157:. Also important was the "hell of a good time" the band was able to communicate. Individual solos were limited in the Castle band, with Ballou preferring an ensemble style. They were considered to be a "superior, authentic, two-beat" band. The band was well-rehearsed, but did not come off as overly polished. Of greatest importance was blending of the ensemble work, or as Kinch put it, "It's your sound that matters."
86:), but this recording was more widely distributed and garnered the national and international attention of jazz fans and received critical acclaim. Ballou changed from guitar to banjo for the 1947 recording, and this, plus a change from string bass to tuba, had a significant effect on the band's sound. The most famous lineup was formed in 1948, and played at the
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Castle
Records was founded by Harry Fosbury to release the band's records. The label's first issues were primitive sounding, but as recording engineer Fosbury continued, the sound quality improved. In addition to the Castle Jazz Band, Castle Records also released four piano solos by Lee Stafford. The
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in
Portland, dressed in various costumes. They became regulars at the Rathskeller Club in 1948, and then moved to a more upscale location, the Sportsman Club, where they were a draw not only locally, but also from the traditional jazz fanbase in San Francisco. Their heyday was from 1949 to 1951. This
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label (reissued on CD). In the early 1960s, Ballou led the band for a steady engagement in the
Roaring 20s club in Harvey Dick's Hoyt Hotel, but when that ended in 1966 Ballou found it difficult to find another steady engagement. He continued to perform sporadically in the Portland area, often as a
114:
Levitt was considered too modern for the band and found it difficult to fit in. The cooperative band broke up in 1951, and Ballou formed a new version of the band that performed in a club he bought called the
Diamond Horseshoe, in good part due to the success of the Castle Records releases. Ballou
43:
The band's roots began earlier, in 1940, with a band led by trumpeter Dick
Sheuerman. He assembled a five-piece band with Bill Pavia on clarinet, George Phillips on trombone, Al Puderbaugh on piano, and Axel Tyle on drums. The group played at the Hi-Hat Club in downtown Portland until late 1941.
39:
The Castle Jazz Band started in 1943, part of a West Coast revival of traditional jazz that rebelled against modern jazz. It was named after "The Castle", a roadhouse tavern south of
Portland (although at the time the group worked there they were simply called "Monte Ballou and his Orchestra").
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as the domain of "drug-addicted crackpots". The Castle Jazz Band stuck to what they considered the roots of jazz, with an instrumentation consisting of trumpet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, drums, banjo and piano. They aimed to emulate the music of
44:
During the run there, guitarist/vocalist Monte Ballou sat in frequently. At the time he was a headliner at the popular Clover Club in downtown
Portland. In 1943, he reassembled the Hi-Hat group and began playing Saturdays at The Castle.
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After his time with Evans Ballou reformed the group and continued to work various venues in the
Portland area in addition to private engagements. Members of the 1949–50 band were reassembled in the late 1950s to make two LPs for the
165:
During its heyday the Castle Jazz Band was
Portland's most popular jazz group, both locally and internationally. In the late 1940s, they were among four groups which were leading the traditional jazz movement on the West coast.
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stated that the band made Oregon "a better place to live" and considered them the acme of semi-professional jazz groups at the time (even though several members of the band, including Ballou, were full-time musicians).
153:. The band was reviewed as "rousing" and having the ability to impart "fire" to "cornier" numbers. Of importance to the band's success was the "rhythm and enthusiasm" of Ballou, and Kinch's trumpet which could evoke
47:
The band was a cooperative venture that never paid its members. It was led by banjoist Monte Ballou. Their first recordings took place March 28 and April 16, 1944 and the first issue (
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The Castle Jazz Band was an all-white traditional jazz ensemble. It was composed of top-notch musicians who considered themselves neo-traditionalists; as such they rejected
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single act as he had done in his younger days. Periodically he would assemble a six or seven piece for concerts and recordings, including sessions in 1968 and 1972.
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time period included being a featured group at the 1949 Dixieland
Jubilee concert (where they were recorded by Decca Records playing "High Society"), and 13 more
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jazz band, part of the "West Coast revival" of traditional jazz music. Their recordings were popular worldwide for a time, although touring outside their
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band, and was replaced initially by George Phillips (who had worked and recorded in the earlier edition of the band), and then by Rod Levitt.
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substituted for cornetist Ned Dotson. Wartime and employment difficulties ensured the band would not record again until December 29, 1947 (
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recordings for the label took place between 1944 and 1950, Castle Records 15 being the last 78 RPM issue.
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563:"The Castle Jazz Band: The Famous Castle Jazz Band Plays "The Five Pennies""
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424:(LP Record). Los Angeles, California: Good Time Jazz Records. GTJ L-12030.
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sold the club in 1954 and disbanded in order to briefly join forces with
67:) was limited to 100 copies, and trumpeter Bob Scobey of San Francisco's
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513:. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. pp. 180–181.
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681:
The Trumpet Kings: The Players who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet
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460:. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. p. 19.
352:. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press. p. 17.
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label. Trumpet player Don Kinch claimed one of these records,
654:"CASTLE Records (Oregon) 78rpm numerical listing discography"
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Monte Ballou, banjo, guitar, vocals (1944–1954, 1957–1977)
378:"Monte Ballou: Monte Ballou and His New Castle Jazz Band"
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Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz, 1942-1957
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Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz, 1942–1957
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Jumptown: The Golden Years of Portland Jazz, 1942-1957
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293:Drew, Peter (April 1949). "The Castle Jazz Band".
227:Nathanial "Ned" Dotson, cornet (1944, 1950–1952)
633:Avakian, George (July 1949). "Records Noted".
481:Fosbury, Harry (May 1949). "The Jazz Parade".
591:Avakian, George (May 1949). "Records Noted".
59:) was limited to 200 copies. A second issue (
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221:George Phillips, trombone (1944, 1949–1950)
203:Don Kinch, cornet/trumpet (1947–1950, 1958)
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230:Bill "Willie" Pavia, clarinet (1944–1947)
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652:Settlemier, Tyrone (January 22, 2008).
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748:Musical groups from Portland, Oregon
641:(7). Changer Publications, Inc.: 12.
599:(5). Changer Publications, Inc.: 17.
422:The Famous Castle Jazz Band in Hi-Fi
301:(4). Changer Publications, Inc.: 10.
713:. Hal Leonard Corporation. p.
489:(5). Changer Publications, Inc.: 4.
103:, sold more than a million copies.
768:Musical groups established in 1944
200:George Bruns, trombone (1947–1949)
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658:The Online Discographical Project
536:"The Castle Jazz Band: Biography"
248:Ernie Carson, trumpet (1954–1956)
212:Bob Gilbert, clarinet (1948–1954)
209:Larry DuFresne, piano (1947–1950)
101:Floating Down the Old Green River
206:Freddie Crews, piano (1951–1954)
242:Bob Chester, drums (1951–1953)
239:Homer Welch, drums (1949–1950)
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773:1944 establishments in Oregon
617:. May 20, 1950. p. 122.
315:The Oxford Companion to Jazz
236:Axel Tyle, drums (1944–1948)
88:Jantzen Beach Amusement Park
758:Dixieland revival ensembles
233:Bob Short, tuba (1947–1954)
140:music as over-arranged and
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509:Dietsche, Robert (2005).
456:Dietsche, Robert (2005).
348:Dietsche, Robert (2005).
215:Bob Johnson, piano (1944)
107:left in 1950 to join the
76:At a Georgia Camp Meeting
705:Lee, William F. (2005).
569:. All Media Network, LLC
542:. All Media Network, LLC
384:. All Media Network, LLC
763:American jazz ensembles
420:Koenig, Lester (1958).
312:Kirchner, Bill (2005).
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125:Good Time Jazz Records
678:Yanow, Scott (2001).
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80:Ory's Creole Trombone
72:Yerba Buena Jazz Band
61:At the Jazz Band Ball
49:At the Jazz Band Ball
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709:American Big Bands
635:The Record Changer
593:The Record Changer
483:The Record Changer
295:The Record Changer
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95:recordings on the
31:base was limited.
729:Castle Jazz Band.
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467:978-0-87071-114-5
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16:US jazz band
663:November 9,
573:November 4,
561:Koda, Cub.
546:November 4,
534:Wynn, Ron.
388:November 4,
151:King Oliver
109:Turk Murphy
65:Sister Kate
742:Categories
253:References
69:Lu Watters
615:Billboard
192:Personnel
117:Doc Evans
25:Dixieland
567:AllMusic
540:AllMusic
382:AllMusic
138:big band
35:History
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161:Impact
93:78 RPM
23:was a
142:bebop
132:Style
719:ISBN
686:ISBN
665:2015
575:2015
548:2015
515:ISBN
462:ISBN
390:2015
354:ISBN
320:ISBN
149:and
19:The
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