Kid Thomas

Among the more polarizing figures tied to the 1960s New Orleans revival movement, Kid Thomas Valentine earned acclaim from certain advocates as a premier exponent of “the real jazz,” yet drew criticism from others fixated on his uneven intonation and solos that sometimes veered off pitch. Emotional depth came through, even as technical control remained inconsistent at times, though allowances often followed from his remarkable longevity—he continued performing well into his 91st year. Valentine, commonly billed simply as Kid Thomas, took up the trumpet at ten and, at fourteen, entered the Pickwick Brass Band, launching a professional run that extended across seventy-seven years. He stayed active in his home region until 1922, at which point he shifted to New Orleans and spent the following decades freelancing across assorted brass and dancehall outfits, among them the Algiers Stompers that he founded in 1926. His first recordings appeared in 1951, and from 1961 onward he became a fixture at Preservation Hall, sharing stages regularly with George Lewis. Northern tours mounted by Big Bill Bissonnette included Valentine, one of the final standard-bearers of the pre-Louis Armstrong New Orleans trumpet idiom. After 1951 he recorded with notable regularity for American Music, MNO, Center, Mono, 77, Jazzology, Riverside, Jazz Crusade, Music of New Orleans, San Jacinto, Dixie, Jazz Macon Club, La Croix, Storyville, Paragon, Sonet, Smoky Mary, Maison Bourbon, Honky Tonk, Lulu White's Black Label, Picayune, and Maryland Jazzband.