Norfolk-born jazz trumpeter Peanuts Holland wowed Europe in the mid-20th century. He’ll finally be honored in his hometown.

Peanuts Holland was born in Norfolk 111 years ago and was quickly shuffled to an orphanage in South Carolina.

Later he became a prolific jazz trumpeter and spent much of his life in Europe, seeking refuge from American racial discrimination. He never returned to Virginia — at least, there’s no record of it.

But more than a century later, Holland is finally being recognized in his hometown. He’s the inspiration for a free “Jazz in Paris” event Monday night at Old Dominion University.

For Peter Schulman, a professor of French and international studies, it’s the culmination of years of fascination with the musician.

A New York native, Schulman lived in France for a long time and was nervous to move to the unfamiliar city of Norfolk back in the 1990s, he said. Around that time in Paris, he stumbled across a CD that was a compilation from great jazz cities around the world. One of the songs was called “Church Street Blues” and had been recorded in the ‘20s in Norfolk.

He saw it as a good sign, and soon learned of another Norfolk connection to the French jazz world: a trumpeter named Peanuts Holland who spent years living in Paris.

When Schulman moved to Norfolk in 1996, he became intent on learning as much as possible about Holland.

“He’s kind of an enigma,” Schulman said. “He wasn’t a flashy, famous jazz person. He was really just workmanlike, and yet he made a mark for himself. ... I knew that there was a way that we have to celebrate him.”

Holland’s life began in Norfolk in 1910, and he was sent to an orphanage in Charleston. Whether truly orphaned or given up, Holland must’ve had someone who cared about him, Schulman said, because the institution to which he was sent was renowned.

The Jenkins Orphanage — which still exists under a new name — had been created in 1891 by a formerly enslaved Baptist minister who wanted to help young African Americans.

The orphanage developed a well-known marching band, which played at the presidential inaugurations of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft and counted alumni such as jazz trumpeter William “Cat” Anderson, according to Charleston Magazine.

It was there that Holland learned to play trumpet, fostering his “tricks and talents and a love for music.”

He played with esteemed talents including Lil Hardin Armstrong and Al Sears. By the 1940s, he’d moved to New York City and played with a band led by white bandleader Charlie Barnet, who featured many Black musicians that rose to fame, including Lena Horne, Schulman said.

Holland became appreciated for his compositions. He was instrumental in elevating the band as a whole, rather than seeking the limelight for himself, Schulman said. His reputation grew, working with others like Coleman Hawkins and Clark Terry, who, Schulman said, called Holland “one of the great ones.”

But it was when he moved to Europe in the late ‘40s that Holland found happiness — and a greater acceptance with mixed racial audiences, Schulman said.

“He told friends he left the U.S. because he wanted to be treated like a human being.”

In France in the ‘50s and ‘60s, jazz musicians were treated with great respect. Holland became an early pioneer at what’s now one of the hottest Parisian jazz clubs, Aux Trois Mailletz in the Latin Quarter. (“Paris Blues,” the 1961 movie starring Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier takes place in such a club.)

Holland also traveled to Denmark and Sweden. He married a Swedish woman, had two children and died in Stockholm in 1979, two days shy of his 69th birthday.

“He had a really happy life and never looked back to America,” Schulman said.

ODU’s “Jazz in Paris” event won’t be simply an ode to Holland, he said, but rather a celebration inspired by him. The idea is to transform the Gordon Galleries venue into a Parisian jazz club, complete with a bar and snacks and speakers from across disciplines.

Schulman will discuss Holland, along with talks by former Virginia poet laureate Tim Seibles, jazz musician Jae Sinnett and English professor Delores Philips.

Trumpeter Jack Beckner will play some of Holland’s work, which Schulman said is characterized by a robust yet whimsical style.

After all his research and listening to Holland’s music, Schulman feels a personal connection to him.

“I feel like I’m unveiling him to Norfolk.”

If you go

When: 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6

Where: ODU Gordon Galleries, 4509 Monarch Way

Tickets: Free; Register at oduartstix.com or call ODU Arts Box Office at 757-683-5305