MONK HAZEL AND HIS BIENVILLE ROOF ORCHESTRA

Biography

Arthur Frank 'Monk' Hazel (1903-1968) was born on August 15, 1903, in Harvey, Louisiana, on the West Bank near New Orleans. His father was a drummer, sparking his early interest in music, and he began his career as a drummer with cornetist Emmett Hardy in 1919, who gave him his first cornet. Throughout the 1920s, Hazel performed with notable bands including those led by Happy Schilling, Jules Bauduc, Tony Parenti, Abbie Brunies' Halfway House Orchestra, Stalebread Lacombe, and Johnny Wiggs, while also playing cornet with Johnny Fischer's Brass Band. His first recording came in 1927 with Johnny Hyman's Bayou Stompers.[1][2][3][4]

In the late 1920s, Hazel led his own Bienville Roof Orchestra, which performed atop the Bienville Hotel at Lee Circle in New Orleans and recorded four tracks for Brunswick Records in December 1928, including 'High Society,' 'Sizzling the Blues,' 'Git-Wit-It,' and 'Ideas' (directed by Sharkey Bonano). He then spent time in New York (1929-1931) with Johnny Wiggs, Jack Pettis, and his own group, followed by a stint in Hollywood touring with singer Gene Austin. After serving in the Army from 1942-1943 and a brief period outside music, Hazel returned to New Orleans post-World War II, associating with Sharkey's Kings of Dixieland and working with Santo Pecora, George Girard, Joe Caprano (1937), Mike Lala, and others. In 1954, he recorded a full album for Southland Records featuring sidemen like Pete Fountain and Al Hirt.[1][2][3]

A versatile musician skilled on drums, cornet, and mellophone (sometimes listed as melotron), Hazel's style rooted in New Orleans jazz and ragtime made him a fixture on the local scene for decades until his death on March 5, 1968, in New Orleans. His legacy endures through his recordings and contributions to traditional jazz preservation.[1][2][4]

Fun Facts

• The Bienville Roof Orchestra performed atop the Bienville Hotel at Lee Circle in New Orleans, giving it a unique rooftop venue distinction.[2][3]
• Hazel occasionally took solos on cornet and mellophone in addition to drumming, showcasing his multi-instrumental versatility.[1][2][4]
• His 1954 Southland Records album featured young, then-unknown Pete Fountain on clarinet and Al Hirt on trumpet, who later became jazz legends.[2][3]
• Hazel was present backstage when Snoozer Quinn met Paul Whiteman on October 28, 1928, linking him to a notable jazz history moment.[6]

Members

• Monk Hazel - eponymous

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Emmett Hardy - Early mentor who taught drums and gave him his first cornet (Played drums with Hardy's band starting 1919) [1919]
• Hazel's father - Drummer father who inspired his early interest in percussion (N/A) [Early childhood]

Key Collaborators

• Sharkey Bonano - Trumpeter who directed Bienville Roof Orchestra recordings; frequent post-WWII collaborator (Bienville Roof Orchestra 1928 recordings ('Ideas,' etc.); Sharkey's Kings of Dixieland) [1928, 1940s-1960s]
• Sidney Arodin - Clarinetist and tin whistle player in Bienville Roof Orchestra (1928 Brunswick recordings) [1928]
• Pete Fountain - Clarinetist sideman on 1954 album (Southland Records album 1954) [1954]
• Al Hirt - Trumpeter sideman on 1954 album (Southland Records album 1954) [1954]
• Abbie Brunies - Band leader with Halfway House Orchestra (Halfway House Orchestra performances) [1920s]
• Tony Parenti - Band leader; recorded together (1925 recordings) [1920s]
• Gene Austin - Singer; toured together (Hollywood tours) [1930s]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz