[Dixielandjazz] Re: Wild Cat Blues

Bill Haesler bhaesler at bigpond.net.au
Fri May 28 18:22:57 PDT 2004


Dear John,
Thank you for that piano roll information.
These things (as you know) fascinate me.
Were the Automatic Music Rolls the same as used in the coin-operated
nickelodeon special electric player pianos popular in US public places
during the 1920s?
(I have two Jimmy Blythe LPs of Capitol Music Roll Company nickelodeon
material issued by Euphonic many years ago.)
Unfortunately, for most of us, the world of piano roll research appears to
be a closed shop and is rarely mentioned in a jazz sense.
I am sure there is an underground movement of piano roll enthusiasts out
there, but we only hear of it, and the handful of acknowledged experts,
occasionally.
Much like we discographal researchers were in the 1940s. Beavering away
silently. 
Reissues of piano roll material (apart from the obvious - Joplin, Morton,
Waller, James P, etc.) appear to be almost non-existent, apart from a few
LPs in the 70s.
Are there any available books on the subject?
Is there an email list (like DJML)?
How do we hear "Queen Of The Blues (Wildcat Blues)"?
Has anyone issued it on CD yet.
In fact (apart from Biograph) what piano roll CDs are currently available?
Thank goodness for your great web site, which has opened up the genre to
many on the DJML. 
Very kind regards,
Bill.




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