CORNET:
This is Louis Armstrong's cornet, as you can see it
in the Louisiana State Museum
 Mouthpiece
used by Louis on his cornet
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The first brass bands used cornets and no trumpets.
The lead was always played by the cornet player.
In the early period in New Orleans they played with 2 Bb and 1 Eb
cornet.
They used two solo cornets and one first cornet player. The two solo
cornets would play the same part, alternating the lead and allowing
each to rest. The first cornetist, who played all the time, played an
easier second cornet harmony.
The Eb cornet was decline in use during the First WW years.
During the 1920s there was a change in instrumentation, when trumpets
replaced cornets.
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CLARINET:
Albert system Eb clarinet signed "BOOSEY & CO / MAKERS / LONDON /
12996" made c.1897.
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The Eb clarinet, as opposed to the B-flat clarinet,
was employed in New Orleans brass bands because of it's higher pitch
and shriller tone, which allowed it to be heard over the powerful high
range brass instruments.
Together with the solo cornets, the first cornet and the alto horn,
they made a four part harmony in the treble clef.
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VALVE TROMBONE:
C.G. Conn 1897
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The early brass bands used valve trombones. They
used two trombones.
The first and second trombone had different parts and therefore played
all the time. They made up a four part harmony in the bass clef with
the baritone horn and the tuba. Around the turn of the century, the
slide trombone came into common use.
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BARITONE HORN:
Boston Musical Insts., ca. 1875
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Baritone horn made up a four part harmony in the bass
clef with the trombones and the tuba. The baritone played often the melody,
and occasionally take a solo.
Punch Miller said in an interview on April 4. 1960: "Baritone always played
lead, just like a trumpet".
Also the baritone later was replaced by the saxophone.
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ALTO HORN:
Conn 1919
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Alto horn made up a four part harmony in the treble
clef with the solo cornets, the first cornet and the Eb clarinet. Ricard
Alexis, played the alto and described the part it played as follows: "alto
came in on the after beat. It carried the band. It was the main thing in a
brass band."
Charlie Love, who also played the alto recalled he became frustrated playing
the chord accompaniment and introduced a few runs.
The instrument was given the nickname "Peckhorn", from the monotonous
rhythmic punctuations on offbeats the player was required to produce.
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Bb TRUMPET:
Conn Gold Plated Bb Trumpet
1921
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One of the significant changes in instrumentation of the brass bands
that occurred, was the replacement of cornets by trumpet during the 1920s.
The cornet and trumpet play the same notes and look very similar. The
difference is in the shape of the tubing—cone vs. cylinder—which produces a
difference in the sound quality, or timbre.
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CLARINET Bb Albert-system
This is a late 1920's Selmer "improved"
albert system clarinet.
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Bb clarinet were also used in the early days of the New Orleans Brass
Bands. In later years almost everybody played with Bb clarinets instead of
the Eb clarinet, although George Lewis played on the first recorded brass
band: Bunk
Johnson's Brass Band (1945) Eb clarinet. A year later he played the Bb
clarinet with the Original Zenith Brass Band.
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ALTO SAX:
Conn 1921
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During the mid-1920s the horns were bit by bit replaced by saxophones.
The shortage of horn players eventually necessitated the inclusion of the
saxophones.
Manuel Perez, leader of the Onward Brass Band, may have been amongst the
first brass band leaders to employ saxophones.
At first the alto sax was used in New orleans as a solo instrument and those
early players didn't want to play the "simple" chording role that the alto
horns traditionally had.
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TENOR SAX:
1920's Buescher True Tone tenor sax
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When the tenor saxophone came into the brass bands, as told before
in the mid 1920's, they played the parts of the former baritone horns.
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BASS DRUM:
Bass drum of Papa Jack Laine.
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The oldest bands probably played with a bass drum, without a
cymbal on it. The first recordings we have of the brass bands, played
with the cymbal on the drum.
On an old picture of Papa Laine's Reliance Brass Band took in 1906, we
see a cymbal on the bass.
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SNARE DRUM:
Ludwig's Black Beauty Snare Drum, 1920-1925
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Together with the bass drum, the snare drum is the heart-beat of
the brass band.
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TUBA:
Buescher Tuba Serial#14548 (c. c1920-1925)
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The tuba, as it is on the picture, first appeared in the brass
bands, before it was replaced by the sousaphone.
A famous tuba-player of the brass bands in New Orleans was the late
Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen.
Until his death in January 11, 2004 he always played the tuba.
In the beginning of the 1950's most bands in New Orleans changed to
sousaphone.
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SOUSAPHONE:
38k Conn Sousaphone, production from 1919 - 1931.
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Most of the bands in the late 1940's begin 1950's changed from tuba to
sousaphone.
It was invented by composer and conductor John Philip Sousa and
instrument maker J. W. Pepper (Philadelphia). The design was adapted
from th tuba and the helicon. Sousa was happy enough with the sound of
the helicon in a marching situation, but was looking for a mellower
sound for his concert settings. In 1893, Pepper built an instrument
that allowed the bell to be pointed upwards for the concert setting
and forward for the march. He called it a sousaphone
to thank Sousa for his suggestions.
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/texts/sousaphone.html
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SLIDE TROMBONE:
Conn 6H artist 1925
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The slide trombone was introduced in the brass bands in de the mid
1910's/ 1920's.
Getting slide trombones into the jazz and brass bands, trombone
players could play also the tailgate trombone style.
This must have been a big difference with the valve trombone.
Kid Ory, was one of early pioneers of this way of playing the
trombone.
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So big changes were made in the instrumentation in the mid
1920's/1920's
cornet → trumpet
valve trombone → slide trombone
horn section → sax section
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