An early iteration of the Original Indiana Five on the Olympic label featuring the Johnny Sylvester lineup.
OI5 formed in 1920 but did not record until 1923. The original lineup had featured young clarinetist Jimmy Lytell, who left the group in late 1921 to join the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and was also a member of the Original Memphis Five.
After a rousing intro, the band settles into the melodic head, where the ensemble playing is quite nice and represents the most interesting performances throughout the record. At 1:06, we do hear a solo from what sounds to me like an alto sax while Tony Colucci’s banjo accompanies – but improvisation is minimal and the lines stick closely to the melody. At 2:02 a similarly straightforward melodic solo is heard from trombonist Vincent Grande.
In 1925 Johnny Sylvester left the band and the remaining OI5 members went on to record many excellent titles over the next four years.
The Olympic label was founded by musician John Fletcher in January of 1921. Sales were not good, however, and by the end of the year, the company went into receivership. The assets went up for auction – and were purchased by Fletcher himself (and two partners), who founded the Fletcher Record Company in 1922, and by the end of that year, Olympic records were again being pressed, recording jazz artists such as Fletcher Henderson, Bennie Krueger, Original Georgia Five, and OI5. The label struggled to attract buyers, and by the end of 1923 went bankrupt. The label was later revived for a brief period in Chicago.
Recorded in Long Island City circa May of 1923.
Released as Olympic 1444. Also issued as Majestic 1444 and Broadway 11282, Puritan 11282, and Triangle 11282 (as the Majestic Dance Orchestra).
Credits:
Newman Fier – piano, director
Johnny Sylvester – trumpet
Vincent Grande – trombone
Johnny Costello – clarinet, alto sax
Tony Colucci (?) – banjo
Tom Morton – drums
More on Olympic label:
https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/pdfs/Olympic-Discography.pdf
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