Omer Simeon
b. 21 July 1902, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, d. 17 September 1959. Although taught clarinet by fellow New Orleanian Lorenzo Tio, Simeon's musical education took place in Chicago where he lived from 1914. After playing in various bands he joined Charlie Elgar's popular Chicago-based danceband, where he remained for several years. During his stint with Elgar he appeared on a number of record dates with Jelly Roll Morton and also left the band for a short engagement with Joe ‘King’ Oliver. In the late '20s he played with Luis Russell in New York and then resumed his association with Morton. Back in Chicago in 1928 he spent a couple of years with Erskine Tate and then joined Earl Hines for a six-year spell at the Royal Gardens. In the '40s he played with various bands, including Jimmie Lunceford's, and he spent most of the '50s with Wilbur De Paris in New York. A bold and imaginative clarinettist, Simeon's long periods in big bands afforded him only limited opportunities to solo, although his recordings with small groups give frequent if tantalizing hints of a gifted musician.