Auguste Caron

Auguste Caron is best known for the band "Les Rag Messengers," which he founded alongside drummer Ophélie Luminati and clarinetist Ezéquel Célada—a group that embraces early jazz, spanning the styles of New Orleans to Harlem. He brings to life the music of Jelly Roll Morton—"the inventor of jazz," according to his own business cards—as well as other stride pianists from the era when jazz was being born. These include Willie "The Lion" Smith, Thomas "Fats" Waller, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, and James P. Johnson, the man who actually invented the stride piano style. So, come hear him perform this November Sunday at the Conservatory; once you hear what he does with his left hand, you’ll understand why "Les Rag Messengers" is a trio without a double bass.