Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra - Decca 712 (1934 - 1935)

Jimmie Lunceford a, dir / Eddie Tompkins, Tommy Stevenson t / Sy Oliver t, a / Henry Wells, Russell Bowles tb / Willie Smith, Earl Carruthers cl, as, bar / Laforet Dent as / Joe Thomas cl, ts / Edwin Wilcox p / Al Norris g / Moses Allen sb / Jimmy Crawford d, vib.

Recorded in New York on October 29, 1934.

Jimmie Lunceford a, dir / Eddie Tompkins, Paul Webster t / Sy Oliver t, a / Elmer Crumbley, Russell Bowles tb / Eddie Durham tb, g / Willie Smith cl, as, bar / Laforet Dent as / Dan Grissom cl, as / Earl Carruthers cl, as, bar / Joe Thomas cl, ts / Edwin Wilcox p, cel / Al Norris g / Moses Allen sb / Jimmy Crawford d, vib.

Recorded in New York on December 23, 1935.

Dixieland Jug Blowers - Victor 20420 (1926)

From All Music...

A shadowy figure in jazz and blues history, Clifford Hayes was a violinist, but was more significant as a leader of recording sessions. He recorded with Sara Martin (1924), and often teamed up with banjoist Cal Smith in early jug bands including the Old Southern Jug Band, Clifford's Louisville Jug Band, the well-known Dixieland Jug Blowers (1926-1927), and Hayes' Louisville Stompers (1927-1929). One of the Dixieland Jug Blowers' sessions featured the great clarinetist Johnny Dodds, while pianist Earl Hines was a surprise star with the otherwise primitive Louisville Stompers (a jug-less group with a front line of Hayes' violin and Hense Grundy's trombone). Clifford Hayes' last recordings were in 1931.

Lockwood Lewis as, v / Johnny Dodds cl (House Rent Blues) / Clifford Hayes vn / Cal Smith, Freddy Smith, Curtis Hayes bj / Earl McDonald jug, v / Henry Clifford jug.

Recorded at the Webster Hotel in Chicago on December 10 (Lard) & 11, 1926.

Savoy Bearcats - Victor 20182 (1926)

Here are the Savoy Bearcats' first released sides. A previous recording session two weeks earlier, which included Leon Abbey on violin, resulted in two unissued tracks.

Would sure like to come across pianist, Joe Steele's Victor 78.

From wikipedia...

The Savoy Bearcats were an eleven-piece jazz band, led by Leon Abbey, which was the house band at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City from its opening in 1926 to 1928. The band's name was changed from the Charleston Bearcats while they were at the Savoy. After leaving the Savoy they became known as Leon Abbey's Band.

Tiny Bradshaw had passed through this outfit as drummer.

Duncan Mayers dir / Gilbert Paris, Demas Dean t / James Reevy tb / Carmelo Jari (Jejo) cl, as, bar / Otto Mikell cl, as / Ramon Hernandez cl, ts / Joe Steele p / Freddy White bj, g / Harry Edwards bb / Willie Lynch d.

Recorded in New York on August 23, 1926.

The Jungle Band - Brunswick 4345 (1929)

Duke Ellington p, a, dir / Bubber Miley, Arthur Whetsel, Freddy Jenkins t / Joe Nanton tb / Johnny Hodges cl, ss, as / Harry Carney cl, as, bar / Barney Bigard cl, ts / Fred Guy bj / Wellman Braud sb / Sonny Greer.

Recorded in New York on January 8 (Voom) & March 1 (Rent), 1929.

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Victor 24521 (1934)

Duke Ellington p, a dir / Arthur Whetsel, Freddy Jenkins, Cootie Williams, Louis Bacon t / Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown tb / Juan Tizol vtb / Johnny Hodges cl, ss, as / Harry Carney cl, as, bar / Otto Hardwick as, bsx / Barney Bigard cl, ts / Fred Guy bj, g / Wellman Braud sb / Sonny Greer d.

Recorded in Chicago on January 9 & 10, 1934.

John Hyman's Bayou Stompers - Victor 20593 (1927)

Been after this New Orleans recorded 78 for a long time.

Gonna keep looking for a better player, but for now, couldn't be happier to finally have it in the NOLA collection.

(Also Nappy Lamare's debut recording)

From wikipedia...

Johnny Wiggs (July 25, 1899 - October 10, 1977) was a jazz musician and band leader.

Born John Wigginton Hyman in New Orleans, Louisiana, he started his music career on the violin. He soon adopted the cornet and moved to New York for some time before returning to New Orleans. His main stylistic influences were Joe "King" Oliver (who Wiggs insisted did his best work in New Orleans in the years before he moved up North and was recorded) and Bix Beiderbecke.

In the late 1920s he took a job as a teacher in Louisiana and moonlighted in New Orleans jazz clubs at night. He made his first recordings as "John Hyman's Bayou Stompers" in the late 1920s.

In the 1940s he again became a full time musician, leading several bands and laying down a good number of tracks. He took on the nickname "Johnny Wiggs" for his musical work as jazz was still looked down on in some circles. He became an important figure in the local traditional jazz revival. In the 1960s he returned to performing part time only, though he remained active until the 1970s. He was a mentor to such younger musicians as George Finola.

Along the way he helped found the New Orleans Jazz Club and was a force behind the jazz revival in the 1940s. Pete Fountain is one of his more famous pupils.

John Hyman c / Charles Hartman tb / Elry Maser cl / Alvin Gautreaux h / Horace Diaz p / Nappy Lamare g / Monk Hazel d.

Recorded in New Orleans on March 10, 1927.

Morrison's Jazz Orchestra - Columbia A2945 (1920)

Recently heard a radio show that mentioned this early black jazz outfit from Denver and their only released side (on the flip side of a Ted Lewis).

They recorded a handful of sides for Columbia but only this one made it to the public. Victor caught wind of the group and brought them in for a tone test but Columbia stepped up and let it be known that they were under exclusive contract. When this happened, George Morrison, supposedly set Victor in the direction of another Denver bandleader, Paul Whiteman.

The main reason I sought this record was because it was the debut of a certain saxophonist. He grew up and worked in Denver...as a postman...and studied music under Paul Whiteman's father, Wilberforce. He would eventually make his way to Kansas City and the rest, one would say, is history.

Here is twenty two year old Andy Kirk's debut recording.

George Morrison vn, dir / Leo Davis t, as / Ed Caldwell tb / Cuthbert Byrd as / Andy Kirk ts / ? Jimmy Walker p / Lee Morrison bj / Alfonso Garcia sb / Eugene Montgomery d.

Recorded in New York on April 22, 1920.

The Washingtonians - Harmony 557 (1928)

If memory serves me right, this was the first 78 I purchased on eBay back in the '90s. I do believe that I created my account after seeing this listing in order to bid.

Duke Ellington p, a, dir / Bubber Miley, Louis Metcalf t / Joe Nanton tb / Otto Hardwick ss, as, bar / Harry Carney cl, as, bar / Barney Bigard cl, ts / Fred Guy bj / Wellman Braud sb / Sonny Greer d.

Recorded in New York on January 9, 1928.

Original Jazz Hounds - Columbia 14207 (1927)

From wikipedia…

Louis Metcalf (February 28, 1905 - October 27, 1981) was a jazz cornetist and trumpeter. He played for a short time with Duke Ellington for which he is best remembered.

Metcalf was born in Webster Groves, Missouri. As a youth he first trained on the drums but switched over to cornet permanently. As a teenager in St. Louis, Missouri he played with Charlie Creath.

Metcalf moved to New York City in 1923 and participated in the fertile jazz scene there, playing with such legends as Willie "The Lion" Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, Benny Carter and King Oliver. In 1926 Duke Ellington hired Metcalf to play in his seminal orchestra, where his mellow tone contrasted with Bubber Miley's. In the 1930s Metcalf led his own bands and joined Fletcher Henderson's.

In 1946 Metcalf moved to Montreal and formed the International Band, the first to play the nascent bebop style in Canada. Under his leadership the Café Saint-Michel was the hub of the jazz scene in Montreal for a few years, with local musicians such as the young Oscar Peterson and visiting Americans such as Art Pepper, Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins sitting in with the band.

A drug bust prompted Metcalf to return to New York City in 1951. He released an album entitled "I've Got The Peace Brother Blues" in 1966 where he demonstrates that his style had indeed evolved since his days with Ellington. Metcalf was less active after falling ill in 1968 and died in 1981.

Louis Metcalf c / Jake Frazier tb / Bob Fuller cl / James P. Johnson p / bj / ? Harry Hull bb / d, chimes / Perry Bradford v.

Recorded in New York on March 15, 1927.

Dixie Washboard Band - Columbia 14128 (1926)

Ed Allen c / Bennie Moten cl / Clarence Williams p / Jasper Taylor wb.

Recorded in New York on January 25, 1926.