Jazz in the Public Domain

Jazz in the Public Domain
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Featuring the recordings of jazz pioneers recently released to the public domain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. FEB 2

    Fallin' Down

    Armstrong (with C. Will, E. Taylor, Bechet, C. Green, B. Christian): Coal Cart Blues, Henderson: What-Cha -Call Em Blues, Sleepy Time Gal, Lovie Austin and her Blues Serenaders (with Priscilla Stewart): Charleston Mad, Charleston South Carolina, Bix and his Rhythm Jugglers: Toddlin' Blues, Mound City Blue Blowers: Gettin' Told, University Six: Then I'll Be Happy, 5 Birmingham Babies: Indigo Blues, NORK: Everybody Loves Somebody Blues, Henderson: Me Neenyah, Spanish Shawl, Clara Smith: When My Sugar Walks Down the Street, 5 Birmingham Babies: As Far as I'm Concerned, University 6: Fallin' Down, Cliff Edwards: Fascinatin' Rhythm. Microphones made a difference in bringing the music alive in 1925. Most of these numbers were recorded through the new technology. All the better to hear Armstrong, Hawkins, Rollini, Bechet. Redman’s arrangements. NORK, Bix. And the non-microphone recordings have that acoustic sound. Accounts indicate some resisted the microphone as giving too distinct a sound but after 100 years it’s hard to quarrel with the microphone’s fidelity. Jazz rode the coattails of the fox trot and the blues. There’s a gap between Bix as pure Chicago jazz and Henderson as the fox trot King within Jazz. A Henderson associate Clara Smith adjusts just enough of her style to sing a patent Jazz song and it still comes out a blues. Impossible not to be a fan of Clara once having heard her. Also by 1925 if you have been following this series Henderson had nothing left to prove. He could have retired that year with a prolific portfolio and gone back to chemistry but he remained a leading musical inventor well into the future. No episode is complete without hearing some Rollini. Listen to Cliff Edwards carefully and try to figure out how he did it, a great singer and apparently inimitable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min

  2. JAN 20

    Party

    Fletcher Henderson: Money Blues, Carolina Stomp, Gershwin:That Certain Feeling, Eddie Lang: Best Black, C. Williams with Armstrong, Bechet, Eva Taylor: Papa De-Da-Da, Lovie Austin: Heebie Jeebies, Henderson: Alabamy Bound, Piron: Red Man Blues, Austin: Don’t Shake It No More, University 6: Charleston Baby of Mine, Art Gillham: Angry, U6: Desdemona, The Camel Walk, Ellington: I’m Gonna Hang Around My Sugar, Moten: 18th Street Strut. Henderson’s dance band combined rhythm with levity. Armstrong, Hawkins, Redman are special signatures. Hawkins stars. Gershwin on piano evokes hoofers practicing on a Broadway stage. Eddie Lang makes the guitar an essential sound. Clarence Williams made some of the very best jazz records, here with a Bechet tune. Lovie Austin demonstrates rhythm piano. Piron gives another definition of New Orleans jazz. The University Six debut under that name, with Rollini. Ellington flashes on piano and is not yet the prime time and prolific recording attraction of Henderson, Rollini and Moten. Disparities in sound are heard across a spectrum from microphone to acoustic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  3. JAN 10

    Gut Bucket Blues

    Moten: Sister Honky Tonk. Bessie Smith: St. Louis Blues. Arcadian Serenaders: The Co-Ed. Busse’s Buzzards: Milenberg Joys. Little Ramblers: Got No Time, In Your Green Hat. Arcadian Serenaders: Angry. Moten: Things Seem So Blue to Me. Lovie Austin’s Blues Serenaders: Peepin’ Blues. Bix: Davenport Blues. Henderson: Sugarfoot Stomp, Armstrong: Gut Bucket Blues, Yes I’m in the Barrel. Henderson: I’ll See You in My Dreams. Goofus 5: Alabamy Bound. 1925 adds new dimensions including Papa Dip on vocals, Rollini on a microphone, Bobby Davis steps up, Jimmy Dorsey, Henderson at industrial strength. Nichols arrives. Moten, Lovie Austin deliver. Bessie Smith with Armstrong. Arcadian Serenaders and Bix in a new era again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min

  4. JAN 1

    Papa C

    Papa Celestin: Original Tuxedo Rag, Careless Love, Black Rag. Brownlee's Orch: Dirty Rag. Halfway House Orch: Barataria, Maple Leaf Rag. Eddie Cantor: Palesteena. Arcadia Peacock Orch.: I Wouldn’t Be Crying Now, Waiting for the Moon, Lovie Austin's Blues Serenaders: Steppin’ On the Blues, Travelin’ Blues. Charles H. Booker: Hot Sax, West Texas Blues. Fletcher Henderson: TNT, Carolina Stomp. The Goofus Five: Yes Sir That’s My Baby. Cal Ramblers: Sweet Georgia Brown. Coon-Sanders: Yes Sir That’s My Baby. Every new year seems to bring entirely new musical trends. 1925 brings new dimensions of clever arrangements but also unbuttoned free improvisation. Sound is vastly improved and stars get their audio spotlight. Probably not enough has been said by jazz enthusiasts about how talented Eddie Cantor was. Perhaps his misfortune to work early on in an era of minstrelsy is pardoned by his apprenticeship with Bert Williams who invented what would become jazz singing with George Walker around 1901. Cantor’s was the first LP album I bought as a nine year old. Not himself a jazz singer but with all the chops as a great singer. Not to ignore Henderson, this 1925 band is a highlight in history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min

  5. 12/24/2025

    Blue

    Whiteman (Gershwin p.): Rhapsody in Blue (side 1). Bix, Bessie Smith, Moten, OTO, Arcadian Serenaders {Wingy Manone), Oliver, ODJB, Henderson, The New Jersey Dance Orch, Williams and Walker, Clara Smith, Coon-Sanders, Arcadia Peacock Orch. of St.Louis, Vincent Lopez, Gershwin (side 2). The Gershwin recording with Grofe’s orchestration emphasizes the 1924 jazz style in Whiteman’s Orch fused with Gershwin’s classical keyboard. This is Third Stream of which Whiteman was the King. The Gorman opening clarinet solo is spiced with laughing tricks and is apparently never played with these 1924-isms anymore in favor of more modern jazz phrasing. This episode ends with side two of the Whiteman/Gershwin rhapsody. Marcus Roberts did a modern update on piano worth watching, changing some of Gershwin’s notes. George Walker sings lead on Pretty Desdemona from 1906. Oliver in 1923 does Southern Stomps. Bix in 1924 and the Wolverines play Tia Juana. Oriole Terrace Orch (OTO) plays Back Where The Daffodils Grow. Clara Smith sings WC Handy’s Basement Blues. Moten plays Vine St. Blues. Vincent Lopez plays Palesteena. ODJB provides Satanic Blues. Bessie Smith sings Frankie Blues. The Arcadia Peacock Orch. from the Arcadia Ballroom in St. Louis does 4 numbers: Tripping Along, Ain’t You Ashamed, She Wouldn’t Do What I Want Her To (vocal deleted), Dream Boat. The Arcadian Serenaders apparently also from the Arcadia in St. Louis play Bobbed Hair Bobbie. Coon-Sanders from KC play Show Me The Way. The New Jersey Dance Orchestra plays Last Night on the Back Porch. Henderson with Redman on goofus and Hawkins on bass sax (sound familiar?) play You’ll Never Go To Heaven With Those Eyes. Previous episodes have gone deep with many of these performers and here the Arcadian Peacock Orchestra gets some deeper attention along with Whiteman/Gershwin. Although Whiteman was acclaimed the King of Jazz, within the narrow category of jazz at this time it is more true that Fletcher Henderson was the King, with Redman, Buster Bailey, Elmer Chambers, Charlie Green, Hawkins, Armstrong et al in his organization. Whiteman was the King of popular music and it was a big deal for jazz to be seen as popular music with Whiteman as the icon. However within the small town of jazz the Hendersons were royalty that included brother Horace and Fletcher’s wife Leora with whom he was married on December 25, 1924. Horace was born Nov. 22, 1904 one day after Coleman Hawkins. Jazz as named for New Orleans music receded eventually into being Dixieland or trad while jazz became swing, bebop and the term was used for mainstream and an all inclusive expression as in a jazz festival. Of course kings run in a succession and Henderson later became the chief counselor to Goodman King of Swing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m

  6. 12/16/2025

    Red

    Red McKenzie (Mound City Blue Blowers): When My Sugar Walks Down The Street, Charles H. Booker: Pencil Papa Blues, Ford and Ford: Skeeg-A-Lee Blues, Varsity Eight: Last Night on the Back Porch, Fletcher Henderson Orch.: Swanee River Blues, It Won’t Be Long, War Horse Mama, Steppin’ Out, Mama’s Goin’ to Slow You Down, Those Broken Busted Blues, You’ll Never Go to Heaven With Those Eyes, Forsaken Blues, Strutter’s Drag, I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care, Dixie Moon. One assumes it was Redman who took the Rollini pill adding a bass sax and goofus with Chambers in the Bill Moore role. Unlike the small Rambler groups, Henderson had Hawkins on tenor in duets with Redman and soloing, giving the unique full Hawkins sound. And Hawkins could play bass sax as in several here. Chambers is also inspired. This period of 1924 was prolific and innovative before the expansion to a big band sound. Notable that the next year Bobby Davis and Rollini were a star sax section. The Varsity 8 deliver an over the top version of the Whiteman hit Last Night on the Back Porch. Ford and Ford are in front of Lovie Austin, Tommy Ladnier and Johnny Dodds with a frank blues conversation. Booker demonstrates blues saxophone lead. Red McKenzie isn’t the only star named Red, but in 1924 he made hit records with a comb, a kazoo backing him up and the great Eddie Lang, so Red it is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min

  7. 12/14/2025

    ODJB3

    Original Dixieland Jazz Band: Palesteena, Tell Me, Skeleton Jungle, Dixie Jazz One-Step, Mournin', Dangerous Blues (Al Bernard Voc.), Bow Wow My Mama Treats Me Like a Dog, Jazz Me Blues, Home Again, St. Louis Blues (Al Bernard voc.), Alice Blue Gown, The Sphinx, Look at 'em Doin' It. This is the third compilation after the Season 1 episode 8 tribute and Season 2 episode 46. Here is a mix that does not duplicate the last episode and is delivered without interruption. Some hits omitted in these twin episodes are found in the first show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    41 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    ODJB plus

    The Original Dixieland Jazz Band with intermittent piano by Clarence Williams. Royal Garden Blues (Al Bernard voc.), Darktown Strutters Ball, At the Jazz Band Ball, Clarinet Marmalade, Some of These Days. C. Williams: My Own Blues. OJDB: Soudan, Toddlin’ Blues, Sensation Rag, Lazy Daddy, Fidgety Feet, Indiana, Lasses Candy. C. Williams: Gravier St. Blues. ODJB:Tiger Rag, Satanic Blues. C. Williams: Weary Blues. Tony Sbarbaro’s percussion is evident particularly in Sensation Rag. LaRocca apparently taught people like Bix indirectly by phonograph, who had a worn out ODJB collection and covered the tunes on his own recordings. Armstrong in one of his books lavishes praise on the Dixieland. Edwards on trombone, Larry Shields clarinet, Henry Ragas and later J. Russel Robinson on piano. A quintet with sometimes the addition of a saxophone like Benny Krueger. Included for intermission is the piano of Clarence Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    53 min
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Featuring the recordings of jazz pioneers recently released to the public domain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Jazz in the Public Domain
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jazz in the Public Domain
  • Show Website
    Jazz in the Public Domain