ABSTRACT
American jazz trumpet player, born Filippo Napoli in Boston. He began performing in public as a young child, and in 1916 recorded as a cornet soloist. Napoleon and Frank Signorelli founded the Original Memphis Five, one of the earliest Dixieland groups, in 1917. He also had his own band, recording for Pathé, Edison, and Victor in 1926-1927. Napoleon’s Emperors was the name of his ensemble that recorded for Victor in 1929; it included Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Joe Venuti, and Eddie Lang. “Mean to Me” (Victor V #38057) and “Anything” (V #38069) were two notable discs. He had another band in 1937, and made four sides for the Victory label. With the Dixieland revival, Napoleon reformed the Original Memphis Five in 1949. The group worked in New York until 1956, when Napoleon moved to Miami Beach, Florida, where he opened his own club. He made several Dixieland-styled recordings in the 1950s, with his last sessions coming in 1959-1960 for Capitol Records, producing three albums (not reissued on CD). He continued to lead a band there through the 1980s. He died in Miami. A CD of live concert recordings from 1949-1950 (Live at Nick’s; Jazzology #30) is the only current reissue of his later recordings.
