Music & Musical Instruments

Jelly Roll Morton. side 1: Georgia Skin Game [part 2]; side 2: Georgia Skin Game [conclusion] (Circle JM-39/40), from the album, Jelly Roll Morton, Volume 5: Bad Man Ballads (Circle Limited Edition #306).
78 rpm.

This recording is part of a limited edition 45 twelve-inch record set, The Saga of Mr. Jelly Lord. The set is comprised of interviews and musical performances of musician Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (1890-1941) recorded by American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax (1915-2002) at the Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress, from May 23, 1938 to December 14, 1938. In the interviews, Morton recounts his experiences, both in New Orleans and on the road, as a popular musician of the early twentieth century.

The Saga of Mr. Jelly Lord limited edition record set was issued by Circle Sound Inc., incrementally with two albums every three months, beginning in late 1947. The recordings were pressed on red vinylite. Album design and typography for this set was by Jimmy Ernst (born Hans-Ulrich Ernst, 1920-1984), a German-born American painter.

This shoulder sleeve patch marked "USO Camp Shows" given to Rosalind "Roz" Cron after the USO-sponsored tour of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm to France and Germany between July 1945 and January 1946.

The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was the nation's first racially-integrated all-girl swing and jazz band. The group was initially formed from a girls' band at Missippi's Piney Woods Country Life School in the late 1930s. In 1941, the girls severed ties with the school and turned professional. Soon the group was recognized on a national level, and the girls began touring throughout the country. They even put on shows in the Jim Crow South where it was illegal for mixed races to travel and perform together. During WWII, their popularity with soldiers overseas also landed them a spot with the USO Camp Shows which toured France and Germany for six months from 1945-1946.

At age 18, Roz Cron was the youngest and one of the few white women to join the Sweethearts. Cron joined the group in 1943 to play alto sax for the band.

Both 2011.0048.06 and .07 were in an envelope addressed to donor. It was postmarked Feb 6, 1947 from New York, NY. From the USO Camp Shows; Eight West Fortieth Street, New York 18 NY. Letter dated February 6, 1947 to Miss Rosalind Cron concerning her Civilian Service Emblem. Letter was signed by Abe Lastfogel, president.

McCravy Brothers. side 1: Jacob's Ladder; side 2: Dip Me in the Golden Sea (Davis DA-20-1/2), from the album, Religious Songs by the McCravy Brothers (Davis DA-20).
78 rpm. Side 1 was recorded in 1930 and initially released on Crown 3078. Side 2 was recorded in 1931 and initially released on Crown 3205.

Crown Records was a budget label started by the Plaza Music Company after its merger with the American Record Corporation (ARC) in 1930. Crown oversaw the Homestead Records mail order label from ARC. Crown and its subsidiaries were active until 1933.

This sheet music is for the song, “Somewhere in Old Wyoming,” by Charles Tobias and Peter De Rose. It was published by Joe Morris Music Co. in New York, New York in 1930.

The cover art for this sheet music was made by American artist and illustrator Sydney Lefkowitz (Leff) (1901-2005). Leff began his career as a commercial artist while he was still in high school. He would produce sheet music covers through the 1940s and subsequently moved on to generating advertising for Madison Avenue clients.

This trumpet was made by Henderson N. White in Cleveland, Ohio about 1931. It is a B-flat soprano trumpet, “King Liberty Model,” serial #134288. This trumpet is made of burnished gold and sterling silver with elaborate engravings throughout and has 3 piston valves with mother-of-pearl buttons. This trumpet is engraved:

KING
LIBERTY MODEL
MADE BY
THE
H.N. WHITE CO.
CLEV,D
O

and on the bell:

KING
MADE BY
H.N. WHITE
CLEVD.O.

Only 100 soprano trumpets were made by Henderson H. White as promotional items for musical instrument dealers and performers.

This sheet music is for the song “The Touch of Your Hand,” by music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Otto Harbach. It was published by T. B. Harms Co. in New York, New York in 1933.

”The Touch of Your Hand” was featured in the musical, Roberta, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics and book by Otto Harbach. The musical opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 18, 1933 and closed on July 21, 1934, for a total of 295 performances.

The cover art for this sheet music was made by American artists Benjamin “Jorj” Harris (1904-1957) and Georgette Harris (1902-1963). The couple was known for their airbrush art and Art Deco style.

This sheet music is for the composition, Humoresque, Op. 101, No. 7, by Antonín Leopold Dvořák. It was published by Belwin, Inc. in New York, New York in 1930. This composition is No. 96 from the Belwin series Edition Beautiful.

Belwin was formed in 1918 by music publishing employee Max Winkler (1888-1965), film-maker Max Winkler (1875-1961), and publisher of original composition and arrangements for silent cinema S.M. Berg. The name Belwin was created by combining the surnames of Berg and Winkler.