Sweet Georgia Brown - Ben Bernie and his Orchestra

[JCJasion]

Brunswick acousticals had a higher quality and an exceptional bass response of all the acousticals. The very early Brunswick 'light-ray' electricals actually sounded poorer by comparison. Incidentally the alto sax solo towards the end was by Jack Pettis. Also, on piano, a very young Oscar Levant.

[MrXnews2]

@JCJasion I believe this is a Brunswick-produced Vocalion, when the company was transitioning from Aeolian to Brunswick. I've seen this record on red shellac with an "Aeolian Co. 1921" label, but the typeface of the info was the kind used on later Brunswick Vocalions, and a version on black shellac, but with an Aeolian label. I believe some red discs even had a "Brunswick-Balke-Collender" label!

[JCJasion]

@MrXnews2

@MrXnews2 - Info for this Vocalion recording extracted from the Online Discographical Project:

Issue (label number): 15002B

Artist: BEN BERNIE & HIS ORCH

Title: SWEET GEORGIA BROWN

Matrix?: NN575

Date Recorded: 3/19/1925

Composers: BERNIE, CASEY, PINKARD

[MrXnews2]

@JCJasion I did some research, and it turns out that Casey's grandson receives the royalties to this piece, although Pinkard wrote the music, and Bernie may only have been given a credit since he helped to give the song tremendous popularity.

[JCJasion]

@MrXnews2 - Interesting thing about cpyrighted versions. We ( cats in my jam session and I ) play this in the Key of F from the lead sheets in The Legal RealBook. I notice all the early versions up to about 1931 are in Ab, including Isham Jones' 1925 Brunswick Light-Ray version. I think the change to F crept in with the 1932 Brunswick recording of Jones backing Bing Crosby's vocal. They modulated to F to accomodate Der Bingle's vocal range. Ever since then, it seems... lead sheets in F!!

[MrXnews2]

@JCJasion I personally prefer versions like this (seems to be in G/A♭, Jones's 1925 version is clearly A♭) which aren't in F. Jones's version and Oliver Naylor's 1925 Victor version (in A) are the best.

[JCJasion]

To hear the band doing this same song electrically, and synchronized to film check out the upload by DGatsby -

Not the best print, but to my ears the band sounds looser and more swinging, especially Jack Pettis' sax solo.

[MrXnews2]

@JCJasion I've heard that version before--first version of this piece by Bernie's orch. that I've heard.

[JCJasion]

@MrXnews2 - I wonder if anyone has a better film/sound restoration of that DeForest film. I notice that Aaron1912 has nice clean ( film and sound) upload of Bernie and the Lads doing "Rose Marie" from that same group of DeForest "Soundies."

[MrXnews2]

@JCJasion Ade425mxy (Ade Gregg) did a restoration of an old audio/video clip, and except for one little flaw (picture was divided own the middle and each half was slightly jarred, possibly very hard to fix?), the restoration was one of the best I've seen!

[Victrolaman1]

Very Good acoustic record.

[JCJasion]

@Victrolaman1 - Indeed!