January 2008

January 31
 

 

Why Am I So Romantic
Wally Edwards & His Orchestra                 1930
(Velvet Tone 2200 V mx 100417)

Song Of The Moonbeams
Colonial Club Orchestra                               1929
(Brunswick 4452)

African Lament
Don Carlos & His Rumba Band                   1931
(Oriole 2217 B mx 10421)
 

Here are some selections from 78 rpms that were recently given to me as Christmas gifts from two of my regular guest contributors.

"Why Am I So Romantic" is one of several 78 rpms that Eddie The Collector gave me - and of them, this is my definite favorite.  I fell for this one within a few seconds after I started it up on the turntable - a very charming recording, I think.   The song was introduced by Lillian Roth and Hal Thompson in the 1930 Paramount film Animal Crackers which starred the Marx Brothers. 

"Song Of The Moonbeams" is from another of the records Eddie gave me. The song comes from  Earl Carroll's 1929 musical review Sketch Book.  Incorporated within the live stage show was a talking picture of Eddie Cantor singing a song called "Legs Legs Legs" after which, according to a July 15, 1929 Time Magazine review, "a large and lovely group of girls attired in summery yellow dresses crowd out upon the stage, lie on their backs on an imitation grass terrace, raise their legs high in the air and wave them slowly to & fro. This revel sets the pitch for the rest of the entertainment, which fulfills every standard - anatomical, luxurious, careless - that is associated with Producer Carroll."   According to the same review: "Ray Kavanaugh's orchestra, which helps to promote such fetching tunes as "Song of the Moonbeams" and "Kinda Cute," not only rises mechanically from the pit, but moves slowly back across the stage and is ultimately hoisted high in air to accompany a hectic first act finale."

The third selection comes from a record that was given to me as a Christmas gift by Matt From College Station - and receiving it came as quite a surprise.  A few weeks earlier,  I was on the phone with Matt and mentioned seeing the record for sale online.   I was curious about the record as I very much enjoy the Don Azpiazu and His Royal Havana Casino Orchestra version of the song that I featured on the March 29, 2007 update.   I figured that the Don Carlos version was probably the dime store budget label version issued in response to Victor's release of the Aspiazu version and was interested in seeing how the two versions would compare.  I mentioned to Matt that I was thinking of buying the record.  At the time,  things were extremely busy for me and it was several days before I thought about the record again and remembered to contact the seller - and when I did I was told it had already been sold.  I kind of kicked myself for being so negligent about following up on the record, especially since it is hard to tell when I might come across another copy.   So it was a very nice surprise on Christmas morning when I opened up the box that Matt had shipped to me and saw the record.   This version is very different than the Don Aspiazu version - but it, too, is quite nice, I think.   Don Carlos and His Rumba band was a pseudonym given to recordings of several bands  including the Lou Gold and Vincent Rose bands.  This particular recording is by the Justin Ring Orchestra and was issued both on the Oriole and Perfect labels.  This copy is on Oriole which means that it was sold at one of the dime stores in the McCrory chain.  In other instances, imported British recordings were issued under the Don Carlos pseudonym. 
 

 - Dismuke
 

 
 

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.
 
 

Car C’est Toi Que J’aime (Weil ich dich verehre)
Barnabas Von Geczy et son Orchestre                 1934
(Disque Gramophone K 7471 mx ORA 151)

Micaela
Barnabas Von Geczy et son Orchestre                 1934
(Disque Grammophone K 7471 mx ORA 150)
 

While one usually associates tangos with Argentina and South America, during the late 1920s and early 1930s the tango was enormously popular in Germany.  Here are two very nice examples of German tango recordings.  Barnabas Von Geczy was a Hungarian born violinist who led a very popular German hotel band which also toured and performed on radio broadcasts.   Much of the Von Geczy's recordings fall into the "salon music" genre but the orchestra also played popular dance and tango music as well. 

Both of these selections were recorded in Germany and issued on the Electrola label.   My copy, however, is on a Disque Gramophone pressing for the French market - and for that reason, the label credits are given in French and not German. 
 
 

 - Dismuke

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January 17

 
Bad Girl
Paul Mills And His Merry Makers                  1928
(Romeo 804 - mx 3430)

Sweethearts On Parade
Bob Haring And His Orchestra                       1928
(Romeo 804 mx 3474)
 
 
 

Here is a record that I have had in my collection for a while.  However, since my copy was in horrible condition, it was on my "wish list" for an upgrade for several years.  Happily,  I was recently able to at last find a copy in better shape.   Unfortunately, even with a copy in decent condition, the quality of the recordings themselves  is not so great even for the time period.   This record was issued simultaneously on Cameo and two of its subsidiary labels, Lincoln and Romeo.  Cameo was a budget label and there is a very noticeable difference in the recording fidelity between most of that company's issues and those of premium labels such as Columbia or Victor.  This pressing is on Romeo which was mostly distributed through the Kress dime store chain. 

"Bad Girl" is a song that I think is rather catchy and one that does not seem to have been very successful commercially.   Other recordings of the song may have been made but I have yet to find any reference to one.   The song's lyrics were certainly written by a successful individual, Mitchell Parish, who was also responsible for the lyrics to such enduring songs as "Stardust" "Moonlight Serenade" and "Louisiana Fairy Tale."  The label credits Jeanne Gravelle as the song's composer.  I have not been able to locate any information about Gravelle - but I did run across something online which suggests that Gravelle MIGHT have perhaps been a pseudonym for bandleader Bob Haring. 

The band on the recording, Paul Mills and His Merry Makers, was a recording group put together by Irving Mills, the famous music publisher and impresario who discovered and promoted a number of famous musical acts including Duke Ellington and Cab  Calloway. 

"Sweethearts On Parade" was composed in 1928 by Carmen Lombardo with lyrics by Charles Newman.  Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians had a successful recording of it as did Louis Armstrong.  In 1930, the song was used as the title song of the film Sweethearts On Parade. 
 

 - Dismuke
 

 
 

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.
 
 
 
 

Elube Chango
Sacasas Royal Havana Orchestra
Doroteo Santiago, vocal                                1940
(Decca 3377 B mx 67988)

The Breeze And I
Sacasas Royal Havana Orchestra                  1940
(Decca 3377 A mx 67986)
 

I consider myself to be a fan of the Cuban big bands of the 1930s and 1940s - especially the rumba recordings.   Many  recordings by such bands were very beautiful and haunting.  I especially enjoy the rich orchestration on the second half of both of these recordings.

Anselmo Sacasas was a Cuban pianist who, in 1937 along with vocalist Miguelito Valdés, founded the Casino de la Playa Orchestra which became one of Cuba's most highly regarded bands.  Despite the band's success, Sacasas was unhappy during his three year association with it.  The band was organized as a cooperative and Sacasas felt that he was poorly compensated for the amount of time and work he devoted to it.   In 1940, he and Valdés left the band and came to the United States.  Valdés accepted a position with the Xavier Cugat band and eventually went on to a very successful solo career.   Sacasas formed a new band which opened at the Colony Club in Chicago.   He continued to lead Latin style bands throughout the '40s and '50s.  In 1959 he became the music director at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami and, in 1963, the music director at the Club Tropicoro at the El San Juan Hotel & Casino in Puerto Rico.  He retired from the music business in 1976. 

I don't have much background information on "Elube Chango" other than it was composed by Alberto Rivera and was recorded by a number of Latin bands.

"The Breeze and I" is an adaptation of a 1927 piano piece called "Andaluza" which was part of the  "Andalucia Suite" by Cuban composer/musician Ernesto Lecuona.   In 1940, Salvador "Toots" Camarata, a trumpet player and arranger for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, reworked the song with lyrics by Al Stillman as "The Breeze And I."   Dorsey's recording of the song was very successful rising up to the number 2 position on the Billboard charts.  Xavier Cugat also had a successful recording of the song. 
 
 

 - Dismuke
 
 

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January 10
 
 

 
Every Day Away From You
Bernie Cummins And His Biltmore Orchestra
Bernie Cummins, vocal                                                           1929
(Victor 22088-B)

Little By Little
Bernie Cummins And His Biltmore Orchestra
Bernie Cummins, vocal                                                             1929
(Victor 22088-A)
 
 
 

Bernie Cummins was one of many popular bandleaders from the early 20th century who has been all but forgotten - this despite the fact that he had a successful career as a bandleader spanning 40 years between 1919 and 1959.   Musical styles changed dramatically and rapidly during that period and one of the ways Cummins was able to enjoy such a lengthy run was to change with them.    Therefore, as with most bandleaders from those decades, the style of his recordings can fluctuate significantly depending on when they were made.   At the time these sides were made, the Cummins band had a successful engagement at New York's Biltmore Hotel.   By January 1930, however, the billing on his records indicates that the band had moved to the brand new Hotel New Yorker where it was to enjoy a long stay. 

Both of these selections, which feature Cummins himself on the vocal, were recorded in New York City on August 14, 1929.  "Every Day Away From You" was composed by Jay Mills and has lyrics by Charles Tobias.  "Little By Little" is a Walter O'Keefe - Bobby Dolan song which was introduced in the 1929 Pathe film The Sophomore.  The film was released in theaters ten days after this recording session took place.  The timing makes sense - Victor needed a certain amount of lead time in order to make recordings available for those in the film's audience who enjoyed the song

 - Dismuke
 

 
 

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.
 
 
 
 
 

Roses Magiques
Edith Lorand et son Orchestre                       circa 1928 - 1933
(Parlophone 80 182 mx 36680)

Serenade No 1 (Drdla)
Edith Lorand Orchester                                 1928
(Parlophon P 9376 1 mx 21042)
 

Edith Lorand was a Hungarian born violinist who led a German-based salon orchestra. Her orchestra was one of Europe's most popular salon orchestras until the rise of the National Socialists resulted in her record contract not being renewed and theatre owners being afraid to allow her to perform.   In 1934 she fled to her native Hungary but that country's government soon fell under German influence.  She eventually fled to America where she continued to perform but without the level of popular recognition she enjoyed in Europe. 

"Roses Magiques" is a very charming waltz from Dutch composer Arthur Von Oost.  I have not been able to find much information about Van Oost other than he lived from 1870 - 1942 and was the composer of a 1912 operetta Les Moulins Qui Chantent

"Serenade No 1" was composed in 1901 by Frantisek Drdla, also known as Franz Drdla, who was a Czech composer and violinist.   Shortly after I digitalized this selection, I acquired another recording of Drdla's "Serenade" on the rare pre-World War I Symphony Concert label which imported classical recordings made in Germany to the American market.  On the Symphony Concert issue the song is billed as "Kubeliks Serenade."   My assumption is "Kubeliks" is a reference to another famous Czech violinist, Jan Kubelík, who did make a recording of Drdla's "Serenade"on the Italian Fonotopia label.  Other than the fact that Kubelík made the Fonotopia recording, I have not been able to find any mention as to why record buyers would specifically associate the song with him.   At some point,  I will probably feature the Symphony Concert recording on a future update as it is also a nice recording.   And I have recently acquired a number of other Edith Lorand records which I will eventually feature. 

Update:  A reader was kind enough to write in with the following information:

"Jan Kubelik (father of famed Maestro Raphael Kubelik) was a friend of Franz Drdla and a very great concert violinist. Drdla dedicated his Serenade to Jan Kubelik and it became Kubelik's theme song. He played it constantly during his concert tours in Europe and the U.S. Incidently, Kubelik's accompanist during his early 20th century American tours was a young pianist named Rudolf Friml who decided to remain in America and became the celebrated Friml. The Serenade was so much identified with Kubelik that it became known also under the title Kubelik Serenade. Franz Drdla spent most of his life in Vienna and New York and is still remembered for another famous tune called Souvenir.  "
 
 

 - Dismuke