Cousin Joe
Encyclopedia
Cousin Joe was an American
blues
and jazz
singer, later famous for his 1940s recordings with clarinet
ist Sidney Bechet
and saxophonist
Mezz Mezzrow
.
His birth name was Pleasant Joseph and he was born in Wallace, Louisiana
, United States
. He died in his sleep from natural causes in New Orleans, at the age of 81.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz
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...
singer, later famous for his 1940s recordings with 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...
ist Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
and saxophonist
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...
Mezz Mezzrow
Mezz Mezzrow
Milton Mesirow, better known as Mezz Mezzrow was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist from Chicago, Illinois. Mezzrow is well known for organizing and financing historic recording sessions with Tommy Ladnier and Sidney Bechet. Mezzrow also recorded a number of times with Bechet and...
.
His birth name was Pleasant Joseph and he was born in Wallace, Louisiana
Wallace, Louisiana
Wallace is a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 570 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He died in his sleep from natural causes in New Orleans, at the age of 81.
Autobiography
- Cousin Joe : Blues from New Orleans / Pleasant "Cousin Joe" Joseph and Harriet J. Ottenheimer. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1987. xi, 227 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. ISBN 0-226-41198-2
Partial discography
- Relaxin’ in New Orleans [sound recording] / Cousin Joe. New Orleans, LA : Great Southern Records, p1985. 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 12 in.
- Jumping at Jubilee [sound recording]. London : Sequel, [1995] Sequel NEM CD 749
- Bostic, Earl, 1913-1965. Magic Bostic [sound recording] / Earl Bostic. Paris : Jazz Archives, [2003]
- 1971 : Bad Luck Blues (Black & Blue) with Jimmy DawkinsJimmy DawkinsJames Henry "Jimmy" Dawkins is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. He is generally considered a part of the "West Side Sound" of Chicago blues.-Career:...
and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Filmography
- 2005 : DVD The Blues of Cousin Joe (live - 29 August 1984 in New OrleansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
) (Storyville Films)