Stomp Off 1001 - Dickbaker.org

Audrey Van Dyke. It is a lead sheetconsisting of only the melody.And here’s the copyright registration that goeswith that deposit:Spanish rag; melody Willie Smith, of U.S. ©1 c. Sept. 19, 1925; E 623377; ClarenceWilliams music pub. co., inc., New York.Spanish Shawl (Elmer Schoebel–Billy Meyers–Walter Melrose)Charquet & Co 1076Red Rose Ragtime Band 1128Red Roseland Cornpickers 1133New Jazz Wizards 1244Grand Dominion JB 1337Miss Lulu White’s Red Hot Creole JB 1370Les Rois du Fox-Trot 1407Delta Stompers 1426First three just Schoebel; rest all Schoebel-MeyersASM, 1925, Melrose Bros.; w. Billy Meyers-Walter Melrose/m. Elmer Schoebel. Searchreveals this to be the first edition, so I don’tsee how we take Melrose off without removingMeyers as well.Copyright show it starting as Schoebelinstrumental, then soon picking up lyrics forpublication:Spanish shawl; fox trot, Elmer Schoebel, ofU.S.; orch. 4to. © Aug. 15, 1925; 2 c. Sept.15; E 620868; Melrose bros. music co., inc.,Chicago.Spanish shawl; fox-trot, w Billy Meyers andWalter Melrose, m Elmer Schoebel, of U.S.© Nov. 20, 1925; 2 c. Nov. 30; E 627142;Melrose bros. music co., inc., Chicago.Spanish Singe (Don Ewell)Ray Smith 1162From 1952, says Smith. Not in 1951-54copyright books, of course. Oops, norecording before this one in Lord discography.This is another in the bizarrecopyrightencyclopedia.com database: dated11/29/2004. Says composed by Ewell, “Titleappears in Document: Your love is burning &11668 other titles, musical compositions.” AndI’ll be damned: it’s on that same Windin’ Ball101 LP that contained “South Side Strut.”Robinson has LP, confirms credit to Ewell.Spanish Venus (Luckey Roberts)George Foley 1187Tom Roberts 1345Transcribed from The Lion’s great recording ofit in 1966, says Foley. 1905, says Roberts [butit wasn’t copyrighted, because Roberts didn’tyet know how to read and write sheet music,and publishers wouldn’t publish it becausenobody could play it except Luckey andEubie]; Tom Roberts plays both the Smith andEubie Blake versions on this CD. In fact, manycredit Eubie’s learning it and reintroducing itmany years later as the main or only reason forthe tune’s survival, since Luckey himself neverseems to have recorded it. Eubie did in thelate 1940s, and Smith in 1966.Sparklets (Walter E. Miles)Tom Roberts 1392CD said Sparklets by Willie “The Lion” Smith-Tim Brymn.Only Smith recording (says Lord) is Paris,11/30/65, on LPs (poss. titled Jazz in Paris)Decca (F)154.158, SSL40158S, CD Music onMy Mind, EmArcy (F)014032-2.Discogs.com credits Smith on its listing for theDecca LP.But beware that a guy on eBay selling a 1911rag called “Sparklets on the Piano” by WalterE. Miles claims it’s the same tune that Willieplayed. Have asked Brier to research itAND get a load of this: When asked TomRoberts for his composer source, he replied,I found out from Bob Pinsker that it is notwritten by the Lion. It is some Novellete.maybe the ebay tune is exactly the samething. Who knows if the Lion wittinglyplagiarized?So I tracked down the Miles sheet music, theLion 1965 recording, and a midi file preparedby Warren Trachtman of an Ampico piano roleof the Miles Rag played by Felix Gerdts. Theysure sound like the same tune to me.Dave Robinson was the first to respond:Congratulations Sherlock, that's a fine pieceof sleuthing! Yes, absolutely: the sheetmusic, piano roll, Lion recording, andRoberts recording are the same tune. Whatfascinates me is that the tune sounds to melike a Willie the Lion composition! Perhapsthis tune had a big influence on Willie whenhe was just a cub? But if so, I wonder whyhe didn't record it until '65.Pinkser also listened, agrees.For the record: “on the Piano” was on cover asa likely genre-marker, but not on copyrightpage; published by Sam Fox, Cleveland,copyright 1911, but it was not in the 1910-12copyright books.Speakeasy [Blues] (Joe Oliver–Clarence Williams)Des Plantes’ Washboard Wizards 1325Jacobi’s Bottomland Orchestra 1336