Luis Russell - Chicago and New York City

Chicago and New York City

In Chicago he played with Doc Cook and King Oliver, in addition to occasional jobs under his own name and pick up bands in recording studios. With Oliver's band Russell moved to New York City in May 1927. In October of that year he left Oliver to start his own band.

By 1929, Russell's band became one of the top jazz groups in New York. It had several former Oliver sidemen. Noteworthy players in his band included trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen, trombonist J.C. Higginbotham and alto saxophonist Albert Nicholas; Armstrong wound up taking over the band as front man in 1935.

The band returned to Russell's name while Armstrong played in California and Europe in the early 1930s; Russell and Armstrong were reunited in 1935. They again split paths in 1943 when Russell formed a new band under his own name, which played at the Savoy and Apollo in Manhattan as well as in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Between 1926 and 1934, Russell recorded only 38 sides (mostly using his own name), plus those issued under Henry "Red" Allen (1929) and a handful where Louis Armstrong fronted his band. Of these, his 1929-1930 OKeh Records sides are considered jazz milestones.

After the OKeh contract ended in September 1930, Russell recorded a handful of largely unremarkable sessions for Melotone, Brunswick and Victor. An exception was the super hot "Saratoga Drag" b/w "Ease On Down" (mislabelled as "Case On Dawn" for Vocalion).

After no recordings under his name between late 1931 and late 1934, Russell recorded a session for ARC (Melotone, Perfect, Oriole, Banner, Romeo) in 1934 which yielded 6 very precise modern recordings (three featured Sonny Woods' novelty vocals, one featured the great, although obscure vocal group The Palmer Brothers. The two instrumental sides, "Primitive" and "Hokus Pokus" are amazing examples of hot jazz precision. (Sonny Woods' vocal of "Old Man River" was something of a hit.)

In 1935 Louis Armstrong took it over the orchestra altogether and for the next eight years they functioned as back-up band for Armstrong with Russell acting as the musical director. Russell led a new band from 1943-48 that played at the Savoy and Apollo and made a few recordings.