“That’s A Plenty”
Anthony Parenti’s Famous Melody Boys (Playing At La Vida)
(OKeh 40308-A mx 8895-A) January 22, 1925
“Cabaret Echoes”
Anthony Parenti’s Famous Melody Boys (Playing At La Vida)
(OKeh 40308-B mx 8896-A) January 22, 1925
Here are two recordings from the Edward Mitchell collection of a mid-1920s New Orleans band led by Anthony Parenti, who remained prominent in jazz in both New Orleans and New York City into the 1960s.
These were recorded during the OKeh label’s second field trip to New Orleans with their portable equipment to record local and regional artists. The recording sessions took place inside the Junius Hart Piano House at 123 Carondelet Street whose building still exists. Junius Hart was a music publishing company as well as the regional distributor of Kimball Pianos and OKeh records.
OKeh did not begin using microphones until 1926. But despite the old-fashioned acoustic recording horn technology, these recordings are still very engaging and enjoyable.
Parenti’s band performed at the Liberty Theater and, after the theater’s evening closing time, the band moved over to the La Vida nightclub at 1019 Iberville St in the Tango Belt district.
While the Lew Pollack composition “That’s A Plenty” has long been regarded as a jazz standard, it was originally published as a piano rag in 1914.
“Cabaret Echoes” was one of Parenti’s own compositions.
– Dismuke