[Dixielandjazz] Re: More recordings than.... (was Vic Dickens on)

[Edgerton, Paul A]

Burt says:
"What makes Dorsey's 1027 sessions even more remarkable is that he did not
hang out in recording studios all day, as Teagarden did, in order to pick up
gigs."

Playing over 1000 sessions shows that Dorsey would have spent a lot of time
hanging out in the studios. How much time? Using the old union rule of three
songs per three-hour session, and figuring he played on average two sessions
a day, that's over 170 days in the studio. He probably recorded more
material in less time than this estimate suggests. So I'd be willing to bet
that Dorsey didn't have to ask directions to the washroom on most of these
sessions.

I also question the idea that he did this in order to pick up gigs. It seems
obvious to me that he wouldn't have been called at all unless he'd already
established his reputation playing gigs. Wasn't the union hall (or a nearby
watering hole) the place where most musicians hung around waiting for work?

Paul Edgerton