Tag: Hal Kemp and his Orchestra

Ending our look at a few hot dance bands on the Brunswick label this week, we return to Hal Kemp with a interesting arrangement of a tune written by Phil Napoleon and Frank Signorelli of the Original Memphis Five.

The curious thing about this record is that it prominently features a guitar – but no guitarist is listed with the band in Brian Rust’s credits. While there is a banjo player credited (Olly Humphries), I’m not hearing a banjo at all. Also, the guitarist on this record sounds quite fluid and relaxed in his playing – wondering if this is Olly giving the guitar a go or an uncredited guest?

Guitarist Gene “Pinky” Kintzle (who I just found out was from Bix’s hometown here in Iowa) played extensively with Hal Kemp but did not join the group until 1929 – and I’m not even sure if he was in NYC this early.

The tune has a choppy start-and-stop arrangement that makes it a bit cerebral. Quite the highbrow approach for a record labeled as a “blues stomp”! The lush guitar interludes give moments of pleasure, along with Schegel’s trumpet solo and John Scott Trotter’s tuba-accompanied piano breaks.

But things really start to heat up around the two minute mark when Schlegel’s peppy trumpet breathes some fire into the tune during his second solo.

Now I need to go find a copy of Phil Napoleon’s version of this tune on Edison 51908 and Harmony 383-H – and the OM5 version on Pathé Actuelle 36576.

Recorded in New York City on May 5, 1927.
Released as Brunswick 3536

Credits
Hal Kemp – director, clarinet, alto sax
Wade Schlegel – trumpet
Keith Roberts – trombone
Ben Williams – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
Saxie Dowell – clarinet, tenor sax
John Scott Trotter – piano
Olly Humphries (?) – guitar
Jim Mullen – tuba
Skinny Ennis – drums

I’ve been going through some electric Brunswicks in the dance band section of the jazz bunker and have a few that I’ll be sharing over the next week or so.

First up is a snappy sweet-n-hot dance record from Hal Kemp that includes a fine arrangement and endearing vocal trio performance by Kemp accompanied by Saxie Dowell and Skinny Ennis (who later became a well known bandleader in his own right).

We get a jolly trumpet solo (Bob Mayhew?) around the 2:22 mark that keeps close to the melody until the last measure when it gets a little creative with the break into the next section.

This was recorded when Kemp was 24 – having just graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1926, where he led a campus band known as the Carolina Club Orchestra. Interesting that they noted his Alma Mater on this record label.

He later went on to find national fame in the 30s recording sweeter tunes that became big hits. So after hearing this record you can now join the club of curmudgeons who “prefer his earlier stuff.”

Recorded in New York City on March 7, 1928.
Released as Brunswick 3863.

Credits:
Hal Kemp – director, clarinet, alto sax, vocals
Bob Mayhew, Earl Geiger – trumpet
Wendell “Gus” Mayhew – trombone
Jack Mayhew – clarinet, alto sax
Ben Williams – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
Saxie Dowell – clarinet, tenor sax, vocals
Bromo Sulser – violin
John Scott Trotter – piano, arranger
Olly Humphries – banjo
Jim Mullen – tuba
Skinny Ennis – drums, vocals