WYNN'S CREOLE BAND

Biography

Wynn's Creole Jazz Band was a Chicago-based jazz ensemble led by trombonist Albert Wynn in the late 1920s. The band recorded for Vocalion Records and was active during a pivotal period in early jazz history. Albert Wynn was a solid trombonist who fronted multiple ensembles throughout his career, including Al Wynn And His Gutbucket Five, Al Wynn's Gutbucket Seven, and Albert Wynn's Creole Jazz Band. The Creole Jazz Band represented Wynn's primary recording project and exemplified the Chicago jazz sound of the era, blending traditional jazz elements with contemporary arrangements. The band's recordings, made between 1926 and 1928, captured the energy and innovation of Chicago's vibrant jazz scene during the late 1920s.

Fun Facts

• Dolly Jones, who recorded with Wynn's Creole Jazz Band on 'That Creole Band' in 1926, became the first recorded female jazz trumpeter in history, breaking significant gender barriers in jazz music.
• Albert Wynn's Creole Jazz Band recorded 'Down By The Levee' on October 2, 1928, for Vocalion Records (catalog number 1220), during the same period when Louis Armstrong's influential version of 'West End Blues' was reshaping jazz performance standards.
• Albert Wynn led multiple bands simultaneously with different names—Al Wynn And His Gutbucket Five, Al Wynn's Gutbucket Seven, and Albert Wynn's Creole Jazz Band—demonstrating his prominence in Chicago's jazz scene and his ability to maintain multiple recording projects.
• The band's recordings were made during the height of the 'race records' era, when Paramount Records and other labels specifically marketed recordings by African American artists to Black audiences, representing an important period of Black entrepreneurship and cultural production in the music industry.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Thomas A. Dorsey - Musical arranger and composer who worked with Wynn on compositions and arrangements (Co-composer on recordings including 'That Creole Band' and other compositions) [1926-1928]

Key Collaborators

• Dolly Jones - Female jazz trumpeter who recorded with the band, making history as the first recorded female jazz trumpeter ('That Creole Band' (1926)) [1926]
• Lester Boone - Reedman who performed with Wynn's Creole Jazz Band (Band recordings) [1928]
• Sid Catlett - Drummer who performed with Wynn's Creole Jazz Band (Band recordings) [1928]
• Bill and Mary Mack - Vocal team featured with the band (Band recordings with Punch Miller) [late 1920s]

External Links

• Spotify