About Various things

I have certainly had an interesting week, at school and at my general record research. I have  noticed lots of little funny details on records I have heard many a time this week. This first one I would like to mention is one of those "Imperial minstrels" records led by this guy here:

 

Yep, Len Spencer. 

His records are always an adventure, whether they be his solo records with Fred Hylands or his fully planned out Minstrel productions. This one is one of his minstrel productions from the late 1890's, with all the crew together. Here you go with an untitled record by Spencer's Imperial Minstrels, from 1900.

Here's everyone involved(I can hear other than the Spencer's)on this record:

(Roger Harding)

Well, that's two of the singers(which there are more of on this cylinder) but we know some of the boys in the band as well. 

Did you hear it? There was this one yell just after the applause at the beginning! I heard this record for the first time this week and found that little thing absolutely hilarious. I'm not really sure who it might be, but it was certainly someone in the band. I really shows the size of their recording room as well, it's funny really, because it sounds so out-of-place. It could be Fred Hylands for all I know! It is a very messy cylinder, but at the end, you can really hear how much of a production it was. You can actually hear how many singers were involved and how many of the Columbia orchestra were involved. That in itself would mean well over 20 people in a single recording room. How did Spencer do it? I haven't the least idea. By 1900, these minstrel records that Columbia was releasing were very complicated and full. Which is quite far-fetched from the smaller ones he did in late-1897 and early 1898 with his close friends such as this one here, featuring Fred Hylands on the piano. He did get more people on his troupe by 1899, as that is the year that you can see all of the updates of "Spencer's Minstrels" performances in The Phonoscope, which by the middle of 1899, had quite a production of singers and performers, as can be heard on the first record mentioned on this post. 

For this next record, I would like to compare two records led by two different pianists. They are both the same title, but by different orchestras. 

This first one is by Banta's orchestra, which made a handful of records or so in 1895 and 1896 for a few companies, here you go with Frank P. Banta's orchestra's rendition of "Dancing in the Kitchen".

A few collectors have said that it may be Banta himself announcing the Banta's orchestra records, and it is quite possible. Personally, I believe in this notion. There's really nothing that counter-argues this theory. I think this very cylinder is the one that captures Banta's voice the best. If you compare this cylinder to the later Victor's where you can hear him counting the band off, you might be able to find a slight resemblance between the two examples. Here are two of those Victor's for a comparison:http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/100002301/Pre-matrix_B-3160-The_gridiron_march

http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/100002300/Pre-matrix_B-3159-Ragged_William

I think it's funny that Banta counted off like this:

"One---two---one---two!"

That's not super common in ways of counting off a band. 

Now onto the other cylinder of "Dancing in the Kitchen". This next one can be led by one of three pianists:

Fred Gaisberg

George Schweinfest 

or 

Fred Hylands. 

Here is that cylinder.

I can't really tell personally. I just know that Len Spencer announces it and the announcement is the earlier installment of Columbia, as it has the "...of New York City" part of it at the end. This detail can indicate an age for the cylinder, which would mean any month of 1896 or every month of 1897 until November. That is a little confusing, and since the cylinder is played too fast, it doesn't help in giving an exact date to the cylinder based on the announcement. I do think that based on the time frame that this was probably recorded in, Fred Gaisberg or Schweinfest would be a better choice. The rhythm and prominence of the piano is what throws me off here, as it's almost Hylands-esque. However, the date possibility indicates a different pianist. It's not like this quiet cylinder here, where it's pretty obvious that Hylands in on the piano. It's mostly the announcements on Columbia cylinders that can either contradict the possible date or make dating it more confusing that it probably needs to be. 

I hope you enjoyed this!