After Midnight: Ford Dabney and the Clef Club’s Lost Chapter

The story of the Clef Club and its impact on jazz has almost always been told through the lens of its most famous alum, James Reese Europe. After all, his revolutionary 1913 and 1914 Victor recordings introduced many people to the concept of hot African American instrumental dance music, and for many others they represent the beginnings of musical trends that eventually shifted ragtime to jazz. Indeed, his 369th U.S. Infantry “Harlem Hell Fighters” band was credited with bringing jazz to the European continent, and their Pathés are rightfully acknowledged as important examples of a jazz-infused military band music. But Europe was not the only member of the Clef Club, and certainly not the only one who had an impact (and their music has been reissued many times, including the definitive reissue of the Victors by the very company we are discussing in this article!). One of the most important other members was Ford T. Dabney (1883-1958)–pianist, composer, bandleader, and champion of popular music. Dabney’s name may ring a bell for some due to its association with his most famous composition, “Shine,” written in 1910 and still a standard today. Others still may recognize his name from a few rare records made for the notorious washy-sounding vertically-cut Aeolian-Vocalion label, some of which are on YouTube or appear on a slim few reissues from the past 30 years or so that