Oscar "Papa" Celestin

Oscar "Papa" Celestin served as both cornetist and director of the Original Tuxedo Orchestra, among the most prominent early jazz ensembles to emerge from New Orleans. Beginning in 1910 he directed the resident ensemble at the Tuxedo Dance Hall on North Franklin St. in the French Quarter, later establishing the Tuxedo Brass Band whose name endures in the still-active Young Tuxedo Brass Band. A 1913 shooting forced the permanent closure of the dancehall, yet Celestin sustained both groups and, in 1916, formed a partnership with trombonist Tommy Ridgely that created an ongoing circuit of Papa Celestin units securing steady engagements; the collaboration continued through 1925.

Employment alongside Celestin ranked among the most reliable positions available to New Orleans musicians of the era. Virtually every notable figure from the city’s pioneering jazz generation passed through his ranks at some point, among them Louis Armstrong, who joined as second cornet during 1921 and 1922, Jimmie Noone, who handled clarinet duties in the 1916 lineup, and Clarence Williams, who at one stage headed one of the Celestin ensembles. The Original Tuxedo Orchestra further distinguished itself as one of the decade’s most active recording outfits tied to New Orleans, committing 17 tracks to disc from 1925 to 1928. Economic pressures of the Depression drove Celestin from the field in 1932, and he assembled no further group until after the Second World War. The reconstituted Tuxedo Orchestra quickly regained strong local favor and came to be recognized as an essential draw for visitors to the city. In 1953 Celestin led the ensemble on screen in the feature-length travelogue Cinerama Holiday. He passed away shortly afterward; his final vocal performance, the recording “Marie LaVeau,” later acquired cult status within voodoo circles. The orchestra persisted in the studio following his death, and the total number of sides issued by this successor lineup nearly matched the count produced during Celestin’s own lifetime.