The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

CharliePhono wrote: I would be inclined to agree, as I love all the bands/artists you mention; however, as for "snoozers," a really pleasant surprise is my Isham Jones recording of "Dallas Blues" on Decca. It's a good one! https://youtu.be/eLnSeVOm2EU

This is a good recording and it swings. According to the comments, it looks like Isham Jones recorded it again for Decca in 1934. I think your link is to an earlier recording.

Good music and thanks for the suggestion on Isham Jones.

russmovaz wrote:

CharliePhono wrote: I would be inclined to agree, as I love all the bands/artists you mention; however, as for "snoozers," a really pleasant surprise is my Isham Jones recording of "Dallas Blues" on Decca. It's a good one! https://youtu.be/eLnSeVOm2EU

This is a good recording and it swings. According to the comments, it looks like Isham Jones recorded it again for Decca in 1934. I think your link is to an earlier recording.

Good music and thanks for the suggestion on Isham Jones.

Interesting in that I was unaware it had been recorded earlier for Victor. The version I have on the Decca label sounds identical to the link I posted, but to be sure, now I have to find the disc and play it tonight!

Cheers,
CharlieP

russmovaz wrote:

CharliePhono wrote: I would be inclined to agree, as I love all the bands/artists you mention; however, as for "snoozers," a really pleasant surprise is my Isham Jones recording of "Dallas Blues" on Decca. It's a good one! https://youtu.be/eLnSeVOm2EU

This is a good recording and it swings. According to the comments, it looks like Isham Jones recorded it again for Decca in 1934. I think your link is to an earlier recording.

Good music and thanks for the suggestion on Isham Jones.

Interesting in that I was unaware it had been recorded earlier for Victor. The version I have on the Decca label sounds identical to the link I posted, but to be sure, now I have to find the disc and play it tonight!

Cheers,
CharlieP

Yes, that's the Victor version. Jones' Victors are quite hot and a lot are "higher fidelity". His electric Brunswicks are no slouches, either.

You can tell that George really knows his bands! Guy Lombardo has some nice records like "A Sailboat in the Moonlight and You". I have a lot of his Viva-Tonal discs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwTpEnhN7_k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t__5PXxzp7w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQJRQIksNn4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBJ_cZtzcaw

Caution: racially insensitive lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJNoMUkDwDw

Guy Lombardo's records are quite easy to find here in Italy as well, perhaps bacause he was of obvious Italian origins (although I ignore if he was able to speak Italian). I began listen to him when I was very young and not even really able to correctly rank in time/genre swing music.

Later, when some information became available on the internet, to my surprise I have often seen this favourite of mine depicted negatively, although apparently without any substantiated criticism or any other rational argument. Still today, there's even a well-known introductory page about gramophony that cites Guy Lombardo's records as a glaring example of records worth nothing on the market (which OK, it may indeed be true, but you got the point...). My educated guess is that Lombardo remained faithful to an old-styled swing genre well into the '50s and perhaps up to the '70s, when his type of music was much outdated and considered, at best, and old clichée for nostalgic fellows; this attitude attracted all this criticism which shadowed his early work, in my opinion.

I like to listen to his music, and as a matter of fact I've enjoyed very much all of the five songs linked in the message above. Concerning the records that I own, although many may argue that there's nothing original and nothing extraordinary in it, I enjoy very much his rendition of Stormy Weather, mostly because it's brought up to mid-tempo, and is also sung with an extremely elegant and soft male voice. By the way this is one of the records that I most frequently play to casual visitors who never heard before a real gramophone, and invariably they are struck by the (nowadays) unusual elegance of this tune. Its B-side Stay Out Of My Dreams (apparently still not available on YouTube) is also very enjoyable in my opinion. Did You Ever See a Dream Walking is another classic title that comes to my mind as very pleasant to listen to.

. . . and another of my favorite Lombardo Viva-Tonals, "Under A Texas Moon," a tango-fox trot! https://youtu.be/Paye8_ZeXJ4

russmovaz wrote: I rank Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians above these band leaders:

Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye
Xavier Cugat
Les Brown

I dunno. I’d say this Cugat track isn’t too bad...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RN5xIDm1x74

Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians were a must to bring in The New Year on black and white tv and then when the color sets came in. You did not have a New Year until he brought it in. No one could replace the traditional sound he made you feel---HAPPY NEW YEAR.