Since this video mysteriously disappeared in YT's "catacombs", here is its reloaded versio
Since this video mysteriously disappeared in YT's "catacombs", here is its reloaded version. Evelyn Preer was a notable stage and screen actress, as well as an accomplished blues singer of the 1910s through the early 1930s, till her premature death in 1932.. Upon completing high school, Evelyn began her career in early vaudeville and minstrel shows before beginning her critically lauded professional association with Oscar Micheaux, the African-American film director dubbed the "Father of Afro-American Cinema". Preer's first film role was in Micheaux's 1919 debut effort The Homesteader. As his premier leading actress, Micheaux heavily promoted Preer with a steady tour of personal appearances and a publicity campaign. Many of Micheaux's subsequent films were vehicles designed to showcase Preer's extraordinary versatility; Preer was lauded by both the black and white press for her ability to continually succeed in ever more challenging roles and refusing to play roles that she believed demeaned African-Americans. Her most well known role is in her only known surviving Micheaux film appearance, 1919's Within Our Gates. In 1920, Evelyn Preer joined The Lafayette Players, a theatrical stock company founded in 1915 by another pioneering stage and film actress Anita Bush, who was known as "The Little Mother of Black Drama." Bush and her acting troupe brought legitimate theatre to black audiences throughout the U.S. While the troupe was based in Chicago, Preer met her future husband, fellow Lafayette Player Edward Thompson. They married in Nashville, Tennessee in 1924 while on a Southern tour. In the mid-1920's Evelyn Preer began garnering much attention from the white press and began making a foray into "crossover" films and stage parts. In 1926, she had a successful stint on Broadway in David Belasco's production of Lulu Belle. Preer supported and understudied actress Lenore Ulric in the leading role of Edward Sheldon's steamy drama of a Harlem prostitute. She won further acclaim as Sadie Thompson on the West Coast in a revival of Somerset Maugham's fallen woman melodrama, Rain in 1928. A 1930 race musical Georgia Rose, presented Preer in her feature talkie debut. In 1931 Preer performed onscreen opposite actress Sylvia Sidney in the film Ladies of the Big House. Her final film performance was the minor role of a prostitute named Lola in Josef von Sternberg's 1932 film Blonde Venus, opposite Cary Grant and Marlene Dietrich. As an accomplished vocalist, and during stints in cabaret and musical theater Preer was occasionally backed by such legendary and diverse musicians as Duke Ellington and Red Nichols. In April 1932, Preer gave birth to her only child, Edeve Thompson. She developed post-parturition complications and died of double pneumonia on November 27, 1932 in Los Angeles, aged 36. As for this excellent record, it was made for Victor in on October 14th, 1926. The accompanying instrumentists remained uncredited.
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Added: 11 hours ago
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Martin led his own band while he was in high school, then played in various local bands. A
Martin led his own band while he was in high school, then played in various local bands. After working on a ships band, Martin joined the Mason-Dixon band, then joined Arnold Johnson and Jack Albin. It was with Albin's "Hotel Pennsylvania Music" that he made his first recordings, for Columbia's Velvet Tone label in 1930. After a couple of years, his skill began attracting other musicians. One such musician was Guy Lombardo, who would remain friends with Martin throughout his life. There is a story about Lombardo and Martin. After graduation from high school, Martin accepted a job at the H.N. White musical instrument company. When Lombardo was playing in Cleveland, Martin tried giving Lombardo some saxophones, which proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, Lombardo did get to hear Freddy's band. One night, when Guy could not do a certain date, he suggested that Freddy's band could fill in for him. The band did very well and that's how Martin's career really got started. But the band broke up and he did not form a permanent band until 1931 at the Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn. At the Bossert Marine Room, Freddy pioneered the "Tenor Band" style that swept the sweet-music industry. With his own tenor sax as melodic lead, Martin fronted an all-tenor sax section with just two brasses and a violin trio plus rhythm. The rich, lilting style quickly spawned imitators in hotels and ballrooms nationwide. "Tenor bands", usually with just the three tenors and one trumpet, could occasionally be found playing for older dancers well into the 1980s. The Martin band recorded first for Columbia Records in 1932. As the company was broke and signing no new contracts, the band switched to Brunswick Records after one session and remained with that label till 1938. Afterwards Martin appeared on RCA's Bluebird and Victor Records. The band also recorded pseudonymously in the early '30s, backing singers such as Will Osborne. Martin took his band into many prestigious hotels, including the Roosevelt Grill in New York City and the Ambassador in Los Angeles. A fixture on radio, his sponsored shows included NBC's Maybelline Penthouse Serenade of 1937. But Martin's real success came in 1941 with an arrangement from the first movement of Tchaikovsky's B-flat piano concerto. Although his playing has been admired by so many jazz musicians, Freddy Martin never tried to be a jazz musician. Martin always led a sweet styled band. Unlike most sweet bands that just played dull music, Martin's band turned out to be one of the most musical and most melodic of all the typical hotel-room sweet bands. Martin also had a good ear for singers. At one time or another, Martin employed Merv Griffin, Buddy Clark, Terry Shand (also a pianist), Elmer Feldkamp (also a saxophonist, but who is singing the wonderful vocal here), Stuart Wade (his most impressive male singer), Eddie Stone (also a violinist), and many others. Helen Ward was a singer for Martin just before she joined Benny Goodman's new band. Ironically, as far as I know of, she was the only female singer to have appeared with Martin's band, recording two sides of a 78 in early 1934 with Freddy using the alias "Ed Loyd." In the 1950s and 1960s, Martin continued to perform on the radio and also appeared on TV. Untroubled by changing musical tastes, he continued to work at major venues and was musical director for Elvis Presley's first appearance in Las Vegas. Still in demand for hotel work, Martin entered the 1970s with an engagement at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. In the early 1970s, he was part of two long TV series of one-nighters that was known as The Big Band Cavalcade. Among the other performers on the show were Margaret Whiting, Bob Crosby, Frankie Carle, Buddy Morrow, Art Mooney and George Shearing. When the tours ended, Martin returned to the West Coast. In 1977, Martin was asked to lead Guy Lombardo's band when Lombardo was hospitalized with a heart condition. Martin continued leading his band until the early 1980s, although by then, he was semi-retired. Freddy Martin died in 1983. This great record was cut for Brunswick in 1934.
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Added: 1 day ago
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By special request, I upload the superb studio recording of this lovely song in Richard Hi
By special request, I upload the superb studio recording of this lovely song in Richard Himber's version. was an American bandleader, composer, violinist and magician. His parents gave him violin lessons, but when they found him performing in a seedy Newark dive, they took the instrument away from him and sent him to military school. In 1915, he stole away into New York City, where Sophie Tucker heard him play and hired him as a novelty act to play with her and the Five Kings of Syncopation where Himber was the highlight of the cabaret act. He worked his way through Vaudeville and down Tin Pan Alley. He managed Rudy Vallée's orchestra service, which sent out bands for private parties and society functions. He soon had his own band booking agency. In 1932, he finally formed an orchestra of his own, parlaying a gig at New York's Essex House Hotel into national NBC radio exposure. Among the top notch professionals in its ranks were Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and many other future stars of the music world. In 1933 he made his first records, for Vocalion. Among the selections was his own theme song, "It Isn't Fair", which became a hit. In 1934 after a single session for Victor's cheap label Bluebird, he began recording for the full-priced Victor label through until 1939. He led one of the most sophisticated "sweet" dance bands of the era, featuring Joey Nash as his vocalist (1933-1935), who was replaced by Stuart Allen (1935-1939). In later years, his band act often included an interlude of magic, and he conjured on many television shows as well. Although he is now remembered primarily for his musical legacy, his contemporaries recall his incessant practical joking. Himber was the publisher of the R-H Log, a weekly survey of the most popular tunes on radio and television. Popular tunes that Himber composed were "Moments in the Moonlight", After the Rain, Monday In Manhattan, Haunting Memories, Time Will Tell, Am I Asking Too Much, and I'm Getting Nowhere Fast With You. He also wrote the original theme for NBC's Today Show. Among Himber's novel promotions was a traveling bandstand on a flatbed truck, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The orchestra used it for free outdoor concerts in the New York City area in the 1960s. It was during one of these concerts in 1966 that Himber suffered a heart attack, dying several hours later. As for this record, it was made for Vocalion on August 7th, 1933. Besides vocalist Joey Nash, also playing clarinet and alto saxophone (second picture), personnel included Johnny McGee and Ruby Weinstein (t); Tommy Dorsey (tb); Jess Carneol and Herman Wolfson (cl, ts); Sam Persoff (vln); Dave Levy (p); Gene Van Halberg (acn); Sam Amoroso (hp); Ernie Capozzi (g); Jack Kimmel (b) and Nat Levine (d).
For brilliant footage of Himber with Nash on vocal, I refer to merrihew's channel.
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Added: 1 day ago
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By special request, I upload this particular version of a lovely song composed by Sigler,
By special request, I upload this particular version of a lovely song composed by Sigler, Goodhart and Hoffman. As for the orchestra, there is hardly any reason to present one of the most famous bandleaders who left us so many gorgeous recordings. As for this recording, it was waxed for Victor on August 18th, 1934. Vocal by Peggy Healy.
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Added: 4 days ago
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By special request I'm uploading another recording featuring the same musicians as those p
By special request I'm uploading another recording featuring the same musicians as those playing on one side of Perfect issue no. 14905 (see elsewhere on my channel), on which they are credited "Willard Robison & His Orchestra". Robinson was a pianist and composer of several standards, and led several territory bands in the 1920's. On this Perfect record and on the parallel Pathé-Actuelle series the band was credited The Chicago Loopers. I don't exactly know how Robinson is to be related to the present studio combo, consisting of Bix Beiderbecke, cornet; Eddie Lang, guitar; Vic Berton, drums; Don Murray, clarinet; Frankie Trumbauer, saxophone; Frank Signorelli, piano as well as the Deep River Quintet, vocals. This great record was made in October of 1927. It should be noted that this composition is the one by Trinidad-born Donald Heywood (whose most famous song is "I'm Coming, Virginia"). A couple of other, homonymous songs were written during the same period.
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Added: 4 days ago
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Originally I intended to upload the High Hatters version of this song; since it is already
Originally I intended to upload the High Hatters version of this song; since it is already on YT, I present you the Sam Lanin's Troubadors rendition instead. Russian-born Sam Lanin was a very popular American jazz bandleader. Lanin's brothers, Howard and Lester, were also bandleaders, and all of them had sustained, successful careers in music. Lanin was one of ten children born to Russian-Jewish immigrants who emigrated to Philadelphia in the decade of the 1900s. Sam played clarinet and violin while young, and in 1912 he was offered a spot playing in Victor Herbert's orchestra, where he played through World War I. After the war he moved to New York City and began playing at the Roseland Ballroom in late 1918. There he established the Roseland Orchestra; this ensemble recorded for the Columbia Gramophone Company in the early 1920s. Sam recorded with a plethora of ensemble arrangements, under names such as Lanin's Jazz Band, Lanin's Arcadians, Lanin's Famous Players, Lanin's Southern Serenaders, Lanin's Red Heads, Sam Lanin's Dance Ensemble, and Lanin's Arkansas Travelers. He did not always give himself top billing in his ensemble's names, and was a session leader for an enormous number of sweet jazz recording sessions of the 1920s. Among the ensembles he directed were Ladd's Black Aces, The Broadway Bell-Hops, The Westerners, The Pillsbury Orchestra, and Bailey's Lucky Seven. He had a rotating cast of noted musicians playing with him, including regular appearances from Phil Napoleon, Miff Mole, Jules Levy Jr., and Red Nichols, as well as, at some point or another, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Manny Klein, Jimmy McPartland, Bix Beiderbecke, Eddie Lang, Bunny Berigan, Nick Lucas, and Frankie Trumbauer. Lanin did little actual playing on these records; his main contributions were clean, well-orchestrated arrangements and session directions. In addition to his recordings, he also played regularly on radio after 1923, and the Roseland Orchestra played on New York radio weekly every Monday from 1923 to 1925. He entered into a sponsorship with Bristol-Myers for their toothpaste, Ipana; as a result, his ensemble was renamed the Ipana Troubadours. In 1928 and 1929 Lanin recorded with Bing Crosby. The 1929 stock market crash hit Sam Lanin hard, unlike his brother Lester; in 1931 he lost his contract with Bristol-Meyers, his radio show, and the name Ipana Troubadours. By the middle of the 1930s, Sam was spending much of his time cutting transcription discs. While his fame had waned, he was still well off from the money he saved in the 1920s, and retired from the music business by the end of the 1930s. He was essentially forgotten at the same time Lester went on to super-stardom, and died in 1977 having never returned to music. This tune Singing in the Bathtub is a song written in 1929 by Michael H. Cleary, with lyrics by Herb Magidson and Ned Washington for the film The Show of Shows.[ The Show of Shows was Warner Bros.' answer to MGM's The Hollywood Revue of 1929, and "Singin' in the Bathtub" spoofs Hollywood Revue's song "Singin' in the Rain". In Show of Shows, the number features an enormous bathtub and is performed by Winnie Lightner and a chorus of male and female performers wearing antiquated bathing suits. The song was recorded by many performers of the time, including Guy Lombardo, Dorothy Provine, Dick Robertson, King Ben Nawahi, Gracie Fields, Vaughn De Leath, The Georgians etc. As for this great record, it was made for Perfect in 1929 or 1930, Vocal by the Radio Imps. Instrumentists included: Manny Klein, trumpet; Arthur Schutt, piano and Jack Teagarden, trombone. It should be noted that the original video sound was definitely neater; unfortunately, YT compression did the opposite with record surface rumble, notably increasing noise levels.
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Added: 2 weeks ago
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Since some renewed interest has been shown in the rather enigmatic flapper vocalist Belle
Since some renewed interest has been shown in the rather enigmatic flapper vocalist Belle Mann, here is another song in which she sings the chorus (for more Mann recordings, check my channel as well as those of merrihew, victrolaman1 and pax41). Belle Mann, who started her singing career with Ben Pollack's Park Central Orchestra, was a popular Victor recording artist, because she sang for the next two years as a "house vocalist" for the company's studio bands and orchestras under contract with Victor. The present recording was made with the excellent house orchestra under the baton of the extremely prolific Nat Shilkret, a classical and popular composer, conductor and arranger who left us a legacy of thousands of recordings. As for Sol Violinsky, the composer of the song presented here, was an Ukranian-born violinist, pianist, composer and songwriter who came to the USA in 1901. He was a vaudeville performer (look at that odd picture from his film appearance in "The Eccentric Entertainer" in which he plays the violin and the piano at the same time!) in the US and abroad, as well as a violinist in the New York Symphony. His chief musical collaborators included Ben Ryan, Billy Rose, and William Raskin. His popular-song compositions include "When Frances Dances With Me", "Honolulu Eyes", "Dancing to the Rhythm of My Heart", "You Left Me Out In the Rain", "Tum Tum Tumbling in Love", "When We Get Together in the Moonlight", and "Remember Mother's Day". The recording you are hearing in this video was made for Victor in 1929.
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Added: 2 weeks ago
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This is the flip side of my previous post. Frank Trumbauer got his start playing in sever
This is the flip side of my previous post. Frank Trumbauer got his start playing in several dance bands in the Midwest and eventually became musical director of Jean Goldkette's Orchestra. He led his own band at the Acadia Ballroom in St. Louis that featured Bix. They played together in Jean Goldkette's Orchestra and made many highly influential recordings together. They both joined Adrian Rollini's short lived band and then joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in 1927. Trumbauer stayed with Whiteman until 1932, when he left to form his own band. He then rejoined Whiteman in 1933. In the mid-30's he played with Charlie and Jack Teagarden and then led his own band in California. During World War II he left the music business, but after the war he played in the NBC Orchestra. As for Isham Jones, he grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, where he started his first band. In 1915 he moved to Chicago, which remained his base through 1924. He then toured England before reestablishing himself in New York City. The virtuosic record presented here was made for Columbia on April 5th, 1932. Vocals by Johnny Blake and uncredited band members. Further personnel included: Charles Margulis, trumpet; Bill Rank, trombone; Izzy Friedman, clarinet and alto saxophone; Charles Strickfaden, alto saxophone; Frankie Trumbauer, C-melody saxophone; Min Leibrook, bass saxophone; Lennie Hayton, piano; Matty Malneck, violin; Eddie Lang, guitar; Hal MacDonald, drums.
For your information: complete title of this side states as follows: "Sizzling" One-Step Medley: Dinah -- My Honey's Lovin' Arms -- Nobody's Sweetheart.
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Added: 2 weeks ago
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Frank Trumbauer got his start playing in several dance bands in the Midwest and eventually
Frank Trumbauer got his start playing in several dance bands in the Midwest and eventually became musical director of Jean Goldkette's Orchestra. He led his own band at the Acadia Ballroom in St. Louis that featured Bix. They played together in Jean Goldkette's Orchestra and made many highly influential recordings together. They both joined Adrian Rollini's short lived band and then joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in 1927. Trumbauer stayed with Whiteman until 1932, when he left to form his own band. He then rejoined Whiteman in 1933. In the mid-30's he played with Charlie and Jack Teagarden and then led his own band in California. During World War II he left the music business, but after the war he played in the NBC Orchestra. As for Isham Jones, he grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, where he started his first band. In 1915 he moved to Chicago, which remained his base through 1924. He then toured England before reestablishing himself in New York City. The Isham Jones band made a series of popular gramophone records for Brunswick throughout the 20's. Isham Jones led one of the most popular dance bands in the 20's and 30's. Noted musicians who played in Jones' band included Louis Panico, Benny Goodman (although he did not make any records during the short time he was with them), Woody Herman and Roy Bargy. From 1929 to 1932, his Brunswick recordings became even more sophisticated with often very interesting arrangements (probably by Gordon Jenkins; Jones was not known to have been an arranger, but he certainly had an ear for offbeat arrangements). During this period, Jones started featuring violinist Eddie Stone as one of his regular vocalists. Stone had an unusual, almost humorous tone to his voice. It seems that Jones was indifferent to vocalists until he started using Frank Sylvano and Eddie Stone starting in 1929 and in 1932, Joe Martin. About this time, a young Bing Crosby recorded "Sweet Georgia Brown" with Isham's group. In 1932, Jones signed with Victor and these records are generally considered among the very best arranged and performed commercial dance band records of the Depression era. Victor's recording technique was especially suited to Jones' band. His Victors had an almost symphonic sound. He stayed with Victor until July 1934, when he signed with Decca. Jones' recordings during this period rivaled Paul Whiteman and other dance orchestras as examples of the very best dance music of the era. Jones' many compositions (he wrote the music, Charles Newman and Gus Kahn were among his lyricists ) included: "I'll See You in My Dreams", "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)", "Swingin' Down The Lane", "On the Alamo", "It Had To Be You", "What's The Use?", "Not A Cloud In The Sky", "Spain", "You're Just A Dream Come True", "I Wouldn't Change You For The World", "Let That Be A Lesson To You", "I Can't Believe It's True", "One Little Word Led To Another", "The Wooden Soldier And The China Doll", "I'll Never Have To Dream Again", "Pretending You Care", "There's Nothing Left To Do But Say Goodbye"; "You've Got Me Crying Again" "Old Lace", "Something Seems To Tell Me", "All Mine, Almost", "You're Welcome", "Bubbles In The Wine" and "There Is No Greater Love". After he left Decca, he signed with ARC and recorded a handful of records under the Melotone, Perfect and Banner labels from 1937 to 1938, when he retired and his orchestra was taken over by band member Woody Herman. The superb record presented here was made for Columbia on April 5th, 1932. Vocals by Helen Roland and Johnny Blake. Further personnel included: Charles Margulis, trumpet; Bill Rank, trombone; Izzy Friedman, clarinet and alto saxophone; Charles Strickfaden, alto saxophone; Frankie Trumbauer, C-melody saxophone; Min Leibrook, bass saxophone; Lennie Hayton, piano; Matty Malneck, violin; Eddie Lang, guitar; Hal MacDonald, drums.
For your information: complete title of this side states as follows: "Medley Of Isham Jones Dance Hits - On The Alamo - Swinging Down The Lane - I'll See You In My Dreams".
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Added: 2 weeks ago
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