An early Black music pioneer, Jim Reese Europe did not live long enough to play jazz, but his large orchestra utilized jazz instruments (including a full banjo section) and performed ragtime, marches, and dance music of the 1912-1919 period. His pre-World War I group often accompanied the legendary dancers Vernon and Irene Castle. During the war, he toured Europe with his huge military band and seemed poised to repeat his success in the U.S. in 1919, when he was stabbed to death by an irate musician. ~ Scott Yanow