Biography
Big Eye Louis Nelson stands among the earliest figures in jazz history. Though occasionally sharing bandstands with trombonist Louis Nelson, the two men were unrelated. Nelson’s clarinet work directly shaped the approaches of Johnny Dodds and Jimmie Noone and, for a time, guided the development of Sidney Bechet. Born Louis Nelson DeLisle, he later discarded his surname. In his youth he performed on accordion, guitar, banjo, violin, and bass; on clarinet he remained largely self-taught aside from a handful of lessons taken in 1904 from Lorenzo Tio, Sr., and Luis Tio.
Unlike many contemporaries who relied on written parts or fixed counter-lines, Nelson ranked among the first musicians to improvise freely on the clarinet. He appeared with Buddy Bolden, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, and Oscar Celestin. After growing up in New Orleans, he moved to Chicago in 1916 to play with Freddie Keppard in the Original Creole Orchestra, yet returned to his hometown two years later. Subsequent engagements included stints with the Imperial Orchestra, the Golden Rule Orchestra, the Imperial Band, the Superior Orchestra, and the Eagle Band. Between 1918 and 1924 he worked in John Robichaux’s Orchestra and later with Sidney Desvigne; from 1939 to 1949 he led his own ensemble at Luthjen’s.
Because Nelson remained in the South, his recording opportunities stayed limited. His career nevertheless extended to the very origins of jazz, and a brief window of documentation opened in 1949, only months before his death. He is heard on the uneven 1940 Kid Rena sessions and on three 1949 dates: two American Music studio sessions, one of them under Wooden Joe Nicholas, and a previously unissued live performance taped at Luthjen’s that finally appeared in 1992. All but a few alternate takes from the 1949 material were later compiled on the American Music CD Big Eye Louis Nelson DeLisle. On these historic sides Nelson performs with notable assurance.
Unlike many contemporaries who relied on written parts or fixed counter-lines, Nelson ranked among the first musicians to improvise freely on the clarinet. He appeared with Buddy Bolden, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, and Oscar Celestin. After growing up in New Orleans, he moved to Chicago in 1916 to play with Freddie Keppard in the Original Creole Orchestra, yet returned to his hometown two years later. Subsequent engagements included stints with the Imperial Orchestra, the Golden Rule Orchestra, the Imperial Band, the Superior Orchestra, and the Eagle Band. Between 1918 and 1924 he worked in John Robichaux’s Orchestra and later with Sidney Desvigne; from 1939 to 1949 he led his own ensemble at Luthjen’s.
Because Nelson remained in the South, his recording opportunities stayed limited. His career nevertheless extended to the very origins of jazz, and a brief window of documentation opened in 1949, only months before his death. He is heard on the uneven 1940 Kid Rena sessions and on three 1949 dates: two American Music studio sessions, one of them under Wooden Joe Nicholas, and a previously unissued live performance taped at Luthjen’s that finally appeared in 1992. All but a few alternate takes from the 1949 material were later compiled on the American Music CD Big Eye Louis Nelson DeLisle. On these historic sides Nelson performs with notable assurance.
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