"Indiana" Original Dixieland Jass Band (Columbia, 1917)

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Nick LaRocca, c, dir: Eddie Edwards, tb / Larry Shields, cl / Henry Ragas, p / Tony Sbarbaro, d.
Columbia Phonograph Co. Studios, Woolworth Building
New York, NY 31 May 1917

77087-3 “Indiana” (James F. Hanley–Ballard MacDonald) Col A2297

Transferred with 3.0ML lateral stylus via 3.0ML VM95SP cartridge and an Audiotechnica AT-LP120 Turntable. Declicked and given light EQ by Colin Hancock. Disc from Colin Hancock Collection. Discographical Information from Rust’s “Jazz Records,” DAHR, H. O. Brunn’s “The Story of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band,”and Colin Hancock. Images from Louisiana Digital Archive and Colin Hancock Collection.

On January 31, 1917 the Original Dixieland Jass Band entered the Columbia studios in Manhattan’s Woolworth Tower to cut a trial session. Unfortunately, Columbia was not quite ready to record such an outlandish music as New Orleans Jazz, so the titles cut that day were thrown out under the assumption that the relationship between the band and the label had concluded. But a few weeks later on February 26, the band has a succesful trial for Columbia’s rival label the Victor Talking Machine Company, resulting in the band’s first record which was a smash success. As a result, Columbia decided to reconsider their relationship with the Dixieland Jass Band, and when tensions arose between the band and Victor due to lawsuits surrounding the titles they cut, Columbia swooped in at the chance to give the band another opportunity to record. “(Back Home Again in) Indiana” became a jazz standard, certainly due in part to this fabulous version of the tune exposing so many young musicians to the sounds of New Orleans jazz. Though anemic and washed out in nature, the Columbia Woolworth building sides from this time do have a lot of sonic space, giving them a liveliness lacking at times in the sterile Victors.