"The famous Van Eps Trio in A bit of jazz" (1921)

[RitonMousquetaire]

Hello everyone,

does anybody happen to know if that early sound-film (Kellum process) featuring Fred Van Eps and that is luckily preserved with both image and sound apparently in the UCLA film archive in the USA (according to their catalog : http://cinema.library.ucla.edu/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=36960 ) was ever shown in any accessible documentary or early films compilation? I couldn't find anything about that; this is surprising as it looks like a very interesting document! I searched for informations about it on that website but couldn't find anything either; sorry if it has already been discussed elsewhere.

This film is probably one of the earliest sound films (with the sound being directly recorded, at the same time as the picture) still surviving today. The earliest mention I could find of a direct sound film featuring a banjo player is the one titled (warning : offensive language) : Le réveil du nègre (joueur de banjo), apparently showing a man named Salvator Léonard on the instrument (according to this page : http://www.delabelleepoqueauxanneesfolles.com/Jazz%20avant.htm this piece is actually "The Darkie's dream"). This film was made and shown in 1911, with the Gaumont chronophone process - according to a list published in a book titled Alice Guy, Léon Gaumont et les débuts du film sonore, which is the best documented book on that subject, the disc containing the sound part of this film still exists, but alas, as with so many of these early Gaumont sound films, the picture is still missing (or at least was still missing when this book was published, a few years ago). Maybe it will surface one day in a film archive, it would be great.

[marc dalmasso]

Très sympa ce lien ; à noter que  "l 'illustration " était  très variée dans ses publications musicales , musique classique , légère , chansons mais aussi bien sur cakewalks et scottisches et pas seulement composés par des anglais ou des américains tel celui ci dont j 'ai déniché une partition piano , composé par , je pense , un Belge  ( l 'illustration , fev 1894 ) ...............................................................................;

http://classic-banjo.ning.com/video/petite-vitesse

[Chris Cioffi]

Hallo Riton-

I have that disc by Sam Collins (his real name is Sydney Elgar Turner).

As far as the Van Eps film....I have tried to find it on the internet and have had no luck....I wanted to watch it, obviously.

I think I had ended up at the same link you gave.

I would like to find out if it's viewable somewhere, so if you find it, please share......

Chris

[RitonMousquetaire]

Marc > Excellente la vidéo! Le morceau se prête vraiment bien au banjo.

Chris > I think I will contact the UCLA film archive to ask them directly. I'll post the content of the answer on that thread if I get one.

[Chris Cioffi]

Riton-Wow....that will be great if they allow access to viewing it....thank you for making the effort.......

I'll await your update eagerly......

It's funny how I stumbled upon this video's existance just before you were working on finding out more about it as well!

Best, 

Chris