The record changer (Mar-Dec 1947)

for me ... I made rolls for them too . . . mostly they were the Blues. I specialized in playing Blues. I did such things as 'Royal Garden,' and most of Handy's tunes. 'Ringtail Blues,' one of those for which I made a piano roll, was really the result of one of my many collaborations with Negro composers. I got" the first two strains while I was playing with the New Orleans Jazz Band, and later I got together with Spencer Williams, who had a melodious tune which we used for the trio. In this composition you can hear the first use of the now familiar Boogie-Woogie rhythm pattern. "Among the musicians I was associated with around the old Q.R.S. plant offices in New York, I remember Zez Confrey, the flashy novelty pianist; Pete Wendling, who was famous in those days as a composer and Q.R.S. Ragtime Stylist; Phil Ohman and Victor Arden, famous piano duo ; Lee S. Roberts, President of Q.R.S. Company, and composer of 'Smiles,' 'Lonesome, That's All,' and other well known tunes ; and Max Kortlander, composer of 'Tell Me.' Another fine musician, but one about whom you hear very little was C. Luckeyth 'Lucky' Roberts, a colored fellow who had tremendous hands, and really did a handful of notes when he played his own compositions, such as 'Junkman Rag' and 'Moonlight Cocktail.' I remember the first time James P. Johnson came to Q.R.S. He was making his first piano roll, and nervous as hell. They asked me to calm him down, so I talked to him for a while, and set the machine going to record Johnson's first piano roll, 'Carolina Shout,' his own tune." Robinson was very busy writing songs in 1917 and 1918. One of the titles was "Jazzola," another was "Lullaby Blues." This latter song had the same harmonic structure as "Margie," which came after Russel had returned from Europe. The most interesting song of this period was called "Singin' the Blues." Robinson says, "This tune inspired the improvisations which Trumbauer and Bix made while they were with the Wolverines. A young fellow used to listen to the improvisations, and then go out berfind the trees on the University of Indiana campus at midnight and try to imitate Bix's horn. He played the horn about as well as he plays the piano. From the improvisations that he heard Tram and Bix playing on 'Singin' the Blues,' he got the tune for a number that he later called 'Stardust.' The only reason I never did anything about Hoagy's using my tune, 'Singin' the Blues' in 'Stardust' was that both copyrights were held by the same publisher, Mills Music. "The first day I got to New York, I registered at the old Pointchartrain Hotel, on Columbus Circle. That night I dropped in on a little cafe called Reisenweber's, that I'd heard about, because there were some fellows playing the kind of music I'd heard in my trip through the South. I sat in with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band that night, and seemed to do pretty well. A couple of nights later, the piano player, Ragas, took sick, and I took his place. His death followed within two weeks, and I stayed on with the band in his stead. "When I joined the band in 1918, Eddie Edwards had already been drafted, and his place taken by Emile 'Bootmouth' Christian, a New Orleans musician who played trombone. He was an all 'round musician who could play bass and trumpet too. "I played with the band for about six months at Reisenweber's then went with the band to London where we played for .contract at the Martan Club which was located at 6 and 8 Old Bond Street. We played there for another six mqnths, but our contract wasn't renewed. The rest of the fellows decided to go and play at the Palais de Dance at Hammersmith, but I thought this was the wrong sort of move and left." Robinson was replaced at the piano by Billy Jones, an English pianist, who could play in the American style. Russel had had three songs accepted for a show called "Bran Pie," and felt that he could be independent when the band went to play in a public dance hall. While Robinson was in London, he met Con Conrad, with whom he later wrote "Margie," and "Lena from Palesteena." He returned to New York and when La Rocca, Shields and Sbarbaro came back to the U. S. (Emile Christian had remained in England), they were rejoined by Eddie Edwards, who had finished his stint in the Army, and the band booked into the Folies Bergere as a unit. "As I remember, Eddie Edwards was kind of rusty after his Army life, and had to be brushed up again," Russel grinningly remarks, "and that reminds me . . . when I came with the band, it was the first time that we played any current popular tunes. Edwards could read a trombone part, but I don't think he knew the treble clef. I taught Nick (La Rocca) how to read, and then we could play some of the hits of the day. Before that time, though, all of the tunes that were played were some things that the boys had brought with them from the South. This got them into some trouble at one time or another. They recorded Livery Stable Blues,' and a fellow named Ray Lopez, a New Orleans trumpet player in Chicago, claimed to be the composer. The tune was published under that name by Roger Graham. He claimed (and got) all the royalties for that side. This led to the changing of the name of the record to 'Barnyard Blues.' The other side of the record didn't do them much good either, since they had inadvertently drawn upon a published tune called 'That Teasin Rag' for the trio. Marks, who had bough) the tune from some colored fellow, also collected all the royalties, so that the first record of the ODjB brought them mostly fame, and very little fortune. "We worked at the Folies Bergere foi about nine months. In the meantime, prohibi tion had come into effect. Our band was I playing so hot and dirty that the couple:! used to get wild while they were dancing : This, and the prohibition booze, led to a lo j of fights. Almost every evening the danci ended in a battle. Finally a few guns wen drawn, and the boss decided to close the join down. After this engagement we cut sormj records, the band went on to Atlantic City : and I went on to play the piano for Marioi Harris." Robinson accompanied Marion Harris oi many of her records. He did a great deal o ; accompanying, coaching and training o singers. He accompanied Lucille Hegamin, j good blues singer, on such Cameo records a| "Mama Whip, Mama Spank," "Sweet Dadd o' Mine," "Can't Get Lovin' Blues," an "Little Boy Blues." He taught Bessie Srmf ! such tunes as "Aggravatin' Papa," "Be si Street Mama," and "How Many Time^.' "Any time that you see Spencer Williarr listed as an accompanist, the guy that wai playing the piano was me, because Spence couldn't play enough piano to accompany singer on records. I used his name wheneve I accompanied Lizzie Miles, and I don't n member how many of the other blue,) singers." He considers Florence Mills the best c| the colored singers because of her fines; I and sweetness. He says, "She was cute, ar j (Continued on Page 15) The Original Dixieland Jazz Band in London (1919): J. Russel Robinson, Larry Shields, Nick La Rocca, Emile Christian, Tony Sbarbaro. THE RECORD CHANGit