[78-L] Jaudas' Society Orch's banjo

[Mark Bardenwerper]

On 4/19/2011 9:11, DanKj wrote:
>   Apparently, the banjo playing I admire was by N.A.Sisty, about whom "The Banjo on Record" has zero info.  The 1920 Census
> has a Nicholas A.Sisty living in NYC, born about 1885.   Can't find anything else about him, online.  He did make a couple
> Edison records as "Sisty&  Seitz's Banjo Orchestra" - and I'm finding nothing on Seitz, either.
>
Just finished cataloging and sorting my Edison DD collection. Looking at 
the several databases I used, I see the large number of foreign names. I 
think many of these musicians were nearly "just off the boat" and worked 
for peanuts, much to T. E.'s delight. Though he had a few high payed 
names, the bulk of them were just session musicians. I remember Dalhart 
saying in an interview that many of them lived in New York and spent 
nearly the entire week in the studios jumping from seat to seat earning 
perhaps $50 a week on good weeks. The lesser ones got less than that I 
am sure.

http://www.banjoorchestra.org/history.html

Seems as if banjo orchestras were the rage before the turn of the 20th 
century. There were some isolated hangers-on and surely some 
late-comers. At least during the first years of the Edison record years, 
T.E. chose all of the music to be recorded and released. His taste in 
music was very dated, and doubtless his deafness contributed to his 
music choice decisions.

Here's a novelty banjo orch from 1928. All girls!
http://boingboing.net/2010/01/14/1928-all-girl-all-ba.html

-- 
Mark L. Bardenwerper, Sr. #:?)
Technology, thoughtfully, responsibly.
Visit me at http://www.candokaraoke.com