Interracial Jazz Recording (#39) Sidney Arodin and the Astoria Hot 8.

This was the house band in the Astoria Hotel in New Orleans in 1928/1929-hence the name. Most of the players in the group have impressive jazz resumes. For example, cornettist Lee Collins took over when Louis Armstrong left King Oliver. Al Morgan, powerhouse bassist, played with everyone. 

Sidney Arodin

Lee Collins

Sidney Arodin is our racial "odd man out" in this otherwise black group. He wrote the song "Up A Lazy River" with Hoagy Carmichael and also played with, among others, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Wingy Manone and Louis Prima. Arodin is a simplification of either the name Arnandan or Arnondrin and Sidney's family was French (not Creole). Arodin may or may not have played with the rest of the group at the Astoria, as a mixed-race group sharing a stage would have been pretty much unheard of at that time. 

This is the group's only recording. "Damp Weather" has a few more traces of ragtime than the other tracks, but all have the propulsive, bluesy polyphonic sound characteristic of New Orleans.

Jones and Collins Astoria Hot 8: Lee Collins, c / Sidney Arodin, cl / Theodore Purnell, as / David Jones, ts / Joe Robechaux, p / Emmanuel Sayles, bj / Al Morgan, sb, v / Joe Strode-Raphael, d. New Orleans, November 15, 1929.

• Astoria Strut- Vic V-38576, BB B-8168, Bm 100;
• Duet Stomp – vAM Vic V-38576, BB B-8168, Bm 1001;
• Damp Weather- BB B-10952, Bm 1002, Magnolia 9;
• Damp Weather- Merritt 1 (LP);
• Tip Easy Blues- BB B-10952, Bm 1002.

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