Paul Specht & His Orchestra - Columbia A3759 (1922)

Click here for a small band culled from Specht's Orchestra.

Paul Specht vn, dir / Frank Guarente, Donald Lindley t / Ray Stillwell tb / Harold Saliers cl, bcl, as / Johnny O'Donnell, cl, as / Frank Smith cl, ts / Al Monquin bsx / Arthur Schhutt p / Russell Deppe bj / Joe Tarto bb / Chauncey Morehouse d.

Recorded in New York on November 10, 1922.


Willie Creager & His Orchestra - Velvet Tone 1922 (1929)

Have been on the lookout for my other Willie Creager 78 for about 2 months now...found it today.

His first recording was posted a while back.

Rust's listed known personnel: Willie Creager dir, ?d / Phil Romano and/or Arthur Schutt p / Marvin Young v.

Recorded in New York on May 7, 1929.


Fred Hamm & His Orchestra / Art Landry & His Orchestra - Victor 20023 (1925/26)

Fred Hamm & His Orchestra were managed by Edgar Benson and were based out of Chicago. Hamm took over the Benson Orchestra in 1925.

Here we have Hamm's version of Joe King Oliver & Louis Armstrong's Sugar Foot Stomp (Dippermouth Blues).

Fred Hamm c, v, dir / 2nd c / Joe Harris & unknown tb / cl / Dave Bennett cl, as, bar / Bert Lown vn / Jack Gardner p / bj / bb / d.

Recorded in Chicago on December 17, 1925.


Art Landry & His Orchestra: Art Landry cl, as, vn, dir / Jimmy Greco, Skid Owens t / Al Marineau tb / Joe Smith, Carl Gauper cl, as / Denny "Dinty" Curtis cl, ts / Red Thomas p / Dick Humphrey bj / Wilbur Edwards bb / Pat Burns d, k.

Recorded in Camden, NJ on January 6, 1926. 

Selvin's Orchestra - Emerson 10133 (1920)

It looks as if this record is the product of Ben Selvin's sixth recording session...with Yellow Dog Blues being his first entry listed in Rust's Jazz & Ragtime Records.

Joseph C. Smith's version of the W.C. Handy Composition (recorded five months earlier) can be found here.

Interesting reading can be found here on W.C. Handy and the royalties tied to his earliest recorded compositions.

Ben Selvin vn, dir / Harry Glantz t / Ephraim Hannaford tb / Benny Krueger as / 2nd vn / Bernie Grauer p / John Cali bj / Milton Sands d / Frank Clegg x.

Recorded in New York in February, 1920.



The Great White Way Orchestra / Zez Confrey & His Orchestra - Victor 19068 (1923)

The Great White Way Orchestra: Hugo Frey p, dir / Earl Oliver, ? Hymie Farberman or Harry Glantz t / ? Sammy Lewis tb / ? Nathan Glantz as, ts / vn / Frak Banta 2nd p / bj / John Helleberg bb / Eddie King d / Billy Murray v.

Recorded in New York on April 26, 1923


Could not find hide nor hair of the following side in Rust's discographies.

Orpheum Melody Masters - Bell 298 (1924)

Here we have Nathan Glantz' orchestra jazzing it up a bit.

Known personnel: Nathan Glantz as, dir / Jack Stillman, (possibly) Hymie Farberman, Harry Gluck or Phil Napoleon t.

Recorded in New York in mid 1924.


Ken Drake & His Orchestra - Bluebird 7023 (1937)

Seems that this orchestra only recorded 6 sides...all on June 8, 1937 in New York.

Found this interesting newspaper article about the tenor sax player, Joe Falvo.

Jimmy Ray t, v / Paul Cartwright, Don Watt cl, as / Joe Falvo ts / Larry Webb p / Frank Pruslin, Ernie Nagel pac (piano accordion) / Peter Schance sb / Howard Curry d.



Sam Ash - Grey Gull 2058 (1921)

Found a bio on Sam Ash here.

Most interesting bit of info to me is that he played the nervous teller trying to calm the crowd down in the bank run scene in It's A Wonderful Life. (I watched a clip of the run though I couldn't discern anyone in that particular role.)

Recorded in March of 1921.



Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra - Victor 21304 (1928)

Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers: Henry Busse, Charles Margulis, Bob Mayhew tp / Bix Beiderbecke c / Boyce Cullen, Wilbur Hall, Bill Rank, Jack Fulton tb / Frank Trumbauer Cm, ss / Chester Hazlett cl, bcl, ss, as / Hal McLean cl, as, ss, o / Rube Crozier cl, ss, as, ts, bsn / Charles Strickfaden cl, as, ts, bar / Kurt Dieterle, Mischa Russell, Matty Malneck, Mario Perry, John Bouman vn / Harry Perrella p / Mike Trafficante bb / Mike Pingitore bj / Tom Satterfield cel /  Hal McDonald d / unknown x.

Recorded in New York on January 11, 1928.


O, Ya Ya: Henry Busse, Charles Margulis t / Bix Beiderbecke c / Boyce Cullen, Wilbur Hall, Bill Rank, Jack Fulton tb / Frank Trumbauer Cm, ss / Chester Hazlett cl, bcl, ss, as / Hal McLean cl, as, ss, o / Jimmy Dorsey cl, as, bar / Rube Crozier cl, ss, as, ts, bsn / Charles Strickfaden cl, as, ts, bar / Kurt Dieterle, Mischa Russell, Matty Malneck, Mario Perry, John Bowman, Charles Gaylord vn / Harry Perrella p / Steve Brown sb / Mike Trafficante bb / Mike Pingitore bj / Hal McDonald d.

Recorded in New York on January 5, 1928.

Dan Gregory's Orchestra / Jack Chapman & His Drake Hotel Orchestra - Victor 19519 (1924)

Just ran across this 78 in the garage and didn't recognize either orchestra. (Don't read too much into that.)

Besides a wikipedia entry, I also found a blog dedicated to Dan Gregory and his sidemen.

From wikipedia…

Dan Gregory was an American pianist and bandleader, mainly working in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania from the 1920s through the 1940s. However, the band also appeared in New York City during the early 1920s.

According to Ken Frew, the son of Kenneth "Kenny" Frew (1902-1986), a later member of Gregory’s orchestra, the band’s New York residence was the Crystal Palace at 66th and Broadway. During its New York years Gregory’s band made a handful of records, first for lesser labels such as Oriole, Puritan, Grey Gull and Cameo but also two sides for the major label Victor (Me And The Boy Friend and Then You'll Know That You’re In Love issued on Victor 19519 and 19554 respectively). One of the members of Gregory’s orchestra during its New York tenure was multi-instrumentalist Andy Sannella, though it is not known whether he appeared on any of the bands recordings.

Gregory finally (according to Frew) decided to get "rid of his high-priced men" and move back to Harrisburg and organize a new band which went on working through the following two decades. The band however also travelled to venues outside its home town and among other places it played at the Bertrand Island amusement park, where it appeared (as "Dan Gregory’s Famous Dance Orchestra") with comedian Clem ”Fat” Gority in 1934.

According to Ken Frew, Gregory's outfit toured 29 states and Canada, ports that included Richmond, Chicago, St Louis, Miami, Detroit, Boston, Toronto, New York and Gregory later, apart from leading his own band, "went on to manage Tony Pastor’s Orchestra and helped discover Rosemary Clooney".

Recently the nephew of Ray Ripani, Gregory’s tenor saxophone player during the late 1930s and early 1940s, has put up a website devoted to Dan Gregory and his orchestra (see "external links" below), gathering information and documents about the band.

Known personnel as per Rust: Dan Gregory p, dir / Norman Weiner t / George Stell tb.

Recorded in New York on November 20, 1924.


Found just a little bit of info on Jack Chapman & His Drake Hotel Orchestra.

From the Red Hot Jazz website...

Jack Chapman lead the band at the Drake Hotel which was located at 140 East Walton Place in Chicago. Chapman's band was also the "official orchestra" for Chicago radio station, WDAP.

Known personnel: Clark Meyers as / Raymond Davis vn, v / Jack Chapman p, ldr.

Recorded in Chicago on November 8, 1924.