The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, c. 1917.

Courtesy of the Frank Driggs Collection.

 

“Dixie Jass Band One-Step”

Original Dixieland Jazz Band

1917

The first group to record jazz, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band made history with this 1917 performance. They were hardly the first band to play jazz, nor the best, but the all-white ensemble captured the imagination of millions, and helped to usher in the Jazz Age. It remains among the best-selling jazz recordings of all time.