00 Notes.txt
JAZZ AND HOT DANCE IN RUSSIA, Vol. 3
Harlequin HQ 2012, 1984
LP rip (160 kbps mono) by Dick Baker, February 2015
[Beware that the translations and transliterations are full of mistakes. --DB]
Side One
The Darkie's Dream
All Muddled Up
Sugar Baby
The Sound of Dance [The Sound of Jazz]
Sweet Sue
Dixie Lee
Favorite Melody
Nobody's Sweetheart
Side Two
Some of These Days
Joseph, Joseph
Over the Waves
St. Louis Blues
Always
Our Rhythm
When I Go to Bembasha
1/01 Orkestr-Stella-Konsert-Rekord
Studio orchestra or unidentified instrumentation and personnel; shouts by the ensemble.
Probably Warsaw, Russia, about 1910.
13831 Son Negra - vocal effects (= The Darkie's Dream)
Stella Konzert (Russia) 13831
Berlin, Germany, about late 1923/early 1924
xxB08247 All Muddled Up. Shimmy-blues (Percy Wenrich)
Odeon (D)AA-50123
1/03 Gregoire Nakchounian and His Russian North Star Orchestra
Martin Helmsmoortel (or Victor Zolotarev and E - Martin) (cornet); Jules Testaert (trombone); Gregoire "Grischa" Nakchounian (alto sax, clarinet, baritone sax, leader); Albert Deveydt (tenor sax, soprano sax); Jean Pacques (piano); Erwin Steinbacher (banjo, violin); Bobby 't Sas (drums, vocal).
Amsterdam, Holland, between April-May 1928
924-0 Sugar Baby -vocal BtS
Vox(D) H-l0268-E
1/04 Orkestr Pod Upr. A. N. Tsfasman
Mikhail Frumkin, Nikolai Butchkin (trumpet); Anatolij Milovidov, Ivan Klutschinsky [trombone); Alexander Vasiliev (tenor sax); Ilya Khazanovsky (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet); Mikhail Landsmann and/or Israel Robei (violin); Alexander N. "Bob" Tsfasman (piano, arranger, leader); Anatolij Vonsovic (guitar - if any); Benek Sklena ik (bass); Ivan Bachejev (drums); Alexander Tsfasman (arrangement)
Possibly Leningrad, Russia, about mid 1937
6376/4 Vistrij Tanjec. Musik A. Tsfasman (G-0386) (= The Sound of Dance)
SSSR(SU) G-6376
1/05 Estradni Orkestr Pod Upr. A. V. Varlamov
Victor Bykev (trumpet); Petr Boriskin (trumpet, alto sax, clarinet); Nikolai Shmeljev (trombone, baritone sax); Alexander Vasiliev (tenor sax, clarinet); Mstislav Kaprovic (clarinet); Mikhail Petrenko or Igor Gladkov (piano); Sergei Tsanishev (bass); Oleg Shvedkevic (drums); Alexander Vladimirovic Varlamov (arrangement, leader).
Possibly Leningrad, Russia, 21 January 1938
6408/2 Svit Su. Fokstrot (G-0430) (= Sweet Sue, Just You)
SSSR(SU) G-6408
1/06 same as 1/05
Possibly Leningrad, Russia, 28 January 1938
6423/1 Diksi-Li. Fokstrot (G-0431) (= Dixie Lee)
SSSR(SU) 6423
1/07 Dzhaz-Ork. Pod Upr. A. V. Semjenov
Alexei Vladimirovic Semjenev (trumpet, arrangement, leader); unidentified (trumpet); Jurij Podaijecky (trombone); B- Gavrilov, 2 unknown (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet); Jakov Rassin (piano); unidentified (tuba); Viktor Ivanov (drums)
Leningrad, Russia, 16 March 1938
6812/3 Ljubimaja Melodija (Fokstrot) Obr. A. Semjenev (L-1948) (= Favourite Melody)
Aprelevski Zavod (SU)L-1948
1/08 Gos. Estradni Orkestr Pod Upr. Leonid Utjesov
Leonid Utjesov (leader); Mikhail Vetrov, Jakov Khanin or Semjon Goldberg (trumpet); Ilya Fradkin, Valentin Jershov or Fjodor Sergejev (trombone): Arkadij Katliersky (tenor sax); Orest Kandat (alto sax); Afanasi Muntian (clarinet); Albert Trilling (violin); Mikhail Volovac (piano); Viktor Mironov (guitar); Jurij Kapetzky (tuba); Nikolai Samoshnikov (drums); Andrei Diderichs (arrangement)
Moscow, Russia, about mid 1938
7344/1 Moja Ljubimaja. Fokstrot (G-l101) (= Nobody's Sweetheart)
SSSR(SU) 7344
2/01 A. N. Tsfasman (F-NO). O. Shvedkevic (Udarij Instr.)
Alexander N. "Bob" Tsfasman (piano); Oleg Shvedkevic (drums)
Possibly Leningrad, Russia, about late 1938
A8275/1 Ne Zawud Menya. Fokstrot (G-1747) (= Some of These Days)
SSSR(SU) 8275
2/02 Estradni Orkestr Pod Upr. A. N. Tfasman
2 unknown (trumpet); (trombone); (violin); (alto sax); (baritone sax); (clarinet, reeds); Alexander N. "Bob" Tsfasman (piano, arrangement, leader); unknown (guitar); (bass); (drums). Probably similar personnel as 1/04
Possibly Leningrad, Russia, 1939
A9107/2 Dzhosef. Fokstrot (G-2599) (= Joseph, Joseph)
SSSR(SU) 9107
2/03 Gos. Estradni Orkestr Pod Upr. Leonid Utjesov
2 unknown (trumpet); 2 (trombone); (alto sax); (tenor sax); (reeds); (piano); (guitar); (bass); (drums); Leonid Utjesov (leader). Probably similar personnel as 1/08
Moscow, Russia, about late 1939
A9343/3 Po Volnan. Fokstrot (G-2484) (= Over the Waves)
SSSR(SU) 9343
2/04 Estradni Orkestr Pod Upr. J. V. Skomorovsky
Jakov V. Skomorovsky (trumpet, leader); Petr Skripatchenko (trumpet); Alexander Leontiev, unknown (trombone); Nikolai Bavurin, Anatolij Vargasov (alto sax, clarinet); Fjodor Osipov (tenor sax); unknown (baritone sax); (clarinet); Ilya Jacques (piano, accordion, arrangement); Ivan Morozov (guitar); Abram Skomorovsky (violin), Jossiv Utkin (tuba); Jack Smilga (drums)
Moscow, Russia, 31 January 1940
SSSR(SU) 10115
2/05 Gos. Dzhaz-Ork. Bssr P.U. Eddi Rozner
Eddie Rosner (trumpet, violin, leader); unknown (trumpet); Valdemar Kask (trombone); - Trophy, Rudi Shenser (reeds); Harry Wolfeiler (clarinet); - Portnoi (piano); Louis Markowitsch (guitar - if any); Paul Hoffmann (bass, violin); Emil Brun (2nd violin - if any); - Goldstein or Georg "Joe" Schwartzstein (drums); Lothar Lampel, Eddie Rosner, Louis Markowitsch (vocal)
Moscow, Russia, about 1943/1944
G12215/5 San-Lui. Blus. Mus. Hendi -vocal trio (G-744) (= St. Louis Blues)
SSSR(SU) 12215
2/06 Dzhaz-Orkestr Wrk Pod Upr. A. Tsfasman
Mikhail Frumkin, Mark Savykin, Viktor Bykov (trumpet); Mikhail Fursikov, Josef David, Toik Kokhonen (trombone); Alexander Rivtchun (alto sax, trumpet); Mikhail Krimyan (alto sax); Alexander Savonin, Arkadij Tevlin, Emil Geigner (tenor sax); Spiridon Subchenko (baritone sax); Viktor Dyakonov (violin); Alexander N. "Bob" Tsfasman (piano, arrangement, leader); Semjon "Suleiman" Tchanychev (bass); Boris Bedrzykh Feldmann (guitar); Latsy Olakh (drums)
Moscow, Russia, 15 November 1944
12365/5 Vecno (Vals-Foks) (G-852) (= Always)
Aprelevski Zawod (SU) 12365
2/07 Gos. Estradni Orkestr Pod Upr. Leonid Utjesov
Leonid Utjesov (leader); with orchestra of 2-3 (trumpet); 2-3 (trombone); (alto sax); (tenor sax); (clarinet); (piano); (guitar); (bass); (drums)
Moscow, Russia, about 1947
14991/4-2 Nac Ritm. Fokstrot (G-366) (= Our Rhythm)
Leningradski Sovnarchos (SU) 14991
2/08 Estradni Ansambl "Sem Molodich"
Zarije Rakovic (trumpet); Ljubisa Milic (trombone); Vasilic Vladislav (clarinet); Nabasja Dancevic (piano); Milutin Vasovic (guitar - if any); Ljubisa Stosic (bass); Bransilav Todorovic (drums)
Studio Zimski Dvorac, Leningrad, Russia, 8-10 August 1963
40773/1-1 Kogda Ja Poshel Na Bembashu. Jugoslavska Melodij (= When I Go to Bembasha)
Aprelevski Zawod (SU) 40773
The technical preconditions were set when, in 1934, plans were implemented to improve the gramophone works in Aprelevka, near Moscow. Up to that date this was the only record factory, producing pressings of miserable quality and recorded with obsolete equipment.
Pianist Alexander Tsfasman hails from Zaporozhe. In 1928 he became the first Russian to play jazz professionally in Moscow, and in 1930 he made the first Russian "jazz" record, coupling "Seminole" with "Hallelujah". In 1937 he recorded his own composition with the programmatic title "The Sound of Jazz" (literally: The Sound of Dance), a fine swing arrangement leaving room for several solos.
While Tsfasman was a professional, selecting his musicians with great care, Alexander Varlamov was considered a dilettante, chronically weak in soloists. Varlamov started his career as a band leader around 1934 and his personnel changed often. However, early in 1938 he recorded some creditable sides with a smaller band. "Sweet Sue" and "Dixie Lee" are interesting attempts at mastering the art of jazz improvisation, most probably by playing handwritten sheet music copied by ear from foreign dance records. When raising eyebrows at corny solos, cocktail-style elements and faulty intonation, one should always bear in mind the truly unbelievable conditions under which jazz musicians had to work in those days.
While Varlamov arrived in Moscow from the South of Russia, Alexei Semjonov stems from the North. In fact, he is known as the leader of the Leningrad Jazz-Orchestra. In this context it should be noted that the term "jazz" refers to the instrumentation, with prominent use of saxes and brass rather than violins, and not so much to the type of music played. Most of the recorded output of Russian "Jazz Bands" are waltzes, tangos, and the like. Recordings such as "Favourite Melody", featuring hot solos by the leader himself on trumpet and Gavrilov on tenor sax, are the rare exception.
The same is true for the variety orchestra led by Leonid Utjesov, who for decades was the unchallenged King of Jazz in the Soviet Union. Born in Odessa, he started as a blackface minstrel, actor and entertainer even before WWI. During the 1920s he was able te study jazz live in Paris and Berlin, and upon his return to Russia assembled his own jazz band. Some 10 years later he recorded a version of "Nobody's Sweetheart" which somehow retains the charm of a 1920s arrangement by the use of a brass bass and solo violin.
As was evident from his first track on this album, Alexander Tsfasman's piano style was influenced by the Harlem stride tradition. His playing can be heard to advantage on a solo recording of "Some of These Days" (accompanied by drums only). But Tsfasman was not only a capable pianist, he was also a gifted arranger. He contributes a very relaxed version of "Joseph, Joseph", using growl effects. This tune was very popular at the time (1939) in Germany, where it was known as "Sie will nicht Blumen und nicht Schokolade".
During the late 1950s jazz began to be tolerated once again. Radio listeners in the Soviet Union were exposed to the Voice of America jazz programs. Parallel to Bop and Cool there was an interest in Dixieland bands, and eventually it was possible for foreign bands to perform in the Soviet Union. The Sem Molodich Ensemble is actually from Jugoslavia, providing the accompaniment for singer George Marianovic from Belgrade, although "When I Go to Bembasha" is an instrumental version.
This, incidentally, must be one of the latest 78 rpm records pressed anywhere on a commercial basis. It was still on sale during the winter of 1964/65.
Producer: Bruce Bastin
Programming Research: Rainer E. Lotz
Transfers: John R. T. Davies
Original recordings: Horst Bergmeier (side 1, track 5), John R. T. Davies (side 1, track 3), Rainer E. Lotz
Discography: Alexej Batashev, Vladimir Feiertag, Arnold Grudin, Rainer E. Lotz, Gleb A. Skorokhodov
Sleeve Notes: Rainer E. Lotz
Photographs: Rainer E. Lotz "San-Lui" (= St. Louis Blues") by Eddie Rosner
Design and Artwork: Nigel Goodall
Product of: Interstate Music Ltd., PO Box 74, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 0LY, England.
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