Silver Leaf Jazz Band

Biography

The Silver Leaf Jazz Band was formed in 1992 by cornetist, singer, clarinetist, and drummer Chris Tyle in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tyle, who had moved to the city in 1989 after playing with bands like Wholly Cats in Portland and Turk Murphy Jazz Band in San Francisco, assembled the group to perform six nights a week at the Can-Can Cafe in the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street. The band specialized in classic traditional jazz with a flexible, down-home style that could shift between hot and sweet, drawing from authentic New Orleans roots rather than mimicking tourist-oriented Dixieland. They tailored sets for tourists with chestnuts like 'Bill Bailey' and 'Muskrat Ramble' but focused on quality repertoire otherwise, earning praise for heartfelt performances.[1][2][8]

Fun Facts

• The band recorded three albums on the revived Good Time Jazz label thanks to producer George Hocutt, including 'Street and Scenes of New Orleans' (quartet plus trombone), 'Jelly’s Best Jam' (six-piece), and 'Great Composers of New Orleans Jazz' (seven-piece with guests like Duke Heitger).[2]
• They performed six nights a week for a full decade (1992-2002) at the Royal Sonesta's Can-Can Cafe, a rare steady gig in Bourbon Street's competitive scene.[1][2][8]
• Chris Tyle envisioned the band as a 'classic' jazz group, avoiding stereotypical Bourbon Street Dixieland while adapting tourist sets to their authentic style.[2]

Members

• Vince Giordano
• Orange Kellin
• Chris Tyle

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Turk Murphy - Influential bandleader who hired Tyle and shaped his traditional jazz style (Turk Murphy Jazz Band recordings and performances) [1979]
• Danny Barker - Jazz great who worked with Tyle in New Orleans groups (Various New Orleans performances) [1989-1992]
• Albert 'Pud' Brown - Clarinet/sax veteran who collaborated early in Tyle's New Orleans career (Local New Orleans gigs) [1989-1992]

Key Collaborators

• Barry Wratten - Clarinetist in preceding band at Royal Sonesta, leading to Tyle's opportunity (Can-Can Cafe performances) [early 1992]
• Orange Kellin - Clarinetist on recordings (Great Composers of New Orleans Jazz (Good Time Jazz GTJCD 15005-1)) [1990s]
• Mike Owen - Trombonist in recording ensembles (Great Composers of New Orleans Jazz) [1990s]
• Steve Pistorius - Pianist in expanded recording band (Great Composers of New Orleans Jazz, Jelly's Best Jam (Good Time Jazz 15002-1)) [1990s]
• Hal Smith - Drummer on multiple recordings and prior Wholly Cats band (Street and Scenes of New Orleans, Jelly's Best Jam, Great Composers of New Orleans Jazz) [1980s-1990s]
• David Sager - Trombonist added for recording (Street and Scenes of New Orleans) [1990s]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz