Anthony Lacen
Encyclopedia
Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen (September 15, 1950 - January 11, 2004) was a jazz
tubist
and band leader. Tuba Fats was New Orleans' most famous tuba player and played traditional New Orleans jazz
and blues
for over 40 years.
He was born, spent most of his life, and died in New Orleans, Louisiana
. His music also took him on a number of tours of Europe
, Asia
, Australia
, and South America
.
He was known for many years to lead a band playing for tips in Jackson Square in the French Quarter
, where he gave much encouragement to younger musicians. He played professionally with brass band
s such as the Young Tuxedo, E. Gibson, Doc Paulin, Onward, Algiers, Treme
, and Olympia Brass Bands, and with his own band, Tuba Fats & the Chosen Few Brass Band. Tuba Fats made many important jazz recordings; notably those under his own name on the Jazz Crusade label. Tuba Fats was married to the late blues shouter Linda Young with whom he often toured in Europe.
He was buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on January 18, 2004 after a jazz funeral
.
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...
tubist
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
and band leader. Tuba Fats was New Orleans' most famous tuba player and played traditional New Orleans 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...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
for over 40 years.
He was born, spent most of his life, and died in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. His music also took him on a number of tours of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
He was known for many years to lead a band playing for tips in Jackson Square in the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
, where he gave much encouragement to younger musicians. He played professionally with brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
s such as the Young Tuxedo, E. Gibson, Doc Paulin, Onward, Algiers, Treme
Treme Brass Band
The Treme Brass Band is a marching brass band from New Orleans, Louisiana led by snare drummer Benny Jones, Sr. The band, which plays traditional New Orleans brass band music, features a shifting lineup that has included trumpeters Kermit Ruffins and James Andrews, tenor saxophonists Elliot Callier...
, and Olympia Brass Bands, and with his own band, Tuba Fats & the Chosen Few Brass Band. Tuba Fats made many important jazz recordings; notably those under his own name on the Jazz Crusade label. Tuba Fats was married to the late blues shouter Linda Young with whom he often toured in Europe.
He was buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on January 18, 2004 after a jazz funeral
Jazz funeral
Jazz funeral is a common name for a funeral tradition with music which developed in New Orleans, Louisiana.The term "jazz funeral" was long in use by observers from elsewhere, but was generally disdained as inappropriate by most New Orleans musicians and practitioners of the tradition...
.
Discography
- After You've Gone (with his wife Linda Young) Jazz Crusade, 1985
- Street Music Jazz Crusade, 1986 & 2003
- A Jazz Gumbo Vols. 1 & 2 (with his wife Linda Young) Jazz Crusade, 1993
- In The Gutter Jazz Crusade, 1997
- Big Bill Bissonnette's International Jazz Band Vols. 1 & 2 (concert recording) Jazz Crusade, 1997
- Chosen Few Jazzmen Jazz Crusade, 2003