Larry Shields

Biography

A colorful and rambunctious clarinetist, Larry Shields infused the initial Dixieland Jazz Music group with spirit along with a little bit of hilarity. Not just a main improviser (he tended to do it again his phrases a good deal), Shields’ extroverted and carefree audio symbolized jazz to numerous listeners from the past due teenagers and early ’20s. His sibling Harry Shields (1899-1971) was in fact a more powerful jazz participant, although much less significant in jazz background, and another sibling, Eddie Shields, was a pianist who briefly used the ODJB in 1919 after Henry Ragas’ loss of life. Larry Shields began playing clarinet when he was 14; he fulfilled and began focusing on an intermittent basis with cornetist Nick LaRocca the next year. Shields initial still left New Orleans in 1915 when he became a member of Bert Kelly’s music group in Chicago. He also used Tom Dark brown in NY until the music group split up in Feb 1916. After time for New Orleans, Shields journeyed to Chicago in November 1916 to become listed on pushes with LaRocca in the initial Dixieland Jazz Music group. Their documenting of “Livery Steady Blues” the next calendar year was a feeling and Shields continued to be using the ODJB until Dec 1921 when character conflicts led to him stopping the group. After playing briefly with Paul Whiteman, Shields transferred to LA where he led his personal music group. He retired, relocated back again to New Orleans, and was surviving in obscurity once the ODJB re-formed in 1936. Shields came back to energetic playing (still possessing a mainly unchanged style which was unaffected by golf swing), made fresh recordings using the ODJB and, from then on group split up once again in Feb 1938, he continuing dealing with newer variations of the music group until he relocated to California in the first ’40s and retired from music. He passed on in 1953.

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