The late spring and early summer of 1928 found the Fletcher Henderson orchestra in residence at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC, playing oposite Billy Lustig’s Scranton Sirens and other bands – engagements that were broadcast on radio stations WHN, WOR, and WPAP.
This session, under the alias “The Dixie Stompers” was made for the budget Columbia label trio of Harmony, Velvet Tone, and Diva. These labels used laminated shellac and often have a very nice sound as a result – even though they were acoustically recorded in an era when most labels had graduated to electric recording.
This disc looked a bit worn but holds up quite well. I dug this out of Vintage Music Company in Minneapolis a few years ago. Lots of hot energy in this one – and probably one of my favorites of the Dixie Stomper sessions.
Hendersonia notes that trumpeter Bobby Stark “claimed these as his best recordings” and you can hear right away the confident tone and unique style he had cultivated. Jerome Pasquall does a fine job filling in on bass sax while Bailey, the Hawk and Green each takes solos. There’s even a fun percussion hot break by Kaiser Marshall at 1:08
0:00 Intro
0:20 Trumpet solo (Stark)
0:38 Clarinet solo (Bailey)
1:09 ensemble
1:33 Tenor sax solo (Hawkins)
1:50 Trombone solo (Green)
2:05 Trumpet solo (Stark)
2:23 Bass sax hot break (Pasquall) and outro
After this session, the band toured extensively for the rest of the summer and did not get back into the recording studio until September, during a stop in Chicago.
Recorded in New York City on April 6, 1928.
Released as Harmony 974-H, Velvet Tone 1974-V and Diva 2974-G.
Credits:
Fletcher Henderson – piano, director, arranger
Rex Stewart, Bobby Stark – trumpet
Charlie Green – trombone
Buster Bailey – clarinet, alto sax
Coleman Hawkins – tenor sax
Jerome Pasquall – bass sax
Charlie Dixon – banjo
Kaiser Marshall – drums
Sources:
Hendersonia, Walter C. Allen
