My review of Satchmo at the Waldorf by Terry Teachout concluded with this photograph of the
great Louis Armstrong. Attribution was
given to an obscure discography, Rhythm
on Record (London, 1936). I didn’t
want to mix information on that work in the review, so here is the rest of the
story.
In the mid 1970s I was running a publishing company in
Westport, CT (later known as Greenwood Publishing Group). At that time we were slowly transitioning
from reprinting out of print books and journals into becoming a full-fledged
academic and reference publishing house. I happened to be in London before (or was it after?)
the Frankfurt Bookfair in 1975 and I had an afternoon free of appointments to
rummage through the antiquarian bookshops in the Charing Cross Road and Bloomsbury
areas. In one of those spellbinding stores
I came across Rhythm on Record. The proprietor said it was very rare and that
it was the world’s first discography.
Looking through it I was fascinated to see so many great early jazz
musicians, dance bands and singers so well represented, including some striking
black and white plates. I bought it on
the spot and made it the central focus of a large reprint program of
discographies, classical as well as jazz, which were out of print.
Later we developed our own original discography
works. I learned there was a whole
coterie of discography specialists such as Michel Ruppli in France who ultimately
compiled a number of works for us, including a 6 volume 6,000 page guide covering
the Decca record labels as well as Brian Rust in the UK who wrote the definitive
Guide to Discography which we
published in 1980
This kind of reference publishing has been obviated by
the Internet, but, at the time, it was precious information for collectors and
enthusiasts which could only be communicated in printed form. It is amazing to step
back and see the whole progression and to recognize the achievements of the
discography pioneers, in this case, Hilton R. Schleman. The subtitle of the work is long: “A complete
survey and register of all the principal recorded dance music from 1906 to
1936, and a who’s who of the artists concerned in the making.” It is indeed all those things and more given
the numerous illustrations.
I can’t reproduce all of them here, but, first, here are
the text pages which were devoted to Louis Armstrong. They show the detail that went into this pioneering
work:
Here are but a few of the illustrations:
Finally, the other thing I did not want to mix with my
review was the happy circumstance that I was asked to play the piano in the lobby
of Dramaworks on opening night, so I had a dual role as reviewer and
entertainer.
I choose to perform an “all Louis Armstrong” program,
songs that he is either closely associated with, and/or recorded by him such as
“What a Wonderful World,” Star Dust,” "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey,"
and about a dozen more including “Ain't Misbehavin'” and “Hello, Dolly.” There
are truncated videos in links to the last two songs.
All in all, it was a special night -- in a way, a full
circle for me from my publishing days.
