Harry Reser
When one thinks of pre-bop banjoists, it is of purely rhythmic players whose chordal solos differ little from what they play during ensembles. Harry Reser however was quite a bit different, an outstanding virtuoso who was arguably the finest banjoist of the 1920's. Less an improviser than a brilliant technician who could play novelty ragtime with the speed of a pianist, Reser was also one of the most recorded musicians of the era. Reser actually started on the guitar when he was five and soon he was playing violin, cello and piano; later on he would add marimba, trumpet and saxophone. It was not until he was 16 (inspired by Vess Ossman and Fred Van Eps), that Reser switched to banjo. After playing locally in dance bands, in 1921 Reser moved to New York where he was quickly in great demand. Over time he would play with Ben Selvin, Sam Lanin, Bennie Kruger and Paul Whiteman (even subbing once with Whiteman on trumpet!).
Reser started making records with many obscure groups almost immediately and in 1922 he recorded his first solo records including a remarkable version of Zez Confrey's "Kitten On The Keys." In addition to his series of virtuoso banjo workouts (writing more than twenty novelty rags) that still sound very impressive today, Reser recorded at the head of a huge number of overlapping dance bands (also writing many of the arrangements) that used a bewildering series of pseudonyms. Among the names he used were the Blue Kittens, the Bostonians, the Campus Boys, the Four Minstrels, the High Hatters, Phil Hughes' Orchestra, the Jazz Pilots, Jimmy Johnston's Rebels, the Night Club Orchestra, the Okeh Syncopators, Earl Oliver's Jazz Babies, the Parlophone Syncopators, the Plantation Players, the Rounders, the Seven Rag Pickers, the Seven Wild Men, the Six Hayseeds, the Six Jumping Jacks, Tom Stacks and his Minute Men, the Victorian Syncopators, Bill Wirges' Orchestra and the Seven Little Polar Bears! The best-known name was the Cliquot Club Eskimos, a radio band that for ten years (1925-35) helped sell soft drinks; the musicians appeared on radio dressed in eskimo suits! Their many recordings, with novelty vocals by Tom Stacks, were peppy, swinging in their own way and featured short solos.
After that band ran its course, Reser freelanced, playing in many settings throughout the world and writing ten instruction books for the banjo, guitar and ukulele. His last job was playing guitar in the orchestra for the 1965 Broadway musical, Fiddler On The Roof, dying of a heart attack in the pit as he was warming up for the night's performance.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Diskografie
12 Album, -en • Geordnet nach Bestseller
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The Very Best Of
Ragtime - Erschienen bei Master Classics Records am 01.09.2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Banjo Crackerjax 1922-1930
Blues - Erschienen bei Yazoo am 01.01.1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Trainin' The Fingers
Ragtime - Erschienen bei Document Records am 01.06.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
1920's Banjo Essentials
Jazz - Erschienen bei Vintage Masters Inc. am 01.01.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Big Man from the South
Pop - Erschienen bei Digital Loaded am 21.11.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harry Reser's Six Jumping Jacks: 1926-1930
Jazz - Erschienen bei Retrieval am 04.06.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harry Reser and the Clicquot Club Eskimos
Pop - Erschienen bei Bauer Studios 981014 am 01.01.1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harry Reser: Original Recordings 1926-29
Jazz - Erschienen bei Van Up Records am 30.01.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Happy Days Are Here Again!
Pop - Erschienen bei Master Classics Records am 01.08.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'm Gonna Dance With De Guy
Pop - Erschienen bei Digital Loaded am 22.11.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Clock and the Banjo
Pop - Erschienen bei Matchless Music am 20.03.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
1920's Banjo Essentials
Jazz - Erschienen bei Crazy Warthog Media am 01.01.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo