Editing Tommy Ladnier

{{short description|American jazz trumpeter (1900–1939)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Tommy Ladnier
| image = Ladnier.png
| background      = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name      = Thomas James Ladnier
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1900|05|28}}
| birth_place     = [[Mandeville, Louisiana|Mandeville]], Louisiana, U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1939|06|04|1900|05|28}}
| death_place     = [[Harlem]], [[Manhattan]], [[New York City|New York]]
| genre           = [[Jazz]]
| instrument      = Trumpet
| past_member_of = [[Mezz Mezzrow]]
| years_active    = 1921–1939
}}

'''Thomas James Ladnier''' (May 28, 1900 – June 4, 1939) was an American [[jazz]] trumpeter. [[Hugues Panassié]] – an influential French critic, jazz historian, and renowned exponent of [[Dixieland|New Orleans jazz]] – rated Ladnier, sometime on or before 1956, second only to [[Louis Armstrong]].<ref name="Panassié-Gautier 1956" /><ref name="Jackson-Southern 1882" /><ref name="Grove-Jazz 1996" />

==Early years==
Ladnier was born in [[Mandeville, Louisiana|Mandeville]], Louisiana – located on the north shore of [[Lake Pontchartrain]], with [[New Orleans]] on the opposite shore. Beginning 1914, Ladnier performed in Mandeville's Independence Band at the [[Dew Drop Social and Benevolent Hall|Dew Drop Dance Hall]], led by clarinetist Isidore Frick ''(né'' Isidore Fritz; 1890–1940). Trumpeter [[Bunk Johnson]] sometimes played with this band and gave young Ladnier lessons. Other members of the band included Louis Fritz (trombone); Joe Fritz (bass); Klebert Cagnolatti (drums) – older brother of trumpeter [[Cag Cagnolatti]] (1911–1983); Claybear (sax); Leon Laurent (violin); [[Buddy Petit]] (1890–1931) (cornet); Lucien Fritz (drums), [[Edmond Hall]] (1901–1967) (clarinet).<ref name="Tammany-Family 2019 Jan 10" /><ref name="Digest 1960 Apr 30" />

In 1917, Ladnier moved with his mother to Chicago and worked in the [[Chicago Stock Yards|stock yards]].

==Early career==
Ladnier – on February 1, 1920, in [[Chicago]] – married Daisy Mathews ''(née'' Hazel B. Mathews; 1902–1979).<ref name="Ladnier-Mathews-marriage 1920" /> Around 1921, he became a professional musician. Ladnier played for some time in St. Louis with [[Charlie Creath]].<ref name="All-Music-Guide-to-Jazz 1998" /> Beginning in 1923, he played in Chicago and made many recordings for [[Paramount Records]] with pianist [[Lovie Austin]], accompanying blues singers [[Ma Rainey]], [[Ida Cox]], and [[Alberta Hunter]]. For some time, Ladnier played with his inspiration, [[King Oliver]]. He emulated Oliver's freak style on the solo in "Play that Thing" with Ollie Power's Harmony Syncopators in September 1923.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Brothers|first=Thomas|title=Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company|year=2014|isbn=978-0-393-06582-4|location=New York, NY|pages=101}}</ref> On March 13, 1923, in Chicago, Ladnier's mother, Willie Ladnier ''(née'' Willie Williams; abt. 1879–1923) died from a gun shot at a party quarrel.

==Career==
Ladnier joined pianist [[Sam Wooding]] in 1925<ref name="All-Music-Guide-to-Jazz 1998" /> for an extensive tour (Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, and Russia).<ref name="Dr-Jazz-Mag 2009 Jun" /><ref name="Lindström-Vernhettes 2009" />

{{main|Chocolate Kiddies 1925 European tour}}

This orchestra recorded in Berlin. He returned to New York and became the hot soloist for the [[Fletcher Henderson]] orchestra from 1926–1927.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Brothers|first=Thomas|title=Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company|year=2014|isbn=978-0-393-06582-4|location=New York, NY|pages=278–79}}</ref> He returned to the Sam Wooding Orchestra for another tour<ref name="All-Music-Guide-to-Jazz 1998" /> (Germany, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, and France), then left in January 1929 to work freelance in Paris. A short tour with dancer Harry Fleming brought him to Spain, where he met dancer [[Louis Douglas]] and joined him shortly in November 1929 in Paris, acting as orchestra leader. He again free-lanced in Paris until summer 1930 when he joined the [[Noble Sissle]] dance band, performing in Paris and London.

He returned to U.S. at the end of 1930 and stayed with Sissle until January 1932. The Sissle orchestra made some recordings in London and New York. Back in America in 1932, Ladnier and [[Sidney Bechet]] formed the New Orleans Feetwarmers. During the Depression, they tried to run a tailor shop in Harlem, but neither was interested in business. Ladnier left New York and played in the east, sometimes giving trumpet lessons. For a year, he lived in [[Stamford, Connecticut]].

In 1938, [[Hugues Panassié]], a French critic and record producer who met Ladnier in Paris in 1930, visited New York. He found Ladnier and recorded the Panassié Sessions with Sidney Bechet and [[Mezz Mezzrow]].<ref name="All-Music-Guide-to-Jazz 1998" /> Ladnier and Bechet participated in the first ''[[From Spirituals to Swing]]'' concert arranged by [[John Hammond (record producer)|John Hammond]] in December 1938.

Ladnier's last [[studio recording]] was on February 1, 1939, in [[New York City|New York]] as a sideman with singer [[Rosetta Crawford]] [[:de:Rosetta Crawford|(de)]] accompanied by James P. Johnson's Hep Cats ([[Decca Records|Decca]] 7584). With [[James P. Johnson|Johnson]] (1894–1955) on piano, his sidemen were [[Teddy Bunn]] (1909–1978) (guitar); [[Elmer James]] (1910–1954) (double bass); and [[Zutty Singleton]] (1898–1975) (drums).<ref name="Rust 1978" />

==Death==
At age 39, Ladnier, died unexpectedly of a heart attack June 4, 1939, while staying at [[Mezz Mezzrow]]'s apartment at 1 West 126th Street<ref name="Tommy-Ladnier-NYC-death-cert 1939 Jun 4" /> – a six-story, 48-unit residential building in the [[Harlem]] neighborhood of [[Manhattan]].<ref name="Chicago-Defender 1939 Jun 17" /><ref name="1-W-126th-St-Cert-of-Occupancy" /> It fell upon Mezzrow to take care of Ladnier's belongings and bury him. The memorial service was on Friday, June 9, 1939. Ladnier was buried at [[Frederick Douglass Memorial Park]], [[Staten Island]], an African American cemetery.<ref name="Claghorn 1982" />  The first burials there were in 1935. Ladnier's grave is No. 58, range 13, Section H. Despite efforts by Mezzrow and friends, the grave remained unmarked for nearly 69 years. Then, grave marker – {{convert|30|cm|in|adj=on}} square, {{convert|13|mm|in|adj=on}} thick – was placed on Ladnier's grave. It was carved from Nero Granite with no grain structure and is attached to a concrete base. The marker was engraved by Bob Sprauge and was placed on site by Bob Lang.<ref name="Jazz-Research Ladnier's-grave" />

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="All-Music-Guide-to-Jazz 1998">''[[All Music Guide to Jazz]],'' (re: "Tommy Ladnier," article entry by [[Scott Yanow]])
<ol type="a" start="1">
<li> [[Michael Erlewine]], executive editor
<li> [[Vladimir Bogdanov (editor)|Vladimir Bogdanov]], database design
<li> Chris Woodstra, editor-in-chief
<li> [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]], senior editor
<li> [[Scott Yanow]], senior jazz editor</ol>
{{Hanging indent |text=(3rd ed.; paperback), [[Miller Freeman Books]] (1998), p. 673; {{OCLC|71402439|760120946}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8793-0530-7}} }}
{{Hanging indent |text=(online edition) {{cite web|last1= |first1= |title=Tommy Ladnier|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tommy-ladnier-mn0000624348/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=5 July 2017}} }}
Note: Ladnier's place of birth and place of death in the print version differs from other sources.</ref>

<ref name="Dr-Jazz-Mag 2009 Jun">[https://www.doctorjazz.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/djm205p16.pdf "Tommy Ladnier in Rusland"] (in [[Dutch language|Dutch]]), by Bo Lindström (born 1939) and Daniel Vernhettes (born 1942), ''[[Doctor Jazz Magazine]]'' [[:nl:Doctor Jazz Magazine|(nl)]] ([[Amsterdam]]), June 2009, p. 16; {{ISSN|0166-2309}}</ref>

<ref name="Lindström-Vernhettes 2009">''Traveling Blues: The Life and Music of Tommy Ladnier,'' by Bo Lindström (born 1939) and Daniel Vernhettes (born 1942), [[Paris]]: {{URL|http://www.jazzedit.org|Jazz'Edit}} (2009); {{OCLC|471874599|1010079957}}</ref>

<ref name="Panassié-Gautier 1956">''Guide to Jazz'' (re: "Ladnier, Tommy"), by [[Hugues Panassié]] and Madeleine Gautier (Panassi's wife, since 1949), translated by Desmond Flower (1907–1997), [[Houghton Mifflin Company]] (1956), pps. 162–163; {{OCLC|461481104}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8371-6766-4}}</ref>

<ref name="Jackson-Southern 1882">''Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians'' (re: "Ladnier, Thomas"), by [[Eileen Jackson Southern]] (1920–2002), [[Greenwood Press]] (1982), p. 236; {{LCCN|812586}}; {{OCLC|902119012}}; {{ISBN|0-313-21339-9}} (borrowable online ''via'' {{URL|https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict00sout|Internet Archive}})<br />Her sources:
<ol type="a" start="1">
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=''Hendersonia: The Music of Fletcher Henderson and His Musicians: a Bio-Discography,'' by Walter C. Allen (1974); {{OCLC|475144125|476590380}} }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=''Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swingstreet,'' by [[John Chilton]] (1970); reprint: [[Time Life|Time-Life Records Special Edition]] (1978); {{OCLC|78228641}} }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=''The New Edition of the Encyclopedia of Jazz'' (re: "Ladnier, Thomas"), by [[Leonard Feather]], Horizon Press (1960); {{OCLC|977415297}} }}
<ol type="i" start="1">
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=Re-print by [[Bonanza Books]] (1960), pps. 304–305; {{OCLC|699625902}} }}</ol>
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=''The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900–1950'' (Vol. 3 of 4), by Roger D. Kinkle (1916–2000), [[Arlington House Publishers]] (1974); {{OCLC|768910192}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8700-0229-8}} }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=''Jazz Records, 1897–1942'' (4th rev. and enlarged ed.), by [[Brian Rust]], [[Arlington House Publishers]] (1978); {{OCLC|1039436498}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8700-0404-9}} }}
<ol type="i" start="1">
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Tommy Ladnier and His Orchestra," p. 917 }}</ol></ol></ref>

<ref name="Claghorn 1982">''Biographical Dictionary of Jazz,'' Charles Eugene Claghorn (1911–2005), [[Prentice-Hall]] (1982), p. 176; {{OCLC|239745206}}</ref>

<ref name="Ladnier-Mathews-marriage 1920">"Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871–1920," [[FamilySearch]] (online database), [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N786-NTG Thomas J. Ladnier and Hazel B. Matthews; married February 1, 1920] (database updated March 10, 2018)
<ol type="a" start="1">
<li> [[Family History Library|FHL]] Reference ID: 857476
<li> [[Family History Library|FHL]] Genealogical Society Film number 1030721
<li> Digital Folder Number: 4272549
<li> Image Number: 23
<li> [[International Genealogical Index|IGI]] Project (Batch) No. M01033-5</ol>
(free access, but registration required)</ref>

<ref name="Tommy-Ladnier-NYC-death-cert 1939 Jun 4">"New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795–1949," [[FamilySearch]] (online database), [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WRD-KF5 Thomas Ladnier; DOD: June 4, 1939, Manhattan, New York City] (database updated February 10, 2018); original source: [[New York City Municipal Archives]]; [[Family History Library|FHL]] Microfilm No. 2109536 (free access, but registration required)</ref>

<ref name="Jazz-Research Ladnier's-grave">[http://www.jazzresearch.se/the-tommy-ladnier-gravesite "The Tommy Ladnier Gravesite,"] by Bo Lindström, ''Jazz Research'' (no date) (retrieved May 15, 2020)</ref>

<ref name="Chicago-Defender 1939 Jun 17">"Tom Ladnier, Cornetist, Is Laid to Rest," ''[[Chicago Defender]],'' about June 17, 1939 (clipping viewed in Lindström's article, "{{nowrap| ... }} Gravesite")</ref>

<ref name="1-W-126th-St-Cert-of-Occupancy">City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, [http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/COsByLocationServlet?requestid=1&allbin=1053567&restore=1 Certificate of Occupancy No. 23360], February 4, 1938</ref>

<ref name="Tammany-Family 2019 Jan 10">[https://tammanyfamily.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-dew-drop-dance-hall.html "The Dew Drop Dance Hall,"] January 10, 2019, ''Tammany Family'' (Articles & Photos about St. Tammany Parish (blog of Ron Barthet) (retrieved May 15, 2020)</ref>

<ref name="Digest 1960 Apr 30">[https://musicrising.tulane.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/383/2018/05/Andy-Anderson-1of2.pdf Oral interview – "Andy Anderson," interviewee] ([https://musicrising.tulane.edu/listen/interviews/andy-anderson-1960-04-30/ audio]), ''Digest'', April 30, 1960 (additional information and corrections by Andy Anderson, June 21, 1973) (re-type); also present: William Russell, Richard B. Allen, Ralph Collins; [[Hogan Jazz Archive]] at Tulane University; courtesy of Music Rising at Tulane, [[Tulane University]] (full attribution is not clear)</ref>

<ref name="Rust 1978">''Jazz Records, 1897–1942'' (4th rev. and enlarged ed.), (re: "Rosetta Crawford"), by [[Brian Rust]], [[Arlington House Publishers]] (1978), p. 357; {{OCLC|1039436498}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8700-0404-9}}</ref>

<ref name="Grove-Jazz 1996">''New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' [[Barry Dean Kernfeld]] (ed.), Entry: "Ladnier, Tommy," by Bob Zieff, [[St. Martin's Press]] (1996), pps. 670–671; (this is a 1996 one-volume re-print of the 1994 two-volume edition published by [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan Press Limited]]; {{OCLC|867575922}} (1995 re-print), {{ISBN|0-3336-3231-1}}, {{ISBN|0-3121-1357-9}}<br />
Zieff's sources:
<ol type="a" start="1">
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Discography of Tommy Ladnier," by Eric F. Keartland, ''[[Jazz Forum (historic periodical)|Jazz Forum: Quarterly Review of Jazz and Literature]],'' No. 3, January 1947, p. 24; {{OCLC|477727289}} }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Evolution of Jazz" ([[Column (periodical)|column]]), by J. Lee Anderson ''(né'' Justus Lee Anderson; 1922–1995), ''[[DownBeat]];'' {{ISSN|0012-5768}} }}
<ol type="i" start="1">
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=Vol. 19, No. 1, January 11, 1952, p. 16 }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=Vol. 19, No. 2, January 25, 1952, p. 11 }}</ol>
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Tommy Ladnier: A Biography and Assessment," by [[Albert J. McCarthy]] (1920–1987), ''Jazz Monthly,'' Vol. 2, No. 7, September 1956, pps. 2–3; {{OCLC|259926681}} }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Tommy Ladnier Par Le Disque," by [[Hugues Panassié]], ''[[Hot Club de France|Bulletin du Hot Club de France]];'' {{ISSN|0755-7272}} }}
<ol type="i" start="1">
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=Issue 139, July–August 1964, p. 3 }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=Issue 140, September 1964, p. 7 }}</ol>
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Tommy Ladnier," by Christopher Hillman, ''[[Jazz Journal]],'' Vol. 18, No. 8, 1965, p. 6; {{OCLC|1069305202}}, {{ISSN|0021-5651}}, {{ISSN|0308-1990}} }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Tommy Ladnier: The Sensational Cornetist," by Christopher Hillman, ''Footnote: Dedicated to New Orleans Music;'' {{OCLC|760092525|777070319|865510320}}, {{ISSN|0958-6695}} }}
<ol type="i" start="1">
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=Vol. 13, No. 1, October–November 1981, p. 4 }}
<li> {{Hanging indent |text=Vol. 13, No. 2, December 1981 – January 1982, p. 4 }}</ol>
<li> {{Hanging indent |text="Tommy Ladnier: Some Mid-Western Jobs," by Christopher Hillman, ''Footnote: Dedicated to New Orleans Music,'' Vol. 13, No. 6, August–September 1982, p. 16 }}</ol></ref>

}}

==External links==
* [https://syncopatedtimes.com/tommy-ladnier-1900-1939/ Tommy Ladnier (1900-1939)] at the Red Hot Jazz Archive

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladnier, Tommy}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Mandeville, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from New Orleans]]
[[Category:American jazz trumpeters]]
[[Category:American male trumpeters]]
[[Category:Big band trumpet players]]
[[Category:Swing trumpeters]]
[[Category:Paramount Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American trumpeters]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]