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Stale Bread Blues

New Orleans Blue Nine

Ben Selvin, Earl Oliver, Sam Lewis

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Recorded in New York City during January of 1924 featuring Earl Oliver and ? Harry Gluck trumpet, Sam Lewis trombone, and Ben Selvin violin, with unknown clarinet, alto & tenor sax, banjo, piano, & bass brass.

*"Stale Bread Blues" was composed by Ross Wheaton.

With the popularity of New Orleans jazz on the rise record labels worked feverishly to supply the demand and cash in on this brand new recorded music market of the early 1920's. "There's a lot in a name", and so studio bands began appearing under any pseudonym that the Company thought would sell. Like this one a group of New York musicians passed off as the "New Orleans Blue Nine" but imitation or not the music was almost always good.

Although the files containing the identities of all nine musicians have not survived violinist and famous New York bandleader Ben Selvin is present and most likely the director. In fact according to The Guinness Book of World Records during his career Selvin was responsible for an output of more 78 rpm records than any other person by recording under different band names on many different labels.

Earl Oliver a trumpeter or cornetist on countless sides and recorded a lot with small novelty groups led by Harry Reser was definitely no slouch nor was trombonist Sam Lewis.

The only problem is that unlike the spontaneous music they worked so had to emulate their's is heavily orchestrated.