[Dixielandjazz] Edison Records - was - Record Company Screw-ups

[Marek Boym]

Dear Steve,
>>>  The other was that Edison let
>>> his
>>> personal taste govern Edison releases—and he hated jazz:

BTW, I knew that Edison hated jazz.


 So after releasing the world’s first jazz recording—Collins and
>>> Harlan’s “That Funny Jas Band From Dixieland”—the company spurned the
>>> craze in favor of waltzes and foxtrots.
>>
>> Or The Cotton Pickers (I believe that was the
>> pseudonym of The Memphis Five on Edison).
>> A friend of mind actually possesses a one-sided about quarter-inch
>> thick jazz Edison 78.
>> Cheers
>>
>>

>
>
> Dear Marek:
>
> I listened to some of the Edison recordings by the California Ramblers
> on Red Hot Jazz site. In my ears, most of them were more on the side
> of "jazzy dance music" rather than jazz. Just a few song renditions
> that I would say are jazz. Maybe parsing words, but that's how I hear
> it. Songs like Ain't Misbehavin' and Button Up Your Overcoat are
> mostly arranged ensemble passages. Very little solo work, no ensemble
> improvisation. To me, that is not jazz.

At least as jazzy as “That Funny Jas Band From Dixieland," and neither
more nor less than on other labels.   And they recorded for Edison
beginning 1924.  Anyway, there are some quite jazzy numbers among
them.
>
> Regarding the Cotton Pickers, I did not find any Edison recordings of
> them on the red hot jazz site. Only Brunswick.

Here you're right.  Beforehand I wrote from memory.  Now I've checked.
 But I'm almost sure that my friend's 78 is by a band with Miff Mole.
Cannot check now.  However, another friend has "Rare Vertocal Jazz" on
Broadway, and I've asked her to dig it up.  I should have the answer
tomorrow.

A happy shot - Red and Miff Stompers recorded four numbers on Edison
in 1926.  Those are on my friend's LP (marked so in my Rust).  More -
tomorrow or the day after (depending on when my jazz evening ends).

Cheers
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