Frankie Trumbauer Japanese Sandman

Sometime ago, I mentioned the above in a post on Lowry's reference to the song in his film script to Fitzgerald's Tender Is The Night. Since then, I have managed to find a recording of Frankie Trumbauer's version of the song which I had mentioned in the previous post.

The Revelers "Oh Miss Hannah" 1925

Talking about Hannahs. There's another tune, "Oh Miss Hannah!" on the other side of "Collegiate", sung in the most original manner by the Revellers on HMV. It's absolutely the world's best sung tune, and they sing it in Fox Trot Time as though they were a band. Letter to Carol Brown in Collected Letters Of Malcolm Lowry

Oh, Miss Hannah Fox Trot (Hollongsworth-Deppen) played by the Revelers Victor Record Company with Orthophonic Scroll label 19796-A Electrically Recorded in 09.15.1925 would appear to have been a hit with the young Malc while at the Leys School in Cambridge.

The Revelers were an American quintet (four close harmony singers and a pianist) popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Revelers' recordings of "Dinah", "Old Man River", "Valencia", "Baby Face", "Blue Room", "The Birth of the Blues", "When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba", and many more, became popular in the United States and then Europe in the late 1920s.

All of the members had recorded individually or in various combinations, and formed a group in 1925. The original Revelers were tenors Franklyn Baur and Lewis James, baritone Elliot Shaw, bass Wilfred Glenn, and pianist Ed Smalle. Smalle was replaced by Frank Black in 1926. The group (with Black at the piano) appeared in a short movie musical, The Revelers (1927), filmed in the sound-on-disc Vitaphone process. This one-reel short film, recently restored by "The Vitaphone Project," shows the group performing "Mine", "Dinah", and "No Foolin'". A second short, filmed the same day with another three songs, awaits restoration. Wikipedia

The Revelers Quartet (1927) includes James Melton (#1), Lewis James (#2), Elliot Shaw (#3), Wilfred Glenn (#4), and Frank Black (#5), their arranger and accompanist. (Photo by Bruehl)



Here is another version recorded by Paul Whiteman Orhestra featuring Charles Margulis, Harry Goldfield (tp); Bix Beiderbecke, Andy Secrest (c); Boyce Cullen, Bill Rank, Wilbur Hall, Jack Fulton (tb); Frank Trumbauer, Chester Hazlett, Irving Friedman, Roy Maier, Bern:



I would imagine that the less youthful and more knowledgeable Malc of Cambridge University days would have preferred the above version given that the band contained 2 of his heroes Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke. Bing Crosby delivers a brief (uncredited) "vocal refrain", demonstrating his abilities as a "mellow crooner", for which he'd later become famous, in a beautiful Bill Challis arrangement.

Malc's Jazz Mix Volume 2

Here is the second volume of jazz sides which I think Malc would have enjoyed listening to.

Tracklisting:

1. Joe Venuti Satan's Holiday
2. Bessie Smith Reckless Blues
3. Django Reinhardt Djangology
4. Django Reinhardt Oriental Shuffle
5. Bix Beiderbecke Davenport Blues
6. Original Memphis Five Bass Ale Blues
7. Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang Wild Dog
8. Frankie Trumbauer Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
9. Frankie Trumbauer Futuristic Rhythm

I've used a book cover from Scott Fitzgerald whose novels have come to epitomise the 1920's Jazz Age. Malc and his wife Margerie wrote a film script for Fitzgerald's Tender Is The Night which was never made into a film and was only published in 1990.

If you like the above then tune into the first Malc's jazz mix.

Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra - Our Bungalow Of Dreams

The above track features another of Lowry's jazz heroes Frank Trumbauer. The full line up is:

Bix Beiderbecke (c); Charlie Margulis (tp); Bill Rank (tb); Frank Trumbauer (Cms); Irving Friedman (cl/as); Chet Hazlett (as); Matty Malneck (vln); Lennie Hayton (p); Eddie Lang (g); Min Leibrook (bsx); Hal McDonald (dm); Irving Kaufman, under the name of Noel Taylor, (voc). New York, April 3, 1928.

I have recently discovered an article on Jazz.com which has an interesting evaluation of Frankie's music.

You can also read a discography over on Red Hot Jazz and listen to the tracks.

I will be featuring more of Frankie Trumbauer's tracks on the forthcoming Malc's second jazz mix.

Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra Love Affairs

Recorded by Frank Trumbauer and His Orchestra on Sep 20, 1928 Released on Dec 15, 1928. Personnel: Bix Beiderbecke, c; Bill Rank, tb; Frank Trumbauer, C-mel sax, as; Irving Friedman, cl, ts; Roy Bargy, p; Wilbur Hall, g; Min Leibrook, bass sax; Lennie Hayton, d and Scrappy Lambert, v.

I have recently come across an excellent resource on Bix which is worth dropping into if you want to know more about one of Lowry's favourite musicians.


Above photograph courtesy of the Bix Forum shows a still of Bix from a Goldkette/Mertz film which I still need to track down.

Adrian Rollini and his Tap Room Gang Weather Man 1935

I follow on from the last post on Joe Venuti's Tap Room Blues with a feature on Adrian Rollini who accompanied Joe Venuti on that track.

Adrian Rollini was a child prodigy on piano; at age four he played a recital at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (34th sreet and 5th Avenue) in New York. He led his own band at age 14 and began playing with the California Ramblers in the early 1920s. The band also featured Red Nichols, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey.

While in that band Rollini developed his distinctive style of bass saxophone playing. He played in Red Nichols' Five Pennies and appeared on many of Red's recording sessions. He also worked with Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra and recorded with Cliff Edwards and Bix Beiderbecke and his Gang.