[ Jan August Orch.]
b. ca. Sept. 24, 1904/5 New York, NY, USA, d. Jan. 9, 1976, New York, NY, USA.
né: Jan Auggustoff
Here's a photograph of Jan August, who started his musical career as a pianist in Paul Specht's Orch. Some years later, he worked as a pianist and xylophonist with both Paul Whiteman and Ferde Grofe. He was performing as a solo club pianist in the mid-1940s.

August had a number of bands but his greatest fame came playing with Jerry Murad's 'Harmonicats' for the Broadway musical "Pal Joey." He later recorded with Jerry Murad and the Harmonicats and also with and Richard Hayman. His biggest hit, recorded for Diamond in 1946 and Mercury in 1947, was his version of "Misirlou" which reached the Top-10, but he had success with "Malaguena," "Oye Negra," and other songs which blended classical piano stylings with a Latin beat.

As an accompanist for Roberta Quinlan, Jan August appeared on her NBC TV series from 1949 to 1951. The team also record a string of hits for Mercury in 1950 including the song "Buffalo Billy."

His most popular recordings specialized in the Latin-American sound. The concert pianist, Peter Nero often cites August as his earliest influence.
Among his recordings are:
      Accent! Latin Piano, Mercury MG20618
      Cha-Cha Charm, Mercury MG20408
      Jan August Styles the Great Pop Piano Classics, Mercury MG20659
      Music for the Quiet Hour, Mercury MG20078
      Piano Roll Blues, Mercury MG20147
      Plays Great Piano Hits, Mercury MG20513
      Plays Songs to Remember, Mercury MG20072

   [ Georgie Auld Orch. ]
b. May 19, 1919 Toronto, Canada; d. Jan. 8, 1990 Palm Springs, CA, USA.
né: John Altwerger
Played: tenor saxophone
Theme: "I've Got A Right To Know" (Musicraft- never issued)
Overview
This fine Canadian saxist played with such well known bands as Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Count Basie. His own band carried the stigma of playing avant garde music for musicians rather than playing music that would please the general public. Never-the-less, arrangers such as Neal Hefti; Al Cohn and Manny Abram gave the band a 'swinging book', and Auld did develop a devoted following. From time to time, the band included such side men as Billy Butterfield; Al Porcino; Dizzy Gillespie and Errol Garner on piano. A bout with Tuberculosis (which was cured) was finally instrumental in his disbanding. He then continued his career mostly working with small groups.

Auld first became known for his work with Bunny Berigan's band in 1937. By 1939 he had joined the Artie Shaw Orchestra. He took over leadership of the band when Shaw ran off to Mexico in 1940 but was unable to keep it together and the band broke up after only three months. The first recordings as 'Georgie Auld & His Orchestra' were made during his stay with Shaw (Varsity, 1940) with the band consistiting of members of Shaw's orchestra. Tony Pastor (ts) appears on four of these titles.

After the Shaw band broke up Auld joined Benny Goodman band. He can be heard on numerous recordings of the Benny Goodman Sextet which also featured Cootie Williams and Charlie Chirstian. Auld left Goodman in the summer of 1941 to rejoin Artie Shaw, who had started a new band. He remained there until January 1942 when Shaw disbanded, this time to join the Navy.

Auld's own band lasted from 1943 to 1946. His first records were made for Apollo with the band sometimes augmented with Dizzy Gillespie, Trummy Young, Billy Butterfield and Errol Garner. Sarah Vaughn made two of her earliest recordings with Auld's band in 1945 (Musicraft). He was forced to disband in 1946 when it found he had contracted tuberculosis. His health eventually improved to the point where he was able to resume his musical career and, in 1948, Auld was fronting small combos playing modern jazz at The Three Deuces (NY). Later that year Auld opened his own club on New York's 52nd Street, The Troubadour Club, and appeared in a Broadway show, The Rat Race. In early 1950, he was a member of the Count Basie Sextet. Later that year and through 1951, he led a quintet that featured future Kenton sideman Frank Rosolino. Health problems related to his bout with tuberculosis caused him to move to California where he opened another club, The Melody Room.

He continued leading small jazz groups for the rest of his career and made numerous recordings with these groups and as "leader" of studio orchestras. His 1955 Emarcy LP, "In The Land Of Hi-Fi" is considered a jazz classic. He worked as Tony Martin's music director (1967-1969) and in the early 1970's became so popular in Japan he made over a dozen tours of that country. Auld had a feature part in the 1977 movie "New York, New York". He remained active until his death.
Recorded for: Apollo (1944), Guild and Musicraft (1945-1946), Discovery (1949), Roost (1951), Coral (1951-1955), and afterwards, studio LP's for many labels
Vocalists: Kay Foster, Patti Powers, Lynne Stevens
Arrangers: Todd Dameron, Budd Johnson, Neal Heft, Al Cohn
This Auld entry due in part to Mr Robin Lenhart

   [ Mitchell Ayres & his Fashions in Music Orch. ]
b. Dec. 24, 1910 Milwaukee, WI, USA. d. Sept. 5, 1969, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Theme Song: "You Go to My Head" (Bluebird 10814)
Mitchell Ayres formed his band in the mid-1930's when Mitch (then known as Mitchell Agress) and a group of other musicians, left the 'Little Jack Little Orchestra' to form their own band. This was another of the "co-operative" bands. The members owned it, and elected Mitchell as the front man.
Vocalists were Meridith Blake; Maryann Mercer and Tommy Taylor.
The orchestra dis-banded in the mid-'40's, Ayres became the musical director for Columbia Records and also for the Perry Como Show.
He died in Las Vegas, NV. on Sept. 5 1969, when he was struck by an automobile while crossing the street.

   [ Don Azpiazu and his Havana Casino Orch ]
c. 1893, d. 1943
Overview:
For half a dozen years, "Don" Azpiazu's orchestra had been one of the principal attractions of Havana's Casino Nacional Then, in early 1930, Azpiazu arrived in New York city, and New Yorkers began hearing authentic Cuban music for the first time. On April 26, 1930, attired in white ruffled shirts and red peasant neckerchiefs, Don Azpiazu's Havana Casino Orchestra appeared on the stage of New York's famous "Palace Theatre" on Broadway. Their repertoire consisted of Cuban sones, danzones and congas, and the Tango. Halfway through their first set, the Azpiazu band introduced a song based on a 'pregon' - a Cuban street-seller's cry - called "El Manicero", ("The Peanut Vendor"). It became an instant hit, and remains today, one of the most famous pieces of Latin popular music. By year's end, a full-scale Cuban craze was under way with the song was being covered by such newly assembled "Cuban" bands as "The Havana Royal Orchestra", "Havana Novelty Orchestra", as well as all the other dance bands. Even George Gershwin wrote his "Cuban Overture". In 1932, after a successful tour of the United States, the Azpiazu band arrived in Paris, France, via Monte Carlo. In Paris, he appeared with another Cuban ex-patriot, dancer Alicia Parl, among other stars. Curiously, by year's end, the original Azpiazu band had shed half its members, -who stayed to found a generation of Paris-based Cuban bands. Azpiazu himself continued to tour Europe and the United States and died in 1943.

If you were wondering what Afro-Cuban jazz sounded like before the emergence of Machito, listen to some of Don Azpiazu's wonderful releases. Of course, we must include his version of "The Peanut Vendor" The song, originally named "El Manicero", had been composed in 1928 by Cuban composer Moisés Simons. Azpiazu made the first U.S. recording in an authentic national Latin style. The song was recorded on Victor Records (number 22483-B) in November 1930 and began a number one hit for two months. ( The Azplazu Orchestra performed the "Peanut Vendor" the next year in the movie "Cuban Love Song" ) "Mama Inez" was another of his extremely popular hits.

Some of his other 1930 releases included the song "Be Careful With Those Eyes", (582kb), with American singer Johnny Marvin, and "True Love", with Antonio Machin, vocal (Victor 22483-B). Listen also to the lovely song "The African Lament" (572kb

Listen now to the Azpiazu's original 1931 version of "Those Green Eyes", with Chick Bullock singing. ("Aquellos Ojos Verdes", Music by Nilo Menendez, English lyrics by E. Rivera and Eddie Woods).

Azpiazu had the knack of perfectly matching every singer to each song He also utilized North American singers such as Bob Burke, Johnny Marvin, or Chick Bullock to help legitimize the genre. By now, his band consisted of
    Don Azpiazu - Piano, Leader
    Julio Brito - Saxophone, Rhythm
    Remberto Lara - Trumpet, Claves
    Julio Cueva - Trumpet
    Daniel Sanchez - Guitar, Maracas, Vocals
    Antonio Machin - Guitar, Maracas, Vocals
    Alfredo Brito - Flute
    Jose Soccaras - Bongos, Vocals
    Chick Bullock - Vocals
    Johnny Marvin - Vocals

Curiously, in 1932, Don Azpiazu's band broke up in Paris, France.
The songs above were graciously contributed by Mr. Leonard Schwartz, and subsequently digitally re-engineered.