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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, on the Fox vaudeville circuit and at the Club Alabam. In 1925 Wooding’s band was picked to be the orchestra for a new musical revue called Chocolate Kiddies which was being formed to tour Europe. Chocolate Kiddies was built around the vaudeville team of Rufus and Drayton and featured performances by Wooding’s eleven piece orchestra, thirty chorus girls, dancers and comedians. Edith Wilson and Adeline Hall were vocalists in the show and Tommy Ladnier was the star soloist. Chocolate Kiddies also included music by Duke Ellington and Jo Trent.

Sam Wooding and his Orchestra
Sam Wooding and his Orchestra 1925 – Seated, Left to Right: Tommy Ladnier (trumpet), John Warren (tuba)(behind), Sam Wooding (piano/leader), Willie Lewis (reeds), George Howe (drums). Standing, Left to Right: Herb Flemming (trombone), Eugene Sedric (reeds), Johnny Mitchell (banjo), Bobby Martin (trumpet), Garvin Bushell (reeds), Maceo Edwards (trumpet).
This photo was taken in the Vox Phonograph Studio, Berlin in 1925.

Wooding’s orchestra stayed with Chocolate Kiddies for around a year and then extensively toured Europe without the revue playing in Germany, Sweden, Spain, France, Switzerland, Istanbul, Turkey, Romania, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Belgium and Russia. In 1927 they took the act to South America and played in Buenos Aires. They returned to the America in 1927 and played in vaudeville and turned down a gig at the Cotton Club. Wooding’s Orchestra returned to Europe in 1928 and continued to play abroad until they broke up in Belgium in 1931. Wooding returned to America in 1932 and reformed the band until 1935; during this period Sidney Bechet was with the band briefly. After 1935 Wooding left the music business for a few years to attend college and earn a master’s degree in music from the University of Pennsylvania.

ddd discography

Title Recording Date Recording Location Company
Alabamy Bound
(B.G. DeSylva / Bud Green / Ray Henderson)
7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
018890

2359-A
Alabamy Bound
(B.G. DeSylva / Bud Green / Ray Henderson)
7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
1891

2757-B
Am I Wasting My Time On You?
(Irving Bibo / Howard Johnson)
10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20692
Behind The Clouds
(DeSylva / Davis)
10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20689
Black Bottom
(B.G. DeSylva / Bud Green / Ray Henderson)
10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20689
Bull Foot Stomp 7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25424
Button Up Your Overcoat
(Ray Henderson / Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva)
11-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8696
Cellodisc
C-8684
Breakaway
(Archie Gottler / Sidney D. Mitchell / Con Conrad)
12-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8707
By The Waters Of Minnetonka
(Lieurance / Grofe)
7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
018882

2360-A
By The Waters Of Minnetonka
(Lieurance / Grofe)
7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
1891

2358-B
By The Waters Of Minnetonka
Dreaming Of A Castle In The Air

(Lieurance / Grofe)
10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20690
Can’t We Be Friends
(From The Little Show)

(Key / Swift)
12-1929 Paris, France Polydor
22994
521597
Carrie 7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25420
C’est tout que j’ai (All I Have)
(Mistinguett)
12-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8698
Cellodisc
C-8698
Deep Night
(Vallee / Henderson)
11-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8697
Downcast Blues
(Sam Wooding)
10-24-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8684
Cellodisc
C-8684
Dreaming Of Castles In The Air 9-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20692
Dreaming Of Tommorrow
(Joe Sanders)
9-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20690
Even If You Love Me 6-1931 Paris, France Brunswick
A-500098
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
(Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh)
7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25423
Hallelujah!
(Vincent Youmans)
10-24-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8696
Cellodisc
C-8696
How Am I To Know?
(From The Talkie “Dynamite”)

(Key / Swift)
12-1929 Paris, France Polydor
22994
521597
I Lift My Finger And Say “Tweet-Tweet”!
(L. Sarony)
11-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8693
Indian Love 7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25424
I’ve Got A Feeling I’m Falling
(Fats Waller / Harry Link / Billy Rose)
12-1929 Paris, France Polydor
22993
521596
I Surrender Dear
(Barris / Clifford)
6-1931 Paris, France Brunswick
A-500098
J’ai Deux Amours
(I Have Two Loves)

(Scotto)
6-1931 Paris, France Brunswick
A-500097
Just A Cottage Small
(Hanley)
10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20693
Krazy Kat
(Frankie Trumbauer / Chauncey Morehouse)
7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-254223
Le Pirate
(Lover Come Back To Me)

(Krumgold / Romberg)
12-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-96058
Lonesome And Sorry 10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20693
Love For Sale
(Cole Porter)
6-1931 Paris, France Brunswick
A-500097
Mammy’s Prayer 7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25422
Milenberg Joys
(Jelly Roll Morton)
10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
20691
My Pal Called Sal 7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-254221
My Sin
(Fields / Gromak)
12-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8707
O Katharina (a)
(L. Wolfe Gilbert / Richard Fall)
7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
01882
O Katharina (b)
(L. Wolfe Gilbert / Richard Fall)
7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
1883
Ready For The River
(Gus Kahn / Neil Moret )
7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25422
Shanghai Shuffle (a) 7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
018890
Shanghai Shuffle (b) 7-1925 Berlin, Deutschland Vox
1883
She’s Funny That Way
(Neil Moret / Richard Whiting)
11-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8693

300502-1
She’s Funny That Way
(Neil Moret / Richard Whiting)
11-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8693

300502-2
Singing In The Rain
(Arthur Freed / Macio Herb Brown)
12-1929 Paris, France Polydor
22993
521596
Smiling Irish Eyes 10-24-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8697
Sweet Black Blues 7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25421
Tampeekoe
(Louis Panico / Elmer Schoebel)
10-1926 Berlin, Deutschland Polydor
The Wedding Of The Painted Doll
(Nacio Herb Brown)
12-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8698
Cellodisc
C-8698
Tiger Rag
(Nick La Rocca)
7-1929 Barcelona, Spain Parlophone
B-25420
Weary River
(Clarke / Silvers)
10-24-1929 Paris, France Pathé
X-8684
Cellodisc
C-8684

Artist Instrument
Jerry Blake Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Vocals
Billy Burns Trombone
Gavin Bushell Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Oboe
Doc Cheatham Trumpet
June Cole Bass Brass
Sumner Leslie “King” Edwards Bass Brass
Maceo Edwards Trumpet
Ted Fields Drums, Vocals
Herb Fleming Trombone
George Howe Drums
Ralph James Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
Freddy Johnson Piano, Vocals
Percy Johnson Drums, Celeste
Tommy Ladnier Trumpet
Willie Lewis Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Vocals
Bobby Martin Trumpet
John Mitchell Banjo
Gene Sedric Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
John Warren Bass Brass
Sam Wooding Piano, Leader
Albert Wynn Trombone
unknown Harmonium

Some Hustling This! Taking Jazz to the World, 1914-1929, by Mark Miller, Mercury Press , 2006

 

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