[78-L] Sidney Bechet's Bluebird recording of "Strange Fruit"

[Dan Van Landingham]

What I wouldn't give to have another copy of Jacquet's "Black Velvet".I had it on a battered orange vinyl
45.I always wondered when it was recorded.The grey label was barely readable.



________________________________
From: Han Enderman <jcenderman at solcon.nl>
To: 78-L <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Tue, April 6, 2010 7:23:26 AM
Subject: [78-L]  Sidney Bechet's Bluebird recording of "Strange Fruit"

Rust gives Bechet's Strange Fruit on Vic 27-0127 only, plus some European HMVs.
In Jazz Directory, v.1 (1949) it is still listed as unissued.
I do not have a 78 label image of it, but all available images in this 78rpm 27-0xxx series  (range 27-0114 - 27-157) are 
the white "RCA Victor / Record Prevue / coming attractions" label, and all are (re)issues of much earlier recordings. 
27-0140 is Jacquet's Black Velvet, recd 6 April 1949.
Evidently the 78s were only for radio promotion (not for sale).
In "Days Beyond Recall" (how appropriate for Bechet research; also not released at the time of recording), 
this was discussed on the list. The commercial issues were in a 42- series at the time.

Thus the orig. issue is 45rpm RCA 27-0127 (in box WPT-31) or 10" LP LPT-22, both called "Sidney Bechet", and
issued in the Treasury of Immortal Performances series. 
The LP mxs on label are E1VL-3416/17, but the 78s have earlier mxs. The 45 single has prefix D1VW (guessed from
a bad image). Can the 78 or 45 be dated more accurately, and were the singles issued before the LP?
Or are the HMVs the first release?

Han Enderman
===
>>> ...the David Margolick book about the song claims that, while Bechet's instrumental version was
recorded in September 1941, RCA Victor was so scared of the thing that they didn't release it 
for several years. Exactly when *did* they first issue it, either on 78 or LP?... 
King David MacKenzie 
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