After speaking with my friend Ryan Wishner last evening, we discussed the Lambert cylinder company for a brief period of time, and it got me thinking. Lambert records were the most ingenious invention of the brown wax era, as they were cylinder records that weren't brown wax. These amazingly innovative cylinders began to be sold in 1900, as alternatives to the fragile and subject to wear brown wax cylinders. They did not catch on as easily, as they had strangely dyed colours, that weren't brown wax, as this was at the height of the brown wax era when this happened. Their queer shades of pink, beige, and blue perplexed record buyers. They were a company with strange amounts of repertoire, ranging from specialties by the popular brown wax performers, to strange performances of operatic music by their house orchestra.
One thing that is so wonderfully distinct about Lambert records was the very well-recorded and loud piano accompaniment. Many collectors wonder how they were able to so well-capture the piano playing better on their records. The piano accompaniment always sounded very loud and clear on these records, better than the clearest Edison with Frank P. Banta, and the loudest Columbia with Spencer and Hylands.
Who was that pianist? That's really what this comes to here, and being the pianist nut, I must divert to the pianists' styles in order to make more sense of Lambert's friends in record companies. Knowing who the pianist was for Lambert not only says who their pianist was, it also says they they might have had some allies in the record business, as it's certain that they would have employed a pianist from an allied company on the eastern coast of the U. S. But which one? Well, we know that Lambert was not at all allied with Edison, so that immediately eliminates Frank P. Banta, Albert Benzler and Fred Bachmann. Since those three are out, that leaves Booth and Hylands. In fact, those two left are the ones who I have long thought to have been there. Hylands really sounds like he was there, and he wouldn't have minded making special trips out to their studio to make records, especially since he knew they he could be better heard on these records than his Columbia's. just for a good example of this, here's Murray singing "Up in Cocoanut Tree" from 1903. Now this one has some suspicious accompaniment there. The style sounds an awful lot like the 1903 take by:
you can hear that here.
The two different versions sounds very similar. In fact, they sound more similar to each other than Murray's Victor of it. On Murray's Victor, I can easily tell that it it someone else playing piano, in that, it's probably Fred Bachmann, as Murray once said was his pianist on all those early Victors.
It really helps when the singers themselves actually said who their pianist was at a certain period of time, it really makes it so much easier. This is exactly why I wish that Jim Walsh didn't eliminate Hylands from his writings, as he would without a doubt be there quite a lot.
Anyhow, back to those Lamberts. The next one I will share is one by:
Len Spencer.
Now this is a cylinder that I have used on this blog before, but it's very important when trying to understand the piano accompaniments on Lambert records. There aren't too many Rag-Time pieces out there on Lamberts by singers that usually recorded Rag-Time, but this is one of them.
Here's Spencer's "You've Been a Good Old Wagon" recorded in 1902.
Now This cylinder has been subjected to debate for many years, since the first time it was used on a CD about 15 years ago. This is one of those few records where collectors immediately were drawn to the piano accompaniment. There aren't too many of those out there, but this one is one of them. It's a record where it's by a singer that most collectors have heard, and the singer is what draws in the collectors, until they listen to the piano accompaniment, which is full of Ragged melodies, without any sort of break in the syncopation. Then they wonder, "Who's that pianist? They're really good!"
I would assume that the obvious guess was used for the pianist on this--Frank P. Banta. Though, as we know, that cannot be so, for many reasons. It is evident that Spencer was somewhat bitter toward Hylands after the who publishing firm venture in 1900, but they still worked together, as the whole reason that they began the firm in the first place was because they worked well together. It is very possible that Hylands is on this disputed cylinder, and I am convinced that it is him, as Spencer wouldn't have done a hot piece of Rag-Time like this with Banta being in that studio, or Fred Bachmann for that matter. Many of the small things that are played in the accompaniment were Hylands things also, such as how he ends the song, which is really the best indicator on this record, as Spencer is very loud here, and muffles out much of the piano accompaniment. It is not Banta, that's all that needs to be said here, and also that Spencer's rendition of this is very historically accurate to Ben Harney's actual singing style(according to personal accounts from the era).
This next one is by:
Yes indeed, Arthur Collins' first recording partner.
Now this is another one that has caused some debate, mostly because the singer's name is not announced at the beginning, though it's obviously Joe Natus. Here's Natus' "A Bird in the Gilded Cage" recorded in 1900. The piano was very well recorded in this one, which is fantastic! Pretty much every note can be heard here, even with the singer. Much of the style heard on this cylinder is like----you guessed it, Hylands! It really is though, no kidding. There are almost all of Hylands' stylings on this record, which makes it even easier to identify him here. Other than the obviously revealing solo at the end, there's also some right hand syncopation at some points, that I have only heard Hylands play when recording waltzes. Syncopating waltzes was a very strange thing that Hylands did often, and on this cylinder it's pretty easy to tell, if you're listening closely to the piano that is. Also, that weird chromatic thing that begins at the second chorus is also a Hylands characteristic, as If you've listened to any of the early Columbia records I have used in the past, you would have heard some of that syncopated waltz thing, such as on Myers' "Minnie-Ha-Ha" from 1902(with Hylands). This sort of playing can also be heard even earlier on an 1899 take of "She is More to Be Pitied than Censured", also on this Charles P. Lowe recording of "The Carnival of Venice" from 1898.
I hope that all of those cylinders are enough evidence for that Lambert, and since this next one is also a waltz, these can also be used for the next Lambert.
This next one is by Harry MacDonough, who is not exactly one of my favourites, but he's good to listen to, as he never really missed any notes, and always had good piano accompaniment behind him at Edison and Victor(that would be Banta by the way!). Here's MacDonough (announced as Frank Morgan) "Always in the Way" from 1902-03. Now this one is a dead giveaway to me. The out-of-sync waltz playing with lots if right hand sixteenth notes really is something that Banta never did, and that can be heard in the cylinders listed in the previous paragraph. The ending is also one of Hylands' signature endings. He had about four different endings that he always played, and one of them is the very last thing that he plays on the cylinder above. Just before that last arpeggio, that rolled chord thing is really pretty, and I wish he did that more often, as it has a really rare sound to it that the piano creates that I have never heard any of the other studio pianos at that time make. The only other cylinder that comes to mind right now of Hylands doing that rolled chord thing is on this 1899 cylinder here. He does it primarily at the beginning, but is can be heard a little here and there throughout. I know I've heard more examples of this, I just cannot think of them at the moment.
While searching around a few minutes ago, I found a great comparison to the Natus cylinder, Steve Porter's version of "A Bird in a Gilded" cage. This one showcases Hylands' frantic playing more than pretty playing in the MacDonough Lambert above. He also makes one very audible mistake at 2:17, that sounds pretty interesting, but it's obviously a mistake. It's sure that Hylands is on the Porter take though, considering the date of the recording(1900).
Now these next two are cylinders by:
Collins and Harlan.
Now these two are very interesting ones, as they may have been recorded on the same day, or at least not far from each other in date.
Here you go:
Their Lambert of "Hurrah for Baffin's Bay"(music begins at just after 4 minutes...)
their 1903 recording of "Marriage is Sublime"
The first one sounds like Hylands is on piano because of the solo at the end, also from the bars full of sixteenth notes, which as you can kind of hear in the last 30 seconds of Quinn's 1899 cylinder of "She's All-Right". Now the reason I think Hylands is on the second on here is because of that specific way that he plays that twelfth chord at the beginning of the intro. That is something that Hylands often put into one of his signature endings, and in intros just like the one on this very cylinder. The second cylinder listed can be very well compared with this 1903 cylinder here. It's not only transferred in the same key, and, once again, he does that twelfth thing that I just spoke of in the intro! The cylinders are also from the same year, so that helps. Next step for comparison would be to find Collins and Harlan's Columbia of "Marriage is Sublime", which was recorded around the same time, that way, we'd be pretty set and sure here. But really, when I saw that these two Lamberts were made by Collins and Harlan, I immediately thought that Hylands was probably on piano, considering their very good relationship in the studio, at Columbia that is.
Now since I have done all this comparing, listen to these Lamberts and find out for yourself if you think it's Hylands.
S. H. Dudley's "Whistling Bowery Boy" from 1903
Harry MacDounough's "My Own United States" from 1903
here's a Columbia take of this: http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder7430
Ossman's "Hunky Dory" recorded in 1902(there's some good Ragged piano playing here!)
Before I end for the day, I must share a fun Silas Leachman record that a kind record collector put up a few days ago. Now it's a fun song, with some wild Ragged piano playing!
Leachman's "I Don't Care if I Never Wake Up" from 1901
Of the few Leachman Victor's I think Hylands is on, this is one of them.
That wild solo at the beginning give it away, as I have heard him do that at the beginning of Gaskin's "My Wild Irish Rose" from 1899. I don't really know what he's trying to do in that weird solo at the beginning... But it's strange and interesting all the same! Now in case any of you didn't notice the lyrics in this song, other than it being a typical "coon song", there were these lines:
"At a Chinese Laundry he hangs around..."
and also, "A pipe full of dope he bought."
There you go folks, that's 1901 for ya. How ironic that Fred Hylands is playing so wildly behind Leahcman here! Anyway it's a great piece of Rag-Time nonetheless.
The two different versions sounds very similar. In fact, they sound more similar to each other than Murray's Victor of it. On Murray's Victor, I can easily tell that it it someone else playing piano, in that, it's probably Fred Bachmann, as Murray once said was his pianist on all those early Victors.
It really helps when the singers themselves actually said who their pianist was at a certain period of time, it really makes it so much easier. This is exactly why I wish that Jim Walsh didn't eliminate Hylands from his writings, as he would without a doubt be there quite a lot.
Anyhow, back to those Lamberts. The next one I will share is one by:
Now this is a cylinder that I have used on this blog before, but it's very important when trying to understand the piano accompaniments on Lambert records. There aren't too many Rag-Time pieces out there on Lamberts by singers that usually recorded Rag-Time, but this is one of them.
Here's Spencer's "You've Been a Good Old Wagon" recorded in 1902.
Now This cylinder has been subjected to debate for many years, since the first time it was used on a CD about 15 years ago. This is one of those few records where collectors immediately were drawn to the piano accompaniment. There aren't too many of those out there, but this one is one of them. It's a record where it's by a singer that most collectors have heard, and the singer is what draws in the collectors, until they listen to the piano accompaniment, which is full of Ragged melodies, without any sort of break in the syncopation. Then they wonder, "Who's that pianist? They're really good!"
I would assume that the obvious guess was used for the pianist on this--Frank P. Banta. Though, as we know, that cannot be so, for many reasons. It is evident that Spencer was somewhat bitter toward Hylands after the who publishing firm venture in 1900, but they still worked together, as the whole reason that they began the firm in the first place was because they worked well together. It is very possible that Hylands is on this disputed cylinder, and I am convinced that it is him, as Spencer wouldn't have done a hot piece of Rag-Time like this with Banta being in that studio, or Fred Bachmann for that matter. Many of the small things that are played in the accompaniment were Hylands things also, such as how he ends the song, which is really the best indicator on this record, as Spencer is very loud here, and muffles out much of the piano accompaniment. It is not Banta, that's all that needs to be said here, and also that Spencer's rendition of this is very historically accurate to Ben Harney's actual singing style(according to personal accounts from the era).
This next one is by:
Yes indeed, Arthur Collins' first recording partner.
Now this is another one that has caused some debate, mostly because the singer's name is not announced at the beginning, though it's obviously Joe Natus. Here's Natus' "A Bird in the Gilded Cage" recorded in 1900. The piano was very well recorded in this one, which is fantastic! Pretty much every note can be heard here, even with the singer. Much of the style heard on this cylinder is like----you guessed it, Hylands! It really is though, no kidding. There are almost all of Hylands' stylings on this record, which makes it even easier to identify him here. Other than the obviously revealing solo at the end, there's also some right hand syncopation at some points, that I have only heard Hylands play when recording waltzes. Syncopating waltzes was a very strange thing that Hylands did often, and on this cylinder it's pretty easy to tell, if you're listening closely to the piano that is. Also, that weird chromatic thing that begins at the second chorus is also a Hylands characteristic, as If you've listened to any of the early Columbia records I have used in the past, you would have heard some of that syncopated waltz thing, such as on Myers' "Minnie-Ha-Ha" from 1902(with Hylands). This sort of playing can also be heard even earlier on an 1899 take of "She is More to Be Pitied than Censured", also on this Charles P. Lowe recording of "The Carnival of Venice" from 1898.
I hope that all of those cylinders are enough evidence for that Lambert, and since this next one is also a waltz, these can also be used for the next Lambert.
This next one is by Harry MacDonough, who is not exactly one of my favourites, but he's good to listen to, as he never really missed any notes, and always had good piano accompaniment behind him at Edison and Victor(that would be Banta by the way!). Here's MacDonough (announced as Frank Morgan) "Always in the Way" from 1902-03. Now this one is a dead giveaway to me. The out-of-sync waltz playing with lots if right hand sixteenth notes really is something that Banta never did, and that can be heard in the cylinders listed in the previous paragraph. The ending is also one of Hylands' signature endings. He had about four different endings that he always played, and one of them is the very last thing that he plays on the cylinder above. Just before that last arpeggio, that rolled chord thing is really pretty, and I wish he did that more often, as it has a really rare sound to it that the piano creates that I have never heard any of the other studio pianos at that time make. The only other cylinder that comes to mind right now of Hylands doing that rolled chord thing is on this 1899 cylinder here. He does it primarily at the beginning, but is can be heard a little here and there throughout. I know I've heard more examples of this, I just cannot think of them at the moment.
While searching around a few minutes ago, I found a great comparison to the Natus cylinder, Steve Porter's version of "A Bird in a Gilded" cage. This one showcases Hylands' frantic playing more than pretty playing in the MacDonough Lambert above. He also makes one very audible mistake at 2:17, that sounds pretty interesting, but it's obviously a mistake. It's sure that Hylands is on the Porter take though, considering the date of the recording(1900).
Now these next two are cylinders by:
Now these two are very interesting ones, as they may have been recorded on the same day, or at least not far from each other in date.
Here you go:
Their Lambert of "Hurrah for Baffin's Bay"(music begins at just after 4 minutes...)
their 1903 recording of "Marriage is Sublime"
The first one sounds like Hylands is on piano because of the solo at the end, also from the bars full of sixteenth notes, which as you can kind of hear in the last 30 seconds of Quinn's 1899 cylinder of "She's All-Right". Now the reason I think Hylands is on the second on here is because of that specific way that he plays that twelfth chord at the beginning of the intro. That is something that Hylands often put into one of his signature endings, and in intros just like the one on this very cylinder. The second cylinder listed can be very well compared with this 1903 cylinder here. It's not only transferred in the same key, and, once again, he does that twelfth thing that I just spoke of in the intro! The cylinders are also from the same year, so that helps. Next step for comparison would be to find Collins and Harlan's Columbia of "Marriage is Sublime", which was recorded around the same time, that way, we'd be pretty set and sure here. But really, when I saw that these two Lamberts were made by Collins and Harlan, I immediately thought that Hylands was probably on piano, considering their very good relationship in the studio, at Columbia that is.
Now since I have done all this comparing, listen to these Lamberts and find out for yourself if you think it's Hylands.
S. H. Dudley's "Whistling Bowery Boy" from 1903
Harry MacDounough's "My Own United States" from 1903
here's a Columbia take of this: http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder7430
Ossman's "Hunky Dory" recorded in 1902(there's some good Ragged piano playing here!)
Before I end for the day, I must share a fun Silas Leachman record that a kind record collector put up a few days ago. Now it's a fun song, with some wild Ragged piano playing!
Leachman's "I Don't Care if I Never Wake Up" from 1901
Of the few Leachman Victor's I think Hylands is on, this is one of them.
That wild solo at the beginning give it away, as I have heard him do that at the beginning of Gaskin's "My Wild Irish Rose" from 1899. I don't really know what he's trying to do in that weird solo at the beginning... But it's strange and interesting all the same! Now in case any of you didn't notice the lyrics in this song, other than it being a typical "coon song", there were these lines:
"At a Chinese Laundry he hangs around..."
and also, "A pipe full of dope he bought."
There you go folks, that's 1901 for ya. How ironic that Fred Hylands is playing so wildly behind Leahcman here! Anyway it's a great piece of Rag-Time nonetheless.
I won't be able to post until about next Tuesday, because I'm taking a trip to Missouri for the Scott Joplin Festival! Until then, keep listening geeks!
Hope you enjoyed this!
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