"RIVERBOAT SHUFFLE" Benson Orchestra of Chicago Electrical Victor 19688 E+
$
29
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Description
The Benson Orchestra of Chicago, in excellent hot form, is heard in uncanny hi-fidelity on this early (1925) electrical Victor 19688, in Hoagy Carmichael's "RIVERBOAT SHUFFLE."
Meanwhile, on the flip side, Oliver Naylor's Orchestra is likewise a hot item, in a premiere performance of "SWEET GEORGIA BROWN."
These both are "Hot Dance Orchestras" in their early prime.
This record is in beautiful E+ condition, and should satisfy the most exacting customer.
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On Dec-24-17 at 16:25:57 PST, seller added the following information:
N. B. These sides were made in May, 1925 – a mere two months after Western Electric’s Bell Labs installed their revolutionary electrical recording system at Victor and Columbia. It profoundly changed the whole meaning of and attitude about recording.
From Edison’s 1877 phonograph to the latest refinements of the Acoustic System in 1924, an artist or band had to play to the recording horn as if it were a slightly deaf maiden aunt. All playing or singing had to be done in an exclamatory manner, with perfect diction; every effort focused on the horn.
The microphone took that slightly deaf maiden aunt, and swapped her out for an eager music student, with big ears and unbounded curiosity. Suddenly, the entire room could be heard, and any sound down to a whisper recorded. This opened the door to unprecedented vocal and instrumental intimacy, and eventually, to a whole new palette of expression.
Here is what I especially like: The first year or so of electrical recording, before most bands and singers had adapted to the new technology. When they still played and sang as if to the third balcony, and nobody thought of “crooning.” On records like this Victor 19688, we hear the Benson Orchestra and Oliver Naylor play as if they were still in the dance hall or Vaudeville. It’s a startlingly sharp image of a vanished world!
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