Music & Musical Instruments

Jelly Roll Morton. side 1: The Naked Dance [track 1] Sporting Life [track 2]; side 2: I Hate a Man Like You (Circle 85/86), from the album, Jelly Roll Morton, Volume 12: I'm the Winin' Boy (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.

McCravy Brothers. side 1: When They Ring the Golden Bells; side 2: Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (Davis DA-20-3/4), from the album, Religious Songs by the McCravy Brothers (Davis DA-20).
78 rpm. This coupling was initially released on Crown 3040.

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.

Billy Holiday and her Orchestra. side 1: Strange Fruit; side 2: Fine and Mellow (Commodore 526)
78 rpm

Billie Holiday (1915–1959,) an African American jazz singer nicknamed Lady Day, emerged on the jazz scene after a difficult and impoverished upbringing. Known for her light, rhythmic singing, Holiday performed with some of the most famous American jazz musicians throughout the 1930s and 1940s. She first performed “Strange Fruit,” a song written by a Jewish poet about the lynching of African Americans, at the Café Society club in 1939. Her performances of the song were filled with emotion, and the recording reached number 16 on the charts. Holiday went on to release a number of other hits, but “Strange Fruit” remained the best-selling record of her career.

WLS Family Album published by Sears, Roebuck and Company in Chicago, Illinois, in 1937.

This booklet features articles about the WLS (World's Largest Store) radio station in Chicago, established by the Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1924. It also features images and biographies of musicians who performed on the WLS program, National Barn Dance, one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry, on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee.

This sheet music is for the song “Moon Over Miami,” with lyrics by Edgar Leslie and music by Joe Burke. It was published by Irving Berlin, Inc. in New York, New York, in 1935. The cover features an inset photograph of Ken Sparnon, and an image of a Moon above a coastal shoreline reflected in the water while a couple stands arm in arm at the shore serenaded by a trio of guitar playing singers.

Kenneth H. Sparnon (1895-1972) was a pianist, organist, trombonist, and arranger who performed in vaudeville and in movie theater stage shows. He was also music director of radio stations in Syracuse and Rochester, New York and provided consultant services to radio music directors as an employee of the Broadcast Music Inc.

Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra featuring Billie Holiday. side 1: I Must Have That Man!; side 2: Foolin' Myself (Columbia 36207), from the album, Hot Jazz Classics - Teddy Wilson-Billie Holiday (Columbia C-61).
78 rpm. Side 1 was originally recorded in 1937 and released on Brunswick 7859. Side 2 was originally recorded in 1937 and relased on Brunswick 7911. This album was released in 1947.

The cover art for this album was made by Alex Steinweiss. Alexander “Alex” Steinweiss (1917-2011) was an American artist and graphic designer. He was the first art director of Columbia Records, expanding the use of album covers and cover art. Steinweiss created album cover art from 1938 to 1973.

Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. side 1: On the Sunny Side of the Street [part 1]; side 2: On the Sunny Side of the Street [part 2] (Vox 16060), from the album, Louis Armstrong - Paris, 1934 (Vox VSP 300).
78 rpm. Both tracks were recorded at Studio Polydor in Paris, France, in 1934. The album was released in 1947.

This album features artwork by American painter, printmaker, and teacher, Daniel (Dan) Shapiro (1920-1982). He created the artwork for several albums including recordings by Louis Armstrong, Alex Wilder, Charlie Christian, Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, and Richard Dyer Bennett. Shapiro’s works were first exhibited at the Cooper Union Art School in 1940 and 1941. He had much success with his solo shows in the 1960s at the University of California at San Francisco, Cellini Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Art, and Rice University in Houston.

Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra featuring Billie Holiday. side 1: What a Little Moonlight Can Do; side 2: If You Were Mine (Columbia 36206), from the album, Hot Jazz Classics - Teddy Wilson-Billie Holiday (Columbia C-61).
78 rpm. Side 1 was originally recorded in 1935 and released on Brunswick 7498. Side 2 was originally recorded in 1935 and released on Brunswick 7554. This album was released in 1947.

The cover art for this album was made by Alex Steinweiss. Alexander “Alex” Steinweiss (1917-2011) was an American artist and graphic designer. He was the first art director of Columbia Records, expanding the use of album covers and cover art. Steinweiss created album cover art from 1938 to 1973.

This sheet music is for the composition, “The Mill in the Forest,” Op. 52, by Richard Eilenberg. It was published by Belwin, Inc. in New York, New York in 1932. This sheet music is No. 515 from the Belwin series Edition Beautiful, published from 1920s-1930s.

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.

Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra. side 1: Blue Mood; side 2: Delta Bound (Columbia 37298), from the album, Hot Jazz Classics - Ellington Special" (Columbia C-127).
78 rpm. Both tracks were recorded in 1932. This album was released in 1947.

The cover art for this album was made by Robert M. Jones (1913-1993) an American graphic designer and printmaker. Jones worked as art director for Columbia Records from 1945-1953, then for RCA Victor and affiliated labels.