I sometimes wonder where these recordings have been hiding for the last 100 years!

Here is an Edison Cylinder recording made by Olly Oakley of "Country Dance".

I don't know any more about it than that, but have never heard it before.. has anyone?

The quality is excellent for an old wax cylinder indicating it was probably never played!

It is often said that Oakley was not a great player and made a pile of mistakes in his recordings.

All I can say is that I wish I could make that many!!!!

COUNTRY DANCE by Olly Oakley

Views: 680

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Never heard it before. Very cool recording. Sounds like a medley of UK dance tunes.

I don't think this is a Zither Banjo, just doesn't have the tone (to my ears, of course). Olly's attack is pretty serious...he sounds like he's trying to rip the strings off. ;-)

I believe Olly's reputation for error comes mostly from his later period. Also, he suffered from having to play for recording companies who had nothing but profit in mind...they released everything he recorded, bad and good.

I know what my dad would answer as to where these discs have been. He'd say " on a horizontal surface". Olly Oakley *did* make lots of mistakes, although Country Dance seems fine to me. But he played his slow music with feeling and his fast music with verve. His recordings are redolent with "atmosphere". He captured the mood of his times on his recordings as well. 

All the talk about Oakley making a lot of mistakes is overstated, yes he did a drop a few clangers, but who hasn't, I aim to get about 60-70% of the notes right, and some people aren't as fussy as me. Oakley was a tremendous banjo player by anybody's standards, all this criticism of him was fuelled by certain people who were not as successful as him as a musician (financially) and liked to rubbish his playing because of their festering jealousy. Give me a banjo player who entertains me rather than one who gets all the notes right but otherwise may as well be dead.

I am with you Richard. Speaking as a Banjoist and Handbell ringer:

I always get all the notes right... just not quite in the right order or at the right time.

That's right, Ian, and as Bach said....the piano (in his case, banjo in ours) actually plays itself....all you have to do is touch it at the right place at the right time....it's actually very simple.

Richard, you are so right.  I let some quote to this effect about Olly influence my attitude for a while until I started listening and collecting more of his records...honestly, I hardly ever hear a mistake of his.

His feeling and delivery are SO great and forward, I just love him.  I'm not a big zither banjo fan, but hearing Olly or Ernest Jones just makes you not care what they are playing.

I read Olly's obit in a BMG a while back...his last electric recorded 78's were around 1930, about the time of George Morris' Deccas....there were 3 on red label Parlophone.  Everyone says those are his only electric recordings, but there is one more of Rugby Parade and one other on Broadcast/Unison that is fantastic that I think the collectors forget about.  I've got all four, and they are fantastic...even though I don't hear any of his "mistakes" in them....LOL.  He couldn't have been too bad about mistakes or Morley likely wouldn't have chosen/agreed to most of his recorded work with him, which is also fantastic to my ears.  If you are going to make mistakes, a banjo duet with someone like Morley is surely a place where a mistake prone player would falter....and of course...he....doesn't.

In the obit, it mentioned I think he died in '42 and had slowly stopped playing banjo due to arthritis, but had continued to be involved with the banjo as he could.

I wonder if he knew the Bailey Bath family and if he ever visited them at their home and studio....he had such a long recording career that overlapped Tarrant Sr's studio, teaching, and recording activities it just seems they must have known each other.

Romping Rossie and his way of playing Whistling Rufus are Oakley favorites of mine...along with many others.

Thank you for posting "Country Dance", Ian.  I had not heard that one before....very good!

Oakley's errors on his recordings are mostly errors of timing. It sounds as though he dropped a musical phrase on the floor and it shattered into pieces. But frankly this just adds to my enjoyment of his records. Another zither-banjo player I love to listen to is John Pidoux.

Yes, John Pidoux....of course.....great.....


Spot on, most people can be taught to play all the right notes but not everyone makes music...Steve.
Richard William Ineson said:

All the talk about Oakley making a lot of mistakes is overstated, yes he did a drop a few clangers, but who hasn't, I aim to get about 60-70% of the notes right, and some people aren't as fussy as me. Oakley was a tremendous banjo player by anybody's standards, all this criticism of him was fuelled by certain people who were not as successful as him as a musician (financially) and liked to rubbish his playing because of their festering jealousy. Give me a banjo player who entertains me rather than one who gets all the notes right but otherwise may as well be dead.

Speaking of Pidoux...

I started "Dinah's Wedding" tonight. As I recall, it has a real 'ear worm' melody in it. I may have to put Sousa on the headphones this evening to get rid of it...

I did "Darkie's Delight" a few years ago if anyone wants TAB and MIDI. Very cool tune and fun to play.

edit: there's a terrible recording of DW on youtube. Poor quality but you can get an idea of it.

Thank you Marc,  Don't you just love the "Bell like Harmonics" section around 1.36?

Great stuff.

I have been sent an MP3 that is of better quality and is really worth a listen:

DINAH’S WEDDING played by John Pidoux

There were so many excellent players it would be a shame for them to be forgotten.

Thanks so much for posting the clear MP3 !!  I think this is a different performance done on a different occasion. According to "The Banjo On Record" Pidoux recorded Dinah's Wedding six times for different record labels between 1908 and 1914.

thereallyniceman said:

Thank you Marc,  Don't you just love the "Bell like Harmonics" section around 1.36?

Great stuff.

I have been sent an MP3 that is of better quality and is really worth a listen"

DINAH’S WEDDING played by John Pidoux

There were so many excellent players it would be a shame for them to be forgotten.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

© 2024   Created by thereallyniceman.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service