Black Birds of Paradise

Based in Montgomery, AL, the Black Birds of Paradise were an eight-piece Afro-American jazz band that ruled the roost in central Alabama during the second half of the 1920s. Formed in 1925 and led by trombonist William "Buddy" Howard, they held down a steady gig for years working every Saturday night serenading the membership of a white country club near Harragut Springs just outside of Montgomery. In addition to the leader, the front line consisted of cornetist Philmore "Shorty" Hall and reedmen Walter Boyd and James Bell, with a rhythm section of pianist Melvin Small, banjoi...