The Chocolate Dandies (jazz combos)

1. The Chocolate Dandies

   Musicians: Langston Curl (1899–1991), John Nesbitt (1900–1935) (de) (trumpets); Claude Jones (trombone); Don Redman, Milton Senior (1900–1948) (alto saxes, clarinets); George Thomas (1902–1930), Prince Robinson (tenor saxes, clarinets); Todd Rhodes (piano); Dave Wilborn (banjo); Lonnie Johnson (guitar on "Paducah" and "Star Dust"); Ralph Escudero (tuba); Cuba Austin (drums); Redman, Thomas, Wilborn (vocal trio on "Four or Five Times")

   Recorded October 13, 1928, New York City

   1. "Paducah," by Redman (music), Okeh 8627, Matrix: 401218-B
   2. "Star Dust," by Hoagy Carmichael, Okeh 8668, Matrix: 401219-A
   3. "Birmingham Breakdown," by Duke Ellington, Okeh 8668, Matrix: 401220-B
   4. "Four or Five Times," by Marco Hellman (words) and Byron Gay (music), Okeh 8627, Matrix: 401221-A

Benny Carter had several ensembles in the 1930s named The Chocolate Dandies.

2. The Little Chocolate Dandies; OCLC 971979418, 28090642

   Musicians: Rex Stewart (cornet); Leonard Davis (trumpet); J. C. Higginbotham (trombone); Don Redman (clarinet on "Six or Seven Times;", alto sax, vocals on "That's How I Fell Today"); Benny Carter (alto sax, vocal); Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax); Fats Waller (piano, celeste in "That's How I Feel Today"); Bobby Johnson (banjo); Cyrus St. Clair (tuba); George Stafford (drums); unknown vocalist on "Six or Seven Times"

   Recorded September 18, 1929, New York

   1. "That's How I Feel Today," by Don Redman (unissued), Matrix: 402965-A
   2. "That's How I Feel Today" (unissued), Matrix: 402965-B
   3. "That's How I Feel Today" Okeh 8728, Matrix: 402965-C
   4. "Six or Seven Times," by Fats Waller & Irving Mills (unissued), Matrix: 402966-A
   5. "Six or Seven Times" (unissued), Matrix: 402966-B
   6. "Six or Seven Times" (unissued), Matrix: 402966-C
   7. "Six or Seven Times" Okeh 8728, Matrix: 402966-D

3. The Chocolate Dandies

   Musicians: Bobby Stark (trumpet), Jimmy Harrison (trombone, vocals), Benny Carter (clarinet, alto sax, vocals), Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax), Horace Henderson (piano); Benny Jackson (guitar); John Kirby (bass on "Goodbye Blues," tuba on the December 31 session)

   1. "Goodbye Blues," Carter (vocals and arrangement), Columbia 35679, Matrix: 404566-A

   Add Fletcher Henderson

   Recorded December 8, 1930

   2. "We're Friends Again" (unissued), Brunswick
   3. "What Good Am I Without You?" (unissued), Brunswick

   Recorded December 31, 1930, New York

   4. "Cloudy Skies," by Coleman Hawkins, Columbia 35679, Matrix: 404596-B
   5. "Got Another Sweetie Now," by Harrison (Harrison, vocals; arranged by Carter), Columbia 36009, Matrix: 404597-B
   6. "Bugle Call Rag" by Jack Pettis, Billy Meyers, and Elmer Schoebel (arranged by Carter), Columbia 2543-D, Matrix: 404598-B
   7. "Dee Blues," by Carter (Carter plays clarinet; arranged by Carter), Columbia 2543-D, Matrix: 404599-B

4. The Chocolate Dandies

   Musicians: Max Kaminsky (trumpet); Benny Carter (trumpet, alto sax, arrangement); Floyd O'Brien (trombone); Chu Berry (tenor sax); Teddy Wilson (piano); Lawrence "Larry" Lucie (guitar); Ernest Hill (bass); Sidney Catlett (drums); Mezz Mezzrow (drums on "Blue Interlude" only)

   Recorded October 10, 1933, New York

   1. "Blue Interlude," by Carter, Parlophone R1792, Matrix: 265156-2
   2. "I Never Knew," by Gus Kahn & Ted Fio Rito (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Parlophone (E)R1815, Matrix: 265157-1
   3. "I Never Knew" (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Phontastic (Swd)7647, Matrix: 265157-2
   4. "Once Upon a Time," by Carter (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Parlophone (E)R1717, Matrix: 265158-1
   5. "Krazy Kapers," by Carter (Carter plays trumpet and also sax), Parlophone (E)R1743, Matrix: 265159-2

5. King Oliver and the Chocolate Dandies
   (most discographers, more recently, feel that King Oliver was not present on this session)[2]

   Musicians: Ward Pinkett (trumpet, vocals); unknown (trumpet); Fernando Arbello (trombone); Fred Skerritt (alto sax, vocals); Henry Jones (alto sax); Bingie Madison (tenor, vocal); Gene Rodgers (piano); Goldie Lucas (banjo, vocals); Richard Fullbright (tuba); Bill Beason (drums)

   Recorded April 15, 1931, 1:30–4:30 pm, New York

   1. "Loveless Love" (Madison, Skerritt, Lucas; vocals), Vocalion 1610, Matrix: E-36474-A
   2. "One More Time" (Madison, Skerritt, Lucas; vocals), Matrix: E-36625-A
   3. "When I Take My Sugar To Tea," by Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal, Pierre Norman (Pinkett; vocalist), Vocalion 1617, Matrix: E-36626-A

6. Coleman Hawkins and The Chocolate Dandies

   Musicians: Roy Eldridge (trumpet), Benny Carter (piano), Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone), Bernard Addison (guitar), John Kirby (bass), Sidney Catlett (drums)

   Recorded May 25, 1940, New York

   1. "Smack," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2995-T
   2. "Smack," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2995-1
   3. "Smack," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2995-2
   4. "Smack," Matrix: R2995-3
   5. "Smack," Commodore FL20025, Matrix: R2995-2
   6. "Smack," Commodore 533, Matrix: R2995
   7. "I Surrender Dear," Commodore 1506, Matrix: R2996
   8. "I Surrender Dear," (composite) Atlantic SD2-306, Matrix: R2996-2/1
   9. "I Surrender Dear," (original) Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2996-2
   10. "I Surrender Dear," Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2996-3
   11. "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me," Commodore 1506, Matrix: R2997
   12. "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me," Commodore XFL14936, Matrix: R2997-1
   13. "Dedication" (Eldridge, Carter: out), Commodore 533, Matrix: R2998
   14. "Dedication" (Eldridge, Carter: out), Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2998-1
   15. "Dedication" (Eldridge, Carter: out), Mosaic MR23-123, Matrix: R2998-2

Versions of groups' names "Chocolate Dandies" continued to play into the 1940s and counted among their members Buck Clayton, Floyd O'Brien, and other members of Carter's and Fletcher Henderson's bands.