Nick La Rocca, and the invention of jazz

New York February 26, 1917: four boys, who call themselves the Original Dixieland Jass Band, are affecting their first record in the "RCA Victor" studies.

Tony Sbarbaro, Nick La Rocca, Alcide "Yellow" Nunez and Eddy Edwards may not know that this day will go down in legend, in fact, are affecting the first jazz disc of history.

You may have noticed the Sicilian surname La Rocca, so well, in fact, Nick La Rocca had Sicilian

origins, his father was Girolamo La Rocca di Salaparuta, mother Nina De Vita Poggioreale.

Let's move on to his biography:

Nick, now considered a pioneer of classic jazz cornet player, was born on April 11, 1889. His first compositions the sounds in front of the cashier at the theater near his house; Only in 1916 he joined the group Johnny Stein, who later became the famous Original Dixieland Jazz Band, which later became known as the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, whose leader he became. The group, also because of personality problems that plagued Nick, was dissolved several times.

There are many well-known musicians who played in the orchestra: to remember two guitarists, Johnny Saint Cyr and the Italian Michele Ortuso.

Nick with his group composed many songs including Dixieland Jass One Step and Livery Stable Blues released by RCA Victor, and the famous Tiger Rag that captivated millions of listeners and offers from all over the US.

In 1919 the Original Dixieland Jazz Band performed in London as the official orchestra of the Victory Ball at the Savoy Hotel to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that ended the First World War: the sound of the band in front of the royal family of George V who remained extremely fascinated; in the same year they were recorded 17 tracks for British Columbia.

In 1920 he made his triumphant return to New York where he continued his lively success, until in 1922 began to manifest a strong movement against the Jazz: Nick and his band decided to move to Harlem where the laws anti-jazz were approved only in 1925, the year when he decided to disband the group.

For 10 years suspended any musical activity, he resumed only in 1936, he continued his career for another two years until in 1938 he decided to dissolve the band permanently; In the same year, the now fifty years old Nick, who is considered the creator of jazz and the music of Christopher Columbus, he met Ruth, a young girl of 20 years, the two were married and had as many as 6 children among whom only James Dominik continues still her father's career.

suffers from heart, died in New Orleans in 1961 at the age of 72 years.