Frankie Trumbauer—”Singing The Blues” (1927)

Last Sunday, I had a conversation about Bix Beiderbecke with our Classic Jazz Lovers group member Willem Oversier, a cornet player from The Netherlands. One of Willem's favorite features is "Singin' The Blues."

The original Okeh label says "Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra with Bix and Lang." Without any explanation these two soloists were considered to be known to the 1927 record buying customers. The musicians on the New York studio session of February 4, 1927 are leader Frank Trumbauer on C-melody saxophone directing cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, trombonist Miff Mole, clarinetist Jimmy Dorsey, pianist Paul Mertz, guitarist Eddie Lang, and drummer Chauncey Morehouse.

"Siingin' The Blues" is a 1920 composition by Indianan John Russell Robinson (1892-1963) and New Yorker Con Conrad (born as Conrad K. Dober, 1891-1938). It was first recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in December 1920 as an intro to "Margie." Because of the importance of the Beiderbecke recording on the later development of black and white jazz, Bix's record was re-released as one of the 1939 Odeon-Swing-Series 78 r.p.m. discs. In 1977 this jazz standard was conducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as a jazz milestone.