I have almost no backlog for this column, so its future depends on you. Please keep sending me your discographical discoveries and I will do my best to have it in the following issue.

Björn Englund (Sweden) writes about a great discographical project, the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.php). It lists all matrices recorded and discs issued by Victor from 1900. About 1000 masters are added each month and by now some 40,000 masters are listed up to 1922. Some interesting points:-

* Valve trombone player Juan Tizol recorded several sides in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1917 with his father’s orchestra!

* The famous test made by the Creole Jass Band on Monday December 2, 1918 was the fifth of eight trial recording made that day. It was entered in the victor ledgers as Tackem Down [sic] and numbered Trial 1918-12-02-05. The other trials done that day were by Ferdinand Pollain (three trials) and E. Pearce, O. Ortway, Billy Rhodes and May Jennings each made one. Nothing of this was issued and no other recordings were done that day.

* JR6 lists several Perfects, one OKeh and an unissued Victor by Lavinia Turner, the latter with the ODJB (May 3, 1921). But she also made a trial for Victor on April 28, 1921, titled Mamma Whip, Mamma Spank, vocal with piano.

* Toddle by The Benson Orchestra of Chicago is not from 11 April 1921, but from 10 April.

And now some of Richard Rains' (UK) observations. He thinks that the unknown cornet on George McClennon's Stolen Kisses and While You're Sneakin' Out (OK 8329, June 1926) is June Clark. On Pig Foot Blues and Cotton Club Stomp (OK 8397 Aug/Sep 1926) he thinks that Jimmy Wade and his band were involved. Wade was in New York at this time and was employed by Perry Bradford and others.

An old chestnut of a discussion exists around the identity of the vocalist on Jelly Roll Morton's Wild Man Blues. It is not Morton himself, so Richard thinks. Morton can be heard on Smokehouse Blues, Steamboat Stomp, Doctor Jazz, Sidewalk Blues and Dead Man Blues. The voice on Wild Man is the same as at the beginning of Hyena Stomp and Billy Goat Stomp, maybe with the exception of the first bleat of Billy Goat, which might be Morton. It seems to come from a different location from that of the other "voices".

And another one from Richard: he thinks it is Thomas Morris, not Rex Stewart on Elizabeth Smith's Vic 21539, Police Done Tore My Playhouse Down.

Dick Spottswood (USA) writes about a recent acquisition - Paramount 12003 by the Harlem Harmony Kings: "It's a curious record; physically it resembles Black Swans of the period and the masters, A104-2 and A105-2 are next to the label in a typeface that looks typical of Black Swan. I guess they aren't, because matrices P 104/5 are by Katie Crippen and Revella Hughes respectively. I wonder if the band is black? It could be, though the performances seem restrained for blues titles. If Brian Rust's suggested date of April 1921 is accurate, what other company might have produced the session? Paramount 12003 wouldn't have been published until 1922, by which time the masters would have been hand-me-downs from another company. Each title was released on Grey Gull etc. too, ca. 1924."

The restrained nature of the performances that Dick comments upon would not be that unusual for a black New York band in 1921 - listen to the W.C. Handy 1922 sides or the James P. Johnson's Harmony Eight sides, both instrumental and accompanying Lavinia Turner (see below), Eddie Gray and Trixie Smith for comparison. Does anybody have any thoughts on who originally recorded these titles?

And another one from Dick Spottswood:- "I've asserted in the past that Henry Allen played trumpet on the Rev. F.W. McGee NYC session of 16 July 1930 (Vic 23401, V38621), to widespread disbelief. I recently looked again at the Victor ledger sheet for the session - and it includes the added note: "Hy [sic] Allen Trumpet p[ai]d Aug. 20/30".

I agree that it doesn't sound like him, probably because FWM didn't want his (McGhee's) records to sound like Luis Russell's."

In Chicago on July 2, 1929, Henry Lange and his Baker Hotel Orchestra cut two titles that were rejected, China Boy and Somebody Loves Me. The same two titles were recorded again on July 19, 1929. These cuts were issued, on Brunswick 4478. JR6 gives no personnel but George Weisheipl, trumpeter on the session gave the following personnel to collector David Kingsbaker. Weisheipl died in 1964. Actually it was Dan Russo's band: Dan Russo (leader, violin); George Weisheipl and Ralph Pierce (trumpets), Max Williams (trombone), Ray Johnson (alto sax); Frits Holtz (clarinet & alto sax); Hector "Heck" Herbert (tenor sax); Ralph Barnhard (piano); Paul Wittenmyer (banjo); Don Hughes (tuba); Jimmy Jackson (drums).

Now some reactions...

EDITH WILSON (VJM 153)

On Br 4685 (Nov. 1929) Edith Wilson has a beautiful band acc. The instrumentation in JR6 is tpt, tbn, clt, p, bj. But there is a beautiful flute player also, and a sax player (alto ?). On E-31558 Black And Blue he plays flute and sax, on E-31559 My Man Is Good For Nothin’ But Love he plays clarinet and sax. Emerson Harper is given on clarinet and he, together with trumpeter Charlie Gaines , pianist (and co-composer with Andy Razaf and Fats Waller of both numbers) Harry Brooks and trombonist Wilbur de Paris were all members of Leroy Smith’s Orchestra, which appeared, along with Edith Wilson, in the production of ‘Connie’s Hot Chocolates’. Harper is more a "legitimate" musician than a jazz player, but Rau thinks that he plays sax on both titles. The other player plays flute on Black And Blue and clarinet on My Man. Judging from his clarinet playing he could be Albert Socarras (compare Bennett´s Swamplanders). And there definitely is a tuba (no there isn’t! It’s the bass end of the piano, very strongly recorded - Ed). And they swing like hell on My Man ...

THE FOUR ACES (VJM 155)

We received comments from several sides that information on this group can be found in Hilton Schleman's Rhythm On Record (1936) and in Michael Smith's Decca discography (2004). Full personnel names and a survey of their 16 issued titles.

FINISHING IN ADRIAN ROLLINI'S WORLD ONCE AGAIN...

When Rollini left for London by the end of 1927, Ed Kirkeby, the manager of the California Ramblers, kept his band at work but the jazz content of its recorded output gradually diminished. For a short while Spencer Clark filled in for Rollini but he also left for Europe. Yet sometimes Kirkeby's recordings still featured hot solos. One such "jazzworthy" Ted Wallace record is the Columbia version of, amazingly, the Stein Song. The OKeh version featuring a blistering trumpet solo by Jack Purvis is listed in JR6, but not Columbia 2151-D. Yet its personnel includes alto sax player Pete Pumiglio, who takes a fine 16-bar solo. Incidentally, both takes 1 and 3 were issued. In 1931 Rollini was back again with the Kirkeby. But did he play any bass sax on a California Ramblers recording from then on?

Any reactions, thoughts, comments or contributions to: Ate van Delden, Vuurdoorn 16, 5666 AW Geldrop, Netherlands.

Email: ate.vandelden@worldonline.nl  Thanks.