Alcide Patrick Nunez was an early United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 clarinetist. Also known as Yellow Nunez and Al Nunez, he was born in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana

St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....

 of an Isleño

Isleños

Isleño is the Spanish word meaning "islander." The Isleños are the descendants of Canary Island immigrants to Louisiana, Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and other parts of the Americas....

 family and moved to New Orleans in his childhood.

He initially played guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, then switched to clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

 about 1902. He soon became one of the top hot clarinetists in the city. He was a regular in Papa Jack Laine

Papa Jack Laine

George Vital "Papa Jack" Laine was a pioneering band leader in New Orleans in the years from the Spanish-American War to World War I....

's band, in addition to playing with Tom Brown (trombonist)

Tom Brown (trombonist)

Tom Brown , sometimes known by the nickname Red Brown, was an early New Orleans dixieland jazz trombonist. He also played string bass professionally....

 and sometimes leading bands of his own.

In early 1916 he went north to Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 with Stein's Dixie Jass Band, which was to become famous as the Original Dixieland Jass Band

Original Dixieland Jass Band

The Original Dixieland Jass Band were a New Orleans, Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz single ever issued. The group composed and made the first recordings of many jazz standards, the most famous being Tiger Rag...

, but Nunez left the band shortly before they made their first recordings.

After some time playing with Tom Brown's band in Chicago, he went to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 with Bert Kelly

Bert Kelly (jazz musician)

Bert Kelly was a jazz band leader who owned Kelly's Stables in Chicago's Tower Town in the 1920s. His jazz band is claimed to have been the first to use that term as Bert Kelly's Jazz Band in 1915....

's band. At the start of 1919 he helped form the band the Louisiana Five

Louisiana Five

The Louisiana Five was an early dixieland jazz band that was active from 1918-1920. It was among the earliest jazz groups to record extensively.-History:The Louisiana Five was led by Anton Lada, who played the drums....

 led by drummer Anton Lada. They quickly became one of the most popular bands in New York at the time and recorded for several record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

s.

In 1922 he returned to Chicago to lead the house band at Kelly's Stables, one of the city's top nightclubs. After Bert Kelly replaced him with Johnny Dodds

Johnny Dodds

Johnny Dodds was an American New Orleans based jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Lovie Austin and Louis Armstrong. Dodds was also the older brother of drummer Warren "Baby"...

, Nunez returned with his family to New Orleans, where he played with various bands in addition to his day job with the police department until his death.

Robert Nunez

Robert Nunez

Robert Nunez is a United States musician who has performed as Principal Tuba of both the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New Orleans Opera since 1992. He has taught as Adjunct Professor of Tuba at the University of New Orleans and Tulane University. Mr...

 is the great grandson of Alcide "Yellow" Nunez and is also the principal tubist with the Louisiana Philharmonic

Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only full-time, professional orchestra in the Gulf South. The music director is Carlos Miguel Prieto....

of New Orleans.

External links

• Alcide "Yellow" Nunez extensive multi-page biography.