[Dixielandjazz] More on Valve trombonist Frank Orchard

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
> To: Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>,
>
> On 22 September 2010 23:20, Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au>  
> wrote:
>> Marek Boym wrote [in part]:
>> Frank Orchard - 1914 - trombone/violin/banjo/tuba. Very much a part  
>> of the
>> NYC Dixieland scene.......
>> Didn't he record with Art Hodes?
>>
>> Dear Marek,
>> He is not with Hodes on any records in my lists.
>> Nor is he mentioned in the index to 'Hot Man. The Life Of Art  
>> Hodes' (Art Hodes and Chadwick Hansen. 1992. University of Illinois  
>> Press).
>> Kind regards,
>> Bill.
>
> Well, in that case I gess he did not.  I have some records with
> Hackett, but I'm almost sure that I have heard Frank Orchard in other
> Dixieland contexts.

Dear Marek:

Perhaps you saw him play valve trombone at Jimmy Ryan's during your  
visit to NYC? Note the NY Times obit below, December 28, 1983. He was  
frequently at the "new"  Ryan's on 54th Street from 1971 to 1979 or  
so. Or maybe you heard him on records with Louis Armstrong?

Or see his son Jeff's website at:  https://sites.google.com/site/jefforchardjazz/ 
   It contains a little history about Frank and a couple of photos.  
Jeff lives and gigs in the San Francisco Bay Area and should be well  
known to local list mates there.

Or you may have the album  "Willie The Lion Smith Classics 1944-9,   
which has Orchard, Kaminsky, Clayton, Lutter, Cless, and others. It is  
a compilation of songs recorded by by the Lion et al, in NYC and Paris  
from 1944 to 1949.

He was quite well known in NYC, and like Brad Gowans, sparked debate  
about valve vs. slide trombone in a Dixieland context.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband

Frank Orchard, 69, Is Dead; Trombonist With Armstrong
NY TIMES OBIT Dec 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.