Interracial Jazz Recording (#32): Seger Ellis, the Dorseys and Louis Armstrong

Seger Ellis

Seger Ellis had an interesting career. He was a piano player and good enough to be recorded as a soloist. He performed on radio and in vaudeville and was encouraged to sing. Although his tenor voice doesn't exactly swing, you can't say he was rhyhmically stiff or stilted. 

When he recorded for Okeh records, Ellis apparently got to choose the small studio groups he played with and looking at the lineup here, he obviously made good choices.                                                              

Satch

Nice clarinet intro by Jimmy Dorsey. The ensemble is active behind Ellis' vocal. Armstrong's solo is an actual improvisation, while Tommy Dorsey's take on the bridge is more of a paraphrase of the melody. Session man Harry Hoffman's ad libbing on violin is actually quite good.

At this point, there wasn't anyone who was called a "jazz singer," per se. Armstrong, Teagarden, Crosby, Ethel Waters and a passel of female blues/vaudeville singers were in the process of creating it. Ellis made his own small contribution to the process.

Seger Ellis (vcl) acc by Louis Armstrong (tp) Tommy Dorsey (tb) Jimmy Dorsey (cl) Harry Hoffman (vln) Justin Ring (p,celeste) Stan King (d) New York, June 4, 1929.

• S’posin’- OKeh 41255, Ariel 4459, Jazum 13, CBS 65251
• To be in love (espesh’lly with you)- Ariel 4460

All entries are from my book “As Long as They Can Blow. Interracial Jazz Recording and Other Jive Before 1935.”