Fine recordings of ragtime, vintage jazz, and dance bands

Who better than The Arcadia Dance Orchestra to offer us the all-time most enchanting and enlightening history lesson about the American-born music that dazzled the world 100 years ago? Each tune on this alluring album is an exquisite *gem*. The arrangements and compositions are world-class, and the performances by each of the members of The Arcadia Dance Orchestra are impeccable. You'll definitely wish to practice your Charleston and Foxtrot steps while listening to this scintillating set of recordings recalling the urbane elegance, astounding innovation, and ebullient energy of early Jazz and Blues music!

There's a lot of unknowns that are just as great or even grater the the knowns. This CD Proves it.

Great album!

The well-researched and beautifully illustrated booklet enclosed with this CD (written mostly by Ralph Wondraschek, with additions by Randy Skretvedt and producer Bryan S. Wright), tells the reader that the “studio name” of “Dixie Daisies,” was, in fact, used by two different bands. The first ten tracks are by a studio group drawn from Sam Lanin’s Orchestra. The rest of the 26 tracks are recordings by a studio group drawn from Arthur Lange’s Orchestra (the sessions were apparently arranged by band leader Bob Haring). All were recorded in New York, and all were released on the “Cameo” label.

Cameo was one of a number of budget or “dime-store” labels, which sold for very modest prices compared to the big names of the time (such as Victor, Columbia, Brunswick, etc.) So in fact, these recordings are invaluable from a historical perspective, as they are the type of recordings which the most members of the general public would have heard as they would not have been able to afford the more expensive records of the time.

That being said, my favourites on this album are the first 10 tracks by the Sam Lanin alumni. Lanin was the one of the supreme band leaders of this time, and had some of the greatest popular music instrumentalists in the country in his “stable” at any given time. They are all flawless little masterpieces, these “Lanin” recordings. What is great about the booklet is that it talks in detail about many of these musicians. In particular, I enjoyed finding out about stellar trumpeter Jules Levy, whose playing I have long admired, but I knew nothing about him except his early death. In fact, I had never even seen a photograph of him before! It’s wonderful to finally be able to put “famous” names to mysterious faces.

Of the first 10 tracks, my favourites include (1) “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans,” with its slick arrangement and sweet little trombone glissandi at the beginning by Miff Mole, followed by a smooth saxophone solo, punctuated by call and response patterns between the sax and at least two muted trumpets (the booklet only mentions one – or perhaps it might be Mole’s trombone playing in a high register). This is followed by a smooth trumpet solo (using a lot of portamenti) going back and forth with the trombone, a few bars of “Spanish rhythms”, which is in turn followed by the obligatory “hot” chorus with (I presume) Levy playing with “flutter tongue” technique; (2) “Aggravatin’ Papa,” made famous by the jovial Sophie Tucker, with a wonderful long solo by Levy, followed by a clarinet duo using lots of portamenti, concluding with another hot solo by Levy; (3) “Pipe Organ Blues” with its unusual use of diminished chords in the opening passages, to the unexpected move to the flat sixth chord in some of the cadences, followed by a wistful short solo by Miff Mole (who is featured too rarely on these recordings) and punctuated by the use of the tubular bells – which one usually hears in high class bands such as Herb Wiedoeft’s Cinderella Roof Orchestra, and the ending which completely eschews all the percussion instruments; and (4) Beale Street Blues which has a sprightly speed all the way through featuring trumpeter Levy playing over a stop-time background followed by a sweet sax solo with Levy playing quieter and adding support. Tremendous musicianship. Mention should also be made of the pianist, Harry Perrella, who also appears on a couple of Smithsonian-Folkways re-releases and was a superior novelty piano player as well. We hear a few breaks given by him which hint at his superior skills.

Of the “Arthur Lange” sides, my favourites are (1) “Long Lost Mama” with the growling trumpet solo by Earl P. Oliver and a complimentary rollicking sax solo by Owen Bartlett; and (2) “The House of David Blues” with a brass duo starting the arrangement, followed by a saxophone duo accompanied by banjo, followed by a nice trombone solo doing a call and response with the trumpet. It also includes a great banjo solo towards the end.

Mention should also be made of the outstanding work by sound engineer Christian Zwarg, whose transfers leave just enough of the surface noise present so that it sounds a little bit like “tape hiss” from the 1960s and leaves us with some high frequencies. He excellently manages the noise, without interfering with any of the music.

I’ve listened to this disc multiple times and it seems to get better with every listening. I started off not being too sure about the musical quality of some of these records, but am now utterly convinced of their very essential nature. Kudos to Executive Producer Bryan S. Wright for bringing together these disparate elements (dime store records, outstanding musicians, excellent scholarship, wonderful engineering, amazing photos, beautifully written and designed liner notes) to create yet another outstanding addition to his catalogue and making these little gold nuggets available to the general public.

Highly recom...

My introduction to Frank Westphal’s work was a 78 rpm record I used to have in my collection, called “The Duck’s Quack” which I thought was a delightful novelty number with some good musical skills underneath. I wish that I had had the opportunity to hear more of his work before, so we are indeed fortunate to have Rivermont release this album

Much of Westphal’s work was recorded by Columbia Records (he was advertised as an exclusive Columbia recording artist). I and a number of other collectors have noticed a propensity of Columbia to record at too low a level on occasion. This results in a noise to music ratio which is often unfavourable to the music.

So I am delighted to report that Executive Producer Bryan Wright, who did all the transfers and digital remastering for this album did an extraordinary job of keeping the volume of the music at an excellent level and the “noise” to an absolute minimum. I honestly don’t know how on earth he managed to do it, but the proof is there on the disc. This enables the listener to truly enjoy these amazing arrangements and performances with minimum distraction.

Of all the tracks, my preferences are for (1) “If You Knew,” with its vital and rhythmic banjo solo at the end (it’s not common to hear extended banjo solos on dance band records during these years; and this and “Don’t Bring Me Posies” both feature Al Neilson on banjo); (2) “Those Longing For You Blues,” which features Westphal’s great piano prowess; (3) “State Street Blues” which features a great driving rhythm all the way through, lovely harmonies, unexpected use of rhythms and breaks; (4) Westphal’s solos of Zez Confrey tunes, “You Tell ‘Em Ivories,” and “Coaxing the Piano,” both of which feature a more laid-back tempo than Confrey’s recordings, changes in right hand patterns, more overt use of the sustaining pedal (Confrey didn’t use the sustaining pedal much in his recordings if I recall). These are exemplary and amazing historical documents which show that there was actually a great deal of subtlety and variety beyond the “stick to the written score-ism” that one hears in Roy Bargy’s and Confrey’s recordings of their own works). Westphal also adds his own cute little codas onto these pieces which are very effective indeed. These are phenomenally important 78s and I don’t know if they’ve ever been re-released since their original recordings; (5) “Bugle Call Rag” this is perhaps not quite as “hot” as the NORK recording of the previous year, but Westphal’s musicians do some unusual things with the rhythms, for instance for the one of the “bugle calls” at the beginning, the saxophone plays in triplets, which had not been done before; (6) “Two Time Dan” – a more “laid-back” foxtrot than we’re used to hearing, and thanks to Bryan Wright’s digital transfer, we can very clearly hear not just the starring soloists, but the brass bass, piano and banjo all providing a solid beat to all of this track; (7) a delightfully clear and rhythmic version of “Pianola” – another solo by Westphal; (8) “Home in Pasadena” – which is not a fast dance number, nor a “hot” rendition of a tune – it is a very simple, straightforward, and plaintive arrangement of a song with a melodious rhapsodic trombone solo – a song which might not otherwise have been given such a sympathetic rendition. Plain as the original song may be, it is given a stellar arrangement and sensitive performance.

Words must also be written about Mark Beresford, whose booklet once again gives us an exemplary written explanation which is neither dry history lesson nor uses folksy language – it treats its reader as an intelligent enthusiast and educates us on all the different musicians and goings on during Westphal’s career (I did not know that he was, at one time, married to Sophie Tucker!). Beresford also discusses in some depth, the importance of Chicago as a musical and cultural center and its importance to Westphal in particular.

There was only one track on this album which didn’t impress me 100%, and that was “Dustin’ the Keys.” I felt that Westphal’s interpretation was a little slow. But that is just my opinion. Overall, this is a really exceptional compilation of Westphal’s best work and shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he deserves far greater recognition than he ever received. I recommend this compact disc without reservation.

A great collection of great music> The two CD RE; The Graceful Ghost was particularly interesting. Peacherine Ragtime Society is always a winner and "Eccentric" was Super

In this 2017 album, we are indeed fortunate to have Nick Dellow as both curator for the project, as well as doing the transcriptions and audio restoration. He also did an amazing job for the 2011 “Up and at ‘em” California Ramblers album for Retrieval Records (which I believe contained only Edison Diamond Discs), so he is the perfect person for this difficult and tricky job.

Every track is of some great technical, musical, or historical importance. The following are some of my favourites:

“When You Walked Out, Someone Else Walked Right In” is fascinating to hear an earlier recording of “hot” dance music, complete with great solos including extended trombone, muted trumpet, and saxophone solos, and an obligatory “hot chorus”. This dance orchestra was run by Ernest Stevens, who also made a number of “pre-jazz” popular piano solo recordings on the Edison label.

“I Like Pie” was recorded by the prolific Sam Lanin who had innumerable different bands including his eponymous one. At any given time, any of his bands might have included Red Nichols, the Dorsey Brothers, Eddie Lang, Frankie Trumbauer, and the always amazing Bix Beiderbecke. In this particular track the only “big names” I see are Bill Krenz, who was nominally involved in the ragtime revival, brass bass player Joe Tarto, and drummer Vic Berton – who also played with Bix and managed the Wolverines. This is really tight “hot” dance band music, not quite verging on jazz, but very arresting and delightful, nonetheless.

“Hot as a Summer Day” is absolutely fascinating. The accompanist, Arthur Schutt, was one of the most virtuosic of all the “novelty” rag composer-players, accompanying trumpeter Donald Lindley. While the tune is perhaps not my favourite (it is written by the trumpeter) his playing is very fine indeed, and has great control of his instrument, including all the effects expected of the day (e.g., glissandi, mute work, soft passages etc.). The other side, “Trumpet blues” uses lots of novelty effects, and I suspect he is also playing either a kazoo or “goofus.”

While the first seven tracks might be perceived as of great historical interest, the rest of the 21 tracks are arguably all some of the greatest “hot” dance recordings of all time. Two salient examples are “Here Comes Malinda” and “I Wonder What’s Become of Joe” played by the California Ramblers [recording as The Golden Gate Orchestra]. These are supported by the ever-present and ever-vibrant Bass Sax player, Adrian Rollini, surely one of the finest musicians of any ilk, ever. The whole rollicking recordings rest upon his exceptional bass work and he adds extraordinary virtuosic solos to the first one as well. In “Malinda” Bobby Davis also gives an exceptional solo on the lower registers of the clarinet with a lovely vibrato which generally I’m not fond of in clarinet playing – this in stark contrast to Larry Shields of the ODJB who almost always played in the higher registers.

Other highlights include (1) “Clarinet Marmalade” played by Phil Napoleon and his Orchestra, which is a delightful, hot, and more restrained version of the tune made famous by the ODJB; (2) the title track played by Don Voorhees and his Earl Carroll’s “Vanities” Orchestra, which is full of incredible pep, thanks to champion trombonist Miff Mole, cornetist Red Nichols, and Vic Berton’s driving drum work; and (3) “Missouri Squabble” played by the rarely-spoken-of Duke Yellman and his Orchestra, who was a fine pianist and outstanding bandleader – he chose fine musicians indeed to participate in his recordings, they are tight and exceptional players…and with the exception of Yellman, all their identities are lost to history.

Mark Berresford does an exemplary job of writing the liner notes for this album: not too academic, not too folksy in his style, he keeps you reading constantly as you follow along with both the musical and historical delights. This must now rank as one of my favourite albums. Recommended without reservation.

I’ve known about Gold's records for most of my life – you can find them everywhere including all three countries where I’ve lived, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. I believe I found one in Argentina, too.

This album has some variable recording quality, although this in no way reflects poorly upon Rivermont, nor producer Bryan Wright who did all the remastering and transferring. It’s rare that you can say someone produced “countless” anything, but Lou Gold is one of those figures. Most record collectors know him, but Gold was so prolific that I doubt if there will ever be a collector who knows all of Gold’s work. Examples of his recordings included here are on a variety of labels, Perfect, Banner, Cameo, Regal, Diva, many largely “dime store” labels that sold records at a price your average person could afford, but not always recorded with the most optimal equipment of the time. As a result, some of the transfers really “pop,” while others are perhaps a little lack-lustre. But having heard countless LPs and CDs over the years of “hot” dance music, I know for a fact that Mr. Wright did an exceptional and extraordinary job of remastering these little masterpieces.

Little is known about Lou Gold. We know he was an exemplary pianist and band leader. But like Adrian Schubert, we will probably never know more about him than blessedly little, and most of his instrumentalists are probably similarly unknowable.

All the recordings are all so well played and well-practiced it is difficult to pick out favourites. The album charges out of the opening gates swinging with a rousing performance of “Everybody Loves My Baby.” The second, “What Did I Tell You,” has great alto saxophone work and a driving bass force behind it. “Lucky Day” has a lovely vocal with a violin obbligato, followed by a great little trumpet solo followed by a great clarinet solo followed by a rousing final chorus. “Sixty Seconds Every Minute” was recorded quite possibly with electrical equipment, and you can hear great brass bass work followed by a great vocal accompanied on piano (by Lou Gold probably?) followed by a lovely trombone solo with novelty “clock effects.”

“Breakaway” I’ve known for almost as long as I’ve been listening to music. The lyrics are kind of silly, but the tune is fabulous, and is given a great rendition with saxophones followed by a trumpet solo, “call and response” between sax, trumpet, clarinets and any other number of instruments. This is the sort of thing Bix and Tram used to do.

With “If I Could Sweep the Clouds Away” you start to hear less of the “hot” dance band music of the 1920s and more of the “sweet” arrangements of swing bands in the 1930s with more violins. It is a delightful contrast to the other songs.

My only complaint is that this album doesn’t include “Ramona,” a beautiful waltz-ballad recorded around about the same time as “Breakaway.” But most people probably don’t know about this side, just like I’ve never heard most of Gold’s other recordings.

This is an essential album for any collector of “hot” dance music. The transfers and remastering are excellent, as are the liner notes written by Randy Skretvedt. It’s hard to imagine him leaving any stone unturned in his search for the paltry amount we can know about the extraordinary Mr. Gold. I recommend this album without reservation.

This is a wonderful album focused on St. Louis jazz history anchored by T. J. Muller's excellent Arcadia Dance Orchestra, augmented by several fine guest artists including Andy Schumm and Mike Davis. They play a strong selection of tunes largely tied to St. Louis by bandleaders such as Charlie Creath, Gene Rodemilch and Herbert Berger. This is more than a history lesson, however. This is living, hot jazz played by musicians who know how to make the music their own. And while the focus might be on the guests, one should not overlook the core Arcadia band which is comes off very well when allowed to stand on its own. The last two tunes are acoustically recorded, and provide an interesting comparison on what a contemporary band sounds like through 1920's "technology." Makes you wish we could have heard Charlie Creath recorded by Rivermont in 2025

The newly released Rivermont bundle just announced is a treasury of Orchestra Classics and what is destined to be a classic album of contemporary piano ragtime. I have found everything Andrew Green's Orchestra has recorded is supurbly produced, musically delightful and pure entertainment. The Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra's "The Eccentric Rag" CD continues to enhance the outstanding reputation of this group and provides sixty-eight and a half minutes of great entertainment.

I rarely am able to hear a live performance but I was blessed to be in the audience for the last two tracks on The Arcadia Dance Orchestra's "St. Louis Jazz" CD album. In just a short time Director T. J. Muller has relit the St. Louis music scene featuring music from the ragtime era to the Second World War. Like Andrew Green, T. J. is a stellar musician, music historian and instrumental director. The talent he added for this recording is from the among the best the country is hearing right now. And the Concert I heard included "Ah! Ah! Archie" and "Got the Blues So Bad," featured Valarie Kirchoff and pianist Ethan Leinward, frequent partners in music with T. J. Watching the authentic recording and then hearing it was an exciting experience thanks to Colin Hancock.

Finally I am overwhelmed by the effort and quality of Matthew De Lacey Davidson's "The Graceful Ghost" 2CD album. Mathew has produced some fine recordings in the past but then took a break and has now produced a most interesting collection of contemporary compositions from 1960-2021. Matthew is an accomplished musician and he plays with real sensitivity toward the composers intent . I know from acquaintenmance how much time and effort he has put into this collection and have been eagerly anticipating its release. It has exceeded my expectations and it is great to have Matthew back so competently contributing to the ragtime community..

Finally, I am grateful to Brayn Wright and Rivermont for continuing to produce these quality recordings. He has created an outstanding catalog and deserves our support. Larry Melton

If you like this kind of music played by modern performers, this one is for you!

As always, there is more than just great music that comes with Rivermont CDs. It starts with the art on the CD cases that looks like vintage graphics and is worth admiring on its own. Next there is a lot of information on the bands and the music itself. Best of all is the music itself. Its almost like going back in time and hearing the music as it was actually played. Overall, a classy package.

Paul

Hearing ragtime music or hot jazz from more than 100 years ago is a thrilling experience. Like an archeological dig, it’s unearthing a music’s history. But due to the limitations of the recording process, we know we’re not hearing the music as those who heard it in clubs at the time. That’s what makes these beautiful recordings by the Arcadia Dance Orchestra, by Matthew De Lacey Davidson and by the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra so special. If the original records provide a faded photograph, these new recordings open a door to the music in all its sublime glory. The music truly lives on thanks to these great musicians!

Fantastic! Great playing and arrangements.

Andy Schumm's band perfectly captures the mood and vibe of the era the music of which they record. Highly recommended.