PETER BOCAGE

Jazz man Peter Bocage stands as a giant in the history of New Orleans traditional jazz. Born across the Mississippi River from New Orleans in Algiers, Bocage followed in his father's footsteps, playing music at venues, dances, rent parties, and street parades throughout the Crescent City area. He soon became a fixture at the famous club, Storyville, where "people paid to have a good time, any kind of good time you wanted," as the late, great Danny Barker recalled.  The music rage of the day was ragtime. By the age of 21, Bocage was the bandleader of one of the most popular ragtime bands, the Superior Orchestra. At that time, Bocage was playing violin. He hired in a horn player named Bunk Johnson. The sound Bocage was striving for was soft and refined, like the Creole culture from which he came. Eventually, the hotter sound, exemplified by Buddy Bolden won read more...