19. Traditional Jazz uring the far-ranging jazz style experiments in the 1960s, jazz became more complex, more D fragmented and in some ways more exclusive. Some longtime jazz fans, who were turned off by such artists as Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor, said the new forms ofjazz were creating an esoteric art reserved for only a few hip insiders, not the popular art form they had known in earlier years. Buddy DeFranco, who was leading the Glenn Miller ghost band at the time, and was a highly regarded bop clarinetist, said, "The more harmonically developed you get, the further away from the audience you're going to get and then, all ofa sudden, you have just a select few." But there were some musicians and listeners who Louisiana State Museum related the appreciation of jazz to the appreciation of Bunk Johnson (in back row with comet) posing classical music. They believed good music is timeless with the Superior Orchestra in 1910 regardless of the latest fads. The experiments of the the raucous Original Dixieland Jazz Band recordings, 1960s prompted some longtime jazz fans to revert to the were released September 17 by Delta Records in an roots ofthe music, just as others had done in the 1940s album of four 78 rpm records that sold for $6. The when the great popularity of the swing bands had records caused a sensation and triggered new interest in transformed jazz from an off-beat novelty into a serious earlyjazz and prompted further searches for the origins art form and research into the history ofjazz began. of the music. Broun also found trumpeter Willie "Bunk" Johnson Broun's search for the origins of jazz who had played in New Orleans at the turn of the Heywood Hale Broun, the 22-year-old son of a century with the legendary Buddy Bolden and the newspaperman whose column ran regularly in the Superior Brass Band. Broun also tried to record Cleveland Press, suspected the records of the Original Johnson, but the trumpeter declined, saying he needed a Dixieland Jazz Band were not really true reflections of decent trumpet and some new teeth before he could try the earliest forms ofjazz. Broun went to New Orleans in to make some records in the old style. August of 1940 hoping to record some of the early pioneers of jazz. He found trumpeter Kid Rena, Mary Karoley's home recordings clarinetists Alphonse Picou and Louis "Big Eye" Nelson, Two years later and trombonist Jim Robinson. They gathered August 14, (February, 1942), 1940 in the home of guitarist Willie Santiago to play. Mary Karoley, a friend Writing in the September 1940 edition ofHRS Society of clarinetist and Rag, Broun recalled he wasn't sure ifthe aging musicians saxophonist Sidney could still play. "I said in a high nervous voice, 'Let's try Bechet, made another "Panama.' After about four bars, I worried about nothing. attempt to record the My seven veterans were getting a 62-year-old Johnson. kick out of it." She went to his home A week later, Broun in New Iberia, took the musicians, Louisiana, knocked on ranging in age the door, and found the from 41 to 70, to a pioneer trumpeter in studio at New his small living room, Orleans radio reading a newspaper. station WWL and He was dressed in a recorded eight cotton shirt, work sides including trousers and blazing " High Society," red suspenders. She " Panama," "Clarinet Bunk Johnson in 1942 later wrote, "His Marmalade," and "Gettysburg handshake was gentle, March." The records, which did not sound much like but the texture of his skin was very rough. I wondered Traditional Jazz 183 what he was doing to earn his living." Crippled." Within a few minutes, Mary Karoley persuaded After recording Johnson to play for her. She got an inexpensive disc the music, which recording machine from her car, but discovered there echoed the earliest was no electricity in Bunk' s home. A neighbor stretched forms ofjazz, the a series ofextension cords to Bunk's living room. When researchers also everything was set up, the trumpeter looked at Karoley interviewed and asked, "What do you want me to play, Miss Mary?" Johnson. He "Anything that comes to your head," she said. He claimed he had picked up his old, beat-up trumpet with sticky valves and taught Louis started to play. He played "Shine" and she heard and Armstrong to play recorded what no one else had heard in decades - jazz the trumpet. Armstrong pioneer Bunk Johnson playing with obvious tone, later denied Johnson's claim rhythm and drive. but confirmed that as a child he had followed Johnson Johnson apologized for his terrible hom and asked during New Orleans street parades. Johnson also said he Karoley to take a message to his old New Orleans friend had taught Joe "King" Oliver, Armstrong's early mentor. Sidney Bechet. "Tell him I'm in need ofa good trumpet He said he had received a letter from Oliver in 1929 and if there' s anything that he can do, I'd be mighty confirming his claim. "That letter is in Cleveland, "said proud." Johnson. "Miss Mary has that. " After playing "Weary Blues," Johnson told Karoley, "I'm about the only trumpet player living today of that The search for Mary Karoley ._ age, ofthe old gang, and able to play." For several years, I attempted to confirm that Mary Bunk concluded his private concert in his home for the Karoley was from Cleveland: In New Orleans, I went to woman he called "Miss Mary" by playing a tune he had see George Buck, the man who was running American played with Buddy Bolden in 1895, "Pallet on the Floor." Music, the record company that released those early She took those crude home recordings, including her recordings of Johnson and Bechet made by Karoley. interview with Johnson, to New York and played them for Buck said he didn't know ifshe was a Clevelander, but he her good friend, John Reid, who was working for RCA believed she married a man named John Reid. Victor Records. She also played them for Sidney Bechet. Then Buck introduced me to Dick Allen, the former After listening, Bechet recorded a message for Johnson. curator of the Tulane University Jazz Archive, who had He said, "What do you say there, Bunk, old pal? Boy it done extensive research into early New Orleans jazz. was a treat to hear your voice over that record." Allen smiled and said Mary Karoley and John Reid were The clarinetist and saxophonist, who had left New never married but had lived together for a long time. Orleans to play with Oberlin College graduate Will We took the St. Charles Street trolley to Tulane Marion Cook, Clevelander Noble Sissie and Duke.l University and went to the Jazz Archive and met the new Ellington, said he wanted to play again with Johnson. curator, Bruce Raeburn, the son of bandleader Boyd "Listen, old boy," said Bechet, "why don't you make up Raeburn. He went through the files but could find very your mind and corne here (to New York) so we can little about Mary Karoley. make some records together." With Mary Karoley's He did produce an old newspaper article about Reid. portable disc recorder rolling, Bechet picked up his It said he was a native of New Jersey who worked for saxophone and began playing along with Bunk RCA, later owned an electronics company in Little Rock, Johnson' s recorded trumpet on "Weary Blues." Arkansas, and had a collection of about 5,000 jazz records. The article also said Reid had died at the age of Bunk's first recording session 65 in 1974 in Little Rock. The article also said Reid had Four month's after Mary Karoley's home recordings the jazz notes of Mary Karoley. While reading this, I of Bunk Johnson playing, in June of 1942, three jazz wondered if those notes included that letter from King researchers - Bill Russell, David Stuart and Gene Oliver to Bunk Johnson, the letter that, according to Williams - beat RCA Victor to the punch. They went to Johnson, "Miss Mary has in Cleveland." New Orleans and made a series ofrecords with Johnson I later learned that Reid' s collection of records and playing in a band that included clarinetist George Lewis notes had been contributed to the Arkansas Arts Center in and trombonist Jim Robinson. The recordings included Little Rock. When I tried to get access to the collection, "Panama," "Down by the Riverside," "Storyville Blues," librarian Patrice O'Donoghue told me the collection was "Ballin' the Jack," "Pallet on the Floor," "Weary Blues," not accessible because it was in storage. "Moose March," "Bunk's Blues" and "Yes, Lord, I'm I later discovered in a 1942 Cleveland City Directory 184 Cleveland Jazz History that there was a Mary Karoley living on Lorain Avenue. tell me of a good trombone player," remembered 1 also learned that a year and a half after her fIrst meeting Krawcheck, "and 1 would go alone on the street car and with Bunk Johnson, Karoley was living in Mount listen to him. If! thought he was good, I would ask him Healthy, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati. to come down to the next session." After those historic Bunk Johnson records, made by Among the young music:ians who took part in the bi­ the three jazz researchers, were released on the Jazz Man weekly Hot Club jam sessions was singer Frankie Laine, label, Johnson and Lewis became nationaljazz celebrities who at the time was working in a defense plant in and toured the country, setting offa revival ofearly jazz.