Phantom Dancer :: 12:00pm 28th Jul 2020
Bob Effros, jazz trumpeter and composer, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist. His recording career began in the 1920s and he made over 200 recordings.
His granddaughter, Barbara Effros is writing a book about this 1920s jazz trumpet great.
Her book is titled, ‘Bob Effros: The Laughing Trumpeter’.
Barbara writes, “He is known for his ‘maniacal laughter’ in Fleischer cartoons and songs recorded with Ben Selvin like, ‘Sing You Sinners’ and other Selvin and Harry Reser hits; ‘Ice Scream, You Scream, (We All Scream For Ice Cream)’ and others.”
Barbara adds some important background to this week’s blog about her grandfather whose trumpet you’ve heard probably hundreds of times maybe without even knowing.
You’ll definitely know when you hear his trumpet on this week’s Phantom Dancer mix. It’s in a 1930 cardboard Hit of the Week recording in which he takes a solo. And it’s in an extended solo on his own composition, ‘Tin Ear’, backed by Arthur Schutt on piano, recorded in 1929. It’s your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week.
Listen to The Phantom Dancer non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week. Presented and produced by 1920s-30s singer and actor Greg Poppleton, The Phantom Dancer’s been on-air over 107.3 2SER Sydney since 1985.
You can enjoy The Phantom Dancer online from 12:04pm AEST Tuesday 28 July at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/ where you can also hear two years of archived shows.
The finyl hour is vinyl.
BOB BOOK
Bob Effros’ granddaughter, Barbara, is writing a book about her jazz trumpeter grandfather, ‘Bob Effros: The Laughing Trumpeter’.
Maybe you can help her fill in the gaps about his tours of Australia and South America?
Barbara wrote to me about where the book is at right now, “Still working on book – it’s a labor of love. I’ve become immersed in jazz history, personalities, Black/White cultural issues in USA/UK. I’ve yet to fully research Grandpa’s performances in Australia and South America. I have passports, ship manifestos galore. Perhaps you can direct me regarding Australian music magazines of the 1930s and 40s?”
If you have any info about Bob Effros, please contact Barbara for her book at EffrosMusic@gmail.com.
Read more about Bob Effros at,
https://www.facebook.com/BobEffros
www.BobEffros.blogspot.com
BOB BEGINNINGS
Barbara wrote a short biography of Bob Effros published in The Syncopated Times, 1 January 2017 https://syncopatedtimes.com/jazz-trumpeter-bob-effros-a-granddaughters-appreciation/
She writes that Bob was born in London in 1900 and moved with his parents to Memphis when aged three. He ran away from home at 11 and worked on the riverboats where he heard jazz and picked up the cornet, listening to Joe ‘King’ Oliver. From 1917-19 he was a bugler in the US Army.
“After the war ended, he settled down in Baltimore playing in a band led by dancer and vocalist Bee Palmer. When Bob Effros arrived in New York, his only friend was from Memphis: W.C. Handy, ‘Father of The Blues.’ Mr. Handy sent the young trumpeter to Sam Lanin for his first gig, and was hired to play at the Roseland Ballroom.”
1920s
Bob soon became in-demand trumpeter on the New York scene. He was in the Vincent Lopez Orchestra from 1921-27, being paid the huge weekly salary of $500-$1000 over this period. “That’s why grandpa stayed with Lopez,” writes Barbara Effros. “Paul Whiteman couldn’t match that amount.”
Bob was playing for the Whiteman band in 1929 and sat in for Bix Beidebecke (more on that further on). That same year, 1929, he was also leading his own orchestra.
In the meantime he toured Europe frequently with Lopez with whom he remained a life-long friend.
Bob Effros recorded about 20 sides with Annette Hanshaw (my favourite singer) in NY on hits like ‘You’re the Cream in My Coffee’.
Other famous singers on whose recordings he played in the 1920s include Bessie Smith, the Boswell Sisters, Libby Holman, Ruth Etting, Ethel Waters, Mae Questal and Fanny Brice.
He played with Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, Sam Lanin, Vincent Lopez, Red Nichols, Harry Reser and Ben Selvin.
He made recordings alongside such famous sidemen as Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway, Xavier Cugat, Al Jolson, Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti, Jimmy Durante, Washboard Sam, W.C. Handy, Scrappy Lambert, Red Nichols, and Fats Waller.
Paul Whiteman chose Bob effros to fill in for the legendary trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke. Beidebecke had left the Whiteman Orchestra in 1929 because of health issues due to alchoholism. While he was away, Whiteman famously kept Bix’s chair open in Beiderbecke’s honour, in the hope that he would occupy it again. However, when he returned to New York at the end of January 1930, Beiderbecke did not rejoin Whiteman and performed only sparingly.
About this, Barbara adds,
“Paul Whiteman chose Bob Effros to fill in for legendary trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke during one of Bix’s final radio performances. Whiteman was known to leave an empty seat hoping Bix could return. However, Whiteman did need a trumpeter for the show and designated a separate seat for Bob Effros to fill in for Bix.”
COMPOSER
Bob wrote over a dozen hit songs including ‘Why The Twenties Roared,’ ‘Tin Ear’ (this week’s Phantom Dancer video), ‘Cornfed’, and ‘Why Don’t You Get Lost?’. ‘Sweet and Hot’ was his ode to Chinese soup.
1930s AND BEYOND
According to German wiki, in 1929, Bob started a family and got steady employment as a studio musician for Vitaphone, recording music for the Betty Boop, Popeye and Felix the Cat cartoons.
He also worked in radio orchestras, including the orchestra (where he was featured trumpeter) put together for the 1930 and 1931 season of ‘The Philco Hour’ recorded at WABC (CBS) NY.
On 27 August 1929 he recorded, under his own name for Brunswick (#4620), his own composition ‘Tin Ear’ (this recording is this week’s video, below) and ‘Sweet and Hot’, which was composed by his friend, the trumpeter, Mike Mosiello.
Bob remained active in the studios into the 1940s.
Barbara writes, “[He also] Spent a couple years in Los Angeles with Max Roach Studios recording for Little Rascals Shows, Buster Keaton, Marx Brothers, and more.” You hear Bob on those great Little Rascals and Laurel and Hardy comedy short soundtracks.
Photos from: https://www.facebook.com/BobEffros
Read more: www.BobEffros.blogspot.com
If you have any info about Bob Effros, please contact Barbara for her book at EffrosMusic@gmail.com.
MYSTERY SOLVED
On my LP copy of ‘If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight’ the liner notes query whether the trumpet solo is by Bob Effros or Red Nichols.
When I asked Barbara about this, she wrote back,
“Hi Greg, yes indeed. This is my Grandpa Bob Effros with Dick Robertson on vocals. He recorded over 50 sides on HOW Discs including songs with Rudy Vallee , Eddie Cantor and others. Am building the HOW discography. Grandpa recorded over 200 recordings and composed 13 songs. ‘Tin Ear’, ‘Cornfed’ and ‘Why Don’t You Get Lost’ are most popular from the 1920s. In 1942 he composed ‘Memr’y of this Dance’ with Ben Selvin. Also ‘A Million Reasons to Smile’ with Al Sherman recorded by Abe Lyman.”
VIDEO
Your Phantom Dancer Video of the Week is a beautiful trumpet solo by Bob Effros on his own composition, Tin Ear, with piano accompaniment by Arthur Schutt and recorded in 1929. The YouTube uploader puts the date as October 1929. The actual recording date is 27 August 1929. Enjoy!
When the 2SER studio opens again for live Phantom Dancer shows, I’ll play a special Bob Effros set. Stay tuned!
28 JULY PLAY LIST
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Play List – The Phantom Dancer
107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio
Community Radio Network Show CRN #447 |
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107.3 2SER Tuesday 28 July 2020 |
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Set 1
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Rhythms by the Big Bands on 1945 Radio | |
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Open + Out Of This World
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Boyd Raeburn Orchestra (voc) David Allen
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Rose Room
Palace Hotel KQW CBS San Francisco 27 Jul 1945 |
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Take The A Train + Suddenly It Jumped
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Duke Ellington Orchestra
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‘Jubilee’
AFRS Hollywood Jan 1945 |
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Riding To Glory On A Trumpet + Body and Soul + Close
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Horace Heidt Orchestra + Close
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‘One Night Stand’
Trianon Ballroom Southgate Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 23 Jan 1945 |
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Set 2
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1930s – 1940s Variety Shows | |
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Open + Goody Goody
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Texaco Orchestra and Chorus
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‘Texaco Star Theatre’
KFI NBC Red LA 31 Mar 1936 |
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Open (Wintergreen for President) + Change Partners + Thanks For The Memory
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Bob Hope, Skinnay Ennis Orchestra (voc) Skinnay Ennis
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‘Pepsodent Show’
WEAF NBC Red NY 27 Sep 1938 |
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Again + Close
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Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Dick Stabile Orchestra
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‘Martin and Lewis Show’
WNBC NBC NY 8 May 1949 |
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Set 3
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Modern Jazz On 1950s Radio | |
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Jet Propulsion
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Illinois Jacquet
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‘Stars in Jazz’
Birdland WNBC NBC NY 1952 |
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Well You Needn’t + It Never Entered My Mind
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Miles Davis
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‘Bandstand USA’
Cafe Bohemia WOR Mutual NY 15 Sep 1956 |
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Set 4
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Traditional Jazz Sounds on 1940s-50s Radio | |
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Open + Kerry Dance
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Henry Levine Octet
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‘Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street’
WJZ NBC Blue NY 21 Jul 1941 |
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Rocking Chair
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Louis Armstrong All-Stars (voc) Louis Armstrong + Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines
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‘All-Star Parade of Bands’
Basin Street WRCA NBC NY 14 May 1955 |
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Clarinet Marmalade + Close
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Wild Bill Davison
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‘This Is Jazz’
WOR Mutual New York 3 May 1947 |
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Set 5
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Hit Of The Week Cardboard Records – Bob Effros plays on ‘If I Could Be with You One Hour Tonight’. | |
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Reaching For The Moon
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Sam Lanin’s Dance Orchestra (voc) Scrappy Lambert
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Hit of the Week Record
New York City Mar 1931 |
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I’m Keeping Company
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Hit of the Week Orchestra (voc) Scrappy Lambert
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Hit of the Week Record
New York City Aug 1931 |
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Pardon Me Pretty Baby
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Sam Lanin’s Dance Orchestra (voc) Paul Small
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Hit of the Week Record
New York City Jan 1932 |
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If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight
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Hit of the Week Orchestra (voc) Dick Robertson (tp solo Bob Effros)
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Hit of the Week Record
New York City Dec 1930 |
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Set 6
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Swing Bands on ‘Spotlight Bands’ | |
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Open + Sugarfoot Stomp
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Benny Goodman Orchestra
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‘Spotlight Bands’
Springfield Mass Blue Network 29 Sep 1943 |
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Open + Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
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Charlie Spivak Orchestra (voc) Irene Day
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Spotlight Bands’
Jamestown NY Blue Network 19 Jan 1945 |
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It Happened In Monterey
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Gene Krupa Orchestra (voc) G-Noters
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‘Spotlight Bands’
Newport Rhode Island Blue Network 2 Oct 1944 |
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The Minor Goes A Muggin’
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Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
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‘Spotlight Bands’
Mutual Network 5 Nov 1945 |
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Set 7
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‘Mickey Mouse Bands’ on 1935 – 1940 Radio | |
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Open + Isn’t Love The Grandest Thing
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Guy Lombardo Orchestra (voc) Lombardo Trio
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‘Esso Boulevarde’
WABC CBS NY 7 Oct 1935 |
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Tumbling Tumbleweeds
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Jan Garber Orchestra (voc) Lee Bennett
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Radio Transcription
New York City 1939 |
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The Yam
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Blue Barron Orchestra (voc) Charlie Fisher
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Radio Transcription
New York City 1938 |
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Sunshine Of My Heart
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Chuck Foster Orchestra (voc) Dorothy Brandon
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Radio Transcription
Chicago 1940 |
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Set 8
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Duke Ellington’s Extended Works on ‘A Date With The Duke’ (ABC) | |
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Diminuendo In Blue / Rocks In My Bed / Crescendo In Blue
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Duke Ellington Orchestra (voc) Joya Sherill
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‘A Date With The Duke’
ABC Toledo OH 9 Jun 1945 |
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Blue Bells Of Harlem
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Duke Ellington Orchestra
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‘A Date With The Duke’
WJZ ABC Radio City NY 7 Jul 1945 |
