Jazz Harpsichord first appeared around 1940 when pianist Johnny Guarnieri played harpsichord in swing band leader Artie Shaw’s quintet “Gramercy Five”. 1940s Jazz harpsichord, by Primo Angeli, Sylvia Marlowe (born Sapira) and Ernesto Romanoni, is your Phantom Dancer feature this week.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

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ANGELI

Primo Angeli plays jazz harpsichord in the Brockseiper track on this week’s Phantom Dancer. He was also pianist with drummer Freddie Brockseiper’s Orchestra at the time of the 6 July 1943 recording.

He studied music in Bologna and was a member of Nanni dal Dello’s orchestra which toured Germany in 1937.

Primo stayed in Germany, becoming part of the Berlin swing scene.

He recorded with the orchestras of Willy Berking, Hans Rehmstedt, and the Golden Seven.

From 1940 he recorded with the propaganda band Charlie and His Orchestra, in which Lutz Templin brought together the elite of European jazz.

His piano records with the bands of Benny de Weille and Franz Kleindin have a Teddy Wilson flavour.

He also played with his own combo.

After 1945, Angeli worked with his wife, singer Henriette Schäffler, in US Army soldiers’ clubs and as an organist at the Hotel Frankfurter Hof.

He moved to Munich, working for Bavarian Radio and opened an organ school.

MARLOWE

Sylvia Marlowe was the stage name of Sylvia Sapira. She was an American harpsichordist who played both Baroque repertoire and contemporary compositions by composers such as Alan Hovhaness.

She also released an album of jazz harpsichord in 1941.

In 1957 she founded the Harpsichord Music Society, Inc. to promote new works for harpsichord and award scholarships for the advanced study of harpsichord and its repertoire.

Composers commissioned by the society include Elliott Carter, Ned Rorem, Vittorio Rieti and Henri Sauguet.

ROMANONI

Ernesto Romanoni played jazz harpsichord and celeste in 1941 and 1942 recordings by violinist Helmut Zacharias und seine Solisten: Helmut Zacharias (vln,ldr) Ernesto Romanoni (harpsichord, celeste), Alfio Grasso, Meg Tevelian, Jani Nemeth (g) Cesare Cavaion (b)

In Berlin for the Zacharias band on November 29, 1941, he played harpsichord on a recording of the movie tune, Bei dir war es immer so schön, and later in 1942, Hallo, Hella.

He also recorded in Berlin in 1941 with Tullio Mobiglia mit seinem Bar-Orchester, including the slow foxtrot, Es wiegt sich ein Schiff im Wind.