Henry Ragas

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Henry Ragas

Henry Walter Ragas (November 2, 1890 – February 18, 1919) was an American jazz pianist known for his role in the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB), the first jazz band to record commercially. Born in Pointe à la Hache, Louisiana, Ragas gained experience as a solo pianist from 1910 to 1913 before joining Johnny Stein's band and traveling to Chicago in 1916. He subsequently left to form the ODJB, which became a major hit in 1917.

Ragas played piano on the band's earliest recording sessions, making him the first jazz pianist to be recorded, although his contributions were often inaudible due to the primitive recording technology of the time. His role was primarily to fill out chords and provide a bass line, and he did not play solos on these recordings. Ragas was featured on the band's first 21 recordings, including the composition "Bluin' the Blues," which he wrote, along with other compositions such as "Lazy Daddy," "Dixieland Jass Band One-Step," "Clarinet Marmalade Blues," and "Reisenweber Rag."

He played on many of the ODJB's classics and standards, including "Livery Stable Blues," regarded as the first jazz recording, and "Tiger Rag," one of the most recorded songs in jazz history. Tragically, Ragas died in the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919 in New York City at the age of 28. His place in the band was taken by J. Russel Robinson. Despite his short career, Ragas's work with the ODJB had a lasting influence on jazz music.

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