[Dixielandjazz] Roy Eldridge clips

[Steve Barbone]

on 12/23/06 6:09 PM, JBruno868 at aol.com at JBruno868 at aol.com wrote:

I might have missed it if anyone posted but my interest was when did Gene
start using Blacks in his band? Was he one of the first? The movie was made
in 1941 and I thought that was rather early for mixed bands.
 
Thanks
 
Jazz Hugs
 
Judie


I don't exactly know about the makeup of Krupa's bands, but 1941 would have
been among the early mixed bands if his included Eldridge. Especially in a
movie, which may have been why you saw the solo only and not Eldridge
sitting in a regular band chair. The  censors may well have killed most
references like that.

However, Benny Goodman had played with Teddy Wilson in some small studio
bands organized by John Hammond as early as 1934. I think they recorded in
trio form shortly thereafter. Goodman kept him in the trio, while still
using Jess Stacy in the big band. Downbeat then praised Jess Stacy for his
"noble gesture" for living, if only for a few numbers a night, "in the
shadow of a coloured man".

John Hammond put Benny Goodman together with Billie Holiday on her first
recording in 1933.  It is rumored that Benny and Billie started dating, but
they were never confirmed.

Goodman then hired Lionel Hampton  around 1935/6 and the trio became a
quartet. Two white, Goodman & Krupa and two black, Wilson and Hampton. Their
first record "Moonglow" was a huge hit.

I don't think Goodman was doing it to be noble, I think he did it because he
was fixated on musical perfection and Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton fit
his musical thoughts better than any white players at that time.

Artie Shaw hired Billie Holiday in 1938 and Roy Eldridge around 1942/3, but
Eldridge later quit the band because it caused some racial friction when
hotels would not let a black man stay there with the rest of the band.
Eldridge was very sensitive to racial friction.

However the first black musician to record with a white band was, I believe,
Jelly Roll Morton who cut 6 sides with The New Orleans Rhythm Kings. For
Gennett, no less, in Richmond Indiana, a town noted for KKK activity. Georg
Brunies recalls the NORK telling Gennett that Jelly Roll was a Cuban. That
would have been around 1923, I believe, Bill Haesler can supply the exact
date.

I suppose some Creoles of mixed blood, might have passed for white and
played with white bands even earlier than that. And some whites may have
passed for Creoles and played with black bands.

In that vein, In the late 20's, Fletcher Henderson used say to Teagarden;
"Hey Tea, why is a black man like you playing with white bands? Come over
here with us where you belong." Henderson would not believe that Tea was
white.

Likewise, when people would ask Eddie Condon if Edmond Hall was black, he
would reply; "I don't know, I never asked him."

On thing for sure, the music is colorblind and so are most jazz musicians.

Jazz Hugs back at ya,
Steve Barbone