Tony Parenti (1900-1972)
Red Hot Jazz Archive
August 1, 2020
Anthony Parenti (8-6-1900 to 4-17-72) was born into a musical family and learned as a youngster to play various reed instruments. By the time he
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Redhotjazz.com was a crown jewel of the early internet. Starting in the mid ’90s it made the offline discographies and biographies of early jazz available to the online public. It also hosted thousands of audio files donated by people who were digitizing their 78 RPM record collections, making many obscure recordings available for the first time. This all started long before Youtube and even before Wikipedia was much more than an idea.
We are duplicating the content of the Red Hot Jazz Archive from a snapshot saved in Archive.org’s Wayback Machine. Keeping with both the original intent and mission of Redhotjazz.org everything will be publicly available outside of our paywall. For ease of use we are improving each entry to meet the norms of the phone friendly modern internet.
The downloadable music files are mostly MP3s but some are in the ancient Real Audio (.ra) format. Rather than opening a new tab so you can stream or download them like the mp3 files will the Real Audio files will download when you click. You don’t need Real Audio player to play them but they won’t work on Windows Media Player. We recommend the free and open source VLC player.
For more information read: About the Archive
Anthony Parenti (8-6-1900 to 4-17-72) was born into a musical family and learned as a youngster to play various reed instruments. By the time he
Violinist Armand Piron (8-16-1888 to 2-17-1943) is remembered most today as the early business partner of Clarence Williams. They owned The Piron-Williams Publishing Company in
Armand Piron’s New Orleans Orchestra was one of the most popular bands in New Orleans in the 1920s. They travelled to New York and played at
Buddie Petit was, at the height of his powers, considered one of the greatest of the New Orleans cornet players. Although he never recorded, many
When Henry “Kid” Rena‘s (pronounced ruh-NAY, 8-30-1898 to 4-25-1949) name comes up, albeit infrequently, in the annals of New Orleans jazz, he’s usually identified as
The rehearsals were held at Willie Santiago’s house in New Orleans. The finished cuts were recorded at WWL radio station, Roosevelt Hotel, in New Orleans.
Violinist Charles Elgar (June 13, 1879 – August 1973) left New Orleans in 1913 and moved to Chicago. He organized several bands that played in
Manuel Perez’s (December 28th 1871 – 1946) place in the history of Jazz would probably have been greater if he would have talked to historians,
Creole clarinetist Alphonse Picou (10-18-1880 to 2-4-1961) was one of the earliest Jazz musicians from New Orleans and is generally credited with developing the clarinet
Freddie Keppard (2-27-1890 to 12-21-1933) was an important musician who succeeded Buddy Bolden as “king” of the cornet players in New Orleans. He started playing around 1906,
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Don’t Drink It In Here 3-21-1929 Chicago, Illinois Brunswick 7067 Get The “L” On Down The Road 3-21-1929 Chicago,
Bill Johnson (8/10/1872-12/3/1971) and one of the first band leaders to take the New Orleans style of Jazz outside of the city. In 1909 he
The Original Creole Orchestra (aka The Creole Band, Freddie Keppard’s Original Creole Orchestra) was the first New Orleans Jazz band to tour outside of the South. In
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Salty Dog (Papa Charlie Jackson) 7-26-1926 Chicago, Illinois Paramount 12399-B 2653-1 Salty Dog (Papa Charlie Jackson) 7-26-1926 Chicago, Illinois
Natty Dominique (August 2, 1896 – August 30, 1982) played trumpet with many of the Hot Jazz groups from New Orleans in the 1920’s. As
Papa Celestin (January 1, 1884 – December 15, 1954) was one of the most popular of New Orleans cornetists and considered a major player in
The Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra was named for Tuxedo Dance Hall in New Orleans. The band played there from 1910 to 1913, when the club
The Dixie Serenaders was the band that Sonny Clay assembled after he returned from Australia in 1928. Notes from the recording session indicate that the band was
Related to Sonny Clay. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Down and Out Blues (Arthur Sizemore) 5-1925 Los Angeles, California Sunset 1099 Creole Blues (Charles
Sonny Clay’s Orchestra played Plantation Café in Culver City, California in the mid-1920s. The nightclub was located on Washington Boulevard, at Elenda Street, across the street
Sonny Clay was born in Texas in 1899 and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1908. As a teenager he played in bands around Phoenix before
The California Poppies was a pseudonym for Sonny Clay’s Orchestra. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Lou (Sonny Clay / Henry Walker) 1923 Los Angeles, California Sunset
Louis Armstrong and his Stompers only made this one record and it wasn’t released until 1942. This is the band that Louis played with at the Sunset Cafe
Frank Teschemacher was born in Kansas City, Missouri on March 13, 1906 to Charles and Charlotte McCorkell Teschemacher and was the youngest of their three
Joseph Michael O’Sullivan entered this world on November 4, 1906, the ninth child of Irish immigrant parents. His father, Michael, was an inventor, entrepreneur and
Jimmy McPartland was a member of the group of young White Chicago Jazz musicians known as the Austin High Gang. This group consisted of Jimmy and
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company China Boy (Winfree / Boutelje) 10-11-1939 New York, New York Decca 18042 A Jazz Me Blues (Tom Delaney) 10-11-1939
The Austin High Gang by Charles Edward Smith From “Jazzmen,” by Frederic Ramsey, Jr. & Charles Edward Smith Harcourt, Brace & Company – New York,
Milenburg Joys features a rare vocal by Turk Savage with words added to the famous Jelly Roll Morton song by Walter Melrose. My Daddy Rocks Me is a typical blues
Bud Freeman: Profiles in Jazz Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man (from “Show Boat”) (Jerome Kern / Roger Hammerstein) 12-3-1928
The Fletcher Henderson Orchestra was the most popular African-American band of the 1920s. The smooth, carefully arranged sound of Henderson’s orchestra was a huge influence on the Swing style
Arthur Briggs was an African-American bandleader who worked primarily in Europe. He first came to Europe in 1919 with Will Marion Cook’s Southern Syncopated Orchestra
Main Red Hot Jazz Entry: Arthur Briggs’ Savoy Syncopators OrchestraAlso See: Better Days Will Come Again: The Life of Arthur Briggs Title Recording Date Recording
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Crying My Blues Away (Alex Hill) 10-9-1928 Chicago, Illinois Vocalion 1218 Parkway Stomp With Skee Da Vocal (Albert Wynn
The music of the Hot Five and the Hot Seven is considered by most critics to be among the finest recordings in Jazz history. On November
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company After Twelve O’Clock (Joe Moore / Hoagy Carmichael) 9-1-1932 New York, New York Victor 24119 Bessie Couldn’t Help It (1) (Byron
Champion 15420-A was released under the pseudonym of Malcom Webb and his Gang. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Beautiful 1-9-1928 Richmond, Indiana Gennett 6367
In this 1927 session, Hoagy Carmichael recorded the first version of his famous song “Stardust“. The song went on from these humble beginnings to be one of
This is Hoagy Carmichael’s first band that he led while he attended the University of Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana. The band had two other recording sessions at
Al Gandee played with the Woverines when it was stationed for a three-month stint at Doyle’s Dance Studio in Cincinnati. He also participated on the
Formed in late 1923, the Wolverines, or Wolverine Orchestra, worked in clubs and dance halls in the Midwest for much of 1924, making occasional trips
Curtis Hitch led his band the Happy Harmonists from 1922 to 1927 in Indiana. While playing at Indiana University in Bloomington they met a young
Hoagy Carmichael is remembered today as one of America’s great composers of popular songs. Several of his tunes, like “Star Dust“, “Georgia on My Mind”
Trumpeter Mutt Carey got his start like so many others with the marching bands in New Orleans sometime around 1913. His brother Jack was the leader of
Kid Ory relocated to California from New Orleans in 1919. Ory formed his Original Creole Jazz Band (they sometimes were billed as Kid Ory’s Brown-Skinned Babies) the
Here we have have Kid Ory’s Creole Orchestra backing up Blues singer Roberta Dudley, just one month before the band recorded their historic sides as Spike’s Seven Pods
Here we have have Kid Ory’s Creole Orchestra backing up Blues singer Ruth Lee, just one month before the band recorded their historic sides as Spike’s Seven Pods
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Cake Walking Babies (Clarence Williams / Chris Smith / Henry Troy) 11-18-1947 New York, New York Century 4017 Esquire 10-064
Kid Ory was the greatest trombone player in the early years of Jazz. He originally played banjo, but then switched to trombone. Perhaps his banjo
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company 1919 (Traditional) 9-8-1945 Los Angeles, California Crescent 4 (1013) Ballin’ The Jack (Chris Smith) 2-12-1945 Los Angeles, California Exner
Thanks to Wim van der Brugghen for his help with this page. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company In Dat Mornin’ with preaching by Moses
Busse’s Buzzards was a “hot” side project of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Whiteman‘s trumpet player Henry Busse was the leader of this recording session. Busse stayed with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra until 1928 when
In 1917 this band cut nine titles for Edison, all issued on Blue Amberol as well as Diamond Disc. It was among the first to
Henry Busse was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1916 where he found work playing trumpet in a movie theatre pit
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Block And Tackle 3-30-1932 New York, New York Banner 32435 Oriole 8137 Artist Instrument W.E. Burton Piano, Vocals Bob
Thanks to J.E. Knox for his help with this page. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company All Over You 6-10-1929 Richmond, Indiana Gennett 6918 Crossin’
The song “Dustin’ The Keys” features both Jimmy Blythe and Buddy Burton playing on one piano simultaneously. Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Block And Tackle Blues (W.E.
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company London Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) 10-1923 Chicago, Illinois Okeh 8105-B Someday Sweatheart (J.C. Spikes ) 10-1923 Chicago, Illinois Okeh
Multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Buddy Burton appeared on a quite a few 1920s Chicago South Side Jazz and Blues records as vocalist and playing drums, washboard,
Pianist Peck Kelley led this influential territory band in Texas in the 1920s. Kelley’s style was said to be ahead of his time and more
Paul Mares was from New Orleans and a childhood friend of Leon Roppolo and Abbie and George Brunies. While still a teenager Mares played in Tom Brown‘s band and with
The New Orleans Rhythm Kings Gennett recordings were a big influence on many of the white bands and musicians of the 1920s. In 1920, Paul Mares and George
Leon Roppolo was considered a genius by his contemporaries and like Bix Beiderbecke and Buddy Bolden he was another of the tragic young men of early Jazz. He is
Little is known about the life of Alberta Brown, but she made this excellent Blues record in 1928. She is backed up by members of
“Papa” Jack Laine is often credited with being the first White Jazz musician. He was a drummer and saxophonist. He formed his first brass band
The Halfway House Orchestra was named after a dancehall called the Halfway House that was halfway between New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. The group was
Merritt Brunies led this orchestra at the Friars Inn at 1834 Wasbash Street at Van Buren in Chicago. They got the gig after Merritt’s brother George
Trombone player George Brunies got his start at age eight playing with Papa Jack Laine‘s band and later went on to play with Laine’s son Alfred
Also See: Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) & Sidney Bechet: Profiles in Jazz Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Chant In The Night (Sidney Bechet) 11-16-1938 New York,
This Clarence Williams produced session is Sidney Bechet‘s first record. It was released under the name of Rosetta Crawford accompanied by King Bechet Trio. Bechet plays some very soulful clarinet and
The New Orleans Feetwarmers 1932 sides are the epitome of Hot Jazz. Sidney Bechet‘s soprano sax playing is nothing short of amazing on the song Shag. Ernest Meyers’s
In 1917 Tommy Ladnier moved north to Chicago from New Orleans, and found work in a touring band. In 1921 he moved to St. Louis
In 1913 there was a famous vaudeville stuttering comedian and dancer called Joe Frisco. His act Frisco and McDermott was playing in New Orleans and
This band was organized by drummer Johnny Stein after Stein’s Dixie Jass Band broke up and became the Original Dixieland Jass Band. It is interesting to note that
In 1915, New Orleans band leader Johnny Stein formed this band to take North to Chicago for a gig at the Booster Club at the
Like most early White New Orleans Jazz musicians, trombonist Tom Brown was a veteran of Papa Jack Laine’s Reliance Brass Band. Around 1910 he organized his own
