Hal Smith: You are best known among Traditional Jazz fans as a cornetist, but can you tell us about the instrument you started with?
Chris Tyle: I started on piano at 11. It was the usual thing, scales, exercises, the classics. I found it tedious. I learned to read fairly well and found some boogie-woogie folios in our sheet music cabinet that my mom had played at one time—pieces by Meade “Lux” Lewis, Pete Johnson, et. al. A Fats Waller folio, too.
I worked on trying to play these and one time played one for my teacher, a Swedish woman in her 60s. She was not happy! At about 12 I started playing drums in the grade school band. I also had some lessons from a drummer who some years later I worked with (when I played cornet). I played drums throughout high school—they wouldn’t let me play cornet or trumpet because there was a shortage of drummers. I was disappointed with that as I wanted the reading experience.
There was “Drum DNA” in your background (your father). What are some details of his career?
My dad, Axel Tyle, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1912. He came to the US in 1917 with his mother and they settled in Portland, Oregon. When he was 12 he heard a black jazz band that was with the circus, playing for a backya
You've read three articles this month! That makes you one of a rare breed, the true jazz fan!
The Syncopated Times is a monthly publication covering traditional jazz, ragtime and swing. We have the best historic content anywhere, and are the only American publication covering artists and bands currently playing Hot Jazz, Vintage Swing, or Ragtime. Our writers are legends themselves, paid to bring you the best coverage possible. Advertising will never be enough to keep these stories coming, we need your SUBSCRIPTION. Get unlimited access for $30 a year or $50 for two.
Not ready to pay for jazz yet? Register a Free Account for two weeks of unlimited access without nags or pop ups.
Already Registered? Log In
If you shouldn't be seeing this because you already logged in try refreshing the page.