[Dixielandjazz] Kid Ory and Nordskog

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

I know that me ole mate Bill Haesler is preparing a considered reply on
the date of the Kid Ory "Sunshine" recordings but I can add a bit at
this stage. Even though I'm muddying the water  :-)

There's an old adage in geology which says "when in doubt, look at the
rocks". This also applies in discography and has the form "when in
doubt, look at the records".

Mike Meddings has drawn our attention to the Mainspring Press article by 
Allan Sutton. This is very useful, because it includes photos of the
Nordskog and Sunshine labels.

For this discussion, the relevant parts of the Nordskog label are:

at the top, behind the Nordskog logo, "Established 1921"
below the catalogue number, "REGISTERED US PAT OFF"
around the lower circumference, "Nordskog Phonograph Recording Co."

This information, taken in conjunction with Allan Sutton's text "Legend
holds that early recording sessions were held in Nordskog’s living room,
but by the time the Nordskog Phonograph Recording Company was officially
incorporated in May 1922 ...", leads me to conclude:

1. The finished pressings were issued after May 1922
2. A recording date of June 1921 is possible
3. A recording date of June 1922 is also possible

Floyd Levin's description of the manufacturing process and, in
particular, the transport of the masters across the country from
California to the Arto plant in New Jersey rings true and suggests that
there was a significant time period between recording and issue.

How about a compromise conclusion? The recordings were made in 1921 and
issued in 1922.

All the best,
Anton