[Dixielandjazz] Bechet and Noone and Dodds--lower register

[Bill Haesler]

 Charles Suhor wrote [in part]:
> I've put RECORDED and RECORDS in caps to re-make the point of my speculation. Once in the studio, clarinets could be near enough to the mike to not have to blow their brains out to be heard within an ensemble, and could even use the lower register and be heard.

   in reply to my comment:

>> As to not happening in noisy dance halls, I refer you to Johnny Dodds, one of the earliest (and best) RECORDED exponents of low register playing, accentuated in no small way by his strong natural vibrato. Listen to his work on the 1923 King Oliver RECORDS  made in the pre-microphone era.
>> Particularly under the driving cornets of Oliver and Louis. "Canal Street Blues" and "Working Man Blues" immediately come to mind.

Dear Charlie,
In agreeing with you, I too was making a distinction between 'recorded' and 'records' to make my point with Johnny Dodds.
In April 1923 the King Oliver band had no knowledge of, or experience in, a recording studio with its large acoustic recording horns. 
Apart from having rehearsed the tunes to fit the approximate 3 minute limit of the 78rpm disc, the band would have played its tune 'arrangements' as usual and at working volume. (There is a story that Oliver and Armstrong were so powerful that they had to moved to the back of the studio.)
Therefore, the Oliver Creole band on those early 'records' would have sounded much the same as it did in the dance hall. 
With Dodds playing as normal, including in the low register.
By the time the Johnny Dodds Victor recordings were made in 1928-29 he was a seasoned recording artist and along with others, as you speculated, capable of using the microphone (introduced in about 1926) to his advantage.
Very kind regards,
Bill.