Great Depression: Luis Russell Orch. - Goin' To Town, 1931

Luis RUSSELL (1902 -1963) - jazz pianist and a bandleader, was born on Careening Cay, near Bocas del Toro, Panama, in a family of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. His father was a music teacher and young Luis learned to play violin, guitar, trombone, and piano. He began accompanying silent films by 1917, then played at a casino in Colón, Panama. In 1919 he won 3000 US dollars in a lottery and used it to move to the United States with his mother and sister, settling in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began performing with New Orleans bands, and took lessons on New Orleans style jazz piano from Steve Lewis. He played with Albert Nicholas's band, then moved to Chicago in 1924, where he played with King Oliver. With Oliver's band Russell moved to New York City in May of 1927 and in October of that year he started his own band. Soon, his band became one of the top jazz groups in New York. It was borrowed for gigs and recording dates by such jazz notables as Red Allen, Jelly Roll Morton, and Louis Armstrong; Armstrong wound up taking over the band as front man in 1929 although Russell remained the music director. They are generally considered to be one of the first Swing bands. The outfit featured some of the best hot musicians from New Orleans, such as Barney Bigard, Omer Simeon and Pops Foster.

The band returned to Russell's name while Armstrong played in California and Europe in the early 1930s; Russell and Armstrong were reunited in 1935. They again split paths in 1943 when Russell formed a new band under his own name, which played at the Savoy and Apollo in Manhattan as well as in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1948 Russell retired from full time music and opened a notions shop, with irregular band gigs and teaching music on the side. He died of cancer in New York City.


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Recording:
Luis Russell & His Orch., v. Chris Bullock - Goin' To Town, Victor 1931

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Thirties
• 1930s
• Jazz
• Age
• America
• hot
• dance
• orchestra
• 78rpm

[teebeesea]

Great solo work from Red Allen, Dicky Wells and Albert Nicholas...Allen's riding over the band on the last chorus is amazing! Original issue is Victor 22789 b/w "Say The Word."

[ThePeaceableKingdom]

Thanks for posting this. I'm unfamiliar with Luis Russell. But winning $3000 US in 1919 must have been quite a fortune! Great little tune!

[rgsfield]

I recognize the photo of the Dort auto on the stairs of San Diego High School here in SD, CA. Those buildings were needlessly demolished in the early 1970s as non-earthquake safe, which in fact they were.

[Wcross34]

The caption on the picture says "Chris" Bullock. Shouldn't it be "Chick"?

[iainr222]

it was still rare for white vocalists to sing with all black bands in 1931 Bing and Smith Ballew certainly recorded with Duke Ellington in this period but public performances sadly were out.

[sirjuandabicho]

muchas gracias.

[78timothy]

Vocal sounds llike Chick Bullock which is no surprise. Bullock often recorded with other bands, including This one, and Clarence Williams.

[78timothy]

Orginally released on Brunswick/Vocalion

[jdj32433]

I think the word is "hoofers" which means dancers.

[BlessInkompetence]

I not only envy the women of the thirtie's their clothes, but also for being able to turn on the radio and having this kind of music coming out - does anyone know what a 'hopper' is, the word he says at 0:10?