[78-L] What is a Savannah Band?

[Mark Bardenwerper]

On 11/29/2017 4:19 PM, Kristjan Saag wrote:
> On 2017-11-29 20:19, David Lennick wrote:
>> And what did Havana have to do with the Savoy Havana Band?
> Here's what (adding to John Wright's note):
>
> "In 1919, Bert Ralton an American Saxophonist, left Art Hickman's band
> in New York City, went to Havana, Cuba, and formed his own band. About
> 1920/1, he arrived in England, and, in March of 1922, his New York
> Havana Band played at London's Coliseum. A few months later they opened
> at the Savoy Hotel as the Savoy Havana Band. On April 23, 1922, they
> first broadcast from a BBC studio, and 5 months later became the first
> dance band to have regular, weekly broadcasts remoted from the Savoy Hotel"
> From:
> https://famoushotels.org/news/savoy-and-popular-music
>
> On the other hand: the Caribbean touch was very light in the Savoy
> Havana Band's repertoire. Andrew Homzy writes:
>
> "In their repertoire was both "Hard Hearted Havanna" and "Havana Nagila”
>
> Good joke. The first title was actually "Hard Hearted Hannah" and the
> second a tango called "Havana" by John Schonberger:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_wMTqVTn5A
>
> Definitely more Caribbean than "Hava Nagila". But that's about it: the
> rest of  Savoy Havana Band's repertoire was thing like "Don't Cry
> Swanee", "A Japanese Sunset" and "Farewell Blues".
>
> But the Caribbean/ Cuban craze hadn't really began. The habanera played
> a part in the development of jazz and popular music in the US in the
> early 1900's, but as a rhythm and a dance. Cuban music as such,
> introduced by Cuban musicians in the US, came about in the late 1920's.
> So even the The New York Havana Band seems to be more of an exotic name
> than referring to a musical trend or rumour.
> Still I'd like to know more about why Savannah was chosen as a symbol
> for "music from the south". New Orleans, yes, but Savannah? What
> happened in Savannah? Any Georgians around?
> Kristjan
>
>
>
>
Specht's?
So many bands included geographical connotation in their names purely to 
augment their reputations and to avoid contract conflicts. The Frisco 
Syncopaters come to mind.

-- 
Mark L. Bardenwerper, Sr.
Technology...responsibly, thoughtfully