[Dixielandjazz] Definitive Stomp

[Bill Haesler]

Dear Ulf and all,
Now we're talking!!
"My Pretty Girl" by Jean Goldkette and His Orchestra.
I can still recall the thrill (with the hairs standing on the back of 
my neck) when I first heard this on an old Australian HMV 78 back in 
the mid 1940s. I eventually wore mine out and had to find another.
We could definitely hear Bix's driving lead (in our head), but had to 
guess the rest of the soloists from personnel we knew about.
Subsequent first-hand investigation by discographal researchers 
(particularly the late Phil Evans) has shown that the 1926 Frank 
Skinner stock arrangement was reworked by clarinetist Don Murray. Bill 
Challis added additional instrumentation, Irving Riskin took Bix's solo 
chorus on the Don Murray arrangement and turned it into a cornet and 
2-trumpet chorus, and Jimmy Dorsey did the ending with Bix faking 
harmony with a trombone lead.
The order of soloists is: Danny Polo (clarinet with Spiegle Willcox's 
trombone playing the melody), Frank Trumbauer (C mel sax 2 bars), the 
great Bix/Fred Farrer/Ray Lodwig and Steve Brown (slap bass) chorus, 
Bill Rank (trombone 2 bars), Joe Venuti (violin 8 + 8 bars) and 
Trumbauer ( 8 bars).
To cap off this thread, apparently the band members referred to this 
tune as "My Pretty Girl Stomp".
As well they should!
Somewhere, I seem to recall, this was one of the tunes the Goldkette 
band floored the Fletcher Henderson band with on the night of the 
famous 'Band Battle of the Century' at the Roseland ballroom in New 
York on 13 October 1926.
Steve Barbone will remember, as he is always raving on about this 
memorable event.    8>)
Sorry Steve. Just kidding.
By-the-way, Ulf.
There are only two issued takes of the original 1 Feb 1927 Goldkette 
recording.
Take -1 was on the original Victor pressing. Take -2 came out on an 'X 
Vault' series RCA LP in the late 50s.
The take -3 you refer to (on the Red Hot Jazz site) was a recreation 
transcription of the original arrangement put together by Jean 
Goldkette and Sy Oliver, recorded on 13 July 1959 for a Camden LP 
(which I have) with Jimmy Maxwell, Yank Lawson, Doc Severinsen, Mel 
Davis (t) Will Bradley, Urbie Green, Jack Satterfield (tb) Hank D'Amico 
(cl) Toots Mondello, Dean Kincaide (as) Milt Yaner, Al Klink (ts) Felix 
Orlewitz (vln) Irving Brodsky (p) George Barnes (g,bj) Ward Lay (b,tu) 
Chauncey Morehouse (d).
Kind regards,
Bill.