December 2003

December 25, 2003
 

 
If I Had You
Colonial Club Orchestra
Francis Luther, vocal                          1929
(Brunswick 4189)

I have had this recording in my collection for several years but it unfortunately had a small crack in it.  Recently I was able to locate a copy in better condition.  The Colonial Club Orchestra was a recording pseudonym for the Bob Haring band on the Brunswick label.  "If I Had You" was composed by Ted Shapiro, Jimmy Campbell, and Reg Connelly and is still occasionally performed. 
 
 

EXTRA

Montana Call
George Olsen and His Music            1930
(Victor 22392-B)

Here is a recording which is still on my "look for a better copy" list. Unfortunately, this poor record has been subject to a lot of abuse over the decades and its surface is covered with scuffs and scratches. However, I am extremely fond of this selection and cannot resist presenting it.  My VSP audio restoration machine and DC-art software did a surprisingly nice job of cleaning it up, especially in the louder musical passages.  The vocal portion is a bit noisy, but still very listenable.   The song comes from the 1930 M-G-M picture Montana Moon which starred Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Brown and Cliff Edwards.  The film is considered to have been the very first of the "singing cowboy" movies, a genre which was quite popular during the 1930s. 

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December 18, 2003
 
 

 
This week's selection  of early 1920s dance band recordings comes from the collection of guest contributor R. A. Friedman who is also responsible for the fine audio restoration work. Mr. Friedman is the archivist at the Freedman Jewish Music Archive at the University of Pennsylvania  as well as a mastering engineer for Art In Concert, a company which produces CDs for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.   He is also the proprietor of the Yiddish American Digital Archive , a website featuring Real Audio files of rare early 20th century Yiddish recordings from the United States.  The  website's goal is "to provide an ever growing sampling of the kind of music Jewish families were listening to in the days when Yiddish was still the predominant language of American Jewry. "  Be sure to visit the site and click on the link for "Rare 78s" to enjoy a variety of interesting recordings - including a "Yiddisha" Charleston.
 

What A Smile Can Do
The Blues Chasers                                1924
(Perfect 1433-B)

"The Blues Chasers" was a recording pseudonym used on this recording and one other for a band led by Nathan Glantz called the Texas Ten.

Why Should I Weep
About One Sweetie?
Brooke Johns and His Orchestra            1924
(Victor 19220-B)

For biographical information about Brooke Johns as well as a photo, click here.
 

Where The Ganges Flows
The Great White Way Orchestra            1923
(Victor 19106-A)

Siren Of A Southern Sea
Isham Jones Orchestra                          1921
(Brunswick 5059-A)

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Moten's Blues
Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra      1929
(Victor V 38072-A)
 

Let's Get It
Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra     1929
(Victor V 38072-B)

During the 1920s Bennie Moten led one of the most successful black bands in the midwest and heavily influenced what became known as Kansas City style jazz.  At the height of his success, Moten actually had several different bands under his name touring the country at the same time. In 1935, the band traveled to Denver to play a booking while Moten remained behind in Kansas City for tonsillectomy.  Something went wrong during what was ordinarily a routine operation and Moten died at the age of 39.  Moten's pianist Count Basie took over leadership of the band  and it went on to become one of the more famous bands of the swing and big band eras.