Lee Collins is one of the underrated and lesser-known New Orleans trumpet players, of whom Danny Barker has said that he was a sweetheart of Albertine McKay in the “District”, who kept him “steady” by always carrying a .38 special loaded with dum-dum bullets!

He had a band in the 1920s which was based in New Orleans, but which also took around the surrounding towns for special engagements.

These sides might profitably be compared with those made by Louis Dumaine’s Jazzola Eight two years earlier. These have veered from the typical New Orleans collective work and have ventured far into solo-ridden Jazz which became fashionable by 1929 – there is much in them comparable to the Harlem small-band Jazz of that time.

Taken from the book Recorded Jazz: A Critical Guide by Rex Harris and Brian Rust.

Title	Recording Date	Recording Location	Company
Astoria Strut (Lee Collins / David Jones)	11-15-1929	New Orleans, Louisiana	Victor V-38576-A
Damp Weather (1) (Albert Morgan / Emmanuel Sayles)	11-15-1929	New Orleans, Louisiana	Bluebird B-10952-A
Damp Weather (2) (Albert Morgan / Emmanuel Sayles)	11-15-1929	New Orleans, Louisiana	Merritt 1 (LP)
Duet Strut (Sidney Arodin / David Jones)	11-15-1929	New Orleans, Louisiana	Victor V-38576-B
Tip Easy Blues (1) (Joseph Robechaux / Theadore Purnell)	11-15-1929	New Orleans, Louisiana	Bluebird B-10952-B
Tip Easy Blues (2) (Joseph Robechaux / Theadore Purnell)	11-15-1929	New Orleans, Louisiana	Merritt 1 (LP)

Artist	Instrument
Sidney Arodin	Clarinet
Lee Collins	Cornet
Al Morgan	Bass, Vocals
Theodore Purnell	Alto Saxophone
David Jones	Tenor Saxophone
John Robechaux	Piano
Emmanuel Sayles	Banjo
Joe Strode Raphael	Drums