Alfred "Tubby" Hall (October 12, 1895 – May 13, 1945) was an American
jazz drummer.
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 ...
; his family moved to New Orleans in his childhood. His younger brother
Minor "Ram" Hall also became a professional drummer. He played in many marching bands in New Orleans, including with
Buddie Petit
Buddie Petit (born Joseph Crawford; ca. 1897 – July 4, 1931), also spelled Buddy Petit, was an American early jazz cornetist.
His early life is somewhat mysterious, with dates of his birth given in various sources ranging from 1887 to 1897. He ...
.
Chilton, John, ''Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street'', Da Capo Press, 1985, p. 132. . Retrieved May 20, 2010.
In March 1917 Tubby Hall moved to Chicago, where he played with Sugar Johnny Smith. After two years in the United States Army, he returned to playing in Chicago mostly with New Orleans bands, joining
Carroll Dickerson's Orchestra (recording with it in 1927) and later with the groups of
King Oliver,
Jimmie Noone,
Tiny Parham,
Johnny Dodds
Johnny Dodds (; April 12, 1892 – August 8, 1940) was an American jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist based in New Orleans, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, ...
. Noted swing and big-band drummer
Gene Krupa said that Hall and Zutty Singleton "were great! They knew every trick and just how to phrase the parts of the choruses behind the horns, how to lead a man in, what to do at the turn-arounds, when to use sticks and when to use brushes, when to go for the rims or the woodblocks, what cymbals are for."
He is seen in Armstrong's movies of the early 1930s, including the live action and
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick.Pointer (2017) She originally appeared in the ''Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer ...
cartoon ''
I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You'' (1932) and ''A Rhapsody in Black and Blue'' (1932), made by
Paramount. Only Armstrong and Hall got closeups in the two films, and both get their faces transposed with those of racially stereotyped "jungle natives" in the cartoon. Hall morphs from a jazz drummer to a cannibal stirring a cooking pot with two wooden sticks.
His drumming style was forceful and sober, generally maintaining constant tempo on the
snare. Jazz critic
Hugues Panassié considered him one of the three greatest jazz drummers of his generation, along with
Zutty Singleton and
Warren "Baby" Dodds
Warren "Baby" Dodds (December 24, 1898 – February 14, 1959) was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He is regarded as one of the best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era, and one of the most important ...
.
Panassié, Hugues, ''The Real Jazz'', Smith and Durrell, Inc., 1942. Second printing August 1943, pp. 154, 155. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
Tubby Hall died in Chicago.[
]
References
External links
A Rhapsody in Black and Blue" (1932) at Google video.
Betty Boop: "I'll be glad when you're dead, you rascal you" (1932) at Internet Archive.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Tubby
1895 births
1945 deaths
Jazz musicians from New Orleans
African-American drummers
American jazz drummers
20th-century American drummers
American male drummers
People from Norco, Louisiana
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
The Eagle Band members
20th-century African-American musicians