"Doc" Cook & His 14 Doctors Of Syncopation - Columbia 1298 (1927)

From wikipedia...

Charles L. Cooke (September 3, 1891 – December 25, 1958) was an American jazz bandleader and arranger, who performed and recorded under the stage name Doc Cook. Unlike many early jazz musicians who used monikers denoting advanced degrees, Cook was a Doctor of Music awarded by the Chicago Musical College in 1926.

Born in Louisville he first worked as a composer and arranger in Detroit before moving to Chicago around 1910. Cook became resident leader of the orchestra at Paddy Harmon's Dreamland Ballroom in Chicago from 1922–27, acting as conductor and musical director. The ensemble recorded under several names, such as Cookie's Gingersnaps, Doc Cook and his 14 Doctors of Syncopation, and Doc Cook's Dreamland Orchestra. Among those who played in Cook's band were Freddie Keppard, Jimmie Noone, Johnny St. Cyr, Zutty Singleton, Andrew Hilaire, and Luis Russell. After 1927 Cook's orchestra played in Chicago at the Municipal Pier and the White City Ballroom.

In 1930, Cook moved to New York City and worked as an arranger for Radio City Music Hall and RKO, working there into the 1940s. On Broadway he had a number of important orchestration credits, including The Hot Mikado (1939) and the first U.S. production of The Boy Friend in collaboration with Ted Royal in 1954. A proponent of ragtime, he also worked frequently with Eubie Blake, supplying the arrangements for the 1952 revival of Shuffle Along.

Cook recorded 6 sides for Gennett in early 1924, then as Cookie's Gingersnaps, recorded 4 sides for OKeh in June of 1926. He then signed to Columbia where he recorded 14 sides between July of 1926 through March of 1928.

George Mitchell, Elwood Graham c / Bill Dawson, Fayette Williams tb / Jimmie Noone cl / Joe Poston as / Billy Butler as, vn / Clarence Owens ts / Jerome Carrington p / Johnny St. Cyr bj / Bill Newton bb / Andrew Hillaire d.

Recorded in Chicago on June 11 (AC) & 15 (B), 1927.

King Carter & His Royal Orchestra - Columbia 2439 (1931)

Here is my second acquisition of a King Carter & His Royal Orchestra 78. Mills Blue Rhythm Band released three records (all in 1931) under this pseudonym. (Here's the first one I found)

Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson t / Harry White, Henry Hicks tb / Charlie Himes cl, as / Ted McCord, Castor McCord cl, ts / Edgar Hayes p / Benny James bj / Hayes Alvis sb, bb / Willie Lynch d / Dick Robertson (as Dick Rogers) v.

Recorded in New York on March 23, 1931.

Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra - Columbia 202 (1924)

Fletcher Henderson p, a, dir / Elmer Chambers, Howard Scott c / Charlie Green tb / Don Redman cl, as, gfs / 3rd sax / Coleman Hawkins cl, ts, bsx / Charlie Dixon bj / Ralph Escudero bb / Kaiser Marshall d.

Recorded in New York on August 21, 1924.

Tuxedo Syncopaters - Pathé 22320 (1920)

Instrumentation and personnel are unknown but clues may point to this being a Joseph Samuels group.

Recorded in New York in January, 1920.

Luke The Drifter - MGM 11309 (1952)

From Wikipedia...

In 1950, Williams began recording as "Luke the Drifter" for his religious-themed recordings, many of which are recitations rather than singing. Fearful that disc jockeys and jukebox operators would hesitate to accept these unusual recordings, Williams used this alias to avoid hurting the marketability of his name. Although the real identity of Luke the Drifter was supposed to be anonymous, Williams often performed part of the material of the recordings on stage. Most of the material was written by Williams, in cases with the help of Fred Rose and his son Wesley. The songs depicted Luke the Drifter traveling around from place to place, narrating stories from different characters and philosophizing about life. Some of the compositions were accompanied by a pipe organ.

Hank Williams g, v / Jerry Rivers fiddle / Don Helms steel g / Chet Atkins elec g / probably Jack Shook acoustic g / Ernie Newton b.

Recorded on July 11, 1952.

Ben Pollack & His Orchestra - Victor 21184 (1927)

Went after this one for W.C. Handy's Memphis Blues (Check out the site for Mr. Handy's Blues: A Musical Documentary) and got a surprise on the flipside (Waitin' For Katie)...an eighteen year old Benny Goodman on trumpet!

According to Jazz Oracle's Ben Pollack Volume 1's liner notes by John Wilby, Goodman gives the two bar introduction to Jimmy McPartland's cornet solo.

Ben Pollack dir, d / Jimmy McPartland, Frank Quartell, Al Harris c / Glenn Miller tb, arr / Benny Goodman t, cl, as / Gil Rodin as / Larry Binyon ts, f / Vic Breidis p / Dick Morgan bj, g / Harry Goodman bb / unknown trio v.

Recorded in Chicago on December 7, 1927.

Freddy King & His Orchestra - King 45-6057 (1966)

Haven't found a personnel listing for these but discovered that King is trading licks with Lonnie Mack.

Recorded in 1966.

Muddy Waters - Chess 1774 (1960)

Muddy Waters g, v / Little Walter hca / Jimmy Rogers g / Otis Spann p / Andrew Stephenson b / Francis Clay d.

Recorded in Chicago on April 23, 1960.

Muddy Waters g, v / James Cotton hca / Pat Hare g / Otis Spann p / Andrew Stephenson b / Francis Clay d / Langston Hughes mc.

Recorded live at Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI on July 3, 1960.

Punch Miller's New Orleans Band - Icon I-45-736 (1962)

Just came across this one and snatched it up for fifty cents because I saw the name, Punch Miller. It wasn't until I got home that I even slid it out of the sleeve to see the brilliant royal blue vinyl and the inscription signed by Gypsy Lou Webb.

Punch Miller t, v / Israel Gorman cl / Albert Warner tb / George Guesnon bj / Wilbert Tillman bb / Alex Bigard (Barney's brother) d.

Looks to be recorded in New Orleans at the Kitty Club in 1962.

Claude Hopkins & His Orchestra - Brunswick 6750 (1933)

This appears to be the Hopkins outfit's first record for the Brunswick label.

An added bonus (for me) was the discovery of trombonist, Fernando Arbello.

From wikipedia...

Fernando Arbello (May 30, 1907 – July 26, 1970) was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer who spent most of his career in America.

Arbello first started on trombone at the age of 12. He played locally in high-school bands and symphony orchestras, then moved to New York City in the middle of the 1920s. There he played with Earle Howard, Wilbur De Paris, June Clark, and Bingie Madison before the close of the decade. Early in the 1930s he played intermittently with Claude Hopkins for several years, then worked with Chick Webb, Fletcher Henderson, Lucky Millinder, Billy Hicks, and Fats Waller, before returning to play under Hopkins again near the end of the 1930s.

In 1940 Arbello worked for a few months with Zutty Singleton, then led his own, unsuccessful, band briefly in 1940-41. Later in 1941 he played again in Henderson's ensemble, then with Marty Marsala (1941) and Jimmie Lunceford (1942–46). He led his own band again late in the 1940s, maintaining it for several years, though he never recorded with this outfit. In 1953 he played with Rex Stewart and played in a reunion band with Henderson once more; in 1960 he was a sideman for Machito.

Late in his life Arbello returned to Puerto Rico, playing at the Hotel San Juan up until his death.

Claude Hopkins p, a, dir / Albert Snaer, Sylvester Lewis, Ovie Alston t / Fernando Arbello, Fred Norman tb / Edmond Hall cl, as, bar / Gene Johnson as, bar / Bobby Sands ts / Walter Jones bj, g / Henry Turner sb / Edmond Jones d.

Recorded in New York on December 11, 1933.