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Here's the B side of Victor 20675, a classic Jean Goldkette side featuring many of the top jazz musicians from the 1920s. Bix Beiderbecke can be heard on the intro; among the later soloists are Frankie Trumbauer on C melody sax, Joe Venuti on violin and Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet.

As I mentioned in the thread for 'Me and my shadow' by Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra (the A side of this disc) this was the first scroll label Victor I ever saw or heard, and this side also was the first time I'd heard a violin as a jazz solo instrument. I also learned to keep a lookout for records with the Goldkette name on the label as a sign of quality vintage music in the grooves....

This was recorded on 31 January 1927. Transferred here at 76.5 rpm: http://www.box.net/shared/j07g9k14eh

Enjoy!

Great stuff---thanks for posting! I'll bet that the trombone short solo near the beginning of the piece is by Bill Rank, one of my favorites of the era. OTOH, the later trombone solo, following the violin solo, is not in Rank's typical angular, quirky style; either it's not he, or it's Rank spoofing an old-fashioned manner of playing.

Any idea who the arranger was? Possibly Bill Challis?

That's a Bill Challis number all right. He did over half of the charts for the tunes on the Goldkette Victors at this time. I love his stuff. And speaking of Bill Challis I just picked up a Paul Ash Columbia of Ten Little Miles from Town( of all things) that really sounds like Challis to me, but I have no way of telling.

Jim

Henry wrote:Great stuff---thanks for posting! I'll bet that the trombone short solo near the beginning of the piece is by Bill Rank, one of my favorites of the era. OTOH, the later trombone solo, following the violin solo, is not in Rank's typical angular, quirky style; either it's not he, or it's Rank spoofing an old-fashioned manner of playing.

Any idea who the arranger was? Possibly Bill Challis?

I found the list of soloists from a link at bixbeiderbecke.com; the numbers in parentheses denote how many measures they played: Tram (16) – Rank (8) – Bix, leads ( 8) – Dorsey, baritone (16) – Venuti (16) – Willcox (8) – Venuti (8) – Dorsey & orch (16) – Bix & orch (8) – Dorsey (8).

Thanks again! So it WAS Rank on the first solo, and NOT Rank on the second (Willcox), as I surmised. The reason I guessed Challis arr. was the ending: abrupt contrast by change of mood and tempo resembles very similar endings in his known arrangements for others.

That really is a great record, I keep a "victrola" copy of it on my shelf for playing on the Credenza, it really comes to life on there! I've loved this one since I first got a copy some 20 years ago, wow, I'm getting old!

Sean

Just goes to show you, quality knows no freshness or expiration date!