Wooden Joe Nicholas

Wooden Joe Nicholas ranked among the rawest trumpeters ever to cut sides in New Orleans. In his formative years his exceptional volume and stamina stood out as decisive advantages for any brass player working parades. Once Nicholas, uncle of clarinetist Albert Nicholas, finally entered the studio he projected an age far beyond his years and showed clear signs of having passed his peak. He had begun on clarinet and continued to double on the instrument from time to time across his career. Although he knew Buddy Bolden well, Nicholas waited until 1915, when he joined King Oliver, before taking up cornet. He named Bolden and Bunk Johnson as his chief inspirations and performed with innumerable parade and street ensembles over the decades. Having lived virtually his whole life in New Orleans, he organized the Carmelia Band in 1918. As a leader he recorded in 1945 and 1949 for the American Music, Storyville, Dan, and Wolf labels, and he also appeared on a 1949 Raymond Burke session. He was probably only 66 then, and 62 at his first recording date, yet his unsteady playing made him seem closer to 80. Consequently his abilities survive more as legend than as evidence audible on disc.