Paul Barbarin and His New Orlean

Biography

Adolphe Paul Barbarin, known as Paul 'T-Boy' Barbarin, was born on May 5, 1899, in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a prominent musical family led by his father Isidore Barbarin, a cornetist who shaped early brass bands, and including brothers like Louis and nephew Danny Barker. Self-taught on drums after briefly studying clarinet with godfather Paul Chaligny, he began playing in the mid-1910s with local bands such as the Silver Leaf Orchestra, Buddy Petit, Jimmie Noone, Chris Kelly, Sidney Bechet, Emanuel Perez, and the Onward Brass Band, embodying the rhythmic pulse of New Orleans jazz.[1][2][3]

Fun Facts

• Collapsed and died on February 17, 1969, during a Mardi Gras parade while playing with the reformed Onward Brass Band, just steps from his family tomb.[1][2]
• Composed the popular jazz standard 'Bourbon Street Parade' in 1954, a staple in New Orleans repertoire for over 60 years.[2][5]
• First New Orleans and first Black endorser of Britain's Premier Drum Company in the early 1950s.[2]
• Claimed to innovate rhythmic patterns on the cymbal, now a standard jazz drumming practice, and was praised by Louis Armstrong for perfect timekeeping.[2]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Isidore Barbarin - Father and patriarch of the Barbarin musical family, influential in brass band traditions (Early brass band performances) [Late 1800s-1910s]
• Paul Chaligny - Godfather who taught him clarinet briefly before he focused on drums (None specified) [Early 1910s]

Key Collaborators

• King Oliver - Drummer in King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Bill Johnson's band (Royal Gardens performances and recordings) [1918-1927]
• Louis Armstrong - Drummer in Luis Russell's band backing Armstrong (Louis Armstrong Orchestra) [1934-1935]
• Luis Russell - Long-term band member and frequent association (Luis Russell's band) [1927-1931, 1934]
• Sidney Bechet - Played together in local bands and later sextet (Red Allen's sextet, early New Orleans bands) [1910s, 1944]
• Louis Cottrell - Co-leader reforming the historic band (Onward Brass Band) [1960-1969]

Artists Influenced

• Sidney Catlett - Next-generation drummer who owed much to New Orleans style, with Zutty Singleton as mentor but building on Barbarin's foundations (Jazz drumming innovations) [1930s onward]
• Modern jazz drummers - Major influence through rhythmic patterns on cymbal and New Orleans drumming style (Present-day performances) [Post-1969]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia