Journey Through The Penguin Jazz Guide

[Zeeba Neighba]

The Georgians - 1922-1923 / 1923-1924

You know you're in some uncharted territory with only one RYM rating and no pic (this one from allmusic)
The Georgians were a jazz combo that came out the Paul Specht's orchestra and included trumpeter Frank Guarente, a student of King Oliver. He's this high point here
A lot of dated vocal tracks like "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" and "I Got a Cross-Eyed Papa (But He Looks Straight to Me). Eddie Cantor shows up to mug through a number of tracks

My goal is averaging an album per day but some of these exhaustive early comps are 1-2 hours and, I must admit, sometimes blend together. How did early jazz listeners debate whether to buy the latest Georgians single vs any number of other small jazz combos?

 

[Ojai Sam]

The Georgians - 1922-1923 / 1923-1924

You know you're in some uncharted territory with only one RYM rating and no pic (this one from allmusic)
The Georgians were a jazz combo that came out the Paul Specht's orchestra and included trumpeter Frank Guarente, a student of King Oliver. He's this high point here
A lot of dated vocal tracks like "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" and "I Got a Cross-Eyed Papa (But He Looks Straight to Me). Eddie Cantor shows up to mug through a number of tracks

My goal is averaging an album per day but some of these exhaustive early comps are 1-2 hours and, I must admit, sometimes blend together. How did early jazz listeners debate whether to buy the latest Georgians single vs any number of other small jazz combos?

I was just reading about The Georgians last night in an old ARSC Journal.

As you point out, they were one of the first "bands within a band", a configuration later raised to a fine art by Benny Goodman (with his trio, quartet, etc.) and many others.

Digital compilation overload can be a real problem with vintage music like this. Back in the day, most record shoppers were looking for a specific song to dance at home. Here are some of the versions of "Sister Kate" they had to choose from prior to 1930.

Ladd's Black Aces (Original Memphis Five) 1922 First recording on August 21, 1921
Original Memphis Five October 1922
The California Ramblers December 1922
The Virginians under the direction of Ross Gorman December 1922
Okeh Syncopators (Harry Reser, Director) December 1922
Jazz-Bo's Carolina Serenaders (Original Memphis Five) 1922
The Georgians [US1] 1923
Abe Small and His Melody Boys 1923
The Goofus Five 1927
Ray Miller and His Orchestra 1928
Charles Pierce and His Orchestra 1928
The Whoopee Makers 1928
Jan Garber & His Orchestra 1928
Boyd Senter and His Senterpedes with Guitar by Ed. Lang 1928

I doubt that many would have known the difference between The Georgians, The Virginians and Boyd Senter & his Senterpedes.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Perry Bradford and the Blues Singers: in Chronological Order 1923-1927



Pianist and songwriter Bradford (who wrote Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blue” and “Keep a Knockin” later done by Little Richard is featured here with a number of female vocalists including Smith, Ethel Ridley, and Louise Vant. Sidemen (on various tracks) include James P. Johnson and Louis Armstrong.

My only issue here is that most of these are more blues than jazz
I applaud Penguin trying to be even in their distribution across the years, bu5 have a feeling later on I’m gonna wonder why another Dexter Gordon or Freddie Hubbard album wasn’t included instead of The Georgians or this one.

 

[Ojai Sam]

My only issue here is that most of these are more blues than jazz
I applaud Penguin trying to be even in their distribution across the years, bu5 have a feeling later on I’m gonna wonder why another Dexter Gordon or Freddie Hubbard album wasn’t included instead of The Georgians or this one.

Paul Whiteman notwithstanding, until the Fifties there was a close nexus between "jazz", "blues" and "r&b". Artists like Nat King Cole, Lionel Hampton and Jimmie Lunceford regularly appeared on the Black music charts. Going back to the 20's, Satchmo and the other "jazz" players on this collection regularly backed pure blues singers. The Georgians were admittedly a footnote the Penguins could have passed on but the inclusion of Perry Bradford makes a lot of sense.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Piron's New Orleans Orchestra

Popular New Orleans jazz band of the 1920s though more of a "genteel proper orchestra thand some of the New Orleans bands of the time" (per Penguin) - perhaps more 1920s "society" music and thus not as fresh today as, say, King Oliver.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Original Indiana Five - Everybody Stomp: The Harmony Recordings 1925-1929

Recorded 98 selections between 1923-1929 for several labels "few have ever been reissued either on LP or on disc" (per allmusic).
Apparently came from Pennsylvania and didn't have an Indiana connection

 

[axolotl]

Original Indiana Five - Everybody Stomp: The Harmony Recordings 1925-1929

Recorded 98 selections between 1923-1929 for several labels "few have ever been reissued either on LP or on disc" (per allmusic).
Apparently came from Pennsylvania and didn't have an Indiana connection

Ahem... There is an Indiana, Pennsylvania.

In fact, it's the county seat of Indiana County.

In facterest, it's the home of the Jimmy Stewart Museum, who was born there.

Welcome to Indiana County Pennsylvania - Visit Indiana County Pennsylvania

Indiana County is located in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, just one hour east of Pittsburgh. Something For Everyone Home to an extensive Rails to Trails system, a variety of yearly festivals and a community of Old Order Amish […]

www.visitindianacountypa.org

Uninteresting fact:

Spoiler

My engine caught on fire there as I was headed West on the Pennsylvania Turnpike one time.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

King Oliver - The Complete Set



Almost 100 years after their release, these numbers sound fresh and vibrant with Oliver and Satchmo blowing. The whole band is great with Johnny and Baby Dodds and Lil Hardin on piano. Spotify doesn’t have this set (they have the excellent Louis Armstrong and King Oliver with less tracks though). Luckily I own this set.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Freddie Keppard - The Complete Set 1923-1926



First encountered this Keppard set during my initial “Jazz Excursion” years ago. Like King Oliver, another great New Orleans coronet player who died poor and almost forgotten not lasting to the Dixieland jazz revival of the 40s

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Jimmy Blythe - Messin’ Around Blues



Chicago pianist who recorded about 300 piano rolls some of are here - early 20s jazz piano but Blythe is often credited with the first piano boogie-woogie music recorded (“Chicago Stomp”). Died in 1931 at age 30 of meningitis, and with only two RYM ratings, very under appreciated.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Georgia Melodians 1924-1926



Georgia band that moved/ played in NYC and recorded for Edison. Dance music with some solos
Zero ratings on RYM - yet the album/photo is posted there. Why not drop a rating too?

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Five Birmingham Babies - Heart Breakin' Baby

What's in a name? Again, no connection with Birmingham AL
Gerry Mulligan later raved about Adrian Rollini's sax: "I knew Adrian Rollini had played bass saxophone long before I consciously heard him, but it was a shock eventually to hear those records and thing 'Damn, I thought I invented that"

And listed on trombone, one Abe Lincoln - who knew the ol' rail splitter could blow

 

[axolotl]

Georgia Melodians 1924-1926

Georgia band that moved/ played in NYC and recorded for Edison. Dance music with some solos
Zero ratings on RYM - yet the album/photo is posted there. Why not drop a rating too?

Yeah, Zeebs... What gives, as you have heard it and could possibly follow through on this aspiration?

Five Birmingham Babies - Heart Breaking Baby

And listed on trombone, one Abe Lincoln - who knew the ol' rail splitter could blow

Honest Abe was a true Renaissance man.

After literally fighting vampires all night, he could figuratively blow the roof off the joint.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Lovie Austin 1924-1926

A Chicago bandleader, Austin was one of the first women bandleaders (and probably the first woman of color bandleaders) whose music spanned jazz, blues, and dance. Along with Lil Hardin, a premier jazz/blues pianist of the mid-1920s.
Spotify has a truncated release than the Penguin-recommended set, but still includes many of the selections.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Yeah, Zeebs... What gives, as you have heard it and could possibly follow through on this aspiration?

I probably should drop a rating - I tend to use RYM for albums/CDs that I own, but with streaming listen, so much has changed...maybe I'll be the first to rate after all

 

[axolotl]

maybe I'll be the first to rate after all

You certainly do with us.

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Red Nichols - 1925-1927



Coronetist and bandleader Red Nichols would have a long career from the 1920s to 1960s (and even was portrayed in a film The Five Pennies by Danny Kaye). But early on he was influenced by New Orleans jazz though like many of these dance band, it would cleaner up, buffed and shined for a popular audience. Jimmy Dorsey is on tracks here and later 1920s-1930s bands would have young bucks like Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Pee Wee Russell, Joe Venuti, and Gene Krupa

A little early for Jiminy Cricket but a lot of Cliff Edwards/Ukelele Ike on vocals in this set

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Willie "The Lion" Smith - The Lion Roars!: His Greatest 1934-1944

The Penguin selection of the great stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith (that covers 1925-1937) isn't readily available, but I own this great ASV CD from his next era and has some overlap - pretty good substitute IMO

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Willie "The Lion" Smith - The Lion Roars!: His Greatest 1934-1944

The Penguin selection of the great stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith (that covers 1925-1937) isn't readily available, but I own this great ASV CD from his next era and has some overlap - pretty good substitute IMO

Jada says she has no idea who this is.

 

[axolotl]

Jada says she has no idea who this is.

Jada better get herself a music education if she wants to stride right.