Sylvester Ahola

Sylvester Ahola (May 24, 1902 – February 13, 1995), a.k.a. Hooley, was an American classic jazz trumpeter and cornetist. He was one of the most important American musicians in England during 1928-31. He was a highly sought-after first trumpeter player in resident bands and also the first choice for many studios band recording dates, particularly during his extended stay in England from December 1927 until August 1931.

Early life

Ahola was born on May 24, 1902, in Lanesville, Gloucester, Massachusetts, to John H. and Sussanna Sofia (Loija). He was raised on a small farm owned by his parents.

Ahola is of Finnish ancestry (parents emigrated to the United States from Finland) and acquired the nickname Hooley, which is Finnish for "embouchure." Being fluent in Finnish, he was also very popular in Finland. 

He started playing drums when he was six and switched to cornet by the time he was eight years old. 

Career

In 1921, at the age of nineteen, Ahola began playing with Frank E. Ward's orchestra in New England. He cut his first recordings with bandleader Ward in 1924, but these tracks were never released commercially. After playing with Ward for three years, he moved to New York in mid-1925 to work with Paul Specht's and His Orchestra, a stint that included a two-month trip to England in 1926. 

In the following years, Ahola performed with The California Ramblers, Adrian Rolliniand his band, Bert Lown, Peter Van Steeden, and Ed Kirkeby band.

In August 1927, Ahola was recruited to play with Adrian Rollini's all-star band, an ensemble that included Bix Beiderbecke and C-melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer. The group did not last long and unfortunately never recorded, but it gave Ahola an opportunity to perform alongside Beiderbecke. Although very impressed by Beiderbecke, Ahola's playing was actually more strongly touched by the works of Red Nichols.

After the band broke up (and Beiderbecke and Trumbauer joined Paul Whiteman), Ahola, in 1927, landed a job playing with the Savoy Orpheans in London. He is estimated to have appeared on more than 3000 titles during 1927—31. While in England, he also performed with British bandleaders Bert Firman and Bert Ambrose and recorded extensively with Columbia, Zonophone (with conducting brothers Bert Firman and John Firman), and Decca (with Arthur Lally).

The British Musicians' Union, unhappy to see a foreigner land so many jobs and attain so much success, effectively prohibited him from playing with anyone other than Bert Ambrose. This forced him to eventually leave London in August 1931 and return to New York City. He spent most of the 1930s working in New York, participating in many radio sessions and hotel dates with numerous bandleaders, though he was never able to regain the level of success he had enjoyed during his time in England. He joined the NBC staff orchestra along with colleague Jacques Renard and continued performing until retiring in 1940.

Ahola retired from New York in the 1940s and moved back to his hometown Gloucester, Massachusetts, where he remained very active as a trumpet player. His change in lifestyle allowed him more time for his main non-musical interest, as a "radio ham". In addition to local dates with his own group, "Sylvester's Music," he also played both trumpet and percussion with the Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra in his final years.

Personal life

Ahola married Saima Sigrid Walkama on January 4, 1927, in the Church of the

Transfiguration, 1 East 29th Street, New York. Not long after the marriage, the couple moved to England after Ahola began working there. 

Death

Ahola died on February 13, 1995, in Lanesville, Gloucester, Massachusetts. HE was 92.