Swinging 30s: Freddie Rich's Orchestra - Zonky, CBS 1931

Freddie RICH (né Fryderyk Efrem Rich) pianist & band leader, was born in 1893 in Warsaw, Poland, where his musiacal studies began. He emigrated to the USA, where in 1922 he got employment as a pianist. He continued his musiacal education until he received position of conductor and arranger for the exclusive Astor hotel in New York City. In the years 1925-27 he toured Europe and in early 1928 he became the first American band leader to play a performance for the king of England, Georgre V. In late 1928 he also gained position at the CBS as music director and he remained with CBS until 1938. In 1942 he moved to Beverly Hills, California, and joined United Artists. He scored the film „Jack London" in 1943 and „A Walk In The Sun" in 1945. Having suffered from the partial paralyse in 1945, he nevertheless continued to freelance in the studio, until his death in 1956.

In 1930s Fred Rich was a conductor and arranger for numerous radio programs, including „Fred's Friendly Five" (1931-32) sponsored by the Jarman Shoe Company of Nashville, Tennessee. There were 26 programs having 4 titles each. A twenty-piece orchestra was present, but was not all used on all titles. The band includeded the best musicians of the time: e.g. Joe Venuti (violin), Eddie Lang (guitar), Tony Parenti, Jimmie Dorsey (clarinets), Manny Klein, Bunny Berigan (trumpets), vocals were made by Paul Smalle and Elmer Feldkamp.
The recordings from those sessions are sought after among jazz enthusiasts in the world. Here's one of them.

Recording: Freddie Rich And His Orchestra -- Zonky (A.Razaf /F.Waller), CBS „Fred's Friendly Five On The Air", 1931 (source material recorded by Aircheck, Canada, 1975)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• America
• Swing
• Jazz
• Age
• New
• York
• City
• 1930s
• Thirties
• hot
• dance
• band

[2reeler]

Wonderful jazzy stuff! I used to have a Lp of all Freddie Rich tunes from this Friendly Five radio show and I loved it to pieces! Thanks for posting.

[KawhackitaRag]

THANKS!!!

[KawhackitaRag]

DAMN that's a hot band!!! and Fred Rich takes a very nice (if extremely brief) piano break illustrating what Willie The Lion Smith meant when he called Fred Rich a good friend in his autobiography.

[KawhackitaRag]

@curzmg I'm hearing that whoever wrote that theme must have heard this tune!!!

[Atticus70]

Very nice! Thanks for the video response!

[greentom7777]

I Love it also my kind of mu sic

[curzmg]

Is anyone hearing Inspector Gadget? xXx

[ebronken]

Oh, this number is just great! Thank you!

[FranzivonSpeck]

I love it!

Franzi.

[fatsfan70]

I can't let a great Fats Waller/Andy Razaf number pass by without a big thank you.