Joseph Nathan Oliver better known as King Oliver, King Oliver was an early trumpet legend. He helped spread jazz from New Orleans to Chicago and his ensemble leadership and cornet playing influenced all who followed. Oliver was born May 11,1885, he grew up in New Orleans and played his first jazz in New Orleans He soon moved to Chicago and formed his own band which included, Oliver on cornet, the personnel included his protégé Louis Armstrong on cornet, Baby Dodds on drums, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lil Hardin on piano, Honore Dutrey on trombone, and William Manuel Johnson on double bass.
As a player, Oliver took great interest in altering his horn's sound. He pioneered the use of mutes, including the rubber plumber's plunger, derby hat,…show more content… Oliver's business acumen was often less than his musical ability. A succession of managers stole money from him, and he tried to negotiate more money for his band than the Savoy Ballroom was willing to pay – losing the job. He lost the chance of an important engagement at New York City's famous Cotton Club when he held out for more money; young Duke Ellington took the job and subsequently catapulted to fame. The Great Depression brought hardship to Oliver. He lost his life savings to a collapsed bank in Chicago, and he struggled to keep his band together through a series of hand-to-mouth gigs until the group broke up. In 1924 Oliver and his band disbanded with Louis Armstrong on his way to New York. Oliver became very overweight and he also suffered from progressive gum disease which impaired his ability to play trumpet. He got a job in a pool hall in Savannah where his health continued to deteriorate and he died in Savannah on April 8, 1935. Even tho King Oliver died he left many things A recordings of the epitome of hot jazz-improvised polyphony by talented ensemble players. He also left us a lot of plunger and mute techniques on the trumpet which were later developed and refined by players like Bubber Miley. More importantly, he brought Louis Armstrong into the mainstream of jazz and that helped change all jazz for all
