All of the music selections presented here are from my personal collection of 78's. To listen to an individual selection, simply click on the record label.

Click here to listen to all 5 selections of this floor, played in the order they appear.

Click here to listen to all selections of all floors, played in the order they appear (recordings of monologues are excluded).

The B.B.C. Dance Orchestra, Directed by Henry Hall, with vocal chorus - Columbia CA 15524 - FB 1288

Recorded London, January 7th, 1936. It wasn’t difficult to choose another British dance band record for this floor, as the title of this catchy tune is the nightmare of every 78-recordcollector! I love the the way in which the tune incorporates the sound of a cracked record, by imitating the repeat which occurred when the needle skipped. In 1932 Henry Robert Hall (May 2nd, 1898, Peckham, London) became a national figure when he was chosen to replace Jack Payne as leader of the BBC Dance Orchestra. With his unassuming manner and proven musicianship, Hall led the Dance Orchestra to even greater popularity than before. In his youth Hall had studied piano, trumpet and harmony at the Trinity School of Music. Early in 1948 he disbanded the BBC Dance Orchestra to concentrate on his entertainment agency. He died October 28th, 1989 in Eastbourne, Sussex.
This was one of his most popular releases. It was first written in 1908, and Jimmy Kennedy supplied the lyrics later. It sold a million copies, and for years was used as a test piece by BBC sound engineers, because it encompassed such a wide range - from xylophone to bass saxophone. The arranger was Bert Read, his pianist, and Dan Donovan, who played baritone sax, took the vocal. There were other British dance band versions of this song, by Roy Fox and Jack Payne.

por La Orquesta Demon's Jazz - HMV (Disco "Gramófono") - 2-260776 - AE 2626

Sevilla, the beautiful Andalusian city in the south of Spain, is of course famous for its flamenco. In the early 20th century jazz travelled around the world, and also reached Southern Europe. But it wasn’t received without cynicism as this record proves. It was a gift to me from my dear friend Mercedes Ordeig y Olazábal. She bought it in the Ribera de Curtidores, the old district in the heart of Madrid.
She explains: “In Spain we know the ‘Zarzuela’, a kind of operetta. It’s a combination of lovely singing and speech, and generally it tells a story with a happy ending. Sometimes with comic characters, like the comic tenor in this derivative song, who sings in the usual teasing way, displaying some wisdom or criticism towards the subject. In the song they imitate and joke about an Englishman who wrote a tribute to Sevilla. They are making fun of him since they make fun of anything! But at the same time they are proud of their Sevillian ‘salero’, which means salt from the Salter pot! The translation of the song is quite difficult because the singer wants to show in the song how he laughs about the Englishman, by trying to impersonate him with a funny ugly voice.”
I haven’t been able yet to trace more details about this record and La Orquesta Demon's Jazz. Any information is highly appreciated. Click here for the lyrics and translation of the song.

Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five - Decca L 3204 - BM 03545

Recorded Los Angeles, October 4th, 1943. This record was set in the period after America had entered World War Two. It's a typically ebullient Jordan song, but tapped into GI's weariness about the sacrifices they had to make for the war effort, which went beyond food (click here for the lyrics). Louis Thomas Jordan was born July 8th, 1908 in Brinkley, Arkansas, USA. Saxophonist and singer, Jordan began touring as a teenager with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, supporting classic blues singers as Ma Rainey, Ida Cox and Bessie Smith. In the 30’s he played in New York in the bands of a.o. Louis Armstrong and Chick Webb. In 1938 he formed his first combo which from 1939 was called the Tympany Five. Jordan promoted himself as a wacky musical comedian with a smart line in humorous jive. In all these, he pursued a basic rhythm of Shuffle Boogie; as he said, he "made the blues jump". During WWII he enjoyed steady, if unspectacular, success with his Decca recordings. But after the war he really hit his stride with a string of million-selling records, which earned him the title King of the Jukebox. His style was known as "jump blues" or "jumpin' jive", and it served as a precursor to the rhythm & blues and rock and roll of the Fifties. When rock & roll came along his reign was coming to an end. The new generation wanted ‘fast and loud’, not ‘smooth and wry’. He died after a heart-attack on February 4th, 1975 in Los Angeles. In 1990 the musical “Five Guys Named Moe”, which featured ‘music written or originally performed by Louis Jordan’, became the longest-running musical ever at the Lyric Theatre in London.

Gelezen door H.M. Koningin Juliana (Read by H.M. Queen Juliana) Philips AA 99500.1 H - P 99500 H

Recorded 1950. With the recent decease of Princess Juliana, on March 20th, 2004, many people of The Netherlands lost their mother. That is a good reason for me to offer you the opportunity to listen to her voice once again. She was born in The Hague on 30 April 1909, married prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, a German diplomat and businessman in 1937, and together they had four daughters: Beatrix (1938), Irene (1939), Margriet (1943) and Christina (1947). On 6 September 1948, Princess Juliana's investiture as Queen of the Netherlands took place in the Nieuwe Kerk on the Dam in Amsterdam. Two years later the young queen recorded this Christmas Gospel, the royalties from which were donated to various charities. During her reign, Queen Juliana had many difficulties to cope with, both in her professional and personal life. In 1980, she would abdicate on her 71st birthday in favour of her daughter Beatrix. Her views about the arms race, the death penalty, the environment and social justice were in tune with a Dutch society of which everyone felt an integral part. After her abdication, Juliana kept a low public profile. Juliana's later years were not free of personal sorrow; there was illness and divorce in the family, and there was the death of close friends. Although as head of state, she loved her country, she was also deeply convinced of the fundamental unity of mankind. And she believed firmly in the existence of something much higher than her own earthly throne. (see also the recording of Hannes on the 1st floor of my warehouse)

Comedian Harmonists - Gesangs-Quintett, Im Deutsch m. Klavier - HMV 60-1420 - E.G.2204

Recorded Berlin, January 19th, 1931. The Comedian Harmonists are a true delight for the ears! In the beginning of 1928 six young men got together in Berlin for first attempts to sing like the American “Revellers”. The 21 years old Harry Frommermann was the initiator. The sound of the five singers and the pianist was unique. It was a combination of the arranging-talents of Frommermann and pianist Erwin Bootz, who composed also, the irreplaceable 1st tenor voice of Ari Leschnikoff, the bass Robert Biberti, the balanced other voices, the wit and charm. The true breakthrough of their international career was in 1929/30 in Leipzig. This made them successful, artistically as well as financially. At the height of their success a court order of the Nazi’s prohibited the ensemble to perform or even compose, because of the Jewish members Frommermann, Collin and Cycowski. They emigrated and by travelling through different countries and even continents, their fame spread even more, until the group disbanding in 1941 in the USA. Click here for the lyrics of the song (written by Johannes Brandt).