[Dixielandjazz] Phil Napolen, and more

[Bill Haesler]

Maerek sent this request this morning  (Australian time):
>I clearly remember some exchange regarding Phil Napoleon and Pete Daily, and the opinion of Marshall Stearns on them.  Likewise, at the time I enquired about the 1946 Napoleon Emperors, since the info on the jacket did not match that in Jepsen, and had an answer.  It had to be sometime after last October, when a friend moved to a home... 

Dear Marek,
And they say it is only old blokes like me (and my dear mate Jack Mitchell) who are supposed to be losing it.
8>)
That query goes back to May last year, before your friend went into care.
Kind regards,
Bill.
Begin forwarded message:

> From: Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
> Date: 31 May 2011 7:47:24 AM AEST
> To: bhaesler at bigpond.net.au
> Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Phil Napolen, and more
> 
> A friewnd of mine is moving to a protected housing, so I have come
> into pssession of quite a few LPs, among them Dixieland Jazz Battle
> (Decca DL 5261), with Pete Daily on one side and Phil Napoleon and his
> Memphis Five on the other.  The liner notes describes the Napoleon
> band as "a large slice of jazz history," whereas, according thereto,
> "the Pete Daily band represents a conscious revival of the old style
> by a rough and ready group of younger men."
> True, Napoleon's group contains Tony Spargo of the ODJB, but the
> others: Phil Olivella, Billy Maxted, Andy Russo and Jack Fay - can
> hardly be regarded as real veterans (or rather, could not in those
> days).  The Daily band, on the other hand, in addition to the leader
> (a little younger than Napoleon) includes Joe Rushton (hardly a
> "younger man"), Rosy McHargue and Country Washburn.
> 
> I would not have wondered so much about that, except that the notes
> were by the jazz historian Marshall W. Stearns, written some five
> years before completion of his Story of Jazz.  Thus, either he was
> much less knowledgable than is generally believed, or he distorted
> facts on purpose.
> 
> Another Napoleon LP (also 10") is "Dixieland Classics, vol. 2" by Phil
> Napoleon's Emperors of Jazz" on EmArcy MG 26009.  The personnel given
> is Napoleon, Lou Mc.GArity,Joe Dixon, Frank Signorelli, Chuck Wayne,
> Felix Globe and Tony Spargo.  However, Jepsen lists the personnel as
> Napoleon,Vernon Brown, Sal Franczella, and rhythm as above, except
> that it the spelling of the bassist's name is "Giobbe" rather than
> Globe.  Which one is correct?
> 
> Some more more questions: were the Commodore records originally issued
> on 78?  And the Firehouse 5 plus 2 on Good Time Jazz (GTJ33-1 and GTJ
> L-2)?   Is the Napoleon-Daily LP the original issue?
> 
> By the way, the FH5+2 have bass saxophone rather than brass bass.
> 
> Cheers