[Dixielandjazz] Fletcher Henderson (was where does Dixieland end?)

[Jack Mitchell]

Gary Murphy wrote: "I hadn't realized that Henderson's was a recording-only band, so I suppose it makes sense that they'd be in the studio every few weeks to knock out a few more hits."

Fletcher Henderson worked in various clubs around New York whilst making the early  records, and became a full time band leader about the end of 1923. He was at the Roseland Ballroom when Louis Armstrong joined the band.


  " in the Jimmy St Cyr memoires he also recalls the early pre-ODJB groups rushing to the shops for the latest releases, and sometimes sabotaging other copies to prevent competitors from playing the new material, and in this sense the lineup may have been for pragmatic reasons, a minimum reasonable ensemble lineup that might let a local territory band emulate the Whiteman full-orchestra sound (Jimmy said the folios typically had about 18 parts)"

  I haven't read Jimmie St. Cyr's memoires (was he related to the banjo playing Johnny St Cyr ?) but 18 part orchestrations for dance or jazz bands before 1917??  Can anyone name one??  Paul Whiteman only had a normal size band until about 1923.

  Best wishes

  Jack Mitchell