LCV Spring 2013 - (Page 74)

UNE THE TIMES-PICAY ns to play New Orlea quare. S returned to 71 Kid Ory age Festival at Congo In 19 zz and Herit the Ja ORY’S taking that and hurting me. My next GROUP DELIGHTED that hall, Cooperators WHATEVER AUDIENCE LAY move was to rentmy purpose. I wanted Hall, and fulfill BEFORE THEM: A SATURDAY to keep it closed. The $17.50 wouldn’t break me, and that way I’d be certain of NIGHT IN STORYVILLE, A no harmful competition. During the winter season, I rented Cooperators SUNDAY AFTERNOON and Economy Halls and, as the spring BRASS BAND PARADE and summer season opened I rented National Park. OR A FRIDAY NIGHT the Economy society, or the societe HOTEL BALL. d’ Economie et d’ assistance mutuelle where Kid ory used to hold sway.” most people remember the parties being held on sunday evenings, though sunday through tuesday nights were popular. musician “wooden” Joe nicholas (18831957) remembered the scene there: “they were out in the yard. used kerosene and flambeaux to light the yard. they danced right on the ground, danced so frequently they had packed it into a good dancing surface.” ... the music business in new orleans was cutthroat and bargain-basement. the bands played for pennies, and there was always another band that might come along and undercut the price or top you musically. the end result was losing one’s job. Being the promoter and bandleader, on the other hand, insured that ory would take home money one way or the other. with the success of his first dance at Economy hall on march 11, 1912, ory began to book other halls in town and promote his own events. these included monday night dances and fish fries, he recalled: Then I made the announcement to the crowd that Kid Ory and his band would be playing there every Monday night and I wanted them to come and dance. My second dance was just as good as my first one. I kept thinking, however, of the hall about two blocks around the corner. And worrying about someone’s 74 Louisiana EndowmEnt for thE humanitiEs • Spring 2013 benevolent society, was founded in 1836 by 15 free men of color. in 1912 their large meeting hall stood at 1422 ursulines st. in the treméneighborhood. it was used for club functions, but it also served as a community center where public dances were held. the hall was on the second floor, though the band played higher still, on a balcony above the dancers’ heads. Kid ory played Economy hall on monday nights until his departure from new orleans in 1919. over the years he became so successful at it that he hired other bands to play even as his band performed elsewhere. “still later, i hired other halls and hired bands to play in them too, when i found i couldn’t accommodate all the people trying to crowd into my dances. so, i made money right along, if they came to me fine, if they went to the other halls, i still made it.” on Labor day 1913, the ory band was set to play for a parade that would travel through the rampart and 

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LCV Spring 2013

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