Century Sunday: May 1926
For your pleasure on this Sunday, several works released in May 1926:
Blues: Lovie Austin is not a well-known name today, but she was a brilliant and pioneering pianist, composer, and bandleader. In this blues recording, Austin leads the Blue Serenaders from the piano, which for this recording included Johnny Dodds on clarinet with Viola Bartlette on vocals.
Jazz: Lil’s Hot Shots, with Louis Armstrong on cornet, Lil Armstrong, Kid Ory and Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Kid Ory on Trombone and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo.
King Oliver’s Dixie Syncopators recorded several tracks in late May of 1926, including “Sugar Foot Stomp” with King Oliver on cornet, Bob Shoffner, cornet, Kid Ory on trombone, Albert Nicholas and Billy Paige on sax and clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax and clarinet, Luis Russello on piano, Bud Scott, banjo, Bert Cobb on tuba (or similar brass bass instrument) and Paul Barbarin on drums.
Symphonic Concert Hall Music: On May 12, 1926, the 19-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich rose to international fame when his first symphony was premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Nikolai Malko. Below is Kondrashin’s 1972 recording with the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
