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Plantation Joys

Luis Russell's
Heebie Jeebie Stompers

Barney Bigard , Bob Shoffner , Darnell Howard , Johnny St Cyr, Luis Russell, Preston Jackson

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Recorded in Chicago on November 17th 1926 featuring Bob Shoffner cornet, Preston Jackson trombone, Darnell Howard clarinet & alto sax, Barney Bigard tenor sax, Luis Russell piano, and Johnny St. Cyr banjo.

*"Plantation Joys" was composed by Luis Russell.

Born August 6th 1902 in Careening Cay, Panama a young Luis Russell learned to play a variety of instruments under the instruction of his father who was a music teacher.

Adopting the piano as his main focus he began age fifteen playing professionally as an accompanist to silent films and later as an entertainer at a casino in Colón.

After winning $3000 (USD) in a 1919 lottery, Luis moved to the United States with his mother and sister and settled in the city of New Orleans.

There he learned the local style from pianist Steve Lewis who also had a hand in teaching Jelly Roll Morton. and worked with Albert Nichols' band before relocating to Chicago to join "Doc Cook's Dreamland Orchestra" in 1925.

Following a handful of recordings featuring prominent Chicago sidemen Russell traveled to New York as a member of King Oliver's ill fated band in 1927 from which he would form his own Orchestra when the group found themselves broke and stranded in the Big Apple.

Expanding to accommodate ten pieces by 1929 the "Luis Russell Orchestra" produced records that are now revered as the first and finest examples of Swing music.

In 1935 Russell and his powerful group joined forces with Louis Armstrong accepting a position as his back up band, a partnership which lasted for the next eight years.

Luis Russell spent his final years outside of music working as a driver and operating retail stores.