[Dixielandjazz] WHERE IS FAZ?

[Bill Haesler]

<cook at bluewin.ch> <cook at bluewin.ch> wrote:
> SEGER ELLIS CHOIRS OF BRASS 1937 issued on an Alamac LP - QSR 2408.  This is
> an unconventional orchestra with eight brass and one clarinet. The clarinet player is reputed to be Irving Fazola but to my, and some other, ears it is
> not Faz. Anyone out there know who it is? On Shivery Stomp issued on Decca it is the same band but certainly with Fazola.  Very little of Seger Ellis
> has been reissued.  The Alamac LP is well worth listening to for the wonderful trumpet playing of Benny Strickler (another genius who died very
> young) and some good arrangements.

Dear Christopher, 
From our extensive private correspondence over the years, I know how meticulous you are as a researcher.
So I am sure that you will have found that this subject was raised on the DJML by Chris Tyle back in October 2007. 
And Marek and the late Don Ingle became involved. 
So I apologise (in advance) if you have already seen my reply from that time.
As I said then "The following long discographal discussion may bore some listmates, so hit 'delete' now."
The warning still applies.

Dear Marek and Chris [Tyle],
The Pancho Villa/Irving Fazola discussion has been conjectural for many years.
And, to my knowledge, unresolved. However, the answer has to be out there.
It was therefore interesting to hear Chris say that "I was told by cornetist Danny Alguire that clarinetist Pancho Villa was areal person who played in the LA area in the 1930s and 40s."
Here then is my contribution, for what it is worth.
The short-lived Seger Ellis Choirs of Brass Orchestra was unique in that it used 7-8 brass with only one clarinet, two pianos, string bass and drums.
The Seger Ellis Alamac LP QSR 2408 (which I have had for many years) states in the album personnel listing: "Irving Fazola OR [my emphasis] Pancho Villa". There is certainly only one clarinetist heard throughout.
On the Segar Ellis Decca sides (11 March 1937) there is only one clarinet and it IS Fazola ('cause my ears tell me so!).
Brian Rust, in the 1969 edition of his great 'Jazz Records' discography probably set off the Fazola equals 'Pancho' Villa mystery by stating in his personnel listing for this Decca session: Irving Fazola (as "Pancho Villa" !). This has carried through to the current 2002 edition. Albert McCarthy perpetuates the 'myth' in his excellent 1974 book 'Big Band Jazz'. When discussing the clarinet solo on "Shivery Stomp" from the Decca session he says, ".....a pleasant clarinet solo by Irving Fazola - masquerading for some unknown reason under the pseudonym of Pancho Villa - who had just left the Ben Pollack orchestra....."
There is a pic of the band, but it doesn't include the clarinet player. Rats!
It was suggested somewhere, years ago, that this was because Fazola was under contract elsewhere, but there is no discographal evidence for this, as will be seen below.
Respected author/researcher/bandleader John Chilton, in various detailed biog references for Irving Fazola makes no mention of him working or playing with the Los Angeles-based Seger Ellis Choirs of Brass Orch. In fact, he doesn't mention Ellis at all in relation to Irving Fazola.
Retracing Fazola's movements for this period we find that he joined the Ben Pollack orch in May-June 1936 on its way to Chicago, then went with it to New York where his first records were made (with Pollack) in Sept 1936. At this time he also recorded with The Rhythm Wreckers, Billie Holiday and Sharkey Bonano
The Pollack band (with Faz) then went 'home' to California, probably in late 1936, for 12 months of residencies on the West Coast, starting in early 1937 at the Cotton Club in Culver City. The Pollack band recorded in LA (some references give New York) on 18 Dec 1936 with Fazola. Fazola's next records were made with Seger Ellis on 11 March 1937.
Which suggests that when Faz made the Seger Ellis Decca sides he was probably still with Ben Pollack in LA.
But Faz became homesick, handed in his notice to Pollack, returned to New Orleans and joined Augie Schellang's Roosevelt Rhythm Kings. Dates unknown to me. Maybe Pollack expert Mr Joe Showler knows.
By May 1937 Fazola was back in New York with the Gus Arnheim orch and recorded his next sides with it in June and July 1937. I've never heard these.
Glenn Miller had worked happily with Fazola in the 1936 Pollack band and when he formed his first big band Miller invited Faz to join.
One of the attractions for Faz was that he would join the band in New Orleans toward the end of its long and popular run (17 June  - 26 Aug 
1937) at the Roosevelt Hotel. He was with the Miller band until it disbanded on 2 January 1938. He then returned to New Orleans, worked briefly there with Pollack, then (having knocked back offers in 1936 and 1937) finally  joined the Bob Crosby Orchestra in early (1st?) March 1938.
I've listened intently again to the Alamac LP and, although the clarinetist has a Fazola/Matlock style, I certainly can't accept that it is Fazola. It's just not good enough, even on a bad Faz day (if any).
Could this be the elusive 'Pancho' Villa?
My feeling is that Irving Fazola never worked with the Seger Ellis Choirs of Brass, although he recorded with it for Decca.
The Alamac LP, from an unknown source (radio transcription recorded at the Decca studio?) was, based on the similar sound quality, was probably made in March-April 1937 using a different clarinetist identified somewhere as someone called Villa, with the obvious nickname 
'Pancho'.
Given the Decca personnel: Seger Ellis (vcl/arr/dir) Nate Kazebier, Don Anderson, Benny Strickler, Hank McCarthy (t) King Jackson, Al Thompson, Bob Logan, John Stanley (tb) Irving Fazola (cl) Stan Wrightsman, Al Mack (p) Jim Lynch (b) George Siegler (d) and "Spud" Murphy (arr) perhaps we should be searching the 1930s list of West Coast studio musicians.
Or, based on Chris's Danny Alquire/Benny Strickler/Bob Wills information, maybe we should take a look at the Country/Western Swing discographies. 
Kind regards,
Bill.

To which my dear mate, the late Don Ingle replied:

The names if some sidemen with the Seger Ellis band caught my attention. Trumperer Don Anderson and trombonist John Stanley were with Spike Jones  at the time (1943) that my father, Red Ingle joined that band and made many of the recordings of that Blubird period.
King Jackson was also with Jones a bit earleir, but was a long time fixture with the Red Nichols Pennies in 'the 40's.
Most of these men were active in the studio/transcription/recording/radio and other gigging circles in L.A. at that time.
I have some photos of the Jones Band with dad and the mentioned players, plus Luther "Red" Roundtree and Joe "Country" Washburne among the regulars of the time period.
Nice to be reminded of these gentlemen - nice people all and always willing to take time to answer dumb questions of a snot-faced kid with ambitions to be a player.
Don Ingle

***********
Now for the Haesler March 2015 Update.
I have just listened to that Alamac Segar Ellis LP again.
It is NOT Irving Fazola, who has been my all time favourite clarinet player since the mid 1940s. He still is. I no longer hear him, I 'feel' him.
However, we now have the source for the sides on the Alamac LP.
Selected from sixty-eight tunes recorded in Los Angeles for 16"transcription discs by Standard Radio Library for distribution to radio music libraries to radio stations within the US. (I have the full list.)
Later research also names the clarinettist as Peyton Legare from San Antonio (who allegedly did use the name Panco Villa).
He makes appearances in Rust's Jazz Records and Tom Lord's Jazz Discography playing clarinet at an Ella Logan session on 30 December 1937, alto sax with the Louis Prima band on 17 May 1936 and the Ben Pollack orch on 4 August 1938 and probably plays both on other Pollack recordings from this period He was in the 1942 film 'Syncopation' soundtrack band.
I am listening to the Ella Logan session at the moment and it could be our man.
Which could then lead us to Ben Kanter, another Fazola play-alike who was with Pollack on the West Coast at that time.
Very kind regards,
Bill.