caption associated_acts death_date article_title name background birth_date instrument genre image origin birth_name occupation
hardy performing with the carlisle evans band in 1921 new orleans rhythm kings 12 june 1925 emmett hardy
 emmett hardy non_vocal_instrumentalist june 12 , 1903 cornet jazz emmett hardy.jpg usa gretna , louisiana , usa emmett louis hardy cornettist
emmett hardy

emmett louis hardy -lrb- june 12 , 1903 -- june 16 , 1925 -rrb- was an early jazz cornet player and one of the best-regarded new orleans musicians of his generation .
emmett louis hardy was born in the new orleans suburb of gretna , louisiana , and lived much of his life in the algiers neighborhood on the west bank of new orleans .
hardy was a child prodigy , described as already playing marvelously in his early teens .
some new orleans musicians remembered as a musical highlight of their lives a 1919 cutting contest where , after long and intense struggle , hardy succeeded in outplaying louis armstrong .
-lrb- it is likely that armstrong , although 2 years older than hardy , had not yet hit his full stride at that time . -rrb-
emmett hardy was in the original incarnation of the new orleans rhythm kings -lrb- or nork -rrb- under the direction of bee palmer .
for a time during its friar 's inn residency the nork used a two-cornet format -- paul mares , leader and first cornet , and emmett hardy as second .
-lrb- note that , as with other new orleans jazz bands of that time -lrb- such as king oliver 's creole jazz band and the original tuxedo orchestra -rrb- , the more creative player played the second part , with the first cornet staying closer to the lead line .
hardy did not appear on any of the rhythm kings recording sessions , never making any commercial recordings before his early death .
back in new orleans hardy lead his own band and played in the band of norman brownlee .
hardy 's playing is described as being more lyrical than many of his new orleans contemporaries , but with a driving rhythm .
his tone was much admired .
hardy was an important influence on bix beiderbecke ; monk hazel said that bix on the wolverines records sounds very much like hardy .
hardy also did metal work , made his own mouthpieces for his horn , and modified his cornet to add an additional spit-valve .
a relative remembered hardy as being somewhat shy and unassuming , with a good dry sense of humor ; that he was easily frightened by sudden loud noises , and superstitious about passing by graveyards .
when advancing tuberculosis started to make his breathing difficult , hardy taught himself banjo so he could continue playing music .
hardy and some of his musician friends made some home recordings on wax phonograph cylinders for their own amusement .
as hardy 's tuberculosis worsened and his death seemed inevitable , the friends decided to preserve the cylinders as a memento of hardy 's playing .
at least one cylinder survived to the start of the 1950s ; the relative who heard it then said hardy 's playing reminded him of sharkey bonano .
when tulane university 's jazz archive was established in the late 1950s , however , a diligent search failed to turn up any of these recordings , which are , alas , presumed lost forever .
hardy died in new orleans shortly after his 22nd birthday and was buried in gretna .
