[ Eric Concierto's Yankee Jazzband ]
Currently No Information Available
Listen to the band playing Leena From Palesteena, as recorded in Berlin, Germany 1920. (Here digitally re-engineered by Mr. Verne Buland.) The leader of the band was Eric Borchard (possibly African-American heritage). Eric played clarinet and also sang. He also played a slide whistle and that is what is featured here. Hans Sagawe may have played banjo, Erich Giesse or Walter Lindemann on piano. The trombone may have been Bernhard Mutzelburg.

      [ Cosimo di Ceglie e la sua Orchestra ]
Recorded for the Columbia Label in the early 1940's. Claudio Gambarelli also played with 'Cosimo di Ceglie's Sette Assi del Ritmo', and this is presently available on Rivera Jazz Records.
For more information on this recording, please contact:
Riviera Jazz Records, Via Livigno, 145, 00188 Rome, Italy
eMail:   annamaria@rivierajazz.it
Web URL:   http://www.rivierajazz.it

      [ Dave Caplan's Toronto Orch. ], 1920s - '30s
Please "click" Here, to read about this Canadian Orchestra that toured to Germany and was exceedingly popular. Their music was much a part of the Berlin scene of the late 1920s - early '30s.
(The band's European recordings were on Grammophon and Polydor)

      [ Alix Combelle and Le Jazz De Paris ]
b: Paris, France, June 15, 1912, d: Mantes, France, March 2, 1978
Combelle was the son of a musician. Started out on drums but later switched to tenorsaxophone. In the 1930s, he played as a professional in pit bands, with 'Grégor et ses Grégoriens', 'Michel Warlop', 'Guy Paquinet' and other dance- and showbands. Combelle recorded with many well known jazz stars like Django Reinhardt, Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins as well as fronting bands of various sizes for recording purposes. His agressive, black-influenced style made him one of the most well-known and celebrated tenorsaxophonists in Europe. When visiting the USA in 1938, he was reported to have received an offer by Tommy Dorsey but Combelle preferred to go back to France where he joined the famous 'Ray Ventura et ses Collegiens'. After the Germans had defeated France in June 1940, Combelle was given the opportunity to become the leader of a co-operative bigband called 'Le Jazz De Paris', which initially starred Aimé Barelli and Christian Bellest (tpt), Hubert Rostaing (ts/clt), Joseph Reinhardt (git.) and Pierre Fouad (dms.).

From January 1941 onwards, the band recorded (for Charles Delaunay's "Swing" label) pure bigband jazz in relative freedom, -most English titles being literally translated into French. Although displaying a remarkable degree of discipline and solid musicianship, real greatness escaped the band for it had no identity of its own but instead played music of bands as stylistically diverse as Bob Crosby, Jimmy Lunceford, Count Basie and Larry Clinton, on most occasions sticking very close to the original arrangements. The band appeared in several films and it also accompanied singers like Jacques Pills and Charles Trénet. The band regularly toured France and in the spring of 1942 visited Belgium, where Combelle recorded his last sides as leader of 'Le Jazz De Paris'. The band's new drummer, Jerry Mengo, took over and he tried to give the band more of an identity of its own. Several of his original compositions and arrangements, which sometimes showed a strong Ellington influence, were waxed between October 1942 and March 1943.

Combelle kept on recording with smaller-sized bands throughout the war and after, played with American stars in the Fifties, but lost some of his popularity because public tastes had changed while his style had not. He reportedly did not record again after 1960, owned a nightclub from 1963 onwards, but things increasingly got quiet around him until his death in 1978.
The BigBands Database thanks Mr. Joost Kiefte for this entry on Alix Combelle and Le Jazz de Paris.

      [ Fud Candrix Orch. ]
b. Tongeren, Belgium.
Here's a photo of Fud Candrix, who had the best known Belgian band. In 1928, he made his debut as a soloist with tenor sax on a Berlin recording. Formed his big band in 1936 and was active, and extremely popular for 20 years. Here's another photo showing the Candrix Orchestra, in a playful mood. From April to August 1942, his band was resident at Berlin's famed Delphi Palace, where Fud's band entertained members of the German armed forces member. It is interesting to note that the 14 instrumentalists, plus singer, played all American Jazz Standards in modern arrangements to the Nazi soldiers all during WWII. Fud had a very good Swing oriented band. Listen to them playing "Introducing Mr. Basie", which was recorded on Nov. 22. 1940. That was so good, you may wish to hear Fud playing "Midnight In Harlem" for an encore. He recorded for Telefunken and others.

      [ Jay Clever Band ]
né: Jack Kluger (aka: Jack Klueger)
Currently no information available.

      [ Enzo Ceragioli's Big Band ]
Eraldo Volonte along with Piero Cottiglieri -another brilliant saxophonist, both played in this band. They can be heard on the the recently released CD RJR 001, the 'Maestri del Ritmo'.
For more information on this recording, please contact:
Riviera Jazz Records, P.O. Box 8031 - 00188 Rome, Italy
eMail: montefalasco@tiscalinet.it

      [ Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Band ]
Collective/selective personnel:
Currently No Further Information Available.
The ca. 1963 line-up had:
Idrees Suliman, Shake Keane, Jimmy Deuchar, Benny Bailey, Dusko Goykovic, Tony Fisher (trumpets)
Ake Persson, Nat Peck, Eric von Lier, Keg Johnson, Jiggs Whigham (trombones)
Derek Humble, Johnny Griffin, Ronnie Scott, Carl Drevo, Sahib Shebab, Billy Mitchell, Don Menza, Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis, Tony Coe (reeds)
Francy Boland (piano)
Jimmy Woode Jr (bass)
Kenny Clarke, Kenny Clare (drums),
Fats Sadi, Joe Harris (percussion).

      [ The Comedian Harmonists ]
(They were not a band, but rather a Vocal Group. But, they were so popular throughout the Continent, that we have placed them here on the European Bands Database. ) The group was originally formed by Harry Frommermann, and included Frommermann, Erwin Bootz, Erich Collins, Ari Leschnikoff, Roman Cycowski, and Roberto Bilberti. Here is a photo of the Comedian Harmonists, as they appear on the Hannibal Records album.

Along with other European close harmony vocal groups, The Comedian Harmonists, -a sensation in pre-Hitler Berlin - trace their origins to an American group "The Revelers". (The Revelers recorded for RCA Victor, but they also recorded as "The Singing Sophomores" on Columbia, and as "The Merrymakers" on the Brunswick label.) The wonderful arrangements and harmonies of the Comedian Harmonists truly captured the European continent in the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s. The Nazis finally ended the group because of their Jewish religious affiliation.

  VIDEO: "Veronika der Lenz ist da"   1930. The Comedian Harmonists was an internationally famous, all-male German ensemble (5 singers and plus pianist) that operated between 1927 and 1934. They were one of the most successful 20th century musical groups in pre World War II Europe, and were noted for using their voices to imitate musical instruments.

  VIDEO: "Schlafe Mein Prinzchen"   At the end of this clip, the Harmonists emulate musical instruments, one of their trademarks. (film clip: shosh34a )

Their success continued into the early 1930s, but they eventually ran into trouble with newly-risen Nazi regime. Half the group members--Frommermann, Collin, and Cycowski--were either Jewish or of Jewish descent, and Bootz had a Jewish wife. Initially they were only forbidden from performing pieces by Jewish composers. Eventually, though, they were officially banned from performing in public. They gave their last concert in Munich on March 25, 1934. The three Jewish members subsequently fled Germany. The remaining members then replaced their counterparts and performed as separate groups, but were never able to re-achieve their original success. (Film Clip: shosh34a )

In addition to such "Jazz Age" tunes as "I'm Going To Charleston Back To Charleston", and to American "Western" tunes such as William J. Hill's "The Last Roundup", heard hear under their release title of "Der Alte Cowboy", and to Johnny Mercer's (Eng: "I'm An Old Cowhand (from The Rio Grand)"). They could also do justice to such sophisticated standards as Cole Porter's "Night and Day," Vincent Youman's and Irving Caesar's "Tea For Two" as well as "Duke" Ellington's "Creole Love Call.". Listen now to the Harmonists, accompanying famed singer Josephine Baker, with "Sous Le Ciel D'Afrique", (561kb). Rec'd: 1935, Paris, France. Tune originally introduced in the film "Princess Tam Tam".

Interestingly, 70 years after their greatest triumphs, their name, and music, returned as the subjects of a 1997 Miramax film "The Comedian Harmonists", and a Broadway musical, "Band In Berlin." The film, though 2-1/2 hours long, was riveting. The director, Joseph Vilsmaier, eloquently pictured the Hedonism of the 1920s Berlin, the rise of the Nazis with their 'Brown Shirts', the vilification of the Jews, and the evils of national-socialism.

After the break up, the three non-Jewish members remained in Germany, and the other three Jews relocated elsewhere in the world. Both groups formed new ensembles, one operating outside of Germany, the other within. Neither ever enjoyed the success of the original 'Comedian Harmonists', and in 1941, both groups disbanded. It is also interesting to follow the history of the members after the Nazis forced the group split up. Harry Frommermann became an American citizen and served in the U. S. Army entertaining troops during WW2. He never stopped trying to regain the glory he found with the 'Comedian Harmonist'. in 1952, Harry and his wife Erna Eggstein were divorced. Erich Collins remained in Germany and became a manufacturer of spectacle frames. In 1938, Erwin Bootz, who had also remained in Germany, divorced his wife, Ursula, and in 1939, married the daughter of a noted Nazi sculptor. Roman and Mary Cycowski moved to San Francisco, CA, USA, where Roman became the oldest Cantor in the U. S. They were happpily married until Nov. 1998 when Roman passed away at the age of 97. Roberto Bilberti became an antiques dealer, and a machinist. He helped design the V2 rocket during WW2

      [ "Charlie and his Orchestra" ]
In private correspondence, Mr. Klaus Boening has recalled that " Lutz Templin had used a pseudonym, during the WW2. He recorded a lot of Swing-style recordings under the pseudonym of "Charlie and his Orchestra". Swing music was forbidden during the "third Reich" administration. But the administration decided to produce some so called propaganda Swing recordings. Those records were "promotion" records because they were not for sale, only for playing on the radio-stations. The orchestra was Lutz Templin's Orchestra, and "Charlie" was the German singer Karl Schwedler". (Schwedler sang in perfect English. The format of the performances was to take a well known American or British song, often singing a "straight version first, which was followed by the "propaganda" version lyric. The propaganda consisted of drawing attention to Allied losses. or to attacks on the allied leadership, mixed often with am offensive dose of anti-semitism.) "They recorded between 1941 and 1943 in Berlin. Most of the records were dropped as a parcel by parachute over the "enemy" lines (France, Great Britain or Russia)."

"Charlie and his orchestra" was "created" by the Nazi administration to confuse the Allied listeners, with adapted lyrics against the British, American, or Soviet governments. It was a psychological trick, with lyrics against Winston Churchill, Stalin or Roosevelt meant to ridicule and abuse the people of the allied nations. Most of the records included hot Swing and dance music, and not all records had the propaganda lyrics on them. The quality of the recordings was fairly high, and the discs are now very rare, and highly prized collectors items." Included among the songs that were recorded were "Indian Love Call", (550 kb), then a tune called "Nice People", (539 kb), and finally "Thanks For The Memory", (532 kb)

"The records had a red or a blue label with a crossed clarinet and mandolin. Among the bandmembers that recorded were Kurt Abraham on reeds, Benny de Weille on clarinet, Willy Berking on trombone, Charlie Tabor-trumpet, Meg Tevelian-guitars and piano and Freddie Brocksieper on drums. A female vocalist, a woman called "Evelyn", was on some recordings. The most interesting recordings include "Stormy Weather", "St. Louis Blues", Tea for Two", "Die Reinigung auf Sigfried Linie" (the washing on the sigfried line), "Goody Goody", "FDR Jones", "Alexanders Ragtime Band", "Lili Marlene", "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny", "Bei Mir Bist du Shoen", "Blue Moon", "Night and Day", and many others."