[ I Maestri del Ritmo ]
Recorded for Odeon, (Swing Group 1941-1945) In 1942 - 1943, northern Italy was still undergoing World War II bombings. Although Benito Mussolini had prohibited playing and listening to Jazz, some young Italian musicians decided to record "pure" jazz. They recorded, under very difficult conditions, many jazz standards which they gave Italian titles so as to disguise the true origin. The names of the authors were also camouflaged with Italian names. (These classics have been recently published on Rivera Jazz Records Label CD for the first time since those long ago war years.)
For more information on this recording, please contact:
Riviera Jazz Records, P.O. Box 8031 - 00188 Rome, Italy
eMail: montefalasco@tiscalinet.it

      [ Baron Milton Orchestra ], aka: Fred Milton
[ Fred Baron Orchestra ]
This Berlin orchestra was probably a pseudonym for the violonist Fred Baron, who had also previously recorded under still another artist name of "Fred Milton" .

[ Leo Mathiesen Orch. ]
Pianist b. Copenhagen, Oct. 10, 1906 d. Copenhagen, Dec 16, 1969, age 63
Leo was very strongly influenced by the American pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller. His band had a core of good musicians and their recordings exhibited this excellence. After the band era had passed, Leo worked as a solist. He was an important pioneer in Danish jazz and dance music, and had the best known Danish band after Kai Ewans'.

      [ Theo MacKeben ], 1920s - '30s
b. May 1, 1897, Stargard (Provinz Ostpreu�n), Germany, d. Oct. 1, 1953 (Berlin?) Germany
1925: Kapellmeister Metropoltheater in Berlin
1928: The Conductor at the very first performance of the Kurt Weil/Bertold Brecht "der Dreigroschenoper" ("Three Penny Opera"). In 1930, he led the Theo Mackeben Jazz Orchestra in a recording of this opera, with soprano Lotte Lenya. In addition, several of his Pop tunes were very big hits in the Germany of the 1920s -'30s, including "From Love", and "A Woman Becomes Beautiful Only by Love"
Composed Operas, (including his "Bel Ami", and he contributed music to over 50 films, the first one being in 1932. Some of the films for which he contributed music are:
       Lady Fanny (1934)
       Anita und der Teufel (1938)
       Tanz auf dem Vulkan (1938)
       Heimat (1938)
       Es war eine rauschende Ballnacht (1939)
       Bel Ami (1939)
       Komm auf die Schaukel, Luise (1931)
       So oder So ist das Leben (1934)
       Eine Frau wird erst sch� durch die Liebe (1938)
       Die Nacht ist nicht allein zum schlafen da (1938)
       Bei Dir war es immer so schoen (1940)

      [ José Melzak ], 1920s - '30s
Currently no information available.
Known to have recorded (ca. 19250-'26) on the 'Favorite', 'Cremona', 'Parlophon', and 'Beka' labels.
Listen now to the 'Jose Melzak Kapelle' playing "Stampede", recorded 1926, in Berlin. (Beka B6100)

      [ Tullio Mobiglia Orch. ]
b: April 12, 1911, Carezzano, Italy; d: July 24,.1991, Helsinki, Finland
Instruments: Violin, tenor saxophone.
Here's a photo of Tullio Mobiglia. In the early 1930s, after his studies at the conservatory in Genova (and some first local engagements), Tullio made several trips to the U.S. A. as a member of an on-board Ship's orchestra. In the U. S. he made the acquaintance of the leading tenor saxophonists, including Coleman Hawkins (1901-1969). In September 1940, Mobiglia visited Berlin as a member of the Italian 'Orchestra Mirador'. In February 1941, Tullio was a member of the Heinz Wehner Orchestra, and from April to November, Tullio with his own Sextet played in the Patria Bar. In September and October he was also in the Komiker Cafe's musical revue "Dreams About Me". 1942/43, Mobiglia's orchestra played in the Rosita Bar. He also did some Film and Recordings during this period. After the World War II, Mobiglia operated mainly in Italy, but among other things also in Germany, -Dortmund and Frankfurt areas. From 1967 into the '80s, he was active as a violin teacher at the Sibelius Conservatory in Helsinki, Finland.

      [ Malando and his Orch. ]
b: May 26, 1908, Rotterdam, Holland, d:Nov. 22, 1980, Holland.
né: Arie Maasland
Instruments: Accordionist and conductor
Malando, should be called the father of Dutch Tango culture, because he dedicated his entire life to the Tango. Into the hundreds of Tango arrangements that he wrote, he was able to incorporate European elegance while preserving the basic Argentinean rhythms, accents and cadences of the original compositions. Even the bandoneon, an Argentinean accordion, played an important role in his arrangements.

Of course, Maasland worked under his own name, and was still known as Arie Maasland when he was a member of a Dutch orchestra called "The Jumping Jack". He was greatly inspired by the many Tangos they were playing. (At the time, Tango was all the rage in Europe.) This inspiration moved him to start composing his own Tangos, and one that he wrote for the "Jacks" was named "Cosmopoliet". Because the "Jacks" had such good success with the tune, Maasland sought out the publisher "Muziek Smith", who promptly rejected the song claiming that there were already too many Tangos on the market. However a deal was reached whereby Maasland paid half of the publishing costs and agreed to BOTH change HIS NAME, and the title of the tune. That's how Arie Maasland became known as Malando, and the song became world famous as the Tango "Olé Guapa".
  "Olé Guapa", (398 kb): This beautiful Tango played by the "Tango-Orkest Malando" Rec'd: 1948 - Decca AM 1427 - M 32362
From the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, the Malando orchestra enjoyed great popularity, and the many Tangos he composed during that time remain among the world's best loved. During the 1960s and 1970s, the band frequently toured Japan. Though Malando is no longer with us, the Malando Orchestra still preserves his heritage.

      [ (Werner Müller and the) RIAS Tanzorchester ]
February 1946, shortly after WW2 European hostilities ended, was the official start of the orchestra. At that time, the orchestra, broadcasting over telephone wires, was called the "Drahtfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor" (Telephone Wire in the American Sector), abbreviated 'DIAS'. In September 1946, using a salvaged field transmitter, the band began broadcasting as the "Radio im Amerikanischen Sektor" (Radio in the American Sector) or 'RIAS'. The first decision made was the hiring of a suitable bandleader. RIAS producer, Inge Siegel, told RIAS program director Dr. Ruth Gambke about a young bassoonist, Werner Müller, then playing in Kurt Widmann's band. The decision was sealed when Harry Froman, program officer of the U.S. Army, and former member of the famous Comedian Harmonists agreed. About a month or so later, the band made it official when Müller assembled some musicians that he had brought along with him from Widmann's orchestra. and in April, 24, 1949, the band gave it's debut concert.

Soon afterwards, the band was expanded with 16 Strings, and used the title "Swing mit viel String" ("Swing with much String"). The band was very active during the 1950s, recording and concertizing. Innovative arrangers (like Helmut Brand) wrote some great charts for the orchestra, while men such as pianist Eugen Cicero, and clarinetist Rolf Kühn began their international careers playing in the 'RIAS Tanzorchester'. It was the RIAS that backed singer Catarina Valente on her two international hit releases "Malaguena" and "The Breeze and I". Audiences enjoyed hearing the band backing such German artists as Gerhard Wendland, Gitta Lind, Rita Paul and Bully Buhlan, along with international singing stars such as Nancy Wilson, Artrud Gilberto, Charles Aznavour, and Juliette Greco. In 1958, the RTO toured Japan. Horst Fischer was the original 1st trumpet in the Müller band but left in 1967, shortly before the band made a tour of Japan. He was replaced by famed trumpeter Ron Simmonds, who stayed for three or four years.

When Müller left, in the spring of 1966 (for the WDR -Westdeutsche Rundfunk in Cologne), he was replaced by American composer, arranger and orchestra director Dave Hildinger. In 1970, for whatever reasons, the contract was mutually dissolved, and tenor saxophonist 'Kookie Freeman' (né: Helmut Brandenberg) briefly became the leader.

In 1975, pianist Horst Jankowski assumed leadership of the RTO. (Jankowski's composition "Schwarzwaldfahrt", recorded by the 'RIAS Big Band', became an international hit.) Near the end of the Jankowski-era, American trombonist and arranger Barry Ross (from Las Vegas, NV, USA) initiated many Jazz concerts. Then, in 1995, trombonist Jiggs Whigham assumed the leadership of the orchestra, now renamed 'RIAS Big Band'. By then, the British trumpeter Greg Bowen was there on lead, with Johnny Marshall, Manfred Grossman and Barry Ross in the trombones. (Jiggs had some excellent credentials. At 17, he joined Glenn Miller's band, and later joined Stan Kenton's orchestra in New York city. He had also worked with the Sauter-Finnegan band. In 1965, relocating to Cologne, Germany, Jiggs became the solo trombonist in Kurt Edelhagen's orchestra.) It is no exaggeration to say that the RIAS Big Band gained still more fame due mainly to his efforts. In 1998, during its 50th anniversary season the RBB performed together with England's 'BBC Big Band' on a successful tour that included concerts in Dresden's Kulturpalast and Leipzig's Gewandhaus.

During the orchestra's long career, the list of stars that performed with them reads like a 'who's who' of Jazz and Pop, including (to name just a few) such musicians as Stéphane Grappelli, Buddy de Franco, Lalo Schifrin, Dave Brubeck, Randy Sandke, Jean "Toots" Thielemans, Clark Terry, Bill Watrous, Helmut Zacharias, Max Greger, Charlie Byrd, Conte Candoli, Jeff and John Clayton, Ray Conniff, Keith Copeland, Robin Eubanks, Georgi Fame, Alan Farnham, Peter Fessler, Herb Geller, Benny Green, Monty Alexander, Allan Harris, Red Holloway, Haral Juhnke, Greetje Kauffeld, Geoff Keezer, Lee Konitz, Rolf Kuhn, Paul Kuhn, Dennis Mackrel, Pete King, Claudio Roditi, Gerard Pesencer, Hendrik Meurkens, James Morrison, George Roberts, Hugo Strasser, Charlie Antolini, and Bud Shank. And, such vocalists as Sammy Davis, Jr., Al Martino, Helen Shapiro, Hildegard Knef, Astrud Gilberto, Juliette Greco, Natalie Cole, Charles Aznavour, Josephine Baker, Shirley Bassey, Gilbert Bécaud, Madeline Bell, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Helen Schneider, Claire Martin, Ute Lemper, Deborah Henson-Conant, Caterina Valente, Sylvia Vrethammar.

The RIAS Big Band was disbanded around 2000, but came together again in 2004 when British born Lead-trumpeter Greg Bowen returned to Berlin.