Earl Oliver

Earl Oliver

tr,
Musician of Pop and Jazz
A.k.a. Earle Preston Oliver

Jazz trumpeter. Oliver was born in Cambridge, Massachussetts on October 21 of 1894. He seems to started trumpet lessons when he was a child. Oliver served as trumpeter for the General Pershing's Military band during the World War I. After the World War I, he started making recordings on 1919 as member of several Harry A. Yerkes units & joined Ray Miller's band, with whom Oliver recorded from 1920 to October 5 from 1922, in which Oliver met Julius Berkin, who joined Miller's band on January from 1922. Trombonist Tom Brown was with Oliver on both bands It was during that period that Oliver made several recordings with Louis Katzman's Orchestra as the Broadway Dance Orchestra for Edison from June 21 of 1921 to May 4 of 1922, on which Oliver met Eph(raim) Hannaford (the uncle grandparent of Wendy Gardner & Craig Hannaford), who in my humble opinion was in some of the sessions. He also cut with the All Star Trio & Their Orchestra for Victor from 1921 to 1922. It was on mid November from 1922 that Ben Selvin (the grandpa of David Eric Selvin & Emily Selvin) hired Earl Oliver for his band alongside Ray Stillwell, Arnold Brilhart, Thomas/Tom "Spatty" Timothy & Lew/Louis/Lou Cobey. Oliver's first recording session with Selvin was on November 25 of 1922 for Vocalion (tunes included were "I'm Through (Shedding Tears Over You)", "Who Cares", "Open Your Arms, My Alabamy" & "The Fuzzy Wuzzy Bird", the first 2 were issued on Vocalion 14477 & the last 2 were issued on Vocalion 14472). It was also the beginning of Oliver's growling trumpet style, which started its developement that was modeled after Nick LaRocca & Jules Levy Jr. among other trumpeters. Oliver's style consisted of varying the melody with the frequent use of flutter tongue effects that he started using around 1923 & gave birth also to his growling trumpet playing style. According to Michael May, Oliver developed & started using 6 solo routines when he was playing either on live gigs or on recording sessions, a fact which attests his ability to read. That isn't all, Oliver was also very good with the mutes, which were the wah-wah mute, the straight mute & even the derby mute. He also played in open horn too. Thanks to his good work with Ben Selvin, Oliver also started & was also allowed by Selvin to record with Arthur Lange, Bob Haring, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Sam Lanin, Charlie Fry, Nathan Glantz, Lou Gold, Eddie Peabody, Adrian Schubert, Harry Reser & many more bandleaders According to Joe W. Freeman's book "Henry Levine and the "recording" trumpeters", Henry "Hot Lips" Levine described Earl Oliver as being a tall & skinny guy that was more or less a loner & it was his good playing that the recording bandleaders wanted. Oliver's last known residence during his remaining years of life was Oswego, New York. He died in California on June from 1970. [Information about Oliver's first recording with Ben Selvin from Richard Johnson & Bernard Shirley's book "American Dance Bands On Record & Film, 1915-1942", who is also the source of the information about Oliver's recording career.]