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Dismuke's Hit Of The Week
Previous Selections
August 2006



August 31, 2006
 

This week's Hit of the Week is brought to you by
The Whippet Six - Six Cylinder Motor Car
(Click on image for larger view)
The New
Whippet Six
Willys-Overland, Inc., Toledo, Ohio
(From 1928 ad.)

 
Ten Little Miles From TownClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
George Hall And His Orchestra
Irving Kaufman, vocal                            1928
((Romeo 723 mx 3295)

Kashmiri MoonClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Elliott Jacoby And His Orchestra             1928
(Romeo 723 mx 3295)

Among My SouvenirsClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Gotham Society Orchestra
Irving Kaufman, vocal                            1927
(Banner 6121-A mx 1196)

I Could Stand A Lot Of Lovin' From YouClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Missouri Jazz Band
Arthur Fields, vocal                                1928
(Banner 6202-B mx 1864)
 

Here are some fun dance band recordings issued by two of the major late 1920s "dime store" labels, Romeo and Banner. 

Romeo was a subsidiary label of Cameo Records and was sold through the Kress dime store chain.  Banner Records were a product of the Plaza Music Company and were sold by the S.S. Kresge chain. 

Recordings on dime store labels were frequently issued on other affiliated labels.  For example, this week's Romeo recordings were also issued on the Cameo label and the Banner recording of "Among My Souvenirs" appeared on the Domino label with an entirely different selection on its flip side.  Dime store labels also frequently disguised the actual names of the bands with recording pseudonyms.  For example, the "Gotham Society Orchestra" on "Among My Souvenirs" is, in fact,  the Mike Markel Orchestra.  On the Domino issue, the band is credited as "Markel's Society Orchestra."

These recordings are classic examples of what a great many modern day jazz critics dismiss as "commercial" trash.   Personally, I consider them to be very charming and delightful. 

I have been collecting vintage records since childhood and yet I continue to be constantly amazed at the elevated level of  public taste in music and aesthetics in general  in the early 1900s.  The recordings featured this week were specifically made to appeal to the lowest mass market common denominator - and yet they are incredibly beautiful and melodic and, in the case of "Kashmiri Moon," downright haunting.   Even back then, however, the songs and recordings  were largely disposable.  Just seven years after this week's selections were recorded, the swing and big band era was starting to come of age and such recordings were, by then, considered to be hopelessly old fashioned and out of date. 

Of course, there was a lot of really great music in the swing and big band eras, some of which I occasionally present on these updates.   Between 1920 and 1945, musical styles changed very rapidly - far more so than in recent decades. 

What I find fascinating about the recordings I picked out for this week's update,  however,  is that, even by late 1920s standards, they were hardly considered to be remarkable.  They were average, commonplace dance records for the masses - i.e. people who shopped in inexpensive dime stores.  But compare the sort of music such shoppers back then sought out verses the sort of music that a similar demographic looks for at Kmart and Wal-mart, today's successors to the old dime stores  - well, I find the contrast to be rather sad. 

Of the bands presented on this update, George Hall's is the best remembered.   Hall was most famous in the mid 1930s when his band had a lengthy engagement at New York's Hotel Taft and enjoyed wide exposure on network radio broadcasts. 

Elliott Jacoby was an arranger, composer and pianist who had several records issued under his name in the late 1920s.  I am not sure if he had an actual band of his own that performed outside of the recording studios or whether the sessions under his name were strictly made up of studio musicians.   In the mid 1940s, Jacoby provided the orchestration for a couple of Broadway productions. 

Mike Markel, whose band appears on this update under the "Gotham Society Orchestra" pseudonym, was a popular bandleader at New York City supper clubs in the 1920s.

The Missouri Jazz Band was a recording pseudonym used by several different record labels for different bands.   In the recording here, the actual band was Billy James' Dance Orchestra.  James was also a New York City bandleader.  Unfortunately, other than the fact that he made a good number of recordings for Banner and other Plaza Music Company labels in the 1920s,  I don't have much in the way of biographical information about him. 

 

EXTRA



This section will  present 78 rpm recordings that do not fall within the range of the vintage pop and jazz  fare that I usually  present.  Here I will feature recordings from a wide variety of eras, musical genres and nationalities as well as occasional spoken word recordings.
 
 
 

Bo-la-BoClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Emerson Xylo-Phiends                                     1920
(Emerson 10139 mx 4849)

Bo-la-BoClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Ted Lewis And His Jazz Band                          1920
(Columbia A2895 mx 78924)
 
 

I recently stumbled across a Myspace profile for Matt Tolentino,  a musician based here in the Fort Worth/Dallas area who plays vintage music.    One of the musical selections he features on his Myspace profile is his version of the 1919 song "Bo-la-Bo."  Ever since I came across it, the tune has been stuck in my head - so that inspired me to dig out a couple of vintage versions of the song from my collection. 

The song was introduced by Ted Lewis and His Band in the Greenwich Village Follies of 1919 and is billed as an "Egyptian Fox Trot."   At the time exotic pseudo Oriental and pseudo Middle Eastern themes were very much in vogue in American popular culture and music and would become more so with the early 1920s discovery of King Tut's tomb and the success of Rudolf Valentino movies.   This song is an excellent example of the trend. 

The Red Hot Jazz archive suggests that the Emerson Xylo-Phiends were most likely the All Star Trio, a popular musical group in the late 1910s and early 1920s which featured xylophonist George Hamilton Green,  pianist Victor Arden and saxophonist Wheeler Wadsworth. 

Of the two versions, I prefer the Ted Lewis recording which is what first introduced the song to me.   I think it is a very odd but somehow endearing recording. 

Speaking of Myspace.com, a couple of months ago I put up a Myspace profile  for Radio Dismuke as a means of promoting the station.  Through it, to my surprise, I have ended up becoming acquainted with quite a number of individuals who enjoy the station as well as others who share my love and fascination for the early 1900s decades.   It has also enabled me to discover the very wide and diverse range of interests held by people who have an appreciation for this music.    You can visit the Radio Dismuke Myspace profile by clicking here.   And if you have a Myspace profile, feel free to submit a friends request. 
 



August 17, 2006
 
 

This week's Hit of the Week is brought to you by

The Texas Hotel
Fort Worth, Texas
(From 1920s postcard.)



 

 
Note - I am very please to welcome back guest contributor Matt From College Station  as he shares some more recordings from his excellent collection of 1920s and 1930s jazz and dance band 78 rpm records. 

All recordings and commentary in this update, both the regular and the "Extra" sections, are from Matt.  My only contribution was to transfer and digitalize the recordings. 

You can learn more about Matt and find his contact information by clicking here.
 

Whoopee! MedleyClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Colonial Club Orchestra                          1928
(Brunswick 20089)

New Moon MedleyClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Colonial Club Orchestra                          1928
(Brunswick 20089)
 

The tunes for this week are by the Colonial Club Orchestra, which has been featured here on previous Hit of the Week upsates several times. 

The Colonial Club Orchestra was actually a recording pseudonym that almost always masked the Bob Haring Orchestra.   Although Bob Haring primarily recorded for Brunswick under various names,  he also recorded for many dime store labels such as Cameo, Romeo and  Regal.  On these labels he can be found as "The Society Night Club  Orchestra",  "The Caroliners" and the "Hollywood Dance Orchestra". Occasionally  he also appears under his own name on the dime store labels. 

Haring was a skilled bandleader and arranger, working with many top talents such as Libby Holman, Scrappy Lambert and Dick Robertson during  his decade long tenure. These selections showcase the Haring orchestra at its best. 

The first selection features tunes from the popular broadway musical and  film  Whoopee! which debuted December 1928 and ran for 379 performances.  It originally starred Eddie Cantor and Ruth Etting. Cantor was carried over to film the 1930 Technicolor Hollywood version. It is interesting to note that  the film and stage productions were both produced by Florenz Ziegfeld.  Here we enjoy the title tune and other songs from the stage production. Other than the title song, no tunes from this medley were used in the film version. 

Next, we are treated to selections from The New Moon. This  Romberg-Hammerstein musical opened at the Imperial theatre in 1928 and  ran  for 509 performances. Grace Moore filmed this with Lawrence Tibbett in 1930.

 - Matt From College Station

 

EXTRA





This section will  present 78 rpm recordings that do not fall within the range of the vintage pop and jazz  fare that I usually  present.  Here I will feature recordings from a wide variety of eras, musical genres and nationalities as well as occasional spoken word recordings.
 
 
 

Washboard BluesClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Casa Loma Orchestra
Connie Boswell, vocal                                      1932
(Brunswick 20108)

Four Indian Love LyricsClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Casa Loma Orchestra                                       1932
(Brunswick 20108)
 
 
 

Connie Boswell, the jazz singer from New Orleans, brings us Hoagy  Carmichael's "Washboard Blues." 

Connie Boswell, and her sisters Martha and Helvetia, were really an unlikely phenomenon.  They  started singing the blues in New Orleans night spots and later performed in  Vaudeville. They lucked out in 1929 and recorded two sides for Okeh, accompanied by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. While this wasn't their  first  recording, it did showcase their unique style and launched their career. 

Connie Boswell  was paralyzed from the waist down.  As with FDR, this was regarded as something to be concealed at the time and she remained seated in a chair or was supported during all her performances. The sisters appeared on radio and in many films before the group broke up in the mid 1930s due to marriages.  Connie, however, continued on very successfully as a soloist for many years.

"Four Indian Love Lyrics" is an instrumental recording and another Hoagy Carmichael composition.
 

 - Matt From College Station



August 3, 2006
 
 

This week's Hit of the Week is brought to you by
Chrysler Imperial
(Click on image for larger view)
Chrysler Imperial Roadster
(From 1929 ad.)



 
 
 

 
To Be In Love (Espesh'lly With You)Click on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Sammy Fain, vocal                                  1929
(Velvet Tone 1943 V mx 148508)

What A DayClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Sammy Fain, vocal                                  1929
(Velvet Tone 1943 V mx 148509)
 

Sammy Fain was a highly successful 1920s and 1930s era composer with hits such as "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella, "  "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me," "When I Take My Sugar To Tea," "By A Waterfall" and many others to his credit.  He continued to compose for movies into the 1970s. 

Fain was also known, however, as the "Crooning Composer" for the vocal recordings he made in the late 1920s and early 1930s for Columbia and its bargain subsidiary labels, Harmony, Diva and Velvet Tone.   On some of the recordings Fain performed his own compositions.  On others, such as the two presented here, he performed works of other popular composers of the era. 

I have been looking  for a copy of this record ever since Rich Conaty played this version of "To Be In Love (Espesh'lly With You)" on his Big Broadcast radio program.  I am very fond of the song and I think this is a very peppy version of it.   I can't say that Fain has an especially wonderful voice - it reminds me a bit of a teenager whose voice has changed.  But the enthusiasm with which he sings the song gives it a lot of charm - and the small jazz band accompaniment is excellent.   Fred Ahlert and Roy Turk are the song's composers.

"What A Day!" was composed by Harry Woods and was recorded by several bands, including the Ted Weems Orchestra. 
 

 

EXTRA







This section will  present 78 rpm recordings that do not fall within the range of the vintage pop and jazz  fare that I usually  present.  Here I will feature recordings from a wide variety of eras, musical genres and nationalities as well as occasional spoken word recordings.
 
 
 

La Madre Del CorderoClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Orquesta Poplar                                                    1934
(Mexican Victor 75093-B)
 

Alla En El Rancho GrandeClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Emilio Caceres Y Si Orquesta Del Club Aguila
Herrera and Quiroga, vocal                                    1934
(Mexican Victor 75094-A)

These recordings come from a pressing by RCA Victor's Mexican subsidiary and are examples of the music that was popular at the time in Northern Mexico and in Spanish speaking communities in Southern Texas. 

The second recording, "Alla En El Rancho Grande" was recorded in San Antonio on April 4, 1934 and was issued on American Victor's bargain subsidiary Bluebird label. 

Unfortunately,  I do not have any information on the band playing "La Madre Del Cordero" which is credited only as being a generic "popular orchestra."   Victor did record a version of the song in San Antonio a few days earlier on March 26 by Orquesta Pajaro Azul  which was also issued on Bluebird.  Since I do not have that record, however, I have no way of knowing whether or not this Mexican pressing is of the same recording.. 

Emilio Caceres  is best remembered as a highly regarded jazz violinist.  His San Antonio based band made several swing oriented recordings for Bluebird and he also performed in other cities such as Detroit and New York and made appearances on Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan radio program.   Caceres's brother, Ernie, also performed with the band and he eventually became a member of the Jack Teagarden and Glenn Miller orchestras.    The family's musical tradition is still alive as two of Emilio's grandsons, David  and Anthony are both professional jazz musicians based in Texas. 

Unfortunately, I am not aware of having any of Emilio Caceres' jazz oriented recordings in my 78 rpm collection.  Matt From College Station, however, has a few and has agreed to make them the subject of one of his future guest contributions. 


 
 

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