"If I Could be with You One Hour Tonight," played by The Hit of the Week Orchestra

If I Could be with You One Hour Tonight
(Creamer – Johnson)
played by
The Hit-Of-The-Week Orchestra
Bert Hirsch, Director
HOW 1111
(78 rpm record)

There’s a “six degrees of separation” connection between this and the last upload (“I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling”). Thomas “Fats” Waller wrote “Falling.” Ed Kirkeby, in addition to managing the “California Ramblers,” also managed “Fats” Waller. And “Fats” Waller’s teacher was James P. Johnson, who wrote “Carolina Shout,” the possibly over-recorded “Charleston,” and this ditty as well.

These flexible durium records were sold every week on newsstands at the beginning of the Great Depression in the United States, and were the answer to the British celluloid Film-O-Phone records. Or vice-versa. Regardless, both companies went out of business fairly quickly in the early 1930s. Most 78 rpm records were made of shellac and broke if you looked at them the wrong way.

Johnson & Shirley (American Dance Bands on Records and Film 1915 – 1942) provide the following personnel:

Unknown 2 trumpets, unknown trombone, unknown two reeds, unknown oboe, unknown two violins, unknown piano, unknown banjo, Andy Sannella (string guitar); unknown brass bass, Joe Green (they state xylophone – but I’m only hearing a vibraphone here). New York, October, 1930.

However, they also state that at any given time, this group could have had the following musicians: Bob Effros, Hymie Farberman, Mannie Klein, Leo McConville, Bunny Berrigan (trumpets); Tommy Dorsey, Sammy Lewis (trombone); Arnold Brilhart (clarinet, alto sax); Andy Sannella (clarinet, alto sax, guitar); Larry Abbot (clarinet, alto sax); Norman Yorke (clarinet, alto sax); Sam Raitz, Fred Landau, Sam Fidelman, Victor Ligotti (violin); Phil Wall, Joe Moresco (piano); John Cali (banjo, mandolin); John Helleberg (brass bass); Joe Tarto (brass bass, string bass); Irving Farberman (drums); George Hamilton Green or Joe Green or Frank Novak (xylophone).

WHEW! I’m exhausted after typing all that.

This amazing little disc I still have, and sounds like new after almost 100 years! Original image and no use of noise removal software! You are hearing it “au naturel.”