[Dixielandjazz] Re: More on Durante

[Mike Durham]

Out of (mildly obsessional) interest, the picture Steve refers to was in 
Gennett's 1924 catalog, and shows five black musicians. They have never been 
identified, and may even have been Starr Piano Company employees, posed for 
the catalog only. Of lateral interest, Gennett pressed records aimed at 
several different ethnic groups, including songs sung in Welsh and Swedish, 
using masters bought in from outside the U.S.A. (including the Band of His 
Majesty's Grenadier Guards) and also pressed records for the K.K.K.! (Edison 
was approached regarding Klan records, but turned them down).

Back to Durante: perhaps his most famous record, combining comedy and music, 
was "I'mThe Guy That Found The Lost Chord". Was this the famous Pineapple 
Chord? I hear that a lot of Rock musicians are still searching for that 
elusive Fourth Chord.......

Cheers!

Mike D.

>From: Stephen Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
>Reply-To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net
>To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: More on Durante
>Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 21:03:59 -0500
>
> > Don Kirkman <donkirk at covad.net>
> >
> > There's a 1921 photograph of Durante and the band in my copy of "They
> > All Played Ragtime" [1971 revised paper edition]; right under the band
> > name is "A. J. Baquet-Clarinet."  The photo is by Delacroix of New York.
>
>Yes, that is Achille Baquet, the creole clarinetist in the band, who passed 
>for white. Hey. Durante may have led the first integrated jazz band that 
>played in public, circa 1918. :-) Baquet passed for white in several other 
>bands during his life.
>
>Other musicians Durante played with include Johnny Stein, drummer in 
>Dixieland bands from about 1915 on and Phil Napoleon along with the other 
>members of the Original Memphis Five (except Signorelli). That group was 
>named Ladd's Black Aces and Durante recorded with them in 1921
>
>All of the musicians in that band were white. The name "Ladd's Black Aces" 
>was meant to capitalize on the following that Black bands had. In fact it 
>was a pseudonym for the Original Memphis Five, included the same personnel 
>and also recorded for Gennett in the early 1920s.
>
>Gennett even went so far as to picture a black musician on one of the 
>record jackets. Be that as it may, Durante was certainly more than just a 
>casual pianist as some suggest. I suspect that like Louis Prima, he 
>followed the money and it led to his own vaudeville act in his own club in 
>NYC, then to Broadway, and then to Hollywood. He was a consummate 
>entertainer. We old timers fondly remember him.
>
>Cheers,
>Steve Barbone
>
>
>
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