Meyer Davis directing unknown orchestra, probably including Jimmy Dorsey (track 5 on), Babe Russin (last session only, track 21 on), Tommy Dorsey and other players as identified. Three unknown male vocalists present, identified for our purposes as UMV #1, #2 & #3.

New York, October 20, 1928. Harry Reser may be present (or even leading?)

E-28370-A Happy Days And Lonely Nights - vSmith BallewBr 4134, Duo D-4038

E-28372- When Summer Is Gone - vSmith BallewBr 4134, 3945

E-28373-BJane - vTommy StacksDuo D-4049

NOTE:- Duophone D-4038 as THE BLUE ROOM ORCHESTRA,- D-4049 as NEWPORT TUXEDO INN ORCHESTRA.

New York, October-November, 1928.NOTE:- Both the following Duophones as NEWPORT TUXEDO INN ORCHESTRA.

E-28491-ABon Soir, Cherie (Goodnight) (w)- vUMV #1Duo D-4044

E-28492-AI'm Looking For Tulips (To Kiss My Troubles Away) Duo D-4047

Vocal duet on #4 ("unknown male #1" & another. Let's call him "unknown male #1A").

New York, c. November 8, 1928. Jimmy Dorsey, alto sax solo on #7 (all as TEX BREWSTER'S ORCHESTRA)

E-28618-AShe's One Sweet Show Girl - vSmith BallewDuo D-4036

E-28619-AYou're Wonderful - vSmith BallewDuo D-4017

E-28621-BMy Varsity Girl (I'll Cling To You) - vSmith BallewDuo D-4043

New York, c. November 12, 1928. Let's Do It: They use the stock arrangement (by Walter Paul??). unknown trumpet; nice rideout hot ensemble (the clarinet heard here is NOT Jimmy Dorsey). Coquette: JD is alto sax lead (as he is in nearly everything from # 5 on)

E-28750-BHalfway To Heaven - vDuo D-4027

E-28751-BJo-Anne - vDuo D-4034

E-28752-BLet's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)Duo D-4045

E-28753-ACoquette - vDuo D-4019

NOTE:- Duophone D-4019 and D-4034 as THE HOME TOWNERS,- D-4027 as DAVE MEYER'S BOSTONIANS.

New York, November, 1928.12. Jimmy Dorsey alto sax solo on Blue Grass and subtone cl on Moonlight

E-28630-BBlue Grass - vUMV#2Duo D-4021

E-28631-Moonlight Madness (Then You Were Gone) -UMV#2Duo D-4040

NOTE:- Both the above Duophones as DAVY'S BROADWAY SYNCOPATORS.

New York, November, 1928. Unknown as solo (not Jimmy Dorsey). As CROSS ROADS INN ORCHESTRA.

E-28645-A Buy, Buy For BabyDuo D-4044

New York, November, 1928. Trombone doesn't sound exactly like Tommy Dorsey, though with some of his inflections. Alto sax solo by JD. This issue as THE MIDNIGHT BROADCASTERS.

E-28657-B Do You? (That's All I Want To Know)-vSB Duo D-4046

Issued as shown after catalog number. New York, November, 1928.Dream House: tb probably not TD; JD alto sax lead & brief 4-bar solo near end; My Blue Heaven: JD lower-register melodic cl solo; Sunny Skies: Probably Tommy Dorsey-tb; ?Phil d'Arcy-violin (Fred Hall's violinist for many years; this solo is reminiscent of his work). Down Where the Sun Goes Down?TD-tb (corny on purpose); JD-alto sax solo; Ho-Ho-Hogan (6/8 FOX TROT): Ted Lewis-style clarinet from JD; My Blue Heaven: JD lower-register melodic cl solo

E-28673-ADream House - vUMV#2Duo D-4023 (Tex Brewster's Orch.)

E-28675-AMy Blue Heaven - vUMV#2Duo D-4022 (Tip Top Club Orch.)

E-28677-BSunny Skies - vUMV#2Duo D-4049 (Tex Brewster's Orch.)

E-28678-ADown Where The Sun Goes Down - vUMV#2Duo D-4019 (Tip Top Club Orch.)

E-28679-AHo-Ho-Ho-Hogan (6/8 FOX TROT)- vUMV#2Duo D-4041 (Davy's Bwy. Syncos.)

Probably a different session, also New York, November, 1928.Tiger Rag: GREAT !! (This and the next 3 titles seem to be from a differrent session). Solos: Babe Russin-ts; ?Leo McConville-tpt; TD or maybe ?Charlie Butterfield-tb; JD-alto sax; JD-clarinet;I Ain't Got Nobody: Solos from Leo McConville-tpt (definitely); Babe Russin-ts; JD-cl accompanying unknown #3; TD-tb; JD-cl; Louisiana: Solos: JD-alto sax; unknown piano; Mississippi Mud: (Band plays doctored stock arrangement by ?Frank Skinner). Solos from Leo McConville-tpt & TD-tb break.

E-28680-ATiger RagDuo D-4034 (The Home Towners)

E-28681-BI Ain't Got Nobody - - vUMV#3Duo D-4020 (Midnight Broadcasters)

E-28682-ALouisianaDuo D-4030 (Cross Roads Inn Orch.)

E-28683-BMississippi Mud - vUMV#3Duo D-4020 (The Home Towners)

Engineered by, and from the collection of, The Right Honorable Mr. John R. T. Davies;
Commentary: John Leifert. Untraced Masters: E-28371, E-28620, E-28674, E-28676

vocal on JANE sounds more like Dick Robertson or even more like Tommy Stacks, definitely not Smith Ballew!
HALFWAY could be early Smith, or Scrappy possibly?
JOANNE definitely sounds like early Smith
COQUETTE = smith?
Bye bye = SB
so you - sb Grrreat!!! Superb work from John RT. It starts kinda slow, then builds, so that by the last session it's practically all hot stuff.

I listened to all of it last night, and will try to comment on it later in the day, with vocalists, solos, etc. that I could decipher (and even those I COULDN'T; they will be called "unknown male vocal #1", "#2", & "#3". Jimmy Dorsey first appears on She's One Sweet Show Girl, and stays there through the last track (so he's on tracks 5 through 24, pretty much). The real surprise was Babe Russin on tenor sax; Paul pointed him out, too. The first time we hear him is on Tiger Rag (#21), and he's on this last session up to track # 24, "Mississippi Mud".

Listening to it closely, "Jane" doesn't sound especially like a Reser group, although Reser could be on the date - but it's DEFINITELY Tom Stacks singing. Why he's there I don't know, but he's there nevertheless.

Hi Will: SMITH BALLEW sings on all of the following:
Happy Days & Lonely Nights (track 1); She's One Sweet Show Girl, You're Wonderful, My Varsity Girl, Halfway To Heaven & Jo-Anne (tracks 5 through 9); then, Coquette, Buy, Buy For Baby, & Do You? (tracks 11, 14 & 15)

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