Fred Gaisberg, the "Columbia Clan" and other things

Fred Gaisberg, the unexpected early recording star. 

In 1892, Gaisberg was a 19-year-old concert pianist in the Washington D.C. area, who had been a close follower and performer with the newly-formed Sousa band. Gaisberg once recalled that Sousa took such a liking to the youth Gaisberg that he often had him play a solo or two at every performance by his band, and sometimes played onstage with them. That must have been around the time that the Columbia phonograph Company's small staff manager Frank Dorian found him. 

(that's Dorian in 1892!)

Dorian saw potential in the youth, and he then went to "CEO" Edward Easton for his approval. Gaisberg knew nothing of recording at all, so first getting him to understand the workings of balancing techniques(keep in mind that this was 1892, when many ideas like pantographing and dubbing did not exist just yet). Gaisberg was getting into the business to early on that he knew the earliest methods of recording very well, but from his wits, he soon learned the flaws of these ideas. He became a regular studio pianist for Columbia by early in 1893, and somewhat became a member of the "clan" that Columbia was beginning in 1892-93. Who was part of this "clan" so early on? Well, here's a little list of it to get an idea:

Russell Hunting, Victor Emerson, Len Spencer, Frank Capps(inventor), Charles Carson(Columbia's first electrical man!), Billy Golden, Edward Issler(who was also a sound balancing genius), George Schweinfest, Dan W. Quinn, and a few more staff members. 

That was how small their clan was in 1892-93, it is so early on that Gaskin could not be listed, Vess Ossman, Steve Porter, and all the late-1890's artists had not come on the scene just yet. Gaisberg quickly became part of this group, even if it was not exactly something he wanted to do. Being the piano player for all of those rowdy Columbia people had become a tradition that their pianist be part of the main staff. Gaisberg was the start of this long-running custom(or curse, if you think of it a different way...). He worked for Columbia all through 1893 and through most of 1894, until Emile Berliner came back to at last to produce his discs in the U. S. Berliner had heard of the young Columbia pianist Gaisberg, and plucked him out of Columbia to have him work for the small staff that Berliner had. This is when he began to really work like a studio pianist. 

He only got a little taste of it when he began working for Atlee at Columbia in '93, but when working for Berliner and Columbia, he began to feel it. Since Berliner's staff was all a group of young clumsy chaps, they all had to work together to get things done around there, and get all the artists recorded correctly. Berliner got them to work very well together, and he observed their every move, to make sure things were being done right. It was in late-1894 that Gaisberg had many stories from, working for Berliner in that time was always interesting, and meeting all the singers and performers made the days even more curious. He recalled Russell Hunting coming in several times in late-1894, coming in with a black sack of clothes for what he did after he made records---perform in comic opera. He didn't want to imagine Hunting onstage doing all of that, in those strange costumes, and everything else. One time this happened, Hunting explained to Gaisberg what it was he was doing, which was playing Mephistopheles in a local production of the musical "Faust Up-to-date". He only saw and heard Hunting as his normal self, and him describing his roles to him did not make him the least bit comfortable. That's only a little of what else he had to deal with at Berliner. He saw Billy Golden, George Gaskin, David Bangs and more. 

He continued to work at Berliner and Columbia from 1894 to 1896, until George Schweinfest stepped in at Columbia and wanted to take some of the studio work off his hands. It certainly did help, even though he still had to come in and make some records at Columbia. Schweinfest was his sub in the 1896-97 period. After mid-1897, we pretty much know what happened at Columbia...(at least I hope we do.) In 1898, Berliner chose Gaisberg and Sinkler Darby to go out to London and make records there. That's when Gaisberg broke from the "clan", but he began his own out in London in 1898-1900. 

It's actually alright that he broke from the "Columbia Clan" when he did, because the "clan" was becoming much more complicated and full of weird personalities that Gaisberg certainly wouldn't have fully approved of. Think back to what he thought about Russell Hunting. 

In 1898, this "clan" became the much more "sporty" bunch that they were known for, as Steve Porter was in the group, leading the yacht races of course, Fred Hylands was one of the "society leaders" of the group as well. In 1898, the "Columbia Clan" was this:

Len Spencer, Steve Porter, George Gaskin, Roger Harding, Fred Hylands, J. W. Myers, Russell Hunting, Vess Ossman, Billy Golden, George Schweinfest, George P. Watson, Dan Quinn, Will F. Denny, Tom Clark(leader of the Columbia orchestra) and a few more staff members. 

But by the year after that, "the clan" had expanded to people who weren't recording artists(like Burt Green for example), thanks to Hylands and Spencer with their publishing firm. The whole staff of all record companies expanded in 1899-1900 also because of Hylands and Spencer, as Sallie Stembler made some records, it is questioned, but Fred's wife Marie:

(from a piece of music Hylands published, durr...)

She may have made a few records under the pleading of her husband, and if so, probably under a pseudonym of some kind.  I don't know what her name could have been on records, if she made any, but it would be weird either way if she did. 

Edison's staff had their "clan" as well, but they weren't really all together working as one over there. Most of the Edison "clan" later became Columbia artists anyhow. It's a group of eccentrics that only could work under Victor Emerson. 

Speaking of Emerson, he became the studio manager of Columbia in 1897, after Frank Dorian had been chosen to go and manage their newly-established Paris office. That was when the "beatings" began. Under Victor Emerson, the Columbia staff were worked until they dropped, even when the "round" era had passed by 1898. Emerson was at all the sessions, and made sure work was getting done every day in his studio. Emerson was always considered a real pain to all the studio artists, and they always played pranks on him, and got him lavish gifts for his birthday. 

That's an illustration from the January, 1897 issue of The Phonoscope of the Columbia headquarters. That was where all of those records were made from 1897 to 1905. They once described the place as a true spectacle of modern times, lit with hundreds of electric lights, and with all sorts of eccentrics and dandies coming in and out of the glass doors at any hour of the day. It was at this very place that these two pictures were taken:

(see the glass doors way in the back?) that's right. 

and of course this one:

Yep. now do you see it? Those same odd-looking windows really give it away. 

That's where they worked, and it was certainly always a "hot time" there at 27th and Broadway in the late-1890's! 

I hope you enjoyed this! 

Ossman and Banta, the Vaudeville instumentalists

Vess L. Ossman and Frank P. Banta, the vaudeville duo, what an interesting concept that seems.

The Narcissus of the early recording business^^

And the silent and cunning professor. 

I know that I speak of these two together and separately on some posts here and there on this blog, but they were a duo in vaudeville that could not have been equalled. They were fascinating characters on their own, but when getting into the two of them as a duo, so many stories and ideas can come into the conversation. It's a story that can seem like many others in the early vaudeville business. 

It starts with Ossman in 1890. In that year, he was at his peak of his rise to popularity, and everything was going his way. He was in love with a beautiful 15-year-old(to be married to her when she was 16), and winning all of those banjo contests. Life was easy for him, and all vaudeville houses fought over him to have him on their stages. The only thing that he was in need of was a specialty pianist. Who could that be? He was just having the house pianists at all of these hall play behind him, but in reality, this wasn't always the best for Ossman's style. He had to find someone, but who? After auditioning a multitude of unqualified pianists. He tried out some sporting house professors in 1893, just rambling around after shows to see if any of these pianists were up to it. Of course, Vess was treated like royalty when he went to places like that, because he was a celebrity anyhow. At one of these places, he saw a slightly tall, black-haired, long nosed, slim-figured Frank Banta. His face from the side at first made Vess roll his eyes, but after hearing him play a few rowdy tunes without saying a word, his ears were captured by his playing. Within the next year, "Ossman and Banta" were on all of the famous stages all over the East coast, making hits wherever they went. 

It took until 1896 for the two of them so start to make record regularly, which added to their popularity greatly. But later that same year, Edison's manager Walter Miller took an interest in Banta, as he could see him working in their studio and reading anything that the artists would hand him. So by the end of 1896, that's just was they hired Banta to do. Even if it seems the two of them split, technically they didn't split up in vaudeville. Banta still went and did performances with Vess, until about 1900 when working at Edison and Victor was beginning to consume all of his time and energy. Banta still made tons of records with him between 1899 and 1903, as he's on all of Ossman's Victors. When I say all of them I mean ALL OF THEM(including his "A Bunch of Rags"). Ossman skewed from Banta when he made Columbia cylinders, instead of Banta, he had Hylands. Ossman came to find quick that Hylands was a whole other kind of piano monster than Banta, a kind that he must have been somewhat menaced by. The amount of intelligence and character that came with Hylands must have been too much for Vess to want to deal with regularly. He found the modesty and introvertedness of Frank Banta perfectly suited for him, so he could be himself while Banta stayed quiet and observed. 

When Vess performed with Banta, some tunes seemed almost like a battle, as Banta's time was shaky, and so was Ossman's. The tunes either stayed perfectly together, or there were issues occasionally with rhythm on either of their parts. When Ossman played with Hylands, that was a different kind of battle, instead of being one of rhythmic stability, Hylands made it a battle of appearance and musical ostentation(who could be more frivolous?). 

Banta must have found traveling with Ossman very tiring and boring only when they weren't onstage or at parties he was invited to. I'm sure Vess would get invited to big parties and gatherings that Banta didn't want to go to, or simply wasn't invited to. Banta wasn't the one who had all the "groupies", so he oftentimes was the one who wanted to go on back to the hotel and sleep as much as he could before the next performance. Sometimes, Vess would allow for that, but other times, he wanted him to come along and play for the party guests. Vess was a "life of the party"type(much like Len Spencer), and was invited to many of those gatherings that the Easton's had at the Waldorf in 1898 and 1899, but Banta was not even told of these, as it was Hylands who would inevitably be there as pianist at those. I also have the feeling that Hylands and Spencer endorsed Ossman on many events held by the members of their firm in 1899, disregarding Banta only as an Edison staff member, not one of the "Columbia Clan". When Ossman returned to work more with Banta in 1901, it was at Victor that he made some exceptional records with Banta, some that are as superior examples of Rag-Time as Spencer and Hylands cylinders in 1898 and 1899. 
Some of which you can hear:
Their perfect rendition of "A Bunch if Rags" (with LOTS OF FIFTHS!)
"Tell me Pretty Maiden"(Floradora)
"Salome Intermezzo", which he also recorded with Hylands on Columbia
S. R. Henry's "The Colored Major"(notice! the date right before this one was recorded, Leachman made a batch of records, also with Banta!)

Meanwhile, at Columbia, Ossman was getting flustered with Fred Hylands almost every day that he came in to make records with him. He much preferred Banta come to whatever studio he went to, but that simply was not possible, the Columbia people would not want Hylands to get replaced several times in a month, just because of a pianist who didn't work there(Notice! this is the reason that we don't hear Banta on Columbia's behind Ossman, as for a long time, that was the common belief). If Ossman ever dragged in Banta, Hyands would be cross for--- other reasons...(if you know what I mean...)
Even with the fights, Ossman made some fantastic cylinders with Hylands from 1898 to 1904, that sound just as great as the renditions with Banta from the same time frame:
"Sounds from Africa", 1898
"A Bunch of Rags", 1903
"The Darkey's Dream", 1898(fantastic piano accompaniment!)
"Whistling Rufus", 1899

Here's the problem with Ossman working with Hylands; Hylands always sped up when with Vess, no matter what record it is you're listening to, you will notice the speed change if you're keeping up with the rhythm. It's not just because they were running out of time(as most people still think for some reason), it was because of how Hylands worked with Ossman, and how Ossman worked with Hylands. This was still a problem with Banta, but it wasn't as combative as it was with Hylands. 
Anyhow, if Banta had lived longer, it be certain that Vess would have clung to him, and still had him as his accompanist after the piano accompaniment era ended, which, even if Banta had lived longer, still would have ended by 1907, just maybe a little bit later than the actual 1905 date. 

I hope you enjoyed this! 

W. H. Krell and mid-1890's Chicago "Rag" scene

Since this date, January 27, was the date that Krell's famous piece "Mississippi Rag" was copyrighted back in 1897, this would be an appropriate time to do a post on Krell and 1890's Chicago Rag-Time. 

From the title of this post, I am not at all making the point that Krell was a sort of "chief" of the 1890's Chicago "Rag" society, but he was a big player in the sporty events and music of it. Krell's band was an important and popular group in mid-1890's Chicago, from the World's Fair in 1893, to playing at the big vaudeville houses with Silas Leachman in 1895. As I have briefly mentioned on a previous post, Krell was an aggressive leader who always wanted to be the best bandleader in Chicago, even if that fact was not really true. 

Krell was was in Chicago in a blossoming time of creativity, invention, and excitement. Since 1893 was such an important melting pot for so many from everywhere to experiment and learn, the many who were "stranded" in the city stayed and allowed for the knowledge to flow. Instead of becoming one of those many piano "professors", Krell skewed off to creating his own band after the fair, and wrote some music. In 1895, he wrote a handful of tunes that included a few songs, waltzes, and of course, a cake-walk "Rag". He had heard many of the early "Rag Time" pianists perform at rugged boardinghouses, and wanted to write some of it down, without too much of the realistic syncopation. 

Krell was living in Chicago when it was considered the "sin city" of it's day, with all the "rag time's"(rowdy boardinghouse parties in 1890's slang), sporting houses, prostitution, gambling, and everything else that comes from a city of that type. The young people who took part in this society of "trouble-makers" does include Fred Hylands, and Frank P. Banta, as both of them were in Chicago between 1894 and 1896. Banta was there in 1894-95, and Hylands was there from 1893 to early 1896. Banta played in saloons and sporting houses while there, and not much else. This might be why some may be curious about those Chicago Talking Machine Company records from c.1894-96, as it might be one of those two pianists behind those singers. Or not, it's hard to know. I'm sure when Ossman and Banta were on tour in Chicago, Vess split with Banta for a little while to got and enjoy himself, if you know what I mean...

Anyhow, back to Krell. With his band, he was making the rounds in the Chicago area, and making sure that his band was the best of all, even though it was getting very tough to stay on top by the time his "Mississippi Rag" was published. He came out with another rag in 1898 called "Shake Yo' Dusters" which is a better example of a Rag from mid-1890's Chicago. The melodies of "Mississippi Rag' came from black southern melodies Krell and his band heard while out on tour along the Mississippi in 1896. So in later 1896, he had a band arrangement of an un-named tune, but by the beginning of the next year, he finally had a title for the piece, which became hereafter The Mississippi Rag. 
The tunes in Rag-Time he wrote were popular at the hall dances his band played, and at vaudeville venues, as well as being played by other performers in the area(like by Fred Hylands!). Sometimes Krell had guest instrumentalists, like Harry Diamond, who was that young violinist that Krell got into a terrible argument with in 1900 and ended up hurting him badly. He must have also had someone like Silas Leachman sing with his orchestra, since he still resided in Chicago, even though in 1900 he was well engaged in making records for local companies(but not Victor just yet!). He knew somehow, that after 1905, his popularity was going downhill far faster than he had ever thought, but he didn't admit if fully until the mid-1910's. By then, Chicago was no longer that Rag-Time powerhouse of the mid-1890's. 
It was a place that was described in many accounts, 1890's Chicago(post world's fair), described in negative ways, and positive ways, certainly a fascinating period of time in that area.





Now I mean to get into some records for this evening. Some of these records I have here are ones that I could have shared a while ago, but I haven't for some reason. 
Now this first one is a Victor disc from 1901 by Len Spencer. The question though, lies on the pianist identification. Here is that record:
Will Marion Cook's "On Emancipation Day" by Len Spencer
After a few listens, I really think I know who that pianist is. For a long time, this was just as confusing a record as any Victor for knowing the pianist, but now that I have really figured out the distinctions, that pianist on this is...
FRANK P. BANTA:

Yes indeed. 
From my post a little while back where I listed all the studio pianist attributes, it would seem that Banta fits into this one quite well. Pretty much every one of Banta's stylings are present on this record, and it is a Victor from before 1904 anyhow, so it's probably Banta. It is a fantastic example of early recorded Rag-Time, and Rag-Time by a black composer other and Bert Williams and George Walker. 


This next one is a record I just found this evening, and it's by a performer I don't think I've ever spoken of on this blog:

Charles D' Almaine. 
The violin extraordinaire on all of those Edison, Columbia, Victor and Berliner records in the late-1890's and 1900's. 
Now this record I have here, is an odd one, with questionable piano accompaniment, but a revealing date somehow. Now here you go with Charles D'Almaine's version of "Donkey and Driver" recorded in April, 1904. Since it was recorded in 1904 that rids of Banta from the guesses, but there are still three others it could be. I could be Fred Bachmann, Christopher Booth, or Fred Hylands. The one thing that makes me think it's more likely to be Hylands is how loud and jarring the fifths in the left hand are at the section starting at 0:46, also that he's not exactly playing the tune as written. Hylands was, anyway, the primary pianist for Victor in that short period of time after Banta's death in 1903 and the end of the piano accompaniment era in early 1905.
Speaking of D'Almaine, I just recalled another record from many years before, that just also happens to have Hylands on piano. 
Here's "The Mockingbird" by D'Almaine and Hylands, c.1898-99.
Now this is a weird record. Hylands is absolutely crazy on this one, and when I say that, I mean it! He's even more frantic than he is on any other record I've ever heard with his accompaniment. This is one of those few records where one would have to wonder what kind of drug Hylands was on when he did this take. There are a few more examples of this, but this one is a rare one from before 1900. 

I hope you enjoyed this! 

Hylands and Spencer and Rag-Tyme mysteries

We certainly know about that gentleman. Even with all that is known about him, I still have many questions about Mr. Len Spencer, as many record collectors do as well. My dear friend Jack Stanley and I both fully believe that there's a side to Spencer that has long been disregarded, or maybe pushed aside for specific reasons? It's hard to know, but whenever I go out to the LOC, the first thing that I will look for is that little notebook of his I've heard tales of for many years. Who knows what that little treasure trove holds in its pages...

It would be similar to if someone found a bunch of Fred Hylands' letters from around the time that his firm collapsed. Speaking of that! I wonder if Spencer's notebook has dates from the time that he worked with Hylands in publishing, that would certainly be fascinating. I've been told that it has dates from the late-1890's, but I don't know if that means 1897-98, 1899, or 1900, or any configuration of any of those dates. If anyone knows, tell me!  Either way, that little notebook might be a hint into what this unknown/forgotten side of Len Spencer was. 

Anyhow, now to get into the main part of this post. I was listening to some cylinders by the Columbia orchestra while in art class yesterday

(some of the Columbia orchestra, including Fred Hylands in the right corner with his hand atop the piano)

While digging through these eccentricities of studio orchestra music, I stumbled upon somewhat of an atrocity of a brown wax cylinder. I am a great fan of the Columbia orchestra(the group that lasted from 1897 to 1905, not to at all be confused with the Columbia band what came a little later, and overlapped with the orchestra for a few years), but this cylinder was a real change from the many others by them I have heard. This record had the title of "The Village Orchestra", and when I saw that title, I immediately knew that this was going to be a comic cylinder of them imitating an unskilled and terrible-sounding country orchestra. Guess what, that's what it was! 

Here you go:

a not-so-great transfer of "The Village Orchestra" by the Columbia orchestra from earlier 1899

I was cracking up terribly when I heard this cylinder! They're trying to play horribly! I heard a familiar voice in there, hmm... That "Encore! Encore!" after they played "Pop Goes the Weasel" sounded an awful lot like that piano player. Fred Hylands! Also, that little thing toward the end:

Tom Clark or George Schweinfest:  Say! Do ye fellows know "Annie Low-rie"?

Fred Hylands: Why--that was "Annie Low-rrr-ie"! (there's a weird rolled "r" there, that's why it's written that way)

That, my friends, is real  1890's vaudeville! And that's also Fred Hylands' sense of humor at work(it was one of the things he was know for!). It's very clever really, and it must have been a popular act with those who asked the Columbia to play for them, as it was hilarious and perfectly terrible in its own ways. 

Now onto the Rag-Time mysteries part of this post. Just this evening, I was listening to Len Spencer's version of this here:

Yes, that iconic tune of early "Rag-Time" by Benjamin Robertson Harney

Yes indeed. 

Harney at last got this Louisville true "Rag" in 1895, after years of carrying the piece around with him as he played in saloons, boardinghouses, and playing the left-handed banjo occasionally. In 1896, Len Spencer got a chance to see Harney perform at one of the major Manhattan vaudeville stages. Harney not only did his specialty with "Mister Johnson Turn Me Loose", he also went for his outlandish "buck dance" along with his choruses of "Good Old Wagon". Spencer had to learn it, and so he did, mimicking Harney's rare and deceiving tones of voice, some dance movements, and his perfect dialect. 

His exceptional mimicking skills came very handy when making the rounds of "Good Old Wagon". When Fred Hylands came along, all Spencer wanted to do was to make hundreds of rounds of it with him. So he did. I haven't been able to heard any of the brown waxes he made with Hylands in 1898, but I know there must be at least a few of them out there somewhere. The one popular and somewhat overly-used take of Spencer's "Good Old Wagon" is the take from 1902 on a Lambert cylinder:

Everyone uses the cylinder quite a lot, on record blogs, history blogs, and music blogs, only because many would come to the idea that it only fully represents how Spencer was the main singer of Coon songs in the 1890's, and was the most cruel and shameless with the racism. While that is partially true, there are dozens of more things to consider when hearing this infamous cylinder. 

That piano accompaniment. It had been a widely debated item of interest since the first CD with the record on it was put out. It is one of the few records where non-record collectors I know have argued with me about the pianist. Even though there are hundreds of better examples of Rag-Time on cylinders from even several years before, this one seems to have kicked up the most discussion. It cannot be Frank P. Banta, and here's why:

-It's Len Spencer singing

-It's a Lambert cylinder

-Banta already worked for Edison and Victor in 1901-02

-Lambert was a branch off of Columbia(if you think about it for a moment)

So with that, the pianist would, most logically, have to be Fred Hylands. The style is also similar to that of Hylands, even if there's  hell of a lot of sustain pedal on is. His rhythm is good enough to be Hylands as well:

Len Spencer and Fred Hylands' "Good Old Wagon" from 1902 on a Lambert cylinder.

Yes, to those of you who had to do any liner notes for this cylinder on any CD, that pianist is not "anonymous" or "Unknown Studio pianist", nor is it when trying to sound all smart by saying the pianist is Frank P. Banta. It's Len Spencer's favourite pianist FRED HYLANDS. 

Now this next thing I would like to speak of is something I have hinted at on this blog before. It is the discussion of music written out by other composers that sounds like it could be imitations of Frank Banta or Fred Hylands. I would like to bring back Maximilian Hoffmann into the picture:

Yep. 

Hoffmann is still a reasonably unknown character in the history of Rag-Time, even though he was one of the first to string together extraordinary medleys of Rags and cakewalks. He can be considered one of the early "Rag-Timers". In that group(by the way) would include this:

Ben Harney, Max Hoffmann, Mike Bernard, Barney Fagan, Burton Green, and Fred Hylands(*keep in mind that these were the white performers on the east coast, and in the midwest, there was of course the group that the Turpin's and Joplin were part of at the same time*)

Hoffmann's Rag Medleys are still unknown in their true origins, the songs in them are known, but not necessarily the stylistic spectrum of them. When I hear either one of his medleys, whether his "Rag Medley" from 1897 or his "Ragtown Rags" from 1898, I hear the syncopated musings of Fred Hylands. Why? Well take a listen to all of Hoffmann's "RagTown Rags" here, and really listen to how the syncopation is written, and even how some of the left hand is played as well. Now after 6 minutes of Ragged mastery, listen to Hylands and Golden's "Roll on De Ground" from the same year as "RagTown Rags". It's got all of the same syncopation that the medley has, with that distinct style of Rags that disappeared mostly in 1904, but completely by 1906. 

It's a distinct style that can be very well heard on this one here from 1897, it's a little hard to describe, but it's very syncopated, quick, and stems from how the earliest cake-walks were played. It's a style that is hard to master, and what is forgotten about this specifically mid-late 1890's style is that complicated bass patterns were also played behind the heavily syncopated right hand notes. This can complicate the playing far more that it needs to be, but it's how it was actually played. No one knew how to write the walking bass patterns. That's the only reason that it is non-existent in written Rag-Time until Artie Mathews' "Weary Blues" from many years later in 1915. It existed, and it was played often, but it took a true musical genius like Artie Mathews to know how to write it out. 

That was the one thing that Hoffmann missed when trying to transcribe his medleys, after hearing Burt Green, Harney, and Hylands play. They all played it, but in slightly differing ways it seems. Another thing that was specific to few pianists of the 1890's, was the fifths and fourths in the left hand. That was something that Fred Hylands didn't do too often, but Frank P. Banta did, and Ben Harney did. Now, here's a piece that all of these aspects are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V97k-89c90A

Every one of the late-1890's Rag-Time stylings are present here. Minus the syncopation patterns from the ones above. Now, here's the one thing that's amazing about this piece "The Funny Old Fakir' as it's called. Walking bass patterns are present! That it truly astounding for 1898! That can be heard at about 1:20, by the way.  There's also quite a few fifths and tenths in the left hand, that's also curious. 

All of these characteristics can be heard on the cylinder by Golden and Hylands above, and also on this cylinder here( the first take listed) recorded in 1898 as well. 

All these Hylands characteristics(minus the broken octaves) are present in this piece I have shared on here before:

Laurent Dubuclet's("Larry Buck") "Freckles" from 1905

That Rag possibly might be named for Hylands, being a freckle-faced redhead. 

Anyhow, the piece is fantastic and is a true Chicago-Indiana Rag, that is not at all in the Rag-Time style of 1905, and it sounds more like 1896-97 to me. 

Like a "Chicago Professor" I have mentioned before on this blog. 

I hope you enjoyed this! 

An Operatic record and a guide to early studio pianists

Yesterday evening, not long after I put up the last post, a good collector friend of mine posted a fantastic and unusual record on his channel. It didn't appear of much interest to me at first, but I clicked on it anyway. How I was surprised! It was extraordinary! Anyhow, before I get into details, here's "Je Veux Vivire(Romeo and Juliet)" by Suzanne Adams, recorded in 1903.

Now it took a few listens to fully understand what this was really, and it's amazing truly. The singer is great, and the announcement is by Harry Spencer, and the piano is by Charles Prince. I thought at first it was Hylands, but that would not really be realistic, for a multitude of reasons. So since I just realised that Charles Prince was, other than being the famous bandleader of the 1910's, but he was Columbia's Operatic pianist. Prince was the Operatic accompanist, whereas Hylands was the "everything else" pianist. Hylands was the one who played all of the "lower-class" music that wasn't opera. 

That makes so much sense, I think I'm starting to get who the three Columbia pianists were between 1896 and 1905, just like that at Edison. Here's a list, with all dates, and all known pianists listed:

Edison: Edward Issler(primary pianist, 1889-1896)Frank P. Banta(primary pianist 1896-1903), Albert Benzler(secondary c. 1898-1905/primary 1904-1908), Fred Bachmann(operatic/sub pianist, c.late-1890's-?)

Victor/Berliner: Fred Gaisberg(primary pianist, 1894-1898)Frank P. Banta(primary Pianist, 1899-1903), Fred Hylands(sub pianist, 1900-1903/primary 1905) Christopher H. Booth(operatic/sub pianist, c.1900-1911)Fred Bachmann(operatic/sub pianist c. 1901-1917)

Zon-O-Phone: Fred Hylands(primary pianist, 1899-1903), Frank P. Banta(secondary pianist 1900-1903) more than these two? I don't know.

Columbia: Artists play or Edward Issler(1889-c. after 1900)Fred Gaisberg(Primary pianist 1891-c.1896) George Schweinfest(primary pianist 1896-mid 1897/ sub pianist 1897-1903) Fred Hylands(primary pianist, c.mid 1897-October or November of 1905) 

Leeds/American: Fred Hylands(primary pianist, 1903-c.1905) Anyone else, I don't know.

Many small/ independent companies: Fred Hylands(primary c.1899-1902) Banta was rarely on independent labels, and if you find a record made by an obscure or independent company between 1899 and 1903, it will more likely be Hylands than Banta, or anyone else. Pirate labels also count in this category. 

Now here's a guide to the most common piano accompaniment styles of the early pianists(note! not all of them are listed, because it's hard to know on some of these "in-between" records):

Frank P. Banta, studio pianist from c.1896-1903

Distinct style characteristics: If you hear lots of fifths between octaves on records in the piano, a style that can get ahead of the singer on Victors, broken octaves in the right hand only, very fast chromatic sections, slightly "dotted" or unsyncopated Ragged patterns, quick tremolos on Edison cylinders, rarely played in the upper register, and a somewhat frantic Rag-Time style. Also, on things that aren't Rag-Time, the rhythm is unsteady(usually rushy), but has a very deep sense of "soul" to it, and isn't straight as an arrow. 

Some examples: The first two takes listed here are it.

With Billy Golden on an Edison cylinder.
With Dan Quinn on a Victor from 1901.

His own gorgeous arrangement of "Violets" recorded in 1903, arranged in 1901.

Albert Benzler, studio pianist from c.1898-1909

Distinct style characteristics:  plays lots of sweeping trills all over the treble notes, plays in the higher register of the piano, had the ability to play notes very very fast like in much of the romantic era music, very unsteady and broken sense of time, not very keen on the whole "Rag-Time" style. He may be able to be heard playing "Black and White Rag" in 1911, but it's nothing like how you'd think it would be. 

His version of George Botsford's "Black and White Rag"

"The Chapel in the Woods", recorded in 1907

His version of Banta's "Violets" recorded in 1905

Edward Issler, Studio pianist from 1889-c.1896

Distinct style characteristics: If you have a very early brown wax cylinder, you're more than likely to hear Issler, North American cylinders had Issler on them almost always, and since that is not too hard of a distinction to make, his style is of not much use for identification. He played loudly, powerfully, lots of octaves in the left hand, played exaggeratedly sometimes(such as exaggerating the waltz time, or dotted rhythms), played "pre-Ragtime" pretty well, and was always playing the most popular music. His sense of rhythm was fantastic for being a (probably) classically trained pianist, better than Banta's time. 

Here are some examples:
behind Edward M. Favor in 1893
with his parlor orchestra(announced by young Len Spencer!) playing "Wang Gavotte" from 1892-93
with David Dana in 1891

Fred Gaisberg, house pianist(in the U.S.) from 1893-1898

Distinct style characteristics: lots of quick notes, very unsteady sense of rhythm, very dynamic style, light and airy, but also could be loud as needed. His Rag-Time style was very unsyncopated and much like "negro dances" of the early 1890's, or early cakewalks(pre-1895). Put lots of energy into his accompaniments, and showed off what he could do very much. Very well-trained, and well rounded as a pianist, and it's very evident in his playing. Any Berliner record from pre-1897 is pretty much Gaisberg always.

Here are some examples: 
with John Yorke Atlee in 1893.
sort of playing some Rag-Time behind George Gaskin in 1896(on a Berliner)
behind Atlee again in 1893
behind Dan W. Quinn singing "The Band Played On" on a Berliner from 1895


Fred. Hylands, house pianist from c.1897-1905

Distinct style characteristics: If you have a Columbia cylinder from 1898-1901, it's most likely that Hylands is on the piano, if the song is at all Rag-Time related and recorded on a Columbia from 1898 to 1904, Hylands is there on piano. His style was rough, strong, jumpy, rhythmically superior, very Ragged, and just sounded like a style that all the record managers craved. It was more reasonable to work with rhythmically than all of the other styles that Columbia had before 1897. He played broken walking octaves in the left hand, lots and lots of notes, weird chord configurations, lots of tenths and twelfths everywhere, had a style that lingered sometimes(as his mind was always in a different place), he drank prominently in the studios, and of course when he did that, his time got more broken and unsteady. Sometimes he sounded frantic, nervous, or anxious. Other times he sounded slow, careless, and vain. He was a true saloon pianist, but he was a little more "classy" than the stereotype somehow.

Here are some examples: 
an 1899 take and 1903 take of "Turkey in the Straw" with Billy Golden
Behind Joe Belmont in 1903
behind George Schweinfest in 1903
behind Arthur Collins in earlier-1905.
behind Charles P. Lowe in 1901

I hope you enjoyed this! 

More on Columbia Rag-Time vs. Edison Rag-Time

Since the UCSB website is working again, I will continue my post from yesterday evening. I meant to showcase these two records by the Peerless Orchestra yesterday:
here's "Ma Tiger Lily" by the Peerless Orchestra, 1900

It was also intended that I use their version of "Whistling Rufus" from 1899(with an introduction by Arthur Collins)

These are both very tasteful selections of Rag-Time chosen by Frank Banta. The renditions(there's two takes on the page!) of "Whistling Rufus" are especially fantastic, because of the very syncopated melodies paired with the straight march melodies of the song. That was something that the Columbia orchestra didn't do too often, as much as Banta did with the Edison orchestra. Also what I meant to share yesterday were a few more of Banta's and Collins' brown wax cylinders. 
This first one is one that Len Spencer also recorded with Fred Hylands around the same time(if not in the same month or so!)and on the list of Columbia cylinders from my last post, you can actually see it listed. 
Here's "All I Wants Is My Chickens", from late-1898(by Collins with Banta)
It's just about as good as Rag-Time on cylinders could get from pre-1900, and Banta's playing can be very well dissected on this one, more than usual. You can actually hear him hit a fifth on the last chord(which was something that was characteristic to his playing!), and you can actually hear all of those bass notes, more so than many brown wax Edison cylinders. 
I would like to hear Spencer and Hylands' version of the song though, that would certainly make for a fascinating comparison. If anyone has the brown wax Columbia of "All I Wants Is My Chickens" by Len Spencer, comment on this post!(the catalog number is 7446). 

This next Collins and Banta selection is a fantastically hot Rag number entitled "Lam Lam Lam", recorded in 1901*just a nerdy Rag-Time note, this song was written by  Benjamin Jerome, the composer of the "A Bunch of Rags" medley in 1898, and it's not Ossman's!*. 
Banta really plays his tail off on this one! Not every note is clearest, but you can certainly hear how he's playing everything! This is just about how hot Banta could get on Edison's piano, and all his musical traits are present. I have heard this record countless times, and am still hearing things I didn't hear before. Just as I'm writing this, I just noticed this audible deep note at about 2:05-06. Banta hits the deeper note of the octave first, then the higher note, almost like Hylands did on hundreds of Columbia records. There's so much to hear on this cylinder, and it takes a few listens to really get the gist of what Banta plays. 

Meanwhile, at Columbia--- Collins began working there in 1901, starting with working with 

Yes, that guy. Aside from working with Natus, Collins made some fantastic Rag-Time records with Fred Hylands, in 1901 and 1902. 
It's when you can hear records like this one:
Collins singing Cole and Johnson's "My Castle on the Nile" in 1902
That's pretty wild for Hylands, but not the most he'd been before that. He did show off his style on this cylinder by playing lots of broken walking octaves. It's somewhat amazing really, the way Hylands plays on this one is nothing less of genius. 
Hylands must have been showing off on the last one, like he usually did, but a little more so that usual on that one. In 1901-1903, Collins and Hylands did turn out some excellent Rag-Time records. There are one's like this from 1901. 
Like this one,
and of course, this one.
There's not a way to choose which one if better than the others, as they're all perfect examples of genuine Rag-Time. Yes, I know, you get a white singer, and a white pianist, but you do get "Chicago Professor" playing Rag-Time freely as he would, with not much changed from his "very 1896" Rag style(if you know what I mean...). As I mentioned in my last post, I mentioned that Hylands also was at Leeds in 1903. In bringing Leeds back to the picture, you get records like this one, from 1903. Now this is a weird one. It's Collins with the "Leeds Orchestra", which could have composed of many known or unknown musicians. One thing is for sure, Hylands was their pianist. There is not a doubt that Hylands would have been dragged in to Leeds rather than Banta, only because Banta was leading the Metropolitan orchestra still in '03, and was still Edison's regular pianist. Having him work for Leeds would have been far too much work than he already bore. This Leeds record has a fantastic piano part, and for some odd reason, it's pretty much the loudest instrument in the whole ensemble(other than the flutes). That's one thing that also indicates Hylands on the piano, also because the tempo for the song and the sense of rhythm are far too good to be anyone like Banta or Albert Benzler(it couldn't be Benzler anyway, but he's an option because he was Banta's sub at Edison in 1903.)  Columbia's house orchestra in this time was also a great source for Rag-time, as they turned out tunes like "Dixie Girl"(which you can hear here.)"Peaceful Henry", "Virginia Skedaddle", "HoneySuckle and the Bee"(you can hear it on a Climax record here!) and many more great Hylands arrangements. 
Hylands led the orchestra every time they made recordings, no matter who it was who did the arrangement, as he's loud, pushy with tempo, demanding of attention. That could certainly he said with the record of "HoneySuckle and the Bee", as for some reason, they go into a little bit of a tango time section at the end, that had to be of the devising of Fred Hylands(because it's not in the written music!).
Now I meant to share this cylinder yesterday, and it's that cylinder with this piece on it:

Yep, that's it. I wish I owned a copy of the original sheet music, but I don't ,and I haven't any friends who might have it. Anyhow, enough explaining, here's Hylands' almost mess of arrangement of his own, self-published, "Darkey Volunteer(s)" recorded in mid-1898(excuse the home recording just after the music ends...). 
There's so many weird things that went into the making of this piece of music, and the creation of this recording. 

One: Hylands hadn't had the means to publish the tune until 6 months after he wrote it.
Two: He didn't have anyone who wanted to publish it, so in order to solve that problem, he had  to do it all himself, EVERYTHING. 
Three: He found that after he recorded this with Ossman in about July of 1898, he dedicated it to Ossman, as seen above^^
 Four: He hand-wrote all the arrangement parts for all the members of the orchestra, and they must have just LOVED(sarcastically), having to read those...
It's a hell of an arrangement, and there's  so much going on at the same time that it's hard to keep up with the amount of sounds that are going. But that's the beauty of Hylands and his music, it was all exquisitely tangled up in his mind, until he found a way to make it somewhat less perplexing to the musicians who had to read it. It's still very hard and strange music to read, and to listen to. That's Hylands for ya. 

I'm not really sure it you'd consider "The Darker Volunteer" a Rag-Time piece, but it must have been considered that in its day, and perhaps by the composer himself, who hadn't a title(or a written score) of it until about a month after he had the idea sprouting. Banta was a little less scattered. 

Banta was one who had his idea, and then got to writing it down the night after it came to mind, not letting it linger and somehow recollecting the melodies, after a multitude of harsh drinks. Banta had more music written out, and more arrangements full and ready for the musicians to read. They didn't always fall together so well with the Metropolitan orchestra, such as on this mess here. Yes, that record is pretty much the definition of the music falling apart, but it's still interesting, because if you're listening close enough, you can hear Banta count them off at the beginning, like he did so often.  The problem with Banta leading an orchestra is that he was rushy, and pushed the rhythm sometimes, so that can be uncomfortable to some of the other band members. But minus the tangled up ones like "The Sleighing Party", there are also fantastic Rag/Cakewalk arrangements by Banta, such as his great and very "tight" arrangement of Kerry Mills' lesser known Cake-Walk "Impecunious Davis" recorded in 1901. That is an outstanding early recording of Rag-Time, enough said, Banta did well on that one. 

Well, there's so many more great examples, but I would need to save them for other posts, as I've exhausted much of the material I know of off-the-top-of-my- head, more will come soon! 

I hope you enjoyed this!