City Joymakers'' ( Riverside) * 1965 ''Climax Rag'' ( Delmark) * 1972 ''New Orleans to Scandinavia'' (SLP) * 1972 ''A Portrait of Percy Humphrey'' (Storyville) * 1974 ''Living New Orleans Jazz'' (Smokey Mary) * 1995 ''Jazz in Schloss Gracht'' ( GHB) * 1995 ''Hot Six'' (GHB) * 1996 ''Percy Humphrey & Paul Barbarin'' (American Recordings) * 2000 ''In Italy'' (GHB) * 2014 ''Percy Humphrey and the New Orleans Joymakers'' (GHB)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humphrey, Percy 1905 births 1995 deaths Dixieland trumpeters Dixieland bandleaders Jazz musicians from New Orleans American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Riverside Records artists 20th-century American trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Preservation Hall Jazz Band members Eureka Brass Band members