Crescent Records

Crescent Records was an American independent record label that produced jazz recordings from 1944 to 1946 that was founded by Nesuhi Ertegun to record a band that was assembled to perform on CBS Radio's 1944 variety series The Orson Welles Almanac. Only one artist, Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, was released on the Crescent label, which was distributed by Hollywood's Jazz Man Record Shop. Although only eight discs were released, they are considered to be among the most important jazz recordings ever made. Crescent Records was at the vanguard of an international revival of traditional jazz in the 1940s.

Crescent Records
Founded1944 (1944)
FounderNesuhi Ertegun
Defunct1946 (1946)
StatusDefunct
GenreJazz
Country of originU.S.

History
The All Star Jazz Group, early 1944 (left to right): Ed Garland (bass), Buster Wilson (piano), Marili Morden (proprietor, Jazz Man Records), Jimmie Noone (clarinet), Mutt Carey (trumpet), Zutty Singleton (drums), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar)
Crescent Records Number 1 by Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, recorded on August 3, 1944
Crescent Records Number 2 featured Blues for Jimmie (misspelled "Jimmy" on the label), recorded August 3, 1944

Crescent Records was founded by Nesuhi Ertegun in 1944, with the express purpose of recording the All Star Jazz Group featured on the CBS Radio program, The Orson Welles Almanac.[1] Ertegun produced the four recording sessions; the label was owned by Marili Morden, proprietor of the Jazz Man Record Shop in Hollywood. Only eight discs were released on the Crescent label, all of them made by the group Ertegun renamed Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band.[2]:133–134

The All Star Jazz Group was founded in February 1944[3]:243 by Marili Morden at the request of Orson Welles. A passionate and knowledgeable fan of traditional jazz, Welles wanted an authentic New Orleans jazz band for his weekly variety show on CBS Radio. Within minutes Morden assembled Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar), Zutty Singleton (drums), Buster Wilson (piano), and Jimmie Noone (clarinet, replaced by Barney Bigard after Noone's death). The All Star Jazz Group first performed on The Orson Welles Almanac March 15, 1944; its last performance was July 12, 1944, on the penultimate show in the series.[4] Their performances on the Welles show were so popular that the band became a regular feature, launched Ory's comeback, and was an important force in reviving interest in New Orleans jazz.[5]:85

"Viewed in perspective," Ertegun later wrote, "they are among the most significant jazz records ever made: they gave eloquent proof of the continuing vitality of New Orleans jazz at a time when such proof was needed. They also revealed that Kid Ory's trombone was more powerful and more exuberant than it had ever been before, and that the master from New Orleans was still improving after a life almost as long as the life of jazz."[1]

Ertegun retired the Crescent label after he purchased Jazz Man Records in late 1946. The eight Crescent discs were reissued on the Jazz Man Records label (Jazz Man 21–28) between 1946 and 1947.[2]:156 On January 15, 1952, Good Time Jazz Records purchased the Crescent masters and the rest of the Jazz Man catalog for $5,500.[2]:308 The Crescent recordings were reissued on Good Time Jazz Records L-10 and L-11 (1953) and L-12022 (1957).[1]

Discography

All eight Crescent Records releases feature Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band.

  1. "Creole Song" (Kid Ory)
    "South" (Bennie Moten and Thamon Hayes)
    Recorded in Hollywood, August 3, 1944; released January 1, 1945
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Kid Ory (trombone), Alton Redd (drums), Bud Scott (guitar), Omer Simeon (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:133, 144
  2. "Blues for Jimmy" (Kid Ory)
    "Get Out of Here" (Kid Ory and Bud Scott)
    Recorded in Hollywood, August 3, 1944; released January 1, 1945
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Kid Ory (trombone), Alton Redd (drums), Bud Scott (guitar), Omer Simeon (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:133, 144
  3. "Oh Didn't He Ramble" (Traditional)
    "Maryland" (Traditional)
    Recorded in Hollywood, September 8, 1945; released November 15, 1945
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Minor Hall (drums), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar), Darnell Howard (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:144–145
  4. "1919" (Traditional)
    "Down Home Rag" (Wilbur Sweatman)
    Recorded in Hollywood, September 8, 1945; released November 15, 1945
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Minor Hall (drums), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar), Darnell Howard (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:144–145
  5. "Careless Love" (Traditional)
    "Do What Ory Say" (Kid Ory)
    Recorded in Hollywood, August 5, 1945; released early 1946
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Minor Hall (drums), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar), Omer Simeon (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:144
  6. "Ory's Creole Trombone" (Kid Ory)
    "Original Dixieland One-Step" (D.J. LaRocca)
    Recorded in Hollywood, November 3, 1945; released early 1946
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Minor Hall (drums), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar), Omer Simeon (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:145
  7. "Panama" (Will H. Tyers)
    "Under the Bamboo Tree" (Bob Cole)
    Recorded in Hollywood, August 5, 1945; released early 1946
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Minor Hall (drums), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar), Omer Simeon (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:144, 306
  8. "Weary Blues" (Artie Matthews)
    "Maple Leaf Rag" (Scott Joplin)
    Recorded in Hollywood, November 3, 1945; released early 1946
    Mutt Carey (trumpet), Ed Garland (bass), Minor Hall (drums), Kid Ory (trombone), Bud Scott (guitar), Omer Simeon (clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano)[1][2]:145, 306

See also

References
  1. Ertegun, Nesuhi. Liner notes for Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, Good Time Jazz Records L-10 and L-11, 1953; also used for Tailgate! Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band, Good Time Jazz Records L-12022, 1957.
  2. Ginell, Cary, Hot Jazz for Sale: Hollywood's Jazz Man Record Shop. Lulu.com: Cary Ginell, 2010 ISBN 978-0-557-35146-6
  3. Whaley, Barton, Orson Welles: The Man Who Was Magic, Lybrary.com, 2005. ASIN B005HEHQ7E
  4. "1944–45 Orson Welles Broadcasts". Christer Fellers, The Kid Ory Archive. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  5. Bigard, Barney, and Martyn, Barry (ed.), With Louis and the Duke: The Autobiography of a Jazz Clarinetist. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. ISBN 0-19-520637-1
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