Editing Original Dixieland Jass Band (section)

== Break-ups and reunions ==
The band broke up in 1926 because its brand of free-wheeling jazz was then considered old-fashioned. As [[Abel Green]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' put it: "[Paul] [[Paul Whiteman|Whiteman]] with his symphonic syncopation came along and made America and the world conscious of his arranged sweet foxtrotology. Then the Dixieland Band folded for good."<ref>Abel Green, ''Variety'' July 8, 1936, p. 41.</ref>

The band members scattered. Leader/trumpeter Nick LaRocca returned to his construction business in New Orleans. Clarinetist Larry Shields moved to Chicago, then to New Orleans where he worked for a Bible publisher. Trombonist Eddie Edwards was discovered operating a newsstand in New York City; newspaper publicity resulted in Edwards fronting a local nightclub band. Drummer Tony Sbarbaro was now a mechanic. Pianist J. Russel Robinson was in radio, a musical director for the [[National Broadcasting Company|NBC]] network. Although ''Variety'' reported in November 1932 that Victor planned to use the band in new remakes of their old hits, only Eddie Edwards and Tony Sbarbaro were mentioned, with nightclub emcee Kendall Capps set to front the "Original Dixieland Jazz Band" in live performances.<ref>''Variety'', Nov. 15, 1932, p. 60.</ref> Nothing came of this and no recordings resulted.

In October 1935 Tony Sbarbaro recorded four sides for Vocalion with his own quintet, billed as "Original Dixieland Jazz Band". In early 1936 Nick LaRocca and Larry Shields reunited in New Orleans for a hotel date. Encouraged by the response, they continued to play local clubs and private functions. LaRocca, gauging the audiences for dance-band music, listened to the latest swing records and decided that the ODJB could appeal to those listeners as well. He assembled a 14-piece swing band featuring four members of the ODJB: himself, Larry Shields, J. Russel Robinson, and Tony Sbarbaro. "Nick LaRocca and The Original Dixieland Band" recorded nine sides for Victor in September 1936. Trade columnists welcomed these new big-band versions of the old hits, with the technological advance of electrical recording (with microphones) yielding a tremendous improvement in fidelity over the old acoustic recordings. Clarinetist Larry Shields received particularly positive attention: "It is here that one of the all too few opportunities to hear and judge Shields by himself is found," wrote ''The Record Changer''. "It is Larry Shields who packs the punch, much as he did in the regular, smaller band."<ref>''The Record Changer'', Feb. 1954, pp. 4-5 (printed as part of Larry Shields' obituary).</ref>

Eddie Edwards, the only ODJB member absent from the first big-band session on September 2, showed up at the studio toward the end of the second big-band session on September 25. The original quintet ran through "Skeleton Jangle" without the big band. The take went so well that Victor invited the quintet back into the studio to record five more songs on November 10, 1936. Victor credited these records to "The Original Dixieland Five" to avoid confusion with Victor's "Original Dixieland Band" records then in circulation. Benny Goodman (who was present at the quintet's Victor recording session) named Shields as an important early influence, and invited the band to appear on his network radio show, where the ODJB was a sensation. The band was booked into New York's famous Paramount theater in April 1937, one month after Goodman's spectacular showing at the Paramount.<ref>''Radio Daily'', April 29, 1937, p. 4.</ref> Victor even coupled the new Goodman recording of "St. Louis Blues" with the Original Dixieland Five's recording of "Clarinet Marmalade" on the same 78-rpm disc.

The ODJB reunion received widespread publicity, including a ''[[The March of Time|March of Time]]'' newsreel re-creating the group's first recording session and showing their successful performance in Boston on December 31, 1936. J. Russel Robinson compared the band's style to modern swing, which reporter Abel Green encapsulated: "Swing is no different basically than the old Dixieland style. The sole difference is that today it is closer harmony, because it's arranged. The arranger scores the supposed improvisations because otherwise it would sound like bedlam. When a small combo of four or five jams it out, no arrangement is necessary because each instrumentalist merely takes the chorus lead in sequence."

[[Ken Murray (entertainer)|Ken Murray]], always a fan of bygone acts, hired the band in late 1936 for a tour of personal appearances. Bass violinist Harry Barth was added to the band in January 1937 for these stage shows. A ''Variety'' reviewer caught the Baltimore engagement and disapproved of Murray's handling: "Unfortunately boys aren't getting the spotlight they deserve. They're part of Murray's act and, with two brief exceptions, there's something in front of band [at] all times. To many, that old act has been mythical, especially in last year-and-half. Murray didn't even adequately explain band's background when intro'ing it. Comic should certainly take advantage of what he has in his own act."<ref>''Variety'', Jan. 20, 1937, p. 20.</ref>

After the stint with Murray, the band's radio and stage appearances were now being arranged by veteran band booker and manager [[Ed Kirkeby]]. The band opened [[Billy Rose]]'s opulent Frontier Fiesta club in Fort Worth, Texas in July 1937.<ref>''Radio Daily'', July 26, 1937, p. 8.</ref> They played throughout the summer at the Dallas-Fort Worth Exposition, and returned to New York on October 1 for a booking at the Old New York nightclub.<ref>''Radio Daily'', Sept. 14, 1937, p. 5.</ref> Toward the end of the tour, there were disagreements about LaRocca's leadership; Harry Barth had left angrily on August 7 when he asked LaRocca for a raise and was refused.<ref>''Variety'', Aug. 11, 1937, p. 61.</ref> LaRocca and Edwards also argued back and forth. On January 17, 1938, LaRocca served notice on both the band members and the musicians' union in New York that the ODJB would be disbanding. The band officially broke up on February 1, 1938.

In the immediate aftermath, two factions competed as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Edwards, Shields, and Sbarbaro had one more recording date with Victor on February 18, 1938; they were augmented by New York-area sidemen and vocalist Lola Bard. They recorded six songs for Victor's Bluebird label, and the records were credited to the "Original Dixieland Jazz Band with Shields, Edwards and Sbarbaro; vocal refrain by Lola Bard." The Edwards band toured the southern United States in the spring of 1938. Meanwhile the other two members, LaRocca and Robinson, had "their own combo in New York".<ref>''Variety'', April 27, 1938, p. 48.</ref>

Most of the ODJB veterans continued to work after Nick La Rocca retired completely from the musical scene. In November 1943 Tony Sbarbaro, claiming ownership of the ODJB name, brought back Eddie Edwards (and went after Larry Shields) to appear with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in [[Sol Hurok]]'s stage production ''Tropical Review'' in Forrest, New York.<ref>''Variety'', Nov. 24, 1943, p. 52.</ref> In 1944, a new version of "Tiger Rag" was released as [[V-Disc]] 214, featuring Edwards and Sbarbaro under the ODJB name; "Sensation Rag" also was released as V-Disc 214B2. V-Discs were non-commercial recordings issued only to the U.S. armed forces. In 1946 Tony Sbarbaro (now using the name Tony Spargo) led a new eight-man group, "The Emperors of Jazz", with ODJB alumnus Frank Signorelli on piano.<ref>''The Record Changer'', Nov. 1946, p. 2.</ref> J. Russel Robinson moved to California and continued to write songs, forming his own publishing company Southern California Music in 1952.

In 1960 the book, ''The Story of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band'', was published. Writer H. O. Brunn based it on Nick LaRocca's recollections, which sometimes differ from that of other sources.

Of the veteran quintet, only Tony Sbarbaro lived to witness RCA Victor's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Larry Shields died in 1953, Nick LaRocca in 1961, Eddie Edwards and J. Russel Robinson in 1963, and Tony Sbarbaro in 1969.

Back in New Orleans, LaRocca licensed bandleader [[Phil Zito]] to use the ODJB name for many years. Nick LaRocca's son, Jimmy LaRocca, continues to lead bands under the name The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, which LaRocca the younger has trademarked.