Original Dixieland Jazz Band "Dixieland Jass Band One-Step" ( NY, Feb 26, 1917) Victor 18255.

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Original Dixieland Jazz Band: Nick LaRocca (cnt,dir) Eddie Edwards (tb) Larry Shields (cl) Henry Ragas (p) Tony Sbarbaro (d).


The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, who billed themselves “The Creators of Jazz”, have long been been dismissed as the White guys who copied African-American music, and called it their own. There is a lot of truth to that statement, but on the other hand, The Original Dixieland Jazz Band’s recordings still hold their own unique charm, over 80 years after their initial release.

However unfair and indicative of the racism of the era, the record “Livery Stable Blues”, coupled with “Dixie Jass Band One Step” became the first Jazz record ever released on February 26, 1917 for the Victor Talking Machine Company. It was wildly successful. Its release signaled the beginning of the Jazz age and helped define the wild, exuberent era we call the “Roaring Twenties”.

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band had recorded for Columbia in January 1917, but the session was unsuccessful and the band had to come back and re-record the songs, thus the release of the Columbia sides did not come about until after the amazing success of the Victor records.
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