| Artist |
Song |
Album |
Label |
Comments |
| Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake & Ruth WIlliams |
I'm Just Wild About Harry |
Sissle & Blake Sing Shuffe Along |
Harbinger |
Written for the 1921 Broadway show Shuffle Along, this was a private recording made in 1950 in preparation for the 1952 revival |
Today's show is a Black History Month tribute to Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake! Reference: REMINISCING WITH SISSLE & BLAKE, Robert Kimball & William Bloom. Available at the Duke music library! | |
|
| Eubie Blake and James Earl Jones |
Eubie Blake introduction |
Black Omnibus |
PBS |
rec 1972, note Jones says Blake was 90 years old but he was actually 86. He told everyone he was born in 1883 but documents uncovered after his death proved he was actually born in 1887 |
| Eubie Blake |
Charleston Rag |
The Eighty Six Years of Eubie Blake |
Columbia |
This album released in 1969 revitalized Blake's career and introduced him to a whole new generation of music listeners. He says in the introduction that he wrote this piece in 1899, but he was actually 12 years old then so it may have been written a few years later |
| Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake |
It's All Your Fault |
The Eighty Six Years of Eubie Blake |
Columbia |
Written 1915 for Sophie Tucker who introduced it on stage. This was Sissle & Blake's first big break as Tucker was a huge star in this era |
| Jim Europe's 369th US Infantry "Hell Fighter's Band" v/ Noble Sissle |
On Patrol In No Man's Land |
the Great War An American Musical Fantasy |
Archeophone |
Written 1919 by James Reese Europe, lyrics by Sissle & Blake. The song was based on Europe's actual experiences during a gas attack and became one of the Hell Fighter's Band's biggest hits |
|
| Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake |
Love Will Find a Way |
Emerson Records 10396 |
Emerson Records |
Written & recorded 1921, this song was originated by Florence Mills in the show Shuffle Along |
| Eubie Blake & The Shuffle Along Orchestra |
Baltimore Buzz |
Sissle & Blake Sing Shuffle Along |
Harbinger |
Written & recorded 1921. Sissle & Blake co-wrote and co-produced Shuffle Along with the vaudeville comedians Aubrey Lyles and Flournoy Miller. Lyes and Miller wrote the dialogue, Sissle & Blake wrote the music |
| Shuffle Along Original Broadway Cast |
Low Down Blues |
Sissle & Blake Sing Shuffle Along |
Harbinger |
written & recorded 1921 for Shuffle Along. The show was a great success with over 500 performances on Broadway and a nationwide tour |
|
| Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake |
Sissle and Blake Sing Snappy Songs |
Snappy Songs |
De Forest Phonofilm Corporation |
rec 1923 this was not only the first sound film starring Black people, it was the first sound film with jazz music - 4 years before The Jazz Singer! De Forest was an engineer who created an experimental way to record sync sound, and used it to record many theatrical personalities including Sissle and Blake. You can hear their vaudeville origin in the patter between them at the beginning of the recording |
| Eubie Blake |
Fantasy on the Swanee River |
Fantasy on the Swanee River |
De Forest Phonofilm |
rec 1923 another in the De Forest Phonofilm series. Lee De Forest was an inventor & engineer. Known as the inventor of the vacuum tube, his Phonofilm was an experimental sync sound technique. I urge you to go to YouTube and look up these two films. It is astonishing to see film of Sissle and Blake performing over a hundred years ago |
|
| Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake |
Dixie Moon |
Victor 19494 |
Victor |
rec 1924, written for the Broadway show Chocolate Dandies |
| Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake |
Waitin' for the Evenin' Mail |
Victor 19086 |
Victor |
rec 1923 this song was written by Billy Baskette |
| Gertrude Lawrence |
You Were Meant for me |
The Star |
Charly |
rec 1923 Sissle & Blake wrote this for the Noel Coward show London Calling; it was first sung by Coward and Lawrence |
| Eubie Blake & The Shuffle Along Orchestra |
Bandanna Days / I'm Just Wild About Harry |
Victor |
Victor |
rec 1925 both songs were written for Shuffle Along |
|
| Noble Sissle & His Orchestra |
Kansas City Kitty |
US Jazzmen in Europe 1926-1929 |
Retrieval Recordings |
rec 1928 in the UK. Europe (the continent) broke up Sissle & Blake's partnership: Blake was uncomfortable in Europe and wanted to return to the US; Sissle felt very comfortable there and wanted to stay |
| Louis Armstrong & His Sebastian New Cotton Club |
You're Lucky to Me |
"Satchmo" Ambassador of Jazz |
Verve |
rec 1930 written by Blake & Andy Razaf for Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930 |
| Edith Wilson |
My Handy Man Ain't Handy No More |
Edith and Lena Wilson Vol. 4 |
Document |
rec 1930 written by Blake & Andy Razaf for Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930 |
| Noble Sissle & His Orchestra |
Got The Bench, Got the Park (But I Haven't Got You) |
Brunswick 6073 |
Brunswick |
rec 1931 |
| Noble Sissle and His Band from Ciro's Club, and of Radio and Gramaphone Fame |
Those Little White Lies / Happy Feet |
Pathetone Weekly |
Pathe |
rec 1931 short film by Pathe |
|
| Noble Sissle & His Orchestra |
Loveless Love |
Decca 154 B (9297-A) |
Decca |
rec 1931 note the excellent Sidney Bechet solo near the end of the song. This was Bechet's first session with the Sissle orchestra |
| Noble Sissle & Band |
Tiger Rag |
That's the Spirit |
Vitaphone |
rec 1932 short film by Vitaphone. Note excellent Buster Bailey solo in the first third of the song. It's hard to recommend this film because the dialogue portion features two Black vaudeville performers wearing blackface and using offensive dialect, but the music is top notch |
| Eubie Blake & Band |
Memories of You |
Pie Pie Blackbird |
Vitaphone |
rec 1932 short film featuring the Nicholas brothers in their youth. Again, it's hard to recommend this because of the stereotypical dialect and offensive tropes, but Blake is it top form and the rare opportunity to see the Nicholas Brothers in their teens, already dancing at such a high level |
| Lena Horne with Noble Sissle's Swingsters |
That's What Love Did To Me |
Masters of the Last Century: The Best of Lena Horne |
|
rec 1936 one of Lena Horne's very first recordings! She was credited as "Leana Horne" on the record label |
| Noble Sissle & His Orchestra |
St. Louis Blues |
Freedom's People |
NBC |
rec 1941 Freedom's People was a radio show about Black history. This episode was a biography of W.C. Handy |
|
| Eubie Blake |
Blue Rag in 12 Keys |
The Eighty Six Years of Eubie Blake |
Columbia |
rec 1969, Blake wrote this piece in 1919. When Blake arrived at the studio for the recording sessions that would become this album, they put him on a standard "workhorse" piano. He noticed a beautiful Steinway and asked if he could play that instead. Producer John Hammond at first refused, saying it was reserved for Vladimir Horowitz. That only made Blake more resolved that he wanted to play that piano! Blake won out in the end and the album was recorded on Horowitz' piano |
| Eubie Blake |
Tricky Fingers |
Piano Masters Live at the New School |
Chiaroscuro |
rec 1972 at the New School in NY. These recordings were made for the students with no intent of producing an album; the dialogue before & after songs is almost unintelligible because they weren't trying to capture it for an album. Song was written 1959 |
| Eubie Blake |
Rhapsody in Ragtime |
Molde Jazz Festival 1973 |
Molde Jazz Festival |
rec 1973 at the Molde Jazz Festival in Norway. Written 1973 |
| Eubie Blake |
Dr. Pepper |
Dr. Pepper |
|
rec 1974 ad for Dr. Pepper |
|
| Eubie Blake and James Earl Jones |
Memories of You |
Black Omnibus |
PBS |
rec 1972 |
