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The London Sonora Band's Favorite Recordings. A revised discography by Björn Englund

Bobbie Hind (1888 - January 24, 1950) was not an important Arthur Hind on tenor sax, Arthur Louseley and Tom Marshall musician and no improviser, but he had a solid knowledge of (trumpet), Richard Betts (), S. Harrison (alto sax), the clarinet and saxophone and was quite successful as an Harry Silcox (violin), Jack Llewellyn (banjo), Jack Humphrey orchestra leader for several year, especially in and, as (drums). This is the personnel for the September 1924 French can be seen below, he had no fewer than eleven recording Pathé recordings. The band played at the seaside resort of sessions for Lindström's Favorite label, totalling 44 30 cm (12") Scheveningen in the Netherlands from July 1 to August 30, titles. 1924. Immediately after that they went to and recorded for Pathé. Only four titles were issued, but as the matrix Robert Hind was born in but raised in England, the son numbers are very scattered (7198, 7200, 7212, 7220) there of a bandmaster. He studied piano as a youth and later took up may well be more unissued titles. clarinet and saxophone, studying at the Royal Military School of Music based at Kneller Hall, Twickenham. After service in the Although they recorded James P. Johnson's Old Fashioned Love British Army in World War One, he played in various theatre and Walter Hirsch's Horsey! Keep Your Tail Up (Pathé 6697) pit orchestras and by 1922 was first clarinet at the London these are not performances. The other titles are Savoy Palladium under Philip Lewis (later Musical Director of English American Medley (arr. Debroy Somers) / Sweet Henry (Harry Decca). Later the same year he formed a band and auditioned Akst) (Pathé 6680). The lowest stamper date is 4-9-24, so the successfully for theatrical impresario Sir Oswald Stoll, and was session must have takes place no later than September 2. given work at several of Stoll's chain of theatres. Hind called his group the London Sonora Band. After this session the band moved to and played at the famous Scala theatre, probably from October to December In 1923 his Sonora Band was chosen to give a Command 1924 and were a great success, especially drummer Jack Performance, and later he claimed that his was the first Humphrey, who was very much a showman. In the spring of syncopated band to do so (but this is patently untrue, as Will 1925 they played at the Palais Barberina, also in Berlin. It was Marion Cook's Southern Syncopated Orchestra with Sidney during this period they started recording for Favorite. British- Bechet had performed at Buckingham Palace in 1919). born pianist Rex Allen, who by 1925 was a well known fixture of the German dance band scene, joined the band at this time. Hind's band included, beside himself on alto sax, his brother

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In the summer of 1925 the band again played in Schevenin - gen, but then it broke up. Drummer Jack Humphrey took a seven-piece band to Berlin that recorded for Vox in January and February 1926. Though the band apparently included Emile Christian on trombone, these titles are not listed in any of the editions of Brian Rust's ‘Jazz Records.’ The titles are 2957-B Ukulele Lady / 2959-B Sugar Foot Stomp (Vox 8026) and 2976- B Milenburg Joys / 2977-B Don't Bring Lulu (Vox 8027); the first from the January session and the second from the February session.

There may well have been two more titles recorded at each of these sessions (probably 2956-B/2958-B and 2977-B/2978-B). The -B is not a take indication but means 25 cm acoustic record - ing. (The label of Vox 8026 gives E. Schoebel as composer of Sugar Foot Stomp! Obviously this was Elmer Schoebel, the arranger of the Melrose "stock".)

In contrast to the Hind recordings, these are (according to Photo courtesy of Rainer Lotz Lotz) "not only among the rarest but also the finest German made jazz records of the 20's". Possible personnel: Alf Bowes of his death in 1950. (tp), Emile Christian (tb), unknown cl/as, cl/ts, p, bj, Jack Humphrey (dr). For a tune-by-tune analysis, see Lotz' booklet (The Austrian musician Heinrich Blaser was in London in listed below. 1922-1923 and heard Hind's band, which inspired him to start a "Sonora Band" in Vienna on his return in 1923. The band broke Hind formed a new band after the 1925 breakup, but never up at the end of 1939. Its full history can be found in Lotz' book - regained his leading position, although he continued to tour Eu - let.) rope with his band as late as 1938. During World War Two he and his wife Margery were active in the ENSA troop entertain - ment organisation, touring Europe and even India! He later led a band up to at least 1948, but was largely forgotten by the time

Members of Bobbie Hind’s London Sonora Band on the beach at Scheveningen, August 1925. Courtesy Rainer Lotz.

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London Sonora Band, direction Bobbie Hind Arthur Lousely, Tom Marshall (tp), Ginger North (tb), Bobbie Hind (as), Eddie Grosso (as), Arthur Hind (ts, bsx), S. Silcox (vln), Rex Allen (p), Jack Llewellyn (bj), Jack Humphrey (dr). Berlin December 18, 1924 F2-0652 I Have a Blue Bedroom (Lehár, arr B. Hind) Fav F.560 (2/25) F2-0653 Susquehanna Home (Dave Ringle) " F2-0654 Dreary Weather (Clay Boland, Frank Winegar) Fav F.561 (2/25) F2-0655 American Medley (OS) (arr. Debroy Somers) " The first title is Hab' ein blaues Himmelbett from the operetta ‘Frasquita.’

Berlin January 15, 1925 F2-0680 Oh! Eva. Novelty foxtrot (Harry Warren) Fav F.562 (3/25), Par P.2120 (3/26) F2-0681 Oh! Baby (Don't Say No, Say Maybe) (Walter Donaldson) Fav F.562 (3/25), Par P.2120 (3/26) F2-0682 Love Is Just A Gamble (Ben Selvin) Fav F.563 (3/25) F2-0683 Heart Broken Rose (Milt Hagen - Sam Goold) " (F2-0684-0685 are not by this band.)

Berlin January 23, 1952 F2-0686 Just Like A Beautiful Story (Earl Burtnett) Fav F.569 (3/25) F2-0687 The Meanest Kind O' Blues (Lou Jackson) " F2-0688 Just One More Kiss (Leon Berger) Fav F.570 (3/25) F2-0689 Love Has A Way (Victor Schertzinger) "

Berlin February 19, 1925 F2-0702 Patsy (Earl Burtnett) Fav F.577 (4/25) F2-0703 All Alone (Irving Berlin) " F2-0704 Savoy Scottish Medley (arr. Debroy Somers) Fav F.578 (4/25) F2-0705 Tell Me What To Do (Vic Meyers) "

Berlin March 10, 1925 F2-0712 Shanghai Lullaby ((Isham Jones) Fav F.579 (4/25), Par P.2122 (3/26) F2-0713 Oh! Mabel (Ted Fiorito) Fav F.579 (4/25), Par P.2122 (3/26) F2-0714 Bell' Amore Veneziano (Henry Richards) Fav F.580 (4/25), Par P.2123 (3/36) F2-0715 Peter Pan (Ray Henderson) Fav F.580 (4/25), Par P.2123 (4/26)

Berlin March 21, 1925 F2-0722 Shanghai (Horatio Nicholls) Fav F.8074 (5/25), Par P.2123 (3/26) F2-0723 Chopiano (Henry Lange) Fav F.8074 (5/25), Par P.2123 (3/26) F2-0724 Whom Do You Love (Cliff Friend) Fav F.8075 (5/25), Par P.2124 (3/26) F2-0725 Minnetonka (Thurlow Lieurance) Fav F.8075 (5/25), Par P.2124 (3/26) Last title : By The Waters of Minnetonka (full title).

Berlin March 30, 1925 F2-0731 Bye Bye Baby (Otto Motzan) Fav F.8076 (5/25), Par P.2125 (3/26) F2-0732 German Medley (arr. B. Hind) Fav F.8076 (5/25), Par P.2125¨(3/26) F2-0733 Marie, Marie Marie (N. H. Brown) Fav F.8077 (5/25), Par P.2126 (3/26) F2-0734 Tokyo Blues (Irving Berlin) Fav F.8077 (5/25), Par P.2126 (3/26)

Berlin April 18, 1925 F2-0747 Tea For Two (Vincent Youmans) Fav F.8078 (6/25), Par P.2127 (3/26) F2-0748 Madagaskar ((J. Garcia - E. Fromberg - Eric Borchard) Fav F.8079(6/25), Par P.2128 (3/26) F2-0749 *Somebody Loves Me (George Gershwin) Par P.2117 (3/26) Madagaskar was written as a ‘tie in’ with the silent German film Madagaskar in which Eric Borchard’s orchestra appeared. Somebody Loves Me was obviously intended as the coupling on Favorite F.8078, but was issued a year later on Parlophon P.2117 (coupled with F2-0764 by the José Melzak orchestra).

Berlin April 27, 1825 F2-0751 *String Beans (Vincent Rose) Fav F.8085 (9/25), Par P.2130 (3/26) F2-0752 *Indian Love Call (Rudolf Friml) Fav F.8085 (9/25), Par P.2130 (4/26) F2-0753 *Honoloù (Leonard Pearce) rejected F2-0754 Fo-Tu-San (Charles Griswold) Fav F.8086 (9/25), Par P.2131 (3/26)

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Berlin April 29, 1925 F2-0758 Song of the Hindu Merchant (arr. B. Hind) Fav F.8086 (9/25), Par P.213 (3/26) F2-0759 I Want To Be Happy (Introducing The Marriage Moon (Vincent Youmans / Helen Kilner) Fav F 8078 (6/25), Par P.2127 (3/26) F2-0760 *Put Away A Little Ray Of Sunshine (Fred E. Ahlert) Fav F.8087 (9/25) F2-0761 *I'm All Broken Up Over You (Joe Murphy - Carl Hoefle) Fav F.8087 (9/25)

* Not listed by Rust in his British Dance Bands On Record (1989) All titles described as foxtrots except where noted. OS = One Step. Figures in brackets after the issue numbers are the release dates.

Despite some promising-looking titles, there is hardly any of (0)95000 series) until 1925. jazz interest to be found on these recordings. As Rainer Lotz says in his biography of the band: "The records are still played In 1920 the revived British Beka label issued six discs as by in the doo-wacka-doo style." Elite Dance Orchestra (1205-1210). They are all by the Polischek orchestra from Favorite: Matrix F2-0684 listed by Rust (but not by Horst Lange) is really a renumbering of Par(E) matrix E 4002 ( Sahara by the 1205 (F 03/04) from F.219 (5-12-1919) Dix Band from E 10236, recorded in December 1924 and 1206 (F 024/025) from F.230 (17-1-1920) issued in February 1925 coupled with a title by the Marek 1207 (F 022/023) from F.229 (17-1-1920) Weber orchestra from German Parlophon. Obviously the 1208 (F 018/019) from F.227 (17-1-1920) coupling was intended to be E 4001 by the Dix Band, but it 1209 (F 038/039) from F.237 (3-3-1920) was rejected. These were British Parlophone's first 12"/30 cm 1210 (F 020/021) from F.228 (17-1-1920) recordings but the special E 4001 series was shortlived. The next 12" titles were in the regular (W)E 100 series (from WXE 1202-1204 are by the same orchestra (issued as by Beka 979, c. November 1926). When the WE series reached WE Special Dance Orchestra), but they are from Beka. (1201 is not 4000 in 1930 it almost certainly duplicated the 4001-4002 listed in the 1920 Beka(E) catalogue.) F 04/025 were reissued numbers from 1924. on Par(E) E 5017 as part of the first release in October 1923,

The two titles recorded for Aco in London in November 1925 and the probably eight titles (only four issued) recorded for Syrena, probably in Warszaw around December 1926, are by Sources: an entirely different band. Rainer E. Lotz: The London Sonora Band & The Vienna Sonora A Note on Favorite Band (Menden 1984, 56 pages). Still available for 10 Euro + postage 3.45 from Lotz (www.lotzverlag.de) - ( highly recom - The Favorite label was founded in 1904 and was an mended - Ed.) independent label until 1913, when it was taken over by Lindström. (See Hugo Strötbaum's article listed below for an Hugo Strötbaum: Favorite: an independent record company exhaustive history of the early years.) During this period it was (1904-1914). (The Lindström Project, volume 2, Wien 2011, an important label and recorded in most European countries p. 120-145). (in France the label name was Eden), Asia (including China) and South America (including Brazil, Argentina and Ecuador) The German Lindström recording ledgers CD-ROM (available and even Africa (Egypt). from www.phonomusuem.at)

After the Lindström takeover Favorite was kept as a separate Acknowledgments. label, but never made any recordings outside Europe up to 1918. It was revived in 1919 when six titles were recorded on Thanks are due to Rainer Lotz for his assistance and for the September 20 (matrix R 1-6) and later that year the Beka illustrations from his collection. branch began recording for Favorite starting with a session on December 11 for the new Favorite F 01 matrix series. They Note. Readers may like to know that they can see - but not were all renumbered from Beka 30000 series until F 0579 on hear - the London Sonora Band (mistakenly identified as October 29, 1923. After that the recordings were all 30 cm/12" ‘Senora Band’) on a 1926 Pathe newsreel film at beginning with F2-0580 on August 20, 1924. The last recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT6MFuKAFVg - Ed. was F2-0767, May 20, 1925. The last 25 cm issue in the F.218- catalogue series hade been F 513. F.514-580 were 30 cm followed by F.8069-8092. (F 0524-0527, F 0538-0569 had been renumberings of titles taken over from OKeh.)

The last issues came in September 1925 and in March 1926 90 titles were reissued in the Parlophon P.2100-2144 block. After World War One the label had been used only in Germany, Austria (in the FA matrix series) and the Netherlands (in the 15