In the 1950s, trombonist Wilbur DeParis led his New New Orleans Jazz Band, one of the most exciting groups of the era. Accomplishing his stated goal “to play as the early New Orleans masters would if they were alive today,” DeParis and his brother trumpeter Sidney DeParis invigorated hot jazz with their “New New” group. Yet, despite most of their recordings being readily available, very little has been written about the siblings since their passing.
Wilbur DeParis (whose last name has been variously spelled as De Paris, de Paris and deParis) was born January 11, 1900, in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Sidney followed him, probably on May 30, 1903, although he has been listed in some places as being born in 1905. Their father (Sidney DeParis Sr.) was a schoolteacher who led a carnival band that performed in vaudeville. One of his employees with the band was Mabel Bertrand, who would be immortalized by Jelly Roll Morton years later in his composition “Fussy Mabel.” It was the first of several connections to Morton that would take place in the lives of the DeParis brothers. The older DeParis taught both of his sons music. Wilbur not only learned trombone but alto and C-melody saxophone while Sidney soon became skilled as a trumpeter who also occasionally played tuba.
Until the mid-1940s, Wilbur and Sidney DeParis had separate careers that only overlapped on rare occasions. Wh
