Tag: Ray Miller and his Orchestra

A toe tapper from Ray Miller featuring some fine trumpet work and a sax solo by Frank Trumbauer.

In early 1924 Miller had come to Trumbauer’s home in St. Louis when Tram was working with Gene Rodemich to offer him a job to join his band in NYC. Encouraged by his friend Red McKenzie’s entreaty to get out of St. Louis, and buoyed by Miller’s revealation that Miff Mole was also joining Miller’s band, Tram took the job.

Later that year, Billboard magazine wrote of the band: “The Miller combination is what is known as a ‘hot’ band. In fact they are so ‘hot’ that they sound and act as if they all wore flannel underwear. When they get steamed up the temperature begins to sizzle.”

Recorded in New York City on March 28, 1924.
Released as Brunswick 2606.

Credits:
Ray Miller – director
Ray Lodwig, LeRoy “Roy” Johnston – trumpet
Andy Sindelar – trombone
Bernard J. “Lou” Dal(e)y – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax, soprano sax, oboe
Andy Sannella – clarinet, alto sax, soprano sax
Frank Trumbauer – C-melody sax
Harry Archer, Danny Yates – violin
Tom Satterfield – piano
Frank DiPrima – banjo
Louis Chassagne – tuba
Ward Archer – drums
Lee Terry – arranger

Sources:
That Growling Trumpet! A discography of Earle Preston Oliver (1894-1933) – Cyrus Bahmaie & Javier Soria Laso
Tram: The Frank Trumbauer Story by Philip R. Evans and Larry F. Kiner with William Trumbauer.

Was flipping through my Ray Miller records and came across this jazzy dance tune – Didn’t see a transfer of this one anywhere on YouTube yet so here it is!

Vaya! Baile Ud.!

Thanks to a comment by @henridelagardere264 I did some additional research on composer Bill Krenz – who was born in 1899 not far from me in Rock Island, Illinois. This was Krenz’ first composition – and he went on to write many more – including “Starlight Rendezvous” which was performed by Tommy Dorsey and a number of minor rags in the 1950s such as “Boogie Woogie Russian Rag”, “Poodle Rag”, and “Ramblin’ Rag”.

Krenz played a solo piano set at the Bix Lives! Memorial Jazz Festival in Davenport in 1974 – so I wonder if he had moved back to the Quad Cities by that point?

Recorded in New York City on March 9, 1926.
Released as Brunswick 3132.

Credits:
Ray Miller – director
Charlie Margulis, Bob Howard – trumpet
Andy Sindelar, Mike Durso – trombone
Volly de Faut – clarinet, alto sax
Fred Crissey – alto sax
Karl Spaeth – tenor sax
Herman Kaplan – violin
Bill Krenz, Joe Breitenbach – piano
Happy Mansfield – tuba
Tony Briglia – drums

“The Ray Miller band was already well known when it appeared [at the Beaux Arts Club in Atlantic City] as the biggest attraction of the 1924 season, moving later in the year into New York’s Hippodrome and then the Arcadia Ballroom. Miller’s organization of thirteen men, in addition to himself, was larger than most bands of that date, and included such stars as Frankie Trumbauer and Miff Mole.” [1]

In this recording of “Mama’s Gone, Goodbye” from shortly after Mole had joined the band, we can excellent performances and ensemble playing – including a duet segment that author Richard Sudhalter writes “presages the saxophonist’s forthcoming ‘chase’ choruses with Bix.”

Recorded in New York City on June 3, 1924.
Released as Brunswick 2632 in August, 1924.

Credits
Ray Miller – director
Charles Rocco, Roy Johnston – trumpet
Miff Mole, Andy Sindelar – trombone
Frank Trumbauer – C melody saxophone
Bernard Daly, Andy Sannella – clarinet, alto sax
Don Yates – violin
Harry Perrella, Tom Satterfield – piano
Frank di Prima – banjo
Unknown Artist – tuba

Sources:
1. The Wonderful Era of the Great Dance Bands, Leo Walker
2. Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897-1942), 6th Ed, Brian Rust
3. Lost Chords, Richard Sudhalter