An Interracial Tune A Day (#3)

February 1, 1929- Warren (Irving) Mills w. Adelaide Hall.

This is an early version of a “Best of” recording of a Broadway show- The Blackbirds of 1928. Adelaide Hall was the female lead in an all-black cast. The white songwriting team Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields wrote the music, including the first of their many hits-“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”

The recording has a large ensemble, a few of whom are not ID’d (see discography below). Most of it is in a “broadway” style, but there’s a little hot jazz played by Tommy Dorsey and hot trumpet which I’m gonna say is Manny Klein.

Irving Mills was an important guy. On another post, I’ll spend some time talking about him; easily done as he shows up often in interracial recordings.

Warren (Irving) Mills and His Blues Serenaders: Matty Malneck (vln,dir) with Manny Klein, Red Nichols and one other tp, Tommy Dorsey (tb), Jimmy Dorsey, Arnold Brilhart, as / ts, 4 vn, Arthur Schutt, p, Eddie Lang, g, 2 bb, d, 3 female and 6 male (4 of them apparently black) vcls, Adelaide Hall (vcl) New York, February 1, 1929.

• Gems from Blackbirds of 1928- Vic 35962, Raretone (It)23000; Jazz Archives JA21

• Hot’n Sweet (F)151282 [CD];

All entries are from my book “As Long as They Can Blow. Interracial Jazz Recording and Other Jive Before 1935.”