Antonio Sparbaro, known professionally as Tony Sbarbaro or Tony Spargo (June 27, 1897 – October 30, 1969)
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 associated with
New Orleans jazz. He was the
Original Dixieland Jazz Band drummer for over 50 years.
Background
Sbarbaro was born 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
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 ...
, United States,
to an
immigrant
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...
Genoa/Genovese family. Early in his career he played with the
Frayle Brothers Band (possibly as early as 1911)
and the Reliance Band of
Papa Jack Laine. He did side work with
Merritt Brunies and
Carl Randall. He joined the
Original Dixieland Jazz Band for their initial recordings in 1917;
he became its leader in 1925 and remained a member of the ensemble until its dissolution in the 1960s, being the only founding member still in the group at that time.
Sbarbaro also composed for the group, writing the tune "Mourning Blues" among others. He remained a fixture of
Dixieland jazz
Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...
performance for most of his life, playing later in life in New Orleans with
Miff Mole,
Big Chief Moore,
Pee Wee Erwin, and
Eddie Condon. He played at the
New York World's Fair in 1941 and with
Connee Boswell in the 1950s. He left music in the 1960s due to the popularity of
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
, and died in October 1969, in
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 ...
, at the age of 72.
Drumming techniques
Sbarbaro's drum set had a number of nonstandard qualities. He employed wood blocks, cowbells, and Chinese tom-toms, and used a custom arrangement for his bass and snare drum. He used the technique known as "double-drumming",
hitting the bass drum with the butt end of the drum stick. Sbarbaro even put stuffed animals inside drums to change their sound. He also had a kazoo attached to his set, providing some of the band's sound effects.
Grammy Hall of Fame
"
Darktown Strutters' Ball" (1917) by Original Dixieland Jass Band was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sbarbaro, Tony
1897 births
1969 deaths
American jazz drummers
American people of Italian descent
Jazz musicians from New Orleans
American jazz musicians
Original Dixieland Jass Band members
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Drummers from New Orleans