By Charles Suhor
Trumpeter Mike Serpas, one of the pioneers of modern jazz in New Orleans, died on April 23 in Picayune, Mississippi.
Born in Algiers, Serpas studied with the legendary Manuel “Fess” Manetta, a veteran of Buddy Bolden’s band, and played at Behrman High School under Milton Bush. He served in the U.S. Navy and attended Southeastern University in Hammond, where an administration sympathetic to jazz had attracted talents like pianist Bill Evans, guitarist Mundell Lowe, and bassist Red Mitchell.
Serpas was a key player in the underground jazz community that played at after hours sessions, strip clubs, and private homes in the post-WWII years, when the new be-bop style was not acceptable to the general public. Among the dozens of players at the sessions were Al Belletto, Joseph (Mouse) Bonati, Benny Clement, Earl Palmer, Sam Butera, Don Suhor, Joe (Cheeks) Mandry, Ellis Marsalis, Louis Timken, Edward Blackwell, Ornette Coleman, Joe Pass, Brew Moore, and Reed Vaughan.
Serpas was uncompromising in his opposition to the Louisiana segregation laws of the time. Drummer Lee Charlton says, “Mike was one who always spoke his mind, and never held back.” At his peril--he was beaten by police and his trumpet crushed after performing with African American vocalist Blanche Thomas in an Algiers club.
Recording opportunities for the new music were rare in New Orleans, except for Harold Battiste’s AFO productions. A series of taped jam sessions with Serpas and other innovators made by WTPS deejay and bassist Bill Bise has never been recovered. Jazz historian and drummer Charles Suhor recalls that Serpas was “extraordinary….always a normative player at jam sessions.”
But Serpas was recorded when he was part of the modern jazz vanguard in the Gulf Coast area. Lee Charlton arranged in 1961 for an engineer from Cosimo’s New Orleans studio to capture some vintage Serpas at Chez Joey’s in Biloxi with Don Reitan’s Quintet and vocalist Jackie Henderson, who became Serpas’s wife. Charlton, still actively drumming in California, released the Reitan sessions on his Jazzcookin’ label.
Bassist Jay Cave called the Reitan group “the best band I ever played with.” Serpas’ lyrical improvisations were a synthesis of early boppers like Red Rodney and Clifford Brown and cool trumpeter Chet Baker. Rick Bell, tenor saxist with the quintet, says, “As a jazz trumpet player he had it all--a beautiful sound, lyrical lines, a great swing feel, a soulful mature artistry. There were no wasted notes from Mike. Every note meant something."
Serpas’s years as a trailblazer were followed by steady work as a breadwinner. Ever competent, he played for several years in the brass section of Pete Fountain’s expanded band, subbed occasionally for Al Hirt, and played spot jobs with artists like Al Belletto, Johnny Vidacovich, and Bill Huntington. His performance days ended when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the 1980s and retired with his wife to Picayune, Mississippi.
Trumpeter Mike Serpas, one of the pioneers of modern jazz in New Orleans, died on April 23 in Picayune, Mississippi.
Born in Algiers, Serpas studied with the legendary Manuel “Fess” Manetta, a veteran of Buddy Bolden’s band, and played at Behrman High School under Milton Bush. He served in the U.S. Navy and attended Southeastern University in Hammond, where an administration sympathetic to jazz had attracted talents like pianist Bill Evans, guitarist Mundell Lowe, and bassist Red Mitchell.
Serpas was a key player in the underground jazz community that played at after hours sessions, strip clubs, and private homes in the post-WWII years, when the new be-bop style was not acceptable to the general public. Among the dozens of players at the sessions were Al Belletto, Joseph (Mouse) Bonati, Benny Clement, Earl Palmer, Sam Butera, Don Suhor, Joe (Cheeks) Mandry, Ellis Marsalis, Louis Timken, Edward Blackwell, Ornette Coleman, Joe Pass, Brew Moore, and Reed Vaughan.
Serpas was uncompromising in his opposition to the Louisiana segregation laws of the time. Drummer Lee Charlton says, “Mike was one who always spoke his mind, and never held back.” At his peril--he was beaten by police and his trumpet crushed after performing with African American vocalist Blanche Thomas in an Algiers club.
Recording opportunities for the new music were rare in New Orleans, except for Harold Battiste’s AFO productions. A series of taped jam sessions with Serpas and other innovators made by WTPS deejay and bassist Bill Bise has never been recovered. Jazz historian and drummer Charles Suhor recalls that Serpas was “extraordinary….always a normative player at jam sessions.”
But Serpas was recorded when he was part of the modern jazz vanguard in the Gulf Coast area. Lee Charlton arranged in 1961 for an engineer from Cosimo’s New Orleans studio to capture some vintage Serpas at Chez Joey’s in Biloxi with Don Reitan’s Quintet and vocalist Jackie Henderson, who became Serpas’s wife. Charlton, still actively drumming in California, released the Reitan sessions on his Jazzcookin’ label.
Bassist Jay Cave called the Reitan group “the best band I ever played with.” Serpas’ lyrical improvisations were a synthesis of early boppers like Red Rodney and Clifford Brown and cool trumpeter Chet Baker. Rick Bell, tenor saxist with the quintet, says, “As a jazz trumpet player he had it all--a beautiful sound, lyrical lines, a great swing feel, a soulful mature artistry. There were no wasted notes from Mike. Every note meant something."
Serpas’s years as a trailblazer were followed by steady work as a breadwinner. Ever competent, he played for several years in the brass section of Pete Fountain’s expanded band, subbed occasionally for Al Hirt, and played spot jobs with artists like Al Belletto, Johnny Vidacovich, and Bill Huntington. His performance days ended when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the 1980s and retired with his wife to Picayune, Mississippi.
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