Trombonist and banjo player Frank Demond died on November 21st; he was 91. Born in Los Angeles he would at one time be the only member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band not from New Orleans. After hearing Kid Ory in the ’40s he fell in love with New Orleans jazz and reached out to other New Orleans musicians then living around Southern California. Johnny St. Cyr, Alton Purnell, and George Lewis would all visit Demond’s family home to jam. While he was attending college, and already had a band going, it was Big Jim Robinson who convinced him to switch from banjo to trombone.
Big Jim would introduce him to the Preservation Hall band when it toured California in the ’60s. He first sat with the band in 1965 on a trip to New Orleans and relocated to the city by the end of the decade. Prior to that move, he was playing trombone with the South Frisco Jazz Band, El Dorado Jazz Band, and other traditional jazz groups. He would make a big impression on both Dan Barrett and Hal Smith in their youth as detailed in articles published by The Syncopated Times in February/March 2023.
Because Big Jim Robinson held the trombone position Demond mostly played banjo with Preservation Hall, but would play trombone around town. When Robinson passed away in 1976 he inherited the front line trombone chair. Frank Demond also founded the Smoky Mary Phonograph Company, which released recordings by Kid Thomas, Albert Burbank, Sweet Emma Barrett, and others. In later years he divided his time between California and New Orleans. Other bands he was involved in include Bill Carter’s Jazz Band, Bruce Dexter’s Jazz Band, and The Jazz Co-Op Band.
Joe Bebco is the Associate Editor of The Syncopated Times and Webmaster of SyncopatedTimes.com
