Wade Whaley

A little-remembered portion of New Orleans’ early jazz diaspora, clarinetist Whaley was however a well-respected musician in his day time, playing together with such giants as Child Ory and Jelly Move Morton. Relating to jazz historian John Chilton, Whaley performed bass and acoustic guitar before taking on the clarinet, which he researched with the famous New Orleans clarinetist Lorenzo Tio Jr.. His 1st gigs on clarinet had been used Armand Piron’s orchestra at New Orleans’ Temple Theater. Through 1916 Whaley led his personal band and caused Ory, Friend Petit, and additional New Orleans organizations. In 1917 he shifted to LA with Petit and became a member of Morton’s band, remaining only briefly, after that time for New Orleans. After leading his personal group for a while, he moved back again to California in 1919, dealing with Ory and leading his personal music group. In 1921 Ory’s music group became the 1st dark jazz group to record commercially; Whaley was the group’s regular clarinetist, but he couldn’t make the Santa Monica day and was substituted by Jelly Move Morton’s brother-in-law, Oliver “Dink” Johnson. Whaley used Ory through 1925, after that started his personal successful music group in the SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA Bay Region, the Dark & Tan Jazz Hounds (aka the Dark & Tan Syncopators). The music group worked well through the past due ’20s. Whaley performed in the pit music group at San Francisco’s Capitol Burlesque Hall in the first ’30s. He ceased playing music full-time around 1934 and worked well in the San Jose shipyards. He came back to music, taking part in a concert using the All-Star New Orleans Music group in SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA in-may 1943. Another year he do a radio broadcast with Ory that improved his renown; thereafter he worked well and recorded frequently.