Original Dixieland Jazz Band = "I Lost My Heart In Dixie Land" aka "I've Lost My Heart In Dixieland"

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According to sheet music, the title is "I Lost My Heart In Dixie Land."

The title on the record label is "I've Lost My Heart In Dixieland."

This was recorded in England in 1920.

This band, commonly called the ODJB, was the first to make a jazz recording. Its debut record helped create a jazz craze in 1917. At that time the group consisted of cornetist Dominic ("Nick") James LaRocca, clarinetist Larry Shields, trombonist Edwin ("Eddie") Branford Edwards, pianist Harry W. Ragas, and drummer Anthony ("Tony") Sbarbaro. All were white musicians from New Orleans.

The ODJB evolved from an earlier band organized by a New Orleans drummer. Johnny Stein, whose real name was John Hountha, was playing at the Pup Cafe in New Orleans in 1915 or early 1916 when an actor named Gus Chandler urged him to take a band to Chicago. Stein signed a contract with a Chicago entrepreneur Harry James (not the big band trumpeter) and then recruited from his home city four musicians to travel north with him--LaRocca, Edwards, Ragas, and clarinetist Alcide "Yellow" Nunez.

Eddie Edwards later recalled that Stein had asked him for assistance in recruiting musicians. Edwards first invited Emile Christian to play cornet but Christian could not leave New Orleans because of a prior commitment (he later played trombone for the ODJB when Edwards himself was drafted into the army). Edwards then invited LaRocca to join. In an unpublished manuscript now owned by grandson Gary Edwards, the trombonist recalled that "the forerunner of the ODJB was the Reliance Band," which included clarinetist Achille Baquet, drummer Jack Lane, and cornetist Lawrence Veca.

Victor's May 1917 supplement, printed in late April, describes the ODJB's debut record and includes a photograph of the band. The May 1917 issue of Talking Machine World announced that Victor was distributing to dealers "an attention compelling poster listing two special Jass band...selections."

In a letter dated March 29, 1917, Victor editorial manager Ernest Johns wrote to Eddie Edwards, "[O]ur advertising of the Jass Band will consist of a special poster and a special supplement, which will be sent to all Victor dealers...These, I should say, will be on display inside of a couple of weeks." Edwards had evidently asked about how Victor literature would spell the word jazz, and Johns replied, "As to the spelling, we were a little uncertain ourselves, but we noticed that on your cards...the word was spelled JASS, so that on the poster we followed that spelling..."

The band traveled to London in March 1919, staying for a year and a half. For several months, beginning in October, English pianist Billy Jones was a band member.

England's Columbia company engaged the band in 1919 and 1920 for 17 numbers issued on twelve-inch discs. The band recorded eight original compositions (all with Robinson on piano) as well as nine non-original works, mostly popular tunes of the day (all with Jones on piano).

The most important performances recorded in London were "Satanic Blues" and "'Lasses Candy." They were original compositions but ODJB performances of them were unavailable in the United States during the band's heyday. The band had recorded the two numbers for Victor before leaving for England and would record them again also upon returning, but no takes were judged satisfactory by Victor executives. The band did record "Satanic Blues" in 1936 for RCA Victor.

The band visited Victor's New York City studio soon after returning from England, making test records on September 13, 1920, including a take of "Singin' the Blues," written by pianist Robinson.

The band never again recorded the entire song (months later it included a chorus when recording "Margie," called a medley fox trot). After making tests in September, the band did not return to the studio until late November, by which time Robinson had composed "Margie." The band would make fine records in its remaining 16 months with Victor but these ODJB records are more commercial, less wild, than discs of 1917 and 1918.

It is significant that all selections issued by Victor before the England trip were ODJB compositions--one member or another took composer credit, sometimes two members working together, sometimes the entire band--and these compositions have since become jazz standards. But no recordings issued by Victor after the England trip were composed by original ODJB members. About half of these selections were composed by African Americans, the others by white songwriters.

The final Victor session was on December 1, 1921, which produced only "Bow Wow Blues (My Mamma Treats Me Like a Dog)" (18850), composed by Cliff Friend and Nat Osborne.




Original Dixieland Jazz Band = "I Lost My Heart In Dixie Land" aka "I've Lost My Heart In Dixieland"