Not My Victrola

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mlprarie posted this copy of "Clementine" by Jean Goldkette's Orchestra on YouTube for all of us to enjoy. This recording was made during the orchestra's final session, and when you listen you will wish they could have gone on for many more years. Be sure to listen for Bix on his trumpet, and Joe Venuti on the violin. mlprarie's notes from his YouTube post are quoted below:


"Clementine" was recorded by the Jean Goldkette Orchestra in Leiderkranz Hall in New York City on Sept. 15, 1927. The session was supervised by Leroy Shield. The Goldkette Orchestra had been struggling financially and the members knew that this would be their last recording session.


The performance was adapted by the orchestra from a stock arrangement. Soloists are Bill Rank, trombone, Eddie Lang, guitar, Bix Beiderbecke, cornet, and Joe Venuti, violin. It is considered to be the finest performance of the Goldkette Orchestra captured on records.

The record player is an Orthophonic Victrola model VE4-4X, or "Granada". The "E" in the model number indicates that the Victrola is fitted with a synchronous A/C motor instead of a wind-up motor. The machine has a full "orthophonic" playback system (for electrically-recorded records) including the special orthophonic sound box with a duralumin diaphragm and a folded exponential horn inside of the cabinet. Although the gigantic Credenza Victrola produced deeper bass, the Granada had the most accurate overall frequency response of all the acoustic Orthophonic Victrolas. The serial number indicates that this machine was probably manufactured in 1926.

I shoot my video with a Sony Digital 8 format camera. For audio, I use a Shure SM-57 microphone on a stand placed about 4 feet in front of the Victrola horn. I use "soft tone" needles to keep from overloading the microphone. The mic is plugged directly into the video camera. The videos are edited with Windows Movie Maker. I use Sound Forge 9 to clean up the audio, but don't worry -- you're hearing the record exactly as the Victrola plays it!
For more great music, videos, and trivia from this era, please visit my website, http://www.virtualvictrola.com."