[Dixielandjazz] Leo Reisman/Bubber Miley

[tyleman]

I agree with Hal regarding this. It sounds like Bubber to me on the
"Mooche," and also like him playing the lead on "Some of These Days."

Here's an interesting little snip from the Wiki bio of Bub: "Miley
also performed live with Reisman, albeit being the only African
American in Reisman's all-white formation, either dressed in an
usher's uniform and off the bandstand, or hidden from view by a
screen."

As far as I know, there are no other Vitaphone shorts that show a band
in silhouette.

IMDB.com shows the film was made in June, 1929 (the youtube page
states March). Rust lists Miley's first recording session with the
band in January, 1930, and various biographies (Yanow, Chilton) have
him not joining the band until that time. But, that certainly doesn't
rule out the possibility that he might have been added for the film at
a date earlier than his actual known date of joining the band. The
fact they play the "Mooche" seems lend credence to his presence. As
far as I know Reisman never commercially recorded the tune. We
certainly don't know the relationship between Reisman and Miley, but
it would be out-of-line to suggest Reisman was quite an admirer of
Miley, since there were certainly other black trumpeters around in NYC
at that time he could have hired, and Miley had been sacked from
Duke's band for his alcoholism.

It also seems to me that when the band is in silhouette, they are
actually playing and not trying to "synch" to a previously recorded
track. There is a point (7:36), where the lead trumpet player takes a
breath to play a "rip" which can clearly be seen.

Regards,
Chris Tyle

On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 11:29 AM, Hal Vickery <hvickery_80 at msn.com> wrote:
>
> Bubber did make several recordings with Leo Reisman.  The Mooche, iirc, was co-written by Miley.  The trumpet fills sound like Miley.  The band for some reason is featured in silhouette where the person in question is featured.  To me that walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.
> Hal Vickery
>
>> Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:08:41 -0800
>> From: djml at dickbaker.org
>> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Leo Reisman/Bubber Miley
>> CC: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>> To: hvickery_80 at msn.com
>>
>>
>> >Bill, I don't know how you can claim that Bubber Miley is "clearly
>> >featured" on this video.  There's not a trumpet solo anywhere in the
>> >medley, and only one lukewarm (by no means hot) trumpet break near
>> >the end.  Yeah, the trumpeter in silhouette is using a mute, but the
>> >mute alone does not a Bubber make.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> >LEO REISMAN and his Hotel Brunswick  Orchestra
>> >Vitaphone Reel 770, March 1929
>> >
>> >Restored about 14 years  ago, film for this short was much sought-after
>> >because the surviving Vitaphone  disc clearly featured African-American hot
>> >trumpeter James "Bubber" Miley. The  question was, how was he presented
>> >on-screen? Showing a mixed-race ensemble on a  cinema screen was completely
>> >verboten in America in the twenties and into the  Thirties. This
>> >finally-located
>> >mute element resolves that conundrum...Anyone who  thinks of the Leo Reisman
>> >band as tending to sweet and commercial will be  completely surprised by this
>> >film, it has true jazz. The excellent vocalist is  Paul Small.
>> >
>> >Songs: "Moochie (Ellington), "Water of Perkiomen," "If I had  You,"
>> >"Hyo-Mio," "Milenberg Joys," "Lonely," "Some of these  days."
>> >
>> >http://youtu.be/KY8j8mIEWsw
>> >
>> >Enjoy!
>> >
>> >Bill  Sargent
>> >Studio  414-777-0100  |  Cell   414-305-6955
>> >Email  BillSargentDrums at aol.com  |  Web   http://BillSargent.com
>> >
>> >**********************************************
>>
>> --
>> ---------------------
>>       Dick Baker
>>   djml at dickbaker.org
>>
>>
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-- 
Chris Tyle
www.tyleman.com
www.silverleafjazzband.com