Jimmie Noone

Considered one of the three top New Orleans clarinetists of the 1920s (with Johnny Dodds and Sidney Bechet), Jimmie Noone had a smoother tone than his contemporaries that appealed to players of the swing era (including Benny Goodman). He played guitar as a child, and at age 15 took clarinet lessons from Lorenzo Tio, Jr. and Sidney Bechet (the latter was only 13, shockingly enough). Noone developed quickly, and he played with Freddie Keppard (1913-1914), Buddy Petit, and the Young Olympia Band (1916), which he also led. In 1917, he went to Chicago to join Keppard's Creole band....