Crescent Records was an American

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

that produced

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

recordings from 1944 to 1946. It was founded by

Nesuhi Ertegun Nesuhi Ertegun (Turkish spelling: Nesuhi Ertegün; November 26, 1917 – July 15, 1989) was a Turkish-American record producer and executive of Atlantic Records and WEA International. Early life Born in Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire, Nesuhi ...

to record a band that was assembled to perform on CBS Radio's 1944 variety series '' The Orson Welles Almanac''. Only one group,

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz. He was b ...

's Creole Jazz Band, was released on the Crescent label, which was distributed by Hollywood's

Jazz Man Record Shop Jazz Man Records was an American record company and independent record label devoted to traditional New Orleans-style jazz. David Stuart ''(né'' David Ashford Stuart; 1910–1984) founded the label in 1941 and sold it to Marili Morden and Nesu ...

. Although only eight discs were released, Crescent Records was involved in the international revival of traditional jazz in the 1940s.

History

Crescent Records was founded by

in 1944, with the express purpose of recording the All Star Jazz Group featured on the

CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broa ...

program, '' The Orson Welles Almanac''. Ertegun, Nesuhi. Liner notes for ''Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band'',

Good Time Jazz Records Good Time Jazz Records was an American jazz record company and label. It was founded in 1949 by Lester Koenig to record the Firehouse Five Plus Two and earned a reputation for Dixieland jazz. The label produced new releases and reissues, incl ...

L-10 and L-11, 1953; also used for ''Tailgate! Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band'', Good Time Jazz Records L-12022, 1957. 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.Ginell, Cary, ''Hot Jazz for Sale: Hollywood's Jazz Man Record Shop''.

Lulu.com Lulu Press, Inc., doing business under trade name Lulu, is an online print-on-demand, self-publishing, and distribution platform. By 2014, it had issued approximately two million titles. The company's founder is Red Hat co-founder Bob Young. Lu ...

: Cary Ginell, 2010 The All Star Jazz Group was founded in February 1944 by Marili Morden at the request of

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

. 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 Edward Bertram Garland (January 9, 1895 – January 22, 1980) was a New Orleans jazz string bass player. He was commonly known as Ed Garland, and sometimes Montudie Garland (a nickname he disliked). Biography Ed Garland was born in New Orlea ...

(bass),

(trombone),

Bud Scott Arthur Budd Scott (January 11, 1890 – July 2, 1949) was an American jazz guitarist, banjoist and singer. He was one of the earliest musicians associated with the New Orleans jazz scene. As a violinist he performed with James Reese Europe ...

(guitar),

Zutty Singleton Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton (May 14, 1898 – July 14, 1975) was an American jazz drummer. Career Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana, United States, and raised in New Orleans. According to his ''Jazz Profiles'' biography, his unusual ...

(drums),

Buster Wilson Albert Wesley "Buster" Wilson (1897 - October 23, 1949) was an American jazz pianist. Biography Buster Wilson was born in Atlanta and grew up in Los Angeles. He was the replacement for Lil Hardin in King Oliver's band in 1921 during its engage ...

(piano), and Jimmie Noone (clarinet, replaced by

Barney Bigard Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980) was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone. Biography Bigard was born in New Orleans to Creole parents, Ale ...

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. 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. Bigard, Barney, and Martyn, Barry (ed.), ''With Louis and the Duke: The Autobiography of a Jazz Clarinetist''. New York:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 1986. "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." 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. On January 15, 1952,

purchased the Crescent masters and the rest of the Jazz Man catalog for $5,500. The Crescent recordings were reissued on Good Time Jazz Records L-10 and L-11 (1953) and L-12022 (1957).

Discography

All eight Crescent Records releases feature Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band. # "Creole Song" (Kid Ory)
" South" (

Bennie Moten Benjamin Moten (November 13, 1893 – April 2, 1935) was an American jazz pianist and band leader born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. He led his Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the regional, blues-based orchest ...

and Thamon Hayes)
Recorded in Hollywood, August 3, 1944; released January 1, 1945
Mutt Carey (trumpet),

(bass),

(trombone), Alton Redd (drums),

(guitar), Omer Simeon (clarinet),

(piano) # "Blues for

Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

" (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) # "Oh Didn't He Ramble" (Traditional)
"

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

" (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 Darnell Howard (July 25, 1895 in Chicago – September 2, 1966 in San Francisco) was an American jazz clarinetist and violinist. Early life Howard began playing violin at age seven, picking up clarinet and saxophone later in his youth. Career ...

(clarinet), Buster Wilson (piano) # "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) # "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) # "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) # "

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

" (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) # "

Weary Blues "Weary Blues" is a 1915 tune by Artie Matthews. Despite the name, the form is a multi-strain ragtime rather than a conventional blues. (At the time it was published, many hot or raggy numbers were published with the word "Blues" in the title). I ...

" ( Artie Matthews)
"

Maple Leaf Rag The "Maple Leaf Rag" (copyright registered on September 18, 1899) is an early ragtime musical composition for piano composed by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, and became the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent compose ...

" (

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one r ...

)
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)

References

External links

Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band: 1944–1945 The Legendary Crescent Recording Sessions
at AllMusic (Scott Yanow)

at The Kid Ory Archive {{Authority control Record labels established in 1944 American independent record labels Defunct record labels of the United States Jazz record labels

History

Discography

See also

References

External links