King Watzke
Encyclopedia
Alex "King" Watzke was a violin
ist and bandleader
in New Orleans, Louisiana
. His band enjoyed fair popularity ca. 1900-1910. The band played ragtime
, popular music
, and possibly an early or ancestral version of what later became known as jazz
. By 1904 Watzke's band's repertory included an early version of what later became known as "Tiger Rag
" or a similar melody. Alexander Watzke, Junior ("King") was the youngest child of Alexander Watzke (Senior), a member of the Louisiana State Legislature, and a leader of New Orleans' German community, who died in 1914. He had several siblings; a family history of the Watzkes in America has been published on the internet. "King" Watzke was one of the first white bandleaders to take up ragtime and jazz, what had hitherto been primarily African-American musical genres, and thus was responsible for more widely popularizing these musical styles.
Watzke decided to bill himself as "King" after the example of Buddy Bolden
; see: Jazz royalty
.
King Watzke died in the Spanish Flu
pandemic
. An obituary was published in the New York Times, and he and his band are referred to in a recent scholarly book about the history of New Orleans jazz. Additional information about "King" Watzke was supplied by Ralph Watzke,lawyer, of Regina, Saskatchewan, who has been actively researching the family history.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New 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...
. His band enjoyed fair popularity ca. 1900-1910. The band played ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
, popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, and possibly an early or ancestral version of what later became known as 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...
. By 1904 Watzke's band's repertory included an early version of what later became known as "Tiger Rag
Tiger Rag
"Tiger Rag" is a jazz standard, originally recorded and copyrighted by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917. It is one of the most recorded jazz compositions of all time.-Origins:...
" or a similar melody. Alexander Watzke, Junior ("King") was the youngest child of Alexander Watzke (Senior), a member of the Louisiana State Legislature, and a leader of New Orleans' German community, who died in 1914. He had several siblings; a family history of the Watzkes in America has been published on the internet. "King" Watzke was one of the first white bandleaders to take up ragtime and jazz, what had hitherto been primarily African-American musical genres, and thus was responsible for more widely popularizing these musical styles.
Watzke decided to bill himself as "King" after the example of Buddy Bolden
Buddy Bolden
Charles "Buddy" Bolden was an African American cornetist and is regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music which later came to be known as jazz.- Life :...
; see: Jazz royalty
Jazz royalty
Jazz royalty is a term that reflects the many great jazz musicians who have been termed as musically gifted, honorific, "aristocratic" or "royal" and had titles added to their names or nicknames due to their strong musical abilities....
.
King Watzke died in the Spanish Flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
pandemic
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
. An obituary was published in the New York Times, and he and his band are referred to in a recent scholarly book about the history of New Orleans jazz. Additional information about "King" Watzke was supplied by Ralph Watzke,lawyer, of Regina, Saskatchewan, who has been actively researching the family history.