Cylinder of the Month
See also the Cylinders of the Month Archive.
For June 2000 . . .
This month: Enjoy a banjo double feature with —
- Whistling Rufus, from 1899, played by "The Banjo King", Vess L. Ossman
— and —
- From 1908, the super-fantastique Dixie Medley played by Fred Van Epps.
Whistling Rufus
| Company |
Consolidated Phonograph Companies ?
|
| Cylinder # |
Unknown
|
| Category |
Banjo solo
|
| Title |
Whistling Rufus
|
| Performed by |
Vess L. Ossman
|
| Circa |
1899
|
| Announcement |
"Banjo solo, Whistling Rufus, played by Mister Vess Ossman."
|
Vess L. Ossman began recording in the early 1890s and was the preeminent
banjoist throughout the 1890's – earning his nickname "The Banjo King" –
and continued recording up through the first World's War.
|
To hear Whistling Rufus —
|
|
To hear an excerpt —
For help playing these sounds, click here.
|
Whistling Rufus, written in 1899, was fairly new when this recording was made.
Notice the thunking about 1:27 into the recording; Ossman may have accidentally hit the horn.
— This cylinder of the month is from the collection of Leo Kimmett —
Dixie Medley
| Company |
Edison's National Phonograph Company
|
| Cylinder # |
8339
|
| Category |
Banjo solo
|
| Title |
Dixie Medley
|
| Performed by |
Fred Van Epps
|
| Circa |
1908
|
| Announcement |
"Banjo solo, Dixie Medley, played by Fred Van Epps, Edison record."
|
A great banjo solo with vibrant tuba accompaniment.
Fred Van Epps (also spelled Eps) was, in a sense, a second-generation recording banjoist in
that he acquired some of his skills through study of Vess L. Ossman's early recordings.
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To hear Dixie Medley —
|
|
To hear an excerpt —
For help playing these sounds, click here.
|
|
This particular recording is apparently a re-make of the original 1903 release.
If anyone knows the various titles in this medley, please let
me know so
that we can fill-in and correct the following table:
- 0:06-0:38 Dixie
- 0:39-0:52 a hornpipe or a reel?
- 0:53-1:13 The Arkansas Traveler
- 1:14-1:34 Too young to marry (?)
- 1:35-2:03 Turkey in de Straw
Thank you!
|
— This cylinder of the month is from the collection of Albert J. Menashe —
To hear other examples of wax cylinders, see the
Copyright (C) (P) 1996-2008 Glenn Sage, Portland, Oregon. All Rights Reserved.
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