Willie Ragas - 186 Magnolia Plantation - 22 Port Sulphur - 151 St

1 Prof. Humphrey 2 Point a la Hache - 113 Willie Ragas - 186 Magnolia Plantation - 22 Port Sulphur - 151 St. Thomas Catholic Church - 188 Governor Warmoth - 26 Venice & Buras - 154 Pride Brass Band - 196 Eclipse Marching Band 34 Plaquemines Parish String Bands - 155 Maps & Photos - 202 Barnes - 35 Other Halls in Plaquemine - 159 Henry - 40 Tri-Color Band of Home Place - 162 Robinson - 43 Band Serenades - 167 Willie Parker - 56 Picnics - 169 Chris Kelly - 62 Crescent Brass Band of Jesuit Bend - 176 Deer Range Plantation - 90 New Texas Settlement Brass Band - 179 Robert Hingle - 96 Other Brass Bands - 18 2 Plaquemines Parish The Plantation Belt Professor James B. Humphrey Below the city of New Orleans, along the banks of the Mississippi River, lies the "Lower Plantation Belt," a long line of sugar/rice/fruit plantations extending approximately 25 miles, beginning just below English Turn. There were about 19 plantations on both sides of the river, the last of the group being Magnolia Plantation. The total number of plantations changed from time to time with smaller ones combining with others to make one large plantation. Most of these plantations accommodated music in one form or another. It was from these plantations, beginning in the last decade of the 19th Century that furnished the world some of the first and second generation jazz musicians. The brass band movement was at its' height of popularity during the turn of the century. Bands like Sousa and 3 Gilmore were serenading the world with brilliant marches, quadrilles and the craze of the time, ragtime. New Orleans was a haven for brass bands, probably having more per capita than any other city in the United States. The early jazz musician, long thought to have been primitive, musically only just removed from the primitive Africanisms of Congo Square, were in fact, well-trained musicians, able to read music, having been taught by skilled music teachers. One such teacher was James Brown Humphrey. Usually once a week Professor Humphrey boarded a train of the New Orleans, Fort Jackson and Grand Isle Railroad Company, dressed in a swallow-tail coat, arriving at the various plantations along the "Plantation Belt" of the Mississippi Delta Country. Professor Humphrey was a respected teacher/musician in the city of New Orleans and was to teach many of the early jazz musicians of New Orleans. He would travel the "Plantation Belt" and organize brass bands on the plantations along the Mississippi River. He formed bands at: Magnolia Plantation, Deer Range Plantation, St. Sophie (Phoenix), Ironton, Belair Plantation, Jesuits Bend and Oakville, all within 25 miles of land along the river on both banks. Once a week Professor Humphrey scheduled brass band rehearsals at each place, many times sleeping over the night and continuing on to the next location to teach music to eagerly awaiting young Black field hands. Willie Humphrey the Younger remembers his Grandfather teaching at other locations in and around New Orleans. Besides teaching in the lower Plantation Belt he also taught at Woodland Plantation in LaPlace, Louisiana, the home of Kid Ory, up the river a little further at a town called Reserve, in the "Upper Plantation Belt." Professor Humphrey also taught as far away as Mississippi. Willie Humphrey, in an interview (March 15, 1959) said that his Grandfather taught at New Orleans University on Saturdays. "Professor Humphrey, around January 1st, when William Nickerson left on a tour with a musical road show company, took his position as director of the Straight and Southern University bands and orchestras. (Now Dillard University) Nickerson returned to his position at Southern at the end of April, 1887, having spent 5 months on the road: In the Weekly Pelican of April 30, 1887 we read: "Mr. W. J. Nickerson has taken charge of the bands of Straight and Southern University. Mr. J. B. Humphrey was the efficient teacher during Mr. Nickerson's absence." James Brown Humphrey was born November 25th, 1859 in Sellers, Louisiana, a town northwest of New Orleans in St. Charles Parish, now part of the town of Norco. He had red hair and played and taught all the instruments. J. B. played in the Bloom Philharmonic Orchestra that contained a number of leading New Orleans classically trained Creole/black musicians. He was also in the band playing the Fairgrounds with George Moret in 1913. He often played solos on the trumpet at concerts in New Orleans. We read of such an occasion in the March 12, 1887 Weekly Pelican: "Southern University exercises for the move to the new building....on the program is Professor Humphrey, performing a cornet solo." J. B. was a member of the Pelican Brass Band when it was organized on January 23, 1889 with J. Dresch as leader. (Weekly Pelican, March 2, 1889) In an interview (Nov. 4, 1965) Percy Humphrey remembers his grandfather: 4 "He taught many jazz musicians, living and dead. He taught from New Orleans to Buras, to the mouth of the river, all the way up the river beyond St. James Parish, on both sides of the river." During the 1880's to around 1915, the river plantations continued to produce with Black workers continuing to labor in the fields. There was labor competition between the Black laborers of the day and the white laborers for qualified positions. Good workers were treated well. At Magnolia, Governor Warmoth bought the band uniforms and instruments and Professor Humphrey trained the field hands in music, which was used as an additional benefit in working at Magnolia Plantation. Percy verifies this practice in the same interview as previously stated: "The plantation owners wanted to keep the people interested and wanted them to learn something other than farming." Professor Humphrey, as expressed in the many interview opinions of his musicianship and teaching ability, was known as a brass band teacher, but his ability in playing popular forms of music had never been documented. Percy remembers his Grandfather playing the blues at a special concert for the return of Will Sr. to New Orleans: "Percy's father traveled with circuses and minstrel shows. He returned to New Orleans to play at the Lyric Theater. The concert was widely published as a New Orleans musician coming home His father, Professor James B. Humphrey came out on the stage and played." He was joined by his offspring's, who came on the stage and joined in on the blues. The Humphrey's were a very musical family. All the Humphrey children were musical as well as Mrs. Ella Humphrey, J. B.'s wife. Percy remarks about the Humphrey household: "Every Sunday the Humphrey family had a concert. Percy's Grandmother played no instrument but had a good singing voice and sang vocals. She sang hymns and spirituals...all the Humphrey children wanted to play like their Grandfather." Professor Humphrey is spoken of as a good and strict teacher. Little is known about his technique of teaching. Percy tells a bit about the Professor's technique of teaching: "James B. Humphrey had to use simple teaching material. He started students on various instruments and the one which the student handled the best; he made him stay with that one. If the student couldn't learn to read, he was trained by ear. He taught the rudiments of music. 'Coonjive' was a form of music which was used." Professor Humphrey wrote syncopated rhythms as musical exercises and material for his students. These rhythms were characteristic of early jazz phrasing. People liked the things he wrote that were syncopated. This training, developed in many early jazz musicians, a concept of syncopated phrasing, something that did not appear in the music of the march or even constantly in early ragtime. But, when added to ragtime, this syncopated feeling was an early example of what we call 'swinging' a piece of music. J. B. brought many of the bands he taught in the country into New Orleans for special days when more band were needed than could be found within the city. Band like the Eclipse Band from Magnolia Plantation, the band from Deer Range, or the Onward 5 Band from Reserve, and others, all came and marched in parades in New Orleans and other places. Percy recalls that "On carnival day and other big days such as Labor Day and Odd Fellows Day, James Humphrey would bring in bands from the country to parade with the organizations. (Percy was talking about the time on and before He was born in 1905.) James B. Humphrey was part of the process that produced jazz. There was no jazz before James Humphrey. There were the regular brass bands and ragtime bands, bands that read music off of the little march cards. There was 'legitimate' music. If the music was too hard the leaders of these early American dance bands (such as J. B.'s) would arrange an easier orchestration. James Humphrey's place in jazz history is one of paramount importance and a list of his peers, both in the bands in which he played and the musicians he taught and associated with, would read like a who's who of early jazz. Among the New Orleans musicians who were pupils of James Humphrey was John Casimir, a clarinetist. He remembers that: "My father played in the Pickwick Brass Band taught by Professor Humphrey. Humphrey had good bands. I was taking lessons from Jim Humphrey, Bb clarinet for orchestra and Eb clarinet for marching. My father read 6/8 marches and played mellophone." (Jan. 17, 1959) Burke Stevenson, who along with his father were pupils of Professor Humphrey at Deer Range Plantation, talks of the Deer Range Band: "Deer Range Band was pretty good; it played for dances and parades.

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