The Original Memphis Five, late 1925 – early 1926. L-R: Jimmy Lytell, cl / Frank Signorelli, p / Phil Napoleon, t / Vincent Grande, tb / Jack Roth, d.
After the end of the Newark engagement on December 12, the band again took to the road:
New York Daily News, October 31, 1925, p.23
The Original Memphis Five are on a 22 weeks’ dance tour of one-nighters through New England, Pennsylvania and Newark, NJ, Jewish Chronicle, Ohio. (Variety, December 16, 1925, p.45)
November 20, 1925, p.14
To start off this road tour, their third in 1925, the band played a week’s engagement at the Avalon Ballroom in The Original Memphis Five Boston (Dec.13-18, 1925): The Memphis Five is here for a
MEMPHIS FIVE ON RADIO have been added to the Cinderella Ballroom as an extra attraction for Sundays. During the week they will spend their time making phonograph records [probably referring to Victor matrix 33894 and Pathe matrices 106436/106437/106438]. A direct wire has been installed in the Cinderella and they will broadcast on Tuesdays from 6.30 to 7 o’clock, Thursdays, 8.30 to 9, and Saturdays, 9.30 to 10. The weekly features at the Cinderella are James D. Dimmick’s Sunnybrook Orchestra and the Original Indiana Five. (New York Morning
week at the Avalon ballroom and rates as a real drawing card in Boston. They asked $ 250 per night at their last appearance here, but it’s not known if they’re receiving as much on this solid weeks’ booking. It’s a very high figure for Boston. (Variety, December 16, 1925, p.46) Reports like the following make it clear that competition among touring bands was fierce:
The flood of itinerant jazz aggregations has created a sad cut-price standard in formerly verdant territory like Telegraph, Tuesday, November 17, 1925, p.03) Pennsylvania, which now offers “Ash-Wednesday prices for NAPOLEON TO DOUBLE Phil Napoleon and his New Year’s eve engagements”, to quote one bandman. Memphis Five opened at the Branford Theatre [November 21] (Variety, December 02, 1925, p.46) in Newark. They will double on Sunday evenings, when they The planned length of 22 weeks of this third substantial will be featured at the Cinderella ballroom, on Forty-eighth OM5 road tour shows that the band didn’t expect to return to street and Broadway. This band is also a recording the Brooklyn Rosemont before early May, 1926. The only two combination. (New York Morning Telegraph, November 23, jobs of the tour I could trace was a one-night stand on 1925, p.02)
January 19, 1926, in Mansfield, OH:1359 to 1361
1925, p.07) Whether the absence of a steady long-time engagement for the OM5 played a role in his decision or not is unclear, but, after having been a continuous member of the band for three and a half years, trombonist Charlie Panely left the OM5 in early October 1925, and joined the Maesto brothers’ Original St. Louis Rhythm Kings. He played with this group on several jobs in October and November 1925,1342 to 1351, 1705 being featured as “the famous trombone player of the Memphis Five”. But already by December, he had formed his own 11piece “De-Luxe” orchestra to accompany exhibition dancers Sascha Piatov and Lois Natalie on a nationwide ballroom tour.1352 to 1356 It was Vincent Grande (Nov. 13, 1902 – Nov. 1970) who replaced Panely as the new OM5’s trombonist; Grande is pictured in the two photographs of the OM5 shown below – clearly the same person as the one pictured in the 1927 Holton Instruments advertisement.
The other stops of the tour and their dates are not known to me at present, but on January 21 & 23, 1926, Frank Signorelli recorded for Brunswick-Vocalion in NYC: Variety, April 07, 1926, p.44 DISK REVIEWS by ABEL [Green] Chinese Blues / ‘Tain’t
BRANFORD THEATRE … A delightful Thanksgiving Attention, red-hot pace-makers … (Mansfield, OH, News, program [Thursday, Nov. 26] of stage presentations includes Sunday, January 17, 1926, p.23), the Original Memphis Five, introducing Mr. Jazz himself … and another one at Coney Island: (Newark, NJ, Jewish Chronicle, November 20, 1925, p.15) DIXIE PLEASURE CLUB ANNOUNCES WINTER DANCE The OM5’s stay at the Branford Theatre in Newark lasted for The eighth annual winter dance of the Dixie Pleasure Club approximately three weeks, until about Saturday, December will take place January 13, at the Hotel Shelburne, Brighton 12, 1925: Art Landry and his band will be held over for a Beach, when two noted dance orchestras will be heard. The second week [December 21 – 26] at the Branford Theatre, Sunnybrook Society orchestra and the Original Memphis Five Newark. (New York Morning Telegraph, December 20, have been engaged for this popular event.911
Cold Original Memphis Five Brunswick No. 3039 The Original Memphis Five “ain’t cold” like one of their song titles in producing sizzling indigo dance music. They are dance favorites, their popularity at the Rosemont ball room, Brooklyn, N. Y., being ample proof. Across the bridge the dealers devote window displays to the bands’ new releases, their sales being large. Another record review (Victor 20039, recorded April 16, 1926) appeared in Variety, June 23, 1926, p.45:
DISK REVIEWS by ABEL “Static Strut” and “Tampeekoe” are the Original Memphis Five’s contributions. The couplet is exceedingly “hot” and “low down” and in keeping with the quintet’s style of frank jazz. Despite the minimum