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Fantasia on Melodies of Johann Strauss, Jr. (Marek Weber)
Marek Weber and His Orchestra
HMV C 2189/2191 (1931)
matrices: CD 9021, 9022, 9067, 9068, 9254, 9255


Issued in 1931 (I suppose recorded thereabouts too). 6 sides = 25 minutes!  It was crackly as Hades, but cleaned up very nicely.

I have Columbia album C-81, "Marek Weber presents 'In Old Vienna,' " a four-record set (10" 78 rpm), record numbers 36491-36494, laminated red label w/mic. According to http://www.78discography.com/COL36000.htm , these were recorded on Dec. 2 and Dec. 11, 1941. Born in Lemberg, Austria-Hungary, now in Ukraine, Weber emigrated to the U.S. in 1933 as a Jewish refugee, where he continued to pursue his musical career. He retired to a farm after the war, and died in Chicago in 1964 at age 75. He gave his violins to Indiana University, and his widow established scholarships for violin students. See the wiki for details: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marek_Weber. A rather comical English translation is here: http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... 6bih%3D970.
The Columbia album I have appears to be a post-war issue, and according to the liner notes represents his "American recording debut." Additional information welcomed.

Thanks, Adam, for posting these nice clean dubs!

In the acoustic era, Marek Weber and his Orchestra recorded for Lindstrom on their colourfully labelled 12 inch Parlophon issues. Much of their repertoire comprised contemporary popular numbers played in a ragtime style, and many of these were issued in Britain on the rather less colourful E-series Parlophone label.

They make an interesting contrast to the waltzes and classical potpourris of the later HMV Plum Label issues.

The wiki article points out that although Weber was no friend of jazz music, as director of a salon orchestra he nevertheless had to record this music, and he included dance music with jazz soloists on his programs. The story is told that on such occasions he gladly abandoned the podium to let his musicians play hot jazz, while he enjoyed a drink at the bar. It's interesting that despite his aversion to this music his orchestra was one of the best German jazz orchestras, and he engaged jazz musicians such as the black trumpet player Arthur Briggs and others, and played famed hotels in Berlin.