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 the Real Audio files will immediately download when you click them. Don’t be frightened. 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
The Texas Blue Destroyers, who were only trumpet player Bubber Miley and organist Alvin Ray, pulled some kind of con job back in 1924, and managed to
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Loveless Love (W.C. Handy) 8-15-1934 Chicago, Illinois Decca 154 Polka Dot Rag (Sidney Bechet / James Toliver / Noble Sissle)
Records on the Regal label were released as Leonard Graham and his Jazz Band. On the Medallion label the name Willie Brown and his Sizzling
In addition to being a well regarded drummer, Arthur “Monk” Hazel (August 15, 1903 – March 5, 1968), occasionally took solos on brass instruments, notably
Lizzie Miles (March 31, 1895 – March 17, 1963) was born on Bourbon Street and she was singing with the New Orleans Jazz bands of King
Sam Wooding and his Orchestra were a popular New York Jazz band in the early 1920s. They played at venues such as the The Nest,
Charles Pierce was an amateur saxophonist who was a professional butcher. It is said that despite his amateur status, he seemed to have a fair
Elmer Schoebel’s little band playing “Copenhagen” and his own “Prince of Wails“, was a studio group that recalled something of the Friar’s Society Orchestra of seven
Miff Mole and his Molers was basically a pseudonym for Red Nichols Five Pennies. They used this name when recording for the Okeh Company. Red Nichols and Miff Mole were
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Jazz Me Blues (Tom Delaney) 4-28-1928 Chicago, Illinois UHCA 61 Artist Instrument Eddie Condon Banjo George “Rod” Cless Alto
As a teenager in Chicago Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973)was studying drums when he discovered a group of young white jazz
Sophie Tucker who billed herself as “The Last Of The Red Hot Mammas” was one of the most popular singers of the Teens and 1920s.
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Alabama Stomp (a) (from Earl Carroll’s “Vanities”) (Creamer / Johnson) 10-13-1926 New York, New York Edison Alabama Stomp (b) (from Earl
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company 29th And Dearborn (Richard M. Jones) 3-10-1926 Chicago, Illinois Vocalion 1010 Sweet Mumtaz (Luis Russell) 3-10-1926 Chicago, Illinois Vocalion
Many of these records appeared as Barney Bigard and his Orchestra Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Barney Goin’ Easy (Barney Bigard / Duke Ellington) 6-8-1939 New
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man of Mine (Jerome Kern) 1-5-1945 New York, New York Black & White 14 A
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Bojangles (Kern / Field) 2-5-1945 New York, New York Mercury 21023 Borobudor (Barney Bigard) 2-5-1945 New York, New York
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Moonglow (Hudson / De Lange / Mills) 1-22-1944 New York, New York Signature 28116-B Steps Steps Down (Barney Bigard)
Ben Selvin‘s Novelty Orchestra had a massive hit in 1919 with their version of Dardanella. It is reported to have sold around a million copies.
Originally a violinist, Ben Selvin (March 5, 1898 – July 15, 1980) probably made more records than any other bandleader of the 78 rpm era,
This ensemble was among the first groups to record jazz. It made tests for Columbia in early 1918, and its first records to be issued–on
Title Recording Date Recording Location Company Blue Ridge (Lampl / Davidson / Moret) 4-2-1928 Chicago, Illinois Brunswick 3922 Nobody But My Baby Is Getting My
In July of 1930 Louis Armstrong moved to California and “fronted” the Les Hite’s Orchestra. It was renamed Louis Armstrong’s Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra, after a club on
The Luis Russell Orchestra started in Chicago and then moved to New York. They were one of the most innovative bands of their day, but never had
