[78-L] Sidney & the Lion play calypso

[Michael Biel]

From: "Cary Ginell" <soundthink at live.com>
>> Just found a 10-inch LP on Stinson featuring Sidney Bechet and Willie
>> "The Lion" Smith playing calypso, rhumbas, and meringues. Never knew
>> this session existed. According to the liner notes, the six titles were 
>> recorded in New York for Brunswick on November 22, 1939. The session
>> is not in Rust's Jazz & Ragtime Records but I think they should have at least been referenced.

From: "Steven C. Barr" <stevenc at interlinks.net>
> For the most part, discographers don't include West Indian (mostly calypso 
> at that time) recordings; they were usually issued on limited-circulation
> "ethnic" series.  Both Decca and ARC recorded such discs; I have run across
> a VERY limited number of these, and always find them pleasant listening...!

It is astonishing how many Calypso records were issued on American Decca
in the 1930s that nobody knows about.  They were not listed in Decca's
"Popular" catalog,  When photographing album 78 titled "Decca presents A
Special Collection of the World-Famous Music of Trinidad - CALYPSOS By
Wilmouth Houdini and His Royal Calypso Orchestra" I was astonished to
see a listing of SIXTY FOUR Decca releases on the back page of the
booklet (dated 11-39).  They were all in the 17000 series, but the three
discs in this album were in the 18000 series.  This album is like a
promotional sampler because although only one performer is featured, the
are many photographs inside of other groups, as well as that catalog
listing.  An English collector had given us a presentation at the 2001
ARSC/IASA about these records but I had no idea until I saw this list
how truly extensive the series was beyond the few that were in the
catalog and show up, such as "Joe Louis".  The subtitle on in the
booklet is "The World-Famous Topical Song of Trinidad" and two of the
songs in the album is "Roosevelt Opens World's Fair" and "The Welcome of
Their Magisties".  

The description includes "Having been unable to resist the purchase of
Calypso records in Trinidad, tourists bring them home in great
enthusiasm as something new and fascinating to introduce to their
friends. . . .  At the same time many people wished to buy the records
that had heard locally, but they were very difficult to obtain.  Decca
has been for years the principal recorded of this type of song and has
exported many thousands of records annually to the West Indies and it is
the Decca Records that have been brought back home and about which you
have read interesting articles in The New Yorker, Esquire, Cosmopolitan,
Newsweek, and other leading publications. . . . The complete catalog of
Decca Calypso Records by all of the leading Calypsodians is now
available domestically in response to wide demand and in consideration
of the mounting interest Decca is pleased to present this first album
collection of Calypsos containing six new numbers by the famous Wilmoth
Houdini, one of the first ever to record the Calypso song and the only
Calypsonian residing in the United States."

I can provide my photos of the cover, inside cover, booklet cover,
booklet intro, and the booklet record listing but the size of each of
the photos is huge -- about two megs each -- in order for you to get the
resolution to enlarge and read it.

Mike Biel   mbiel at mbiel.com