[78-L] Experimental Electrics on Autograph Label

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "yves francois" <aprestitine at yahoo.com>
> Hello Al, you are correct. The Autographs at that time were electric, for 
> certain the Merrit Brunis on Autograph is electric, as are the Morton's 
> and Oliver/Morton duets.  There is also a test pressing from circa 1921/2 
> that is probably of Autograph provenance of an "unknown black Chicago 
> band" playing a wild "Muscle Shoals Blues" on a Ragtime to Jazz reissue on 
> the Timeless label (volume 2), so Marsh was experimenting for a while with 
> the electric recording process.
>
IIRC, Autograph (usw.) started experimenting with electrical recording
c.1921, and was issuing electric sides by 1924 or so. One interesting
detail here; the Compo Company, which DID release a handful of
Autograph sides (Jack Pennewell, Jesse Crawford...) was experimenting
with electrical recording in 1924, and issued its first electric sides
(identified as such...!) in January, 1925. This is why HMV-Victor started
promoting their "V.E. Process" issues from the "git-go"...and why they
issued a promo disc with a Jack Shilkret acoustic side paired with an
electric side of (supposedly) JS doing it electrically...!

...stevenc