“Blue Evening Blues” – Fry’s Million Dollar Pier Orchestra (1924)

Here’s a treat – a jazz record from 1924 on Edison Records – which could hold more music than a standard 78 rpm shellac disc. This tune clocks out at over four minutes and ten seconds!

If you’re a frequent 78 listener, around the 3 minute mark you’ll have to resist the urge to get up to flip the record.

Some fun doo-wacka-doo sections, a piano solo at 1:44, a sax solo at 2:08, a muted trumpet solo at 2:31, and a clarinet solo at 3:17 round things out to make this blue evening blues quite a cheerful number.

Recorded in New York City on September 15, 1924.
Released as Edison 51406.

Credits:
Charlie Fry – alto sax, violin, director
Julian Kurtzman, Theo Wohleben – trumpet
Ben Morgan – trombone
Ray Thwaite, Oscar Moldaur – clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax
John Baviton – clarinet, tenor sax
Ray Allen – piano
Frank Kriell – banjo
Herman Schmidt – tuba
Fred Niehardt – drums