Tom Albert | |
|---|---|
 Tom Albert against a doorframe near his home inNew Orleans, Louisiana September 25, 1954. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Kid Albert |
| Born | Thomas Albert (1877-12-23)December 23, 1877 Belle Chasse,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Origin | New Orleans,Louisiana |
| Died | December 12, 1969(1969-12-12) (aged 91) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instruments | Trumpet, violin, guitar |
| Years active | 1899 - 1949 |
Tom "Kid" Albert (December 23, 1877 – December 12, 1969) was ajazz violinist, trumpeter and band leader fromNew Orleans,Louisiana. He began his musical career in the 1890s working with the band's violinist Johnny Gould, with "Big Eye"Louis Nelson Delisle on clarinet. From 1908 to 1949 he led his own band and also became one of the founding members of theEureka Brass Band.[1]
Tom Albert was born on a plantation field inPlaquemines Parish,Louisiana, on December 23, 1877. He later relocated toNew Orleans sometime in his early childhood, settling in the Algiers neighborhood. Tom lived in a run-down shack on Saux Lane, an impoverished strip nearby the Naval station. He initially played theguitar before learning how to play the violin. He was taught basic methods for each instrument byJimmy Palao. Soon after he mastered thecornet and theviolin.The first band Albert was in was his own which includedPapa Celestin andManuel Manetta. In 1920, he founded theEureka Brass Band.[2] During the earlier years, Albert's band played inAlgiers with Henry Red Allen Sr. Band.In his late thirties, Albert moved across the river to theFrench Quarter and reformed his band, branding it ""Kid Albert Band." The band then began performing in several halls around the city, mostly in theStoryville andTreme sections. For a decade, kid Albert Band played alongsidejazz pioneersLouis Armstrong,Kid Thomas Valentine and other small brass bands but never recorded. In 1949 Albert retired from the bands and died on December 12, 1969, at the age of 91.[3]