About Us | Contact | Subscribe

Home: 20's Jazz

Rit-Dit-Ray

Bennie Moten's
Kansas City Orchestra

Booker Washington, Buster Moten, Count Basie , Ed Lewis, Harlan Leonard, Jack Washington , Leroy Berry , Thamon Hayes, Vernon Page , Willie McWashington , Woody Walder

Subscribe to 20's Jazz

Navigation:

Home

Back

More videos like this

Recorded in Kansas City on October 24th 1929 featuring Bennie Moten director, Ed Lewis and Booker Washington trumpet & cornet, Thamon Hayes trombone, Eddie Durham trombone & guitar, Harlan Leonard clarinet, soprano, & alto sax, Jack Washington clarinet, alto, & baritone sax, Woody Walder clarinet & tenor sax, Ira 'Buster' Moten accordion, Count Basie piano, Leroy Berry banjo, Vernon Page tuba, Willie McWashington drums & vocals.

*"Rit-Dit-Ray" was composed by Bennie Moten and William Basie.

Eddie Durham was the arranger for at least the intro, the rest was possibly a head arrangement. The descending parallel 9th's are the same as "Squabblin'", one of only two sides recorded by "Walter Page's Blue Devils" two month's after this record. "Squabblin" was also probably arranged by Durham, before he left Page to join Bennie Moten. Basie also uses parallel 9th's in his piano solo, showing his affinity for E.D.'s modern concepts.
-Daniel Weinstein