Alphonse Picou
Biography
Pronounced “Al-fonz Pee-koo.” Alphonse Floristan Picou was among the first musicians who created jazz music in the cultural melting pot of late nineteenth-century New Orleans. He began playing guitar at a young age and soon switched to clarinet, which was the predominant horn in the New Orleans front line along with trumpet and trombone. He worked in a variety of ensembles, notably in popular dance bands with his contemporary, the legendary cornetist Buddy Bolden. Their innovative music eventually became known as ‘jazz.’
One of Picou’s most important contributions to jazz music is the famous solo he composed over “High Society,” a popular marching band piece by Porter Steele. More than 50 years later, Picou’s melody was still being called upon by Charlie Parker in his groundbreaking 1945 recording, “Ko Ko.”