He then returned to New Orleans and played with Oscar Celestin, Earl Humphrey, Lee Collins, and The Black Eagles (1922–23).
In 1931, he formed his own ensemble, which featured Eugene Ware on trumpet, Alfred Guichard on clarinet and alto saxophone, Gene Porter on tenor sax, and Ward Crosby on drums.
They journeyed to New York City to record for Vocalion in August 1933, laying down 22 mostly stomping, uptempo sides and two alternate takes in a marathon five day recording schedule, which included Rene Hall on tenor banjo.
Problems with the musicians' union in New York prevented them from being able to play live there, and they returned to New Orleans not long after recording.
[1] Late in his life he played with George Lewis (1957–64)[1] and Peter Bocage (1962); he also performed at Preservation Hall.