[78-L] Bix's "At the Jazz Band Ball" on German Parlophone

[Han Enderman]

In 1923 UK Parlophone started E-3000 & E-5000 series. 
A few blocks of numbers in the E3000 series show a "R" (Royal Blue) prefix instead of the usual "E" prefix. 
After the common R100 series began in 1928, the E3000 series continued parallel with the new R100 series.
Eventually (by 1950) the R100 series had reached R3257 and accidently duplicated a number which 
had already been used decades earlier. Thus we have a 1920s R-3257 by Arthur Sims (with the gramophone
in the circular logo) and a 1950 (Super Rhythm Style Series 5/6) R-3257 by Humphrey Lyttelton. 
As the 1920s R3257 had been deleted from the catalog back in the 1920s probably no-one noticed this 
duplication in 1950. [after notes by Ross Laird & Norman Field]
The orig. R-3465 was preceded by Trumbauer releases (R-3440/63/64). Other issues in this series are 1927 
Noble Sissle recordings, Venuti with Rollini (3442), etc.
An ad for R-3419-21 in Melody Maker Dec 1927 was shown on the Bix forum, which indicates that R-3465 
was released in 1928.
Steven Barr has said that R-3543 (May 1928) was the last R-release in the early E/R-series. The last images 
I have in this group are R-3537 (Rollin Smith) & R-3542.

R-2711 was released in 1939. While the Miscellany series shows no date, nearby issues are part of the
1939 Super Rhythm Style Series (R-2708 Frankie Newton; R-2717 Pete Johnson). Such info can also be found
in the on-line "The Gramophone".

The German Parlophone R-series contains WW2 export pressings.
The German pressing of R-2258 (Ellington's The Blues with a Feelin') was described as follows on ebay:
"DUKE ELLINGTON mit Aufnahmen von 1928, während des 2. Weltkrieges als Umschnitt mit englischen 
Bestellnummern in Deutschland für Exportzwecke (besonders Skandinavien) gecovert. Quasi als Fortführung der 
ODEON SWING MUSIC SERIES behandelte nach 1939 die Berliner ODEON/PARLOPHON weiter das Thema 
der Classic Jazz Editionen. Diese Platte wurde erst 1950 regulär in Deutschland auf ODEON veröffentlicht."
They can be recognized by label style and legends like "registered trade mark" & "Broadcasting rights reserved".
I have images in the range R-1505 (Harry Roy) - R-2725 (John Kirby).
An example is R-2704 by Armstrong (Hotter Than That, Miscellany series 5), and Bix's R-2711.
It will be evident that the German's preferred to release popular issues or the more recent (re)issues, and thus 
they issued the 1939 R-2711, but certainly not the old 1920s issues in the R-3000 series.
And with R-2711 being repressed, no-one needed R-3465, and undoubtedly this was a discographical error or 
fantasy (someone remembering the German Bix pressing and copying the wrong, higher number from Rust ?).

Parlophon A-4917 was the first German issue.
That A-4900 series seems to be very rare. I only have images of A-4953 (Casa Loma) & A-4956 (Ferera Trio);
I know that Rollini researcher Ate van Delden has images of A-4912 (Trumbauer) and would be interested in
other labels from this series.

Albert, use anything you want in the Bix forum.

han enderman
===
>>> The first recording by Bix and His Gang was "At the Jazz Band Ball," Oct 5, 1927. According to Richard Dean-Myatt's Bix discography in Sudhalter and Evans "Bix, Man and Legend," there were four issues of the recording in the continent. There were two in England also: R-3465 (original issue, probably 1927 or 1928) and R-2711 (Miscellany Rhythm Style Series, No. 8, probably mid to late 1930s); I have these two.

Par G A-4917 (Germany).
Par G R-3645 (Germany).This is a typo. The correct number is 3465. This is also the number in the first English issue. 
Par Ss R-2711 (Switzerland).
Par It B-71141 (Italy).

I have learned, since I started looking for the two German recordings, that there is a third German Parlophone, R-2711; this, like its English and Swiss counterparts with the same number, is Miscellany Rhythm Style Series, No. 8. 

Collectors have kindly sent me scans of the record labels of the Swiss and Italian issues and of German R 2711. I am looking for scans of the record labels of the two German issues A-4917 and R-3465. A knowledgeable collector raised the possibility that the listing of German R-3465 may be in error. It is not listed in Rust.  

Can anyone help? Was German Parlophone R-3465 issued? If so and you have copies of the German Parlophone issues R-3465 and A-4917 of "At the Jazz Band Ball "by Bix and His Gang, could you scan the record labels and send the scans to me as attachments? I would be very grateful. Was A-4917 issued in 1928 or so?

Thanks.

Albert
http://bixbeiderbecke.com
ahaim at bixography.com