Blanche Calloway & Her Joy Boys / McKinney's Cotton Pickers - Victor 22640 (1931)

Blanche Calloway, sister of Cab, recorded 3 sides with Andy Kirk's band in 1931 and seemingly had eyes on becoming their new bandleader. She was unsuccessful in her attempt to take over Kirk's group but she did manage to steal a few sidemen when she started up her new Joy Boys orchestra.

Harry Lawson, Edgar Battle, Clarence Smith t / Floyd Brady tb / John Harrington cl, as / John Williams as / Lawrence Freeman ts / Mary Lou Williams p / Bill Dirvin bj / Andy Kirk bb / Ben Thigpen d / Blanche Calloway v.

Recorded in Camden, NJ on March 2, 1931.


Don Redman cl, as, bar, v, a, dir / Joe Smith c / Rex Stewart, Langston Curl t / Ed Cuffee tb / Benny Carter cl, as / Edward Inge cl, as, ts / Prince Robinson cl, ts / Todd Rhodes p / Dave Wilborn bj / Billy Taylor bb / Cuba Austin d.

Recorded in New York on November 3, 1930.

Johnny De Droit & His New Orleans Jazz Orchestra / Jack Linx & His High Society Serenaders - Okeh 40192 (1924)

Johnny de Droit c / Russ Papalia tb / Henry Raymond cl / Rudolph Levy as / Frank Cuny p / George Potter bj / Paul de Droit d.

Recorded in New Orleans on March 15, 1924.


The Evening News Harrisburg, PA January 1, 1925

Jack Linx cl, ss, as, dir / Coleman Sachs c / Sidney Patterson cl, as / Seibert Traxler cl, ts, bar / Eph Tunkle or Gilbert Davis p / Maurice Sigler bj / Frank Manning bb / Carroll Gardner d.

Recorded in Atlanta on August 28, 1924.


The Anniston (AL) Star December 29, 1929

Cuarteto Flores - Columbia 5249-X (1935) (Blue Wax)

From wikipedia...

Pedro Flores born (March 9, 1894 – July 14, 1979) was one Puerto Rico's best known composers of ballads and boleros.

Flores (birth name: Pedro Juan Flores Córdova) was one of twelve children born into a poor family in the town of Naguabo, Puerto Rico. Flores' father died when he was only nine years old and therefore, he was forced to work at a young age. When he was sixteen years old, he took a special course in the Universidad de Puerto Rico and received his teachers certificate. Flores taught for five years and worked for one year at a sugar mill in the island of Vieques. In 1918, he served in a clerical position in the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged from the Army when he was twenty-four years old.

In 1926, Flores went to New York City without any formal musical education and joined another Puerto Rican composer, Rafael Hernández in his Trío Borinquen. Even though Flores and Hernández became very good friends, they also became competitors as composers. When Flores wrote Sin Bandera, Hernández rushed and wrote Preciosa.

In 1930, Flores formed his own trio which he named "Trío Galón", and whose music and songs had a faster beat than the "Trío Borinquen". Flores had problems with the music publishing company and he abandoned the trio. He moved to Mexico and then lived in Cuba for a short period of time. Flores eventually returned to New York where he reorganized his old trio. Some of the singers of this new trio were Myrta Silva, Daniel Santos and Pedro Ortiz Dávila "Davilita".

A 1996 television special honoring his work features versions by many Puerto Rican and international artists, such as Ednita Nazario, Marc Anthony, Yolandita Monge and Shakira.

Pedro Flores died in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 14, 1979 and is buried in Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery located in Old San Juan.

Photo taken of Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery December 2014

Recorded in New York on March 15, 1935.


New Orleans Owls / Warner's 7 Aces - Columbia 605 (1925)

The New Orleans Owls collection is now complete. Time to work on a few upgrades.

Benjie White cl, as, dir / Bill Padron c / Lester Smith ts / Mose Farrar p / Rene Gelpi bj, g / Dan LeBlanc bb / Earl Crumb d.

Recorded in New Orleans on September 24, 1925.



Here's Warner's 7 Aces...without Byron Warner. 

Ralph Bennett cl, as, vn, dir / Tom Brannon. J.T. Bourne t / Don McIlvaine tb / C. J. Buckner, Eli Pritchett cl, as, ts, bar / Ed Lally p / Bob Pittman bj / Jim O'Neal bb / M. C. "Shucks" Park d.

Recorded in Atlanta on October 1, 1925.