[Dixielandjazz] It's Showtime.

[Bill Haesler]

Stephen G Barbone wrote:
> Check out this band: Jimmy Dorsey, Miff Mole, et al with Walt  
> Roesner and The Capitolians with "I'm More than Satisfied." It's  
> showtime. Also, check out the drum kit, center back and his cloth  
> tearing at the end of the vocal on Dinah. Bill Haesler, who are the  
> rest of this band?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT7H3rbyULA&feature=related

Dear Steve,
Our listmate, DJMLer Hans Koert, had the following to say on his long  
running 'Keep Swinging' Blog dated 29 December 2006.
I never finished my attempt to identify the musicians but will,  
hopefully, try again this coming week.
We should also identify the individual tunes featured.
Kind regards,
Bill

"On the 1928 film fragment we see the Capitolians, a large show dance  
band directed by Walt Roesner. They play, as the title suggests, I'm  
More Than Satisfied, more a medley of tunes, as one of the members  
sings some phrases of Dinah. I think this fragment might be part of  
the Metro Movietone Revue No. 1 , directed by Nick Grinde or it is one  
of the shorts that turned up lately.
The director of the band is Walt Roesner, who was a trumpet player in  
Art Hickman's Orchestra between 1914 and 1921. Archeophone released a  
great compilation of this orchestra, titled Art Hickman's Orchestra  
The San Francisco Sound ( Archeophone 6003 ), probably one of the  
treasures the Penguin Guide suggested.

In 1921 Walt started at the Paul Ash organization and soon he had his  
own orchestras. He became famous in the New York surroundings with his  
own bands ( like the Supersoloists ) or directing other bands as a  
freelancer, like Art Hickman's, due to sever illness of Hickman in  
1927 I believe. Around 1928 he played with his own band in the Capitol  
Theatre in New York for some years and this film fragment of the  
Capitolians was made during that period.

The Capitolians seem to double in a lot of instruments, as a big band  
avant la lettre. If you look carefully you'll learn that it has two  
pianos. I guess it had the possibility to play music in the theatre  
without breaks. After the intro, some members of the band do their  
special things and you can recognize some musicians I had never seen  
"live" at such a young age, like a 30 years old Miff Mole on trombone.  
Joe Venuti and Jimmy Dorsey are part of these soloists on the violin  
and alto saxophone. Other musicians who get a short performance are,  
according to the commend, Jimmy Lytel and Lou Calabrese.

It would be great if we could identify more musicians of that band.

The members of the band in this film belong to the group of white  
musicians, that played in New York around 1930 and I realise that  
several of them might have played at the Durium recording sessions for  
Hit of the week records during the depression period some years later.
If you have viewed the fragment, please play it again and concentrate  
on the individual musicians. For me it is pure enjoyment to do that  
and to learn how they made this beautiful music eighty years ago.

I love the drummer man at the rear of the band. He only has a timpano  
and a cymbal, where he makes the accents, so typically for 1920s  
recordings. The end of the film made me think about the discussion I  
refered to before, about sound effects on 78rpm. If you only listen to  
the music, and don't see the film you would believe the drummer man  
uses brushes to make the effect, but on the film you can see him  
tearing some paper or material to make the effect. In't that great?"