April 2004

April 29, 2004
 

 
Looking For A Boy
Phil Ohman and Victor Arden 
with Their Orchestra                             1926
(Brunswick 3035-A)
 

That Certain Feeling
Phil Ohman and Victor Arden
with Their Orchestra                            1926
(Brunswick 3035-B)

This week's selections  were composed by George Gershwin for the musical Tip Toes which opened at New York's Liberty Theatre in December 1925.    Both recordings are actually medleys: "Looking For A Boy" also features passages of "Sweet and Low Down" while "That Certain Feeling" features passages of "When Do We Dance."  Gershwin's tunes have fared better over the decades than those of many other 1920s era composers and remain familiar to modern audiences. 

Phil Ohman and Victor Arden  were a well known piano duo during the 1920s.  In addition to their many recordings for Brunswick and Victor, they also cut a number of player piano rolls.  From the 1900s through the 1920s, mechanical player pianos competed with wind up phonographs for a place in the parlors of middle and upper class households. 
 
 

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. 
 
 

Roméo et Juliette - Valse
Amelita Galli-Curci, Soprano                               1917
(Victrola 74512)
 

Amelita Galli-Curci was one of the biggest stars of American opera in the early decades of the 20th century.  Born in Milan Italy, she troured Europe, Africa and South American with several opera companies from 1909 until her American debut in Chicago in 1916.  Her first performance in Chicago was such as success that a national tour was quickly arranged.  She also signed a recording contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company which enjoyed very successful sales from her records.  From 1920 through 1930,  she appeared regularly with the Metropolitan Opera of New York.  Her final performance was in 1937.

This recording is of Juliet's Waltz Song from Act 1 of  Charles Gounod's 1867 opera Roméo et Juliet.

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April 22, 2004
 
 

 
Mean To Me
Chester Gaylord, vocal                       1929
(Brunswick 4269))
 

My Troubles Are Over
Chester Gaylord, vocal                       1929
(Brunswick 4269)

Chester Gaylord was an in-house vocalist for Brunswick Records during the late 1920s.  Apart from the fact that he cut a lot of records for Brunswick, I have not been able to find out much about him besides the fact that, at the time he signed up with Brunswick, he was working as a singer and announcer for radio station WTAG in Worcester, Massachusetts.  WTAG is still on the air, by the way. 
 
 

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. 
 
 
 

We Live In Two Different Worlds
Roy Acuff and His Smoky Mountain Boys                 1945
(Columbia 36856 mx C4431)

There'll Never be Another Pal Like You
Gene Autry, vocal                                                     1947
(Columbia 37660 mx LA2315)

As is the case today, during the 1930s and 1940s country and western music - which at the time was often called "hillbilly music" - was extremely popular in certain regions of the United States.  While I do not actively collect vintage country and western music, I occasionally pick up some records through bulk purchases.  For me, the genre is a mixed bag.  Sometimes the melodies are quite nice and the so-called "western swing" bands were often quite jazz oriented.  On the other hand, some of it is too rustic for my tastes.   I think both of this week's selections have pretty melodies and I enjoy some of the string instrument musical effects.

Roy Acuff was a top selling county artist during the 1930s and 1940s.   Gene Autry is best remembered for his singing cowboy movies.  However, before going to Hollywood he got his start in 1928 as  "Oklahoma's Singing Yodeling Cowboy" on radio station KVOO in Tulsa and later on Sears and Roebuck's "The Conqueror Record Hour" on WLS in Chicago (Conqueror was  Sears' private record label and Sears also owned WLS, the call letters of which stood for "World's Largest Store.")   WLS still exists and KVOO survived until 2002, though the call letters are still used for a Tulsa FM station.  From  1940 until 1956  Autry had a popular radio program on CBS called "The Melody Ranch.  He also had his own show on CBS television during the early 1950s. 

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Swingin' On The Moon
Bob Howard and His Orchestra
Bob Howard, vocal                              1935
(Decca 927-A mx 61258)
 

Mendel's Son's Swing Song
Bob Howard and His Orchestra
Bob Howard, vocal                              1935
(Decca 927-B mx 61256)
 

Bob Howard - real name Bob Joyner - dropped out of medical school in order to pursue a career in music.   He played piano in vaudeville  and, along with dancer Morris Hopkins, was part of an act known as "Joyner and Hopkins."   By the early 1930s  he was a regularly featured performer at a number of New York City jazz clubs.  National visibility came in 1935 with a recording contract with Decca Records.  The recordings, which featured Howard's unique vocal style, were apparently viewed by Decca as a way of countering the success that rival Victor was having with Fats Waller.   Bob Howard remained active in the music business until his death in 1986 at the age of 80.  He was also one of the first black performers on television and had his own show on CBS from 1948 through 1951. 
 
 

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. 
 
 

Gems From "Robin Hood" Parts 1 & 2
Victor Light Opera Company                          1914
(Victor 35413-A & B)

This recording comes from Victor Record's "Gems From..." series which featured excerpts from popular operetta and musical productions.  The operetta Robin Hood, with music by Reginald Koven and lyrics by Harry B. Smith, had enduring success in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Robin Hood premiered in 1891 and had subsequent Broadway revivals in 1900, 1902, 1912, 1918, 1929, 1932 and 1944.   This summer, the operetta will have yet another revival, this time by the Ohio Light Opera. in Wooster, Ohio.  Click here for performance schedule and links to ticket information. 

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April 1, 2004
 
 

Clouds
Emil Coleman Orchestra                            1935
(Decca 366-A mx 39318)
 

Be Careful Young Lady
Emil Coleman Orchestra                            1935
(Decca 366-B mx 39319)
 

Russian born Emil Coleman led a popular New York City society band.  He formed  his band in the early 1920s and was performing at the Waldorf=Astoria hotel as late as 1958.   The few Emil Coleman recordings I have are from the early 1930s. 

The song "Be Careful Young Lady" was originally from the 1934  Paramount picture All The King's Horses. 
 
 

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. 
 
 

My Hero
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra                         1928
(Columbia 50069-D mx 98535)

This week's "extra" selection comes from an old 12 inch Columbia "potato head" record - so named for its caricature drawing  of bandleader Paul Whiteman.  While the Whiteman orchestra was best known as a dance band, it occasionally performed as a so-called "popular concert" band as well.  This week's recording was one of the earliest made by Whiteman after he switched his recording affiliation from Victor to Columbia in 1928.  Signing up Victor's most popular artist was a huge coup for Columbia which had a smaller share of the American record market.  Columbia later used a special picture label for another of its top artists, Ted Lewis, though it was not multi colored like the Whiteman label.

"My Hero" comes from the 1908 Oscar Straus operetta The Chocolate Soldier which had a successful run on Broadway in 1909 and toured various cities throughout the USA.   There was also a 1941 MGM film staring Nelson Eddy called The Chocolate Soldier. The film was based on the Ferenc Molnar play The Guardsman but featured music from the Straus operetta.  I am fond of Oscar Straus' music and especially recommend the music from his 1907 operetta A Waltz Dream.