Origins & Early Life

The Original Dixieland Jass Band, later Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB), was a Dixieland jazz band that made many of the earliest jazz recordings in 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded many jazz standards, the most famous being "Tiger Rag". In late 1917, the spelling of the band's name was changed to Original Dixieland Jazz Band.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The band’s original members were Nick LaRocca (cornet), Eddie Edwards (trombone), Larry Shields (clarinet), Henry Ragas (piano), and Tony Sbarbaro (drums). Several members had previously performed in bands led by the New Orleans musician Papa Jack Laine. By late 1917, the group had adopted the spelling “Jazz” in its name. ODJB billed itself as "the Creators of Jazz". It was the first band to record jazz commercially and to have hit recordings in the genre.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Band leader and cornetist Nick LaRocca argued that ODJB deserved recognition as the first band to record jazz commercially and the first band to establish jazz as a musical idiom or genre. The original quintet disbanded in 1926. Ten years later, Nick LaRocca recruited most of the quintet to form a new swing band featuring the ODJB...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Andrew Wyeth — Historical peer (Born in 1917) (1917): Master American Realist Painter known for regional scenes of Pennsylvania and Maine.
• Arthur C. Clarke — Historical peer (Born in 1917) (1917): Pioneering science fiction writer, futurist, and popularizer of space travel.
• Abdus Salam — Historical peer (Born in 1926) (1926): Pioneering Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate.
• Alfredo Di Stéfano — Historical peer (Born in 1926) (1926): Argentine and Spanish legend, 'The Blond Arrow,' pivotal to Real Madrid's golden era.