Chris Tyle
Encyclopedia
Chris Tyle is a traditional jazz (i.e., dixieland
) musician performing on cornet
, trumpet
, drums
, clarinet
and saxophone
.
Tyle grew up in a musical family. His father, Axel Tyle (1912–1981), was a jazz
drummer and member of the Portland, Oregon
based Castle Jazz Band.
Tyle's first musical job was with Don Kinch's Conductors Ragtime (1976–1979). Kinch (1917-), played with Axel Tyle in the Castle Jazz Band in the late 1940s, and went on to work with the Turk Murphy
Jazz Band and the Firehouse Five Plus Two
.
In 1979 Tyle played and recorded with the Turk Murphy
Jazz Band in San Francisco, then returned to Portland to form a swing music band named Wholly Cats (named after a number written and recorded by Benny Goodman
and Count Basie
). The band was a popular fixture on the Portland scene from 1979–1984, releasing an album in 1982. After disbanding the group's vocalist and guitarist, Rebecca "Becky" Kilgore, went on to become a popular freelance artist and has made many recordings and festival appearances.
Tyle moved to New Orleans in 1989, immediately becoming an in-demand performer with a number of groups, including Steve Pistorius' Mahogany Hall Stompers, Jacques Gauthe's Creole Rice Jazz Band, John Gill's Dixieland Serenaders and others. He also worked with jazz greats Danny Barker
(guitar) and Albert "Pud" Brown (clarinet/sax). In 1992 Tyle formed the Silver Leaf Jazz Band, working six nights-a-week at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street.
In 2002 Tyle returned to the Pacific Northwest to pursue a freelance career. He currently performs regularly with the Titanic Jazz Band of Los Angeles, Combo DeLuxe of Seattle/Tacoma, and regularly "subs" with Bob Schulz' Frisco Jazz Band of San Francisco. He also frequently performs in Europe, most notably with the Gambit Jazzmen of England.
Most recently Tyle has been part of the orchestra for the musical A la Recherche de Joséphine(Looking for Josephine), directed and written by Jérôme Savary
, which ran for six months in 2006-2007 at the Opéra-Comique
in Paris, France.
Tyle has made over 50 recordings with a variety of groups, including eight with his own Silver Leaf Jazz Band (see below). A track from his Silver Leaf Jazz Band recording The Smiler (Stomp-Off Records) was used as part of the music for Ken Burns' Jazz PBS documentary. Another Silver Leaf Jazz Band recording, New Orleans Wiggle (Jazzology Records), received the highest rating in the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD 2003, one of only 10 recordings listed in the book to receive this rating.
In addition to musical performance, Tyle is a writer and educator. He has written many articles and is a contributor to Jazz Standards.com. He is a member of the International Association of Jazz Educators and the Jazz Journalists Association
.
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
) musician performing on cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
.
Career
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer and member of the Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
based Castle Jazz Band.
Tyle's first musical job was with Don Kinch's Conductors Ragtime (1976–1979). Kinch (1917-), played with Axel Tyle in the Castle Jazz Band in the late 1940s, and went on to work with the Turk Murphy
Turk Murphy
Melvin Edward Alton “Turk” Murphy was renowned as a trombonist who played traditional and dixieland jazz in San Francisco....
Jazz Band and the Firehouse Five Plus Two
Firehouse Five Plus Two
The Firehouse Five Plus Two was a Dixieland jazz band, popular in the 1950s, consisting of members of the Walt Disney Studios animation department;-Members:Danny Alguire — cornetHarper Goff — banjo...
.
In 1979 Tyle played and recorded with the Turk Murphy
Turk Murphy
Melvin Edward Alton “Turk” Murphy was renowned as a trombonist who played traditional and dixieland jazz in San Francisco....
Jazz Band in San Francisco, then returned to Portland to form a swing music band named Wholly Cats (named after a number written and recorded by Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
and Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
). The band was a popular fixture on the Portland scene from 1979–1984, releasing an album in 1982. After disbanding the group's vocalist and guitarist, Rebecca "Becky" Kilgore, went on to become a popular freelance artist and has made many recordings and festival appearances.
Tyle moved to New Orleans in 1989, immediately becoming an in-demand performer with a number of groups, including Steve Pistorius' Mahogany Hall Stompers, Jacques Gauthe's Creole Rice Jazz Band, John Gill's Dixieland Serenaders and others. He also worked with jazz greats Danny Barker
Danny Barker
Danny Barker , born Daniel Moses Barker, was a jazz banjoist, singer, guitarist, songwriter, ukelele player and author from New Orleans, founder of the locally famous Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band...
(guitar) and Albert "Pud" Brown (clarinet/sax). In 1992 Tyle formed the Silver Leaf Jazz Band, working six nights-a-week at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street.
In 2002 Tyle returned to the Pacific Northwest to pursue a freelance career. He currently performs regularly with the Titanic Jazz Band of Los Angeles, Combo DeLuxe of Seattle/Tacoma, and regularly "subs" with Bob Schulz' Frisco Jazz Band of San Francisco. He also frequently performs in Europe, most notably with the Gambit Jazzmen of England.
Most recently Tyle has been part of the orchestra for the musical A la Recherche de Joséphine(Looking for Josephine), directed and written by Jérôme Savary
Jérôme Savary
Jérôme Savary is a French theater director and actor. His work has democratized and widened the appeal of musical theater in France, drawing together and blending such genres as opera, operetta, and musical comedy.- Biography :...
, which ran for six months in 2006-2007 at the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
in Paris, France.
Tyle has made over 50 recordings with a variety of groups, including eight with his own Silver Leaf Jazz Band (see below). A track from his Silver Leaf Jazz Band recording The Smiler (Stomp-Off Records) was used as part of the music for Ken Burns' Jazz PBS documentary. Another Silver Leaf Jazz Band recording, New Orleans Wiggle (Jazzology Records), received the highest rating in the Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD 2003, one of only 10 recordings listed in the book to receive this rating.
In addition to musical performance, Tyle is a writer and educator. He has written many articles and is a contributor to Jazz Standards.com. He is a member of the International Association of Jazz Educators and the Jazz Journalists Association
Jazz Journalists Association
The Jazz Journalists Association is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2011, it has approximately 500 members, primarily in North America but also on other continents...
.
Selected discography
- A Natural High - Turk MurphyTurk MurphyMelvin Edward Alton “Turk” Murphy was renowned as a trombonist who played traditional and dixieland jazz in San Francisco....
Jazz Band - Bainbridge Records - Streets and Scenes of New Orleans - Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band of New Orleans - Good Time Jazz Records (Concord Music GroupConcord Music GroupConcord Music Group is a record company owned by Village Roadshow formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. On December 18, 2006, Concord announced the re-launch of the soul label Stax;...
) - Jelly's Best Jam - Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band of New Orleans - Good Time Jazz Records (Concord Music GroupConcord Music GroupConcord Music Group is a record company owned by Village Roadshow formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. On December 18, 2006, Concord announced the re-launch of the soul label Stax;...
) - Great Composer's of New Orleans Jazz - Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band of New Orleans - Good Time Jazz Records (Concord Music GroupConcord Music GroupConcord Music Group is a record company owned by Village Roadshow formed in 2004 by the merger of Concord Records and Fantasy Records. In 2005, the company acquired the classics and jazz label Telarc International. On December 18, 2006, Concord announced the re-launch of the soul label Stax;...
) - New Orleans Wiggle - Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band - Jazzology RecordsJazzology RecordsJazzology Records is a United States based record label specializing in traditional jazz.Jazzology was founded in 1949 by George H. Buck, who still runs it, now under the auspices of the George H. Buck, Jr. Foundation, dedicated to the preservation great jazz recordings...
- The Smiler - Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band - Stomp-Off Records
- Sugar Blues - Chris Tyle's Silver Leaf Jazz Band - Stomp-Off Records