An Interracial Tune a Day (#5)

There was a lot of recording activity involving black female singers and white musicians in the early 1920's. 

The Original New Orleans Jazz Band

The Original New Orleans Jazz Band followed in the wake of the success of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB). It was one of the earliest jazz groups to be recorded and its members, also New Orleans guys, were either white or some degree of creole. Jimmy Durante was an original member of the group but had left by this point.

Lillian Harris

Lillian Harris was a powerful blues-vaudeville shouter.  Bio data about her is thin on the ground and she may or may not be the same person known as Sister Harris, or Estelle Harris.

Lillian Harris. Accomp. by Original New Orleans Jazz Band. Possibly Dick Landon or Ellsworth Evans, c; Andy Russo, tb; Sidney Arodin, cl; Allie Hamned, p; Tony DeRose, d; Lillian Harris, v. New York City, January 1923

• 5051-2 Four O'Clock Blues (Johnny Dunn and Gus Horsley) Re 9445-B
• 5051-3 Four O'Clock Blues (Johnny Dunn and Gus Horsley) Ba 1173-B, Re 9445-B
• 5052-1 Sugar Blues (Clarence Williams) Ba 1173-A, Re 9445-A

An Interracial Tune a Day (#4)

I'm transferring my Interracial Tune a Day from my Substack to this blog. I felt that having my subscribers get a notice everyday for a new posting would be a little much. Let's hope the transfer is not too rough. If you're new to this blog, take a look around and please subscribe. There's a lot here. OK, on to business:

Red Allen

Pee Wee Erwin

I have nothing listed in my recording chronology until Feb. 2, so today I'm going back a few days to January 23, 1934- Henry Allen with Pee Wee Erwin.

Red Allen, a fine cornettist from New Orleans, was initially a Louis Armstrong acolyte, but he staked out new territory. His improvisations were more unpredictable and quirky and have even been characterized as avant garde. He was also an excellent vocalist.

Pee Wee Erwin was a powerful trumpeter who made his mark primarily as a lead player. He came from Nebraska and played in territory bands before he moved to NYC and became an anchor in the big bands of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.

The band's rhythm section (minus Luis Russell) are drawn from from Red Allen's New Orleans cohort.

In "It's Written All Over Your Face," Red has a brief intro, Pee Wee follows with a sedate muted solo, then Red comes in with a fabulous improvisation.

Henry “Red” Allen, t, v / Pee Wee Erwin, t / George Washington, tb / Buster Bailey, cl / Luis Russell, p / Danny Barker, g / Pops Foster, sb / Paul Barbarin, d. New York, January 23, 1935.

•  Believe It, Beloved– vHA- Ban 33337, Mt M-13304, 91940, Or 3087, Per 16071;

•  Believe It, Beloved– vHA- Epic LN-3252 (LP);

•  It’s Written All Over Your Face: Ban 33337, Mt M-13304, 91940, Or 3087;

•  It’s Written All Over Your Face: Mt 91940;

•  Smooth Sailing– vHA- Ban 33355, Mt M-13322, Or 3097, Per 16080;

•  Whose Honey Are You?– vHA- Ban 33355, Cq 8474, Mt M-13322, Or 3097, Per 16080, Ro 2471

All recordings drawn from my book As Long As They Can Blow. Interracial Jazz Recording and Other Jive Before 1935.

A Welcome and a Detour

Thanks very much for finding your way here. Please feel free to look around and check out past posts, of which there are many.

I also hope you will visit my Substack, where I've begun to do my posting. Substack is a great platform that really helps writers find their audience.  

I regularly also publish articles in Artsfuse.org and SyncopatedTimes.org. Great publications, well worth your time.