The Savoy Orpheans.

JAZZ.

Published by London: Published Privately at the Savoy, 1924

About this Item

First and only edition, one of 1,000 copies issued as a "first birthday" celebratory publication; scarce, particularly so in the fragile glassine jacket. Loosely inserted in this copy is a slip printing soprano Luisa Tetrazzini's birthday wishes in green. The Savoy Orpheans were formed by former army bandmaster Debroy Somers in 1923 and were resident at the Savoy Hotel until contractual wrangles between W. F. De Mornys, entertainments manager at the Savoy, and the hotel company led to the orchestra disbanding on New Year's Eve 1927. During their four year tenure the Orpheans were among the cream of British dance bands and "patterned their instrumentation, arrangements, and classy presentations upon Whiteman's model" (Baade, p. 25). This attractive publication was printed at the Baynard Press, which "employed highly skilled craftsmen. [and] printed many of London Transport's pictorial posters. the Baynard Press was amongst the largest and most technically accomplished printing firms in Britain" (Science Museum). Library Hub locates only the British Library copy among British and Irish institutional libraries; WorldCat adding another copy at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Christina L. Baade, Victory through Harmony: The BBC and Popular Music in World War II, 2012. Square octavo, pp. [16]. With 3 tipped-in photogravures (2 showing the Orpheans, the other the Savoy-Havana band, all in situ in the Savoy Ballroom), title page printed in green and pink, decorative head- and tailpieces, and occasional decorative sprays of notes in pink. Original white quarter cloth pink pictorial boards, endpapers with musical notation in pink. With the glassine jacket Negligible rubbing to board edges, faintest offsetting to endpapers; else a fine copy in the toned jacket with creasing and a couple of closed tears and chips to edges. Seller Inventory # 139822

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Savoy Orpheans.

Publisher: London: Published Privately at the Savoy, 1924

Edition: 1st Edition