[Dixielandjazz] Frank Orchard - WAS - The Music is Not Enough

[Steve Barbone]

Don Ingle wrote at dingle at baldwin-net.com wrote:


> Among the Condon/Coomador era sets were some sides feauturing an allmost
> forgotten, nsung valve trombonist -- not Brad -- cname Frank Orchard. To
> my sinner ways ( a love for the valve trombone that gets so many sneers
> on this list from slide snobs<G>) this fine player had a nice, melodic
> style that blended well in the ensembles and were easy on the ear.
> Condon looked onthe instrument as worthy og his sessions and Brad Gowens
> did many of them.  However my curiosity compells this question: What
> became of this fie player, Mr rchard, and what other recordings did he
> make that I have nto tracked down over the years? Perhaps my good mate
> in OZ, Professor Bill Haesler can supply this information, A
> discography, however slim it might be, of Frank Orchard's work on
> recording, would be most wlecome.

Frank Orchard was fairly well known around NYC at least. I met him through
Hank D'Amico a long time ago. I don't have a discography of his but know he
played with D'Amico a time or two and think he also played with James P.
Johnson and Mildred Bailey after she left Red Norvo. His obit was in the NY
Times in 1983, posted below.

No doubt Oz mate Haesler has more information.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


Frank Orchard, 69, Is Dead; Trombonist With Armstrong

NY TIMES December 28, 1983

Frank Orchard, a jazz trombonist who played and recorded with Louis
Armstrong, Jimmy Dorsey and Jimmy McPartland, died yesterday at his home in
Manhattan after a lengthy illness. He was 69 years old.

Mr. Orchard had also played with Willie (the Lion) Smith, Max Kaminsky,
Wingy Manone and Roy Eldridge. He was born in Chicago and played violin,
banjo and tuba as well as trombone. He studied at Juilliard for two years
before beginning his professional career with Stanley Melba's orchestra in
1933. 

In recent years he had performed at Jimmy Ryan's, on West 54th Street, and
was part of a duo with his son Jeff, a pianist and singer.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia, his son, and a sister, Louise Macy of
El Cajon, Calif.