TRANSCRIPT:
Hi, I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
Jabbo Smith was born in 1908 in Pembroke, Georgia. At just six years old, he entered the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston, where he discovered his passion for music. He mastered the trumpet and trombone. By age 10, he was already touring with the Jenkins Band.
By 1929, he showcased his talents alongside legends like Fats Waller in the Broadway revue "Keep Shufflin’." His recordings for Brunswick Records in 1929 gained critical acclaim, which drew comparisons to Louis Armstrong.
But he didn’t catch the same wave of lasting fame as Armstrong. After fading from the spotlight, he lived quietly for decades before being rediscovered and performing in iconic venues across New York, New Orleans, and Europe.
Jabbo Smith passed away in 1991, but he and his horn helped shape the language of early jazz.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and South Carolina Public Radio, made possible by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.