Dizzy Gillespie (John Birks) on 52nd Street.
(Photograph copyright by William P. Gottlieb.)

Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. In the background at left bass player Ray Brown.
(Photograph copyright by William P. Gottlieb.)

Slam Stewart and...

..Eddie South, the dark angel, swing the strings.
(Photographs copyright by William P. Gottlieb.)

Sarah Vaughan swings and Ethel Waters sings.
(Photograph of Sarah Vaughan copyright by William P. Gottlieb.)

Ethel Waters on the cover of a late reissue of RLP 1025.

Don Byas
Picture taken from the LP of the French label Black & Blue 33.003 U: "Don Byas 1945" on which he plays with J.C. Heard, Buck Clayton, Eddie Safranski, Denzil Best, John Garnieri, Billy Taylor and Cozy Cole.)

Remington RJ 500 with the re-release of the first recordings of Sarah Vaughan. The session was organized by Leonard Feather for Continental Records and recorded on December 31st, 1944.

See Leonard Feather on World News

Cozy Cole on Plymouth with Red Norvo (vibra harp), Don Byass (tenor sax) and Clyde Hart (piano). And on Remington.

Bebop and Blues original reissue on Remington R-1031 (cover by Curt John Witt) and on Plymouth P-12-113 (cover by Otto Rado).

See also the Classic Jazz Guitar site.

See the many Continental 78 rpm labels at the Majestic 78 rpm labels site.

In 1942 Don Gabor enlisted in nthe US Navy and became a US citizen. In that same year he founded Continental Record Company Inc. One year later Billboard lists the company's address as 263rd West 54th Street. Home Office Executives are Donald H. Gabor, President, and Mrs. Donald H. Gabor, Vice-president. While serving in the navy, his uncle took care of the newly founded business. The catalog was small of course but would soon grow in significance as Continental was releasing 78 rpm shellac recordings with ethnic music aimed at immigrants of various nationalities. And there were a few classical performers - mostly emigrants and refugees - who made recordings in the 1940s.

But Donald Gabor Gabor soon found his way also into the New York Jazz Scene where many of his Continental jazz recordings were made. If he himself was not the instigator of some of the recordings, he obtained the acetates to be processed to discs. Sessions were cut in clubs in "The Street" - not far from Gabor's office - and in the Cafe Society. Selections were played and sung by a variety of jazz artists, artists who had already earned some recognition or were more or less new to the game and were exploring a new style and sound named bebop.

The Continental Record Catalogue contained recordings made from 1944 on and names like those of trumpet players Louis Armstrong and Harry James; violinist Enoch Light; humming bass player Leroy "Slam" Stewart; famous singer Ethel Waters; drummer William "Cozy" Cole; young Sarah Vaughan; pianists Dorothy Donegan, Clarence Williams, Clyde Hart, Johnny Guarnieri, Hank Jones. And there was pianist(!) Leonard Feather.
Feather, who came from Great Britain, started out as a jazz musician, became a producer at the same time, and was an important reviewer before he gave the world his "Encyclopedia of Jazz" - and did not write an entry on himself in the book but only on the jacket of this unique and fantastic compendium.

The following list of Continental jazz records is not at all complete. But the reference numbers were compiled from catalogs and publications and the list shows that sales must have been significant in those days of the 78 RPM shellac and became the foundation of Continental Records Inc. and later Remington Records Inc., New York.

#CR-1001: Louis Armstrong - The Night before Christmas + When the Saints go Marching in. 

#C 1175: Enoch Light and his Orchestra; Loren Becker - Laughing on the Outside + Got a Date with a Disc 

#C 10000: Slam Stewart Quintet - Mood to be Stewed + Slammin' the Gate

In the category "sepia swing" is The Slam Stewart Quintet with Slam Stewart (singing bass), Red Norvo (vibraharp), Johnny Guarnieri (piano), Morey Feld (drums), and Chuck Wayne (guitar). The titles are TALKING BACK (Red Norvo) and THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY (Leonard Feather) on Continental C-10005. The label pictures above is of the Dutch Continental release, Made in Holland.

#C 10001: Slam Stewart Quintet - The Voice of the Turtle + Time on My Hands 

#C 10002: Slam Stewart Quintet - A Bell for Norvo + On the Upside Looking Down

#C 10003: Slam Stewart Quintet - Jingle Bells + Honeysuckle Rose 

#C 10004: Slam Stewart Quintet - Haw haw + Dozin' 

#C 10005: Slam Stewart Quintet - Talkin' back + The One that Got Away 

#C 10006: Ethel Waters; J.C. Heard Orchestra - Taking a Chance on Love + Cabin in the Sky 

#C 10007: Ethel Waters; J.C. Heard Orchestra - Dinah + Man Wanted 

Remington REP-77: Cozy Cole: Look Here (rec. NYC, 14 November 1944) with Charlie Shavers (trumpet) and Coleman Hawkins (tenor); Comes the Don (Harlem Nocturne) (rec. NYC, 21 November 1944) with Budd Johnson (tenor) and Emmett Berry (trumpet).

J.C. Heard: Bouncing for Barney (rec. NYC, 20 March 1946) with Budd Johnson (tenor) and Jimmy Jones (piano). Timmie Rosenkrantz and His Barons: Timme Time (rec. NYC, 22 August 1945) with Otto Hardwick (alto), Charlie Ventura (tenor) and Red Norvo (vibes), and a drummer (probably Specs Powell).

#C 10008: Ethel Waters; J.C. Heard Orchestra - Am I Blue? + You took My Man 

#S 3284: Cozy Cole's All Stars Charlie Shavers - trumpet
Hank D'Amico - clarinet
Coleman Hawkins, Walter "Foots" Thomas - tenor saxes
Tiny Grimes - guitar
Clyde Hart - piano
Slam Stewart - bass
Cozy Cole - drums

- Memories of You + Comes the Don 

#C 3009: Harry James and his Orchestra - Swanee River + El Rancho Grande 

#C 6000: Cozy Cole's All Stars - Look Here + I don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You 

#C 6001: Cozy Cole's All Stars - Take it on Back + Willow Weep for Me. 

#C 6002: Hot Lips Page and hisOrchestra with Lucky Thompson (sax), Hot Lips Page (trumpet), Vick Dickenson (trombone), Hank Jones (piano), Sam Allen (guitar), Jessie Price (drums), Carl "Flat top" Wilson (bass): - Gee Baby, ain't I Good to You + The Lady in Bed 

#C 6003: Hot Lips Page and his Orchestra - Big "D" blues + It ain't Like That 

#C 6004: Cozy Cole's All Stars - Comes the Don + Memories of You 

#C 6005: Seventh Avenue (written by Gordon "Specs" Powell - Irene Higginbotham - recorded January 4, 1945) James Trummie Young's All Stars - Trummie Young (trombone & vocals), Don Byas (tenor sax), Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Charlie Parker (alto sax), Mike Bryan (guitar), Specs Powell (drums), Al Hall (bass), Clyde Heart (piano). Data for C 6005 taken from SwingMan 1937 YouTube Channel. The recording date is mentioned on Dan Miller Jazz.

#C 6006

#C 6007A: Leonard Feather, Dan Burley; with Tiny Grimes (guitar), Morey Feld (drums): Part 1 - A Suite in Four Comfortable Quarters (bedroom, living room, kitchen, bath) - Part 2: Kitchen Connipt + A suite in Four Comfortable Quarters ... - Pt. 4: Bathroom Boogie 

Leonard Feather who was a pianist himself, became at one time Duke Ellington's press agent, joined the staff of Esquire magazine as a writer, made recordings for the Continental label of Sarah Vaughan (December 31st, 1944) and of many more artists for Gabor's label. He was the promotor of so many but forgot to write an entry on himself in his Encyclopedia of Jazz. Picture taken from the jacket of The Encyclopedia of Jazz - Bonanza Books, New York, 1955/1960. Photo by Bengt H. Malmquist.

#C 6008: Sara Vaughan - What More Can a Woman do + I'd Rather Have a Memory than a Dream. See:  SwingMan 1937 YouTube Channell.

#C 6009: Leonard Feather and his All Stars - Esquire Jump and Esquire Stomp.

#C 6010 thru 6012 

#C 6013: Clyde Hart's All Stars - What's the Matter Now + That's the Blues (recorded January 4, 1945 - See www.danmillerjazz.com)

#C 6014: Cozy Cole's All Stars - When Day is Done + The Beat 

#C 6015: Hot Lips Page and his orchestra - The Lady in Bed + Sunset Blues 

#C 6016: Leonard Feather and his All Stars - Scram + Thanks For the Memory 

#C 6017: Hot Lips Page and his orchestra - They raided the joint + Florida Blues 

#C 6018: Edmond Hall and his Cafe Society Orchestra - Continental Blues + Face 

#C 6019 - 6020

#C 6021: Mary Osborne; with Mary Lou Williams Girl Stars - (She's) He's Funny That Way. 

#C 6022: J.C. Heard & His Cafe Society Orchestra - The Walk + Heard But Not Seen D.D.T. 

#C 6023

#C 6024: Sarah Vaughan; with Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra - Mean to Me + Signing Off 

#C 6025B: Hot Lips Page and his Orchestra - Corsicana + Race Horse Mama Blues 

#C 6026

J.C.Heard (second from left) some 20 years later with Eddie Davis, Bill Doggett, Milt Hinton and Eddie Vinson in the open air studio of Disques Black & Blue, France. Image taken from the cover of a 1978 release..

# C 6027B: J.C. Heard and his Cafe Society Orchestra (J.C.Heard, drums, Budd Johnson)

#C 6028 thru 6030

Remington REP-35: Interlude, East of the Sun, Signing Off, No Smokes Blues. Titles recorded December 31, 1944, New York. Sarah Vaughan (vocals), Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet, and in East of the Sun and No Smokes on piano), Aron Sachs (clarinet), Georgie Auld (tenor sax), Leonard Feather (piano in Interlude and Signing Off), Chuck Wayne (guitar), Jack Lesberg (bas), Morey Feld (drums).

#C 6031B: Sarah Vaughan; Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra - Interlude (= A Night In Tunisia; 31st December, 1944 ) + East of the sun (George Treadwell, sax) - Azure + Bouncing for Barney + Continental Blues

#C 6032

#C 6033B: Dorothy Donegan (piano), Oliver Coleman (drums), Rail Wilson (bass) - Yesterday + Dorothy's Boogie Woogie 

#6034: Dorothy Donegan (piano), Oliver Coleman (drums), Rail Wilson (bass) - Limehouse Blues, Tiger Rag 

#6035 thru 6050

#C 6051: Dorothy Donegan (piano) - Little Girl from St. Louis (boogie woogie); Jumping Jack 

#C 6052 thru 6055

#6056: Dorothy Donegan (piano) - Some of These Days; Kilroy Was Here 

#6057: Dorothy Donegan (piano) - How High the Moon ; Schubert's Boogie Woogie 

#6058: Dorothy Donegan (piano) - Two Loves Wuz One Too Many for me + The Man I Love 

#C 6059 - 6060

#6061: Sarah Vaughan - No Smokes-blues + Willie Mae Willow Foot Special (boogie woogie) 

#8479: Clarence Williams ( piano) and Pinewood Tom (guitar) - Black Gal + Milk Cow Blues

Remington issue 1024 still with the Continental prefix CLP

RLP 1025

These recordings were transferred to LP and issued on the Continental label and later cleverly reissued on Remington long playing records in all sorts of combinations. Originally seven ten inch Remington LPs were released:

R-1024 Hot Jazz With Sarah Vaughan and the All Star Band
With Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Charlie Parker (alto sax), Flip Phillips (tenor sax), Bill de Arango (guitar), Max Roach (drums), (released in the fall of 1950, that was the time when Sarah Vaughan still was listed in the section "popular music"). Mean to Me, Interlude, What Can a Woman Do?, No Smokes Blues, East of the Sun, I'd Rather Have a Memory Than a Dream, Signing Off, a.o.

R-1025 Ethel Waters in Shades of Blue
Taking A Chance On Love, Honey In A Hurry, You Took My Man, Cabin In The Sky, I Shoulda Quit, Man Wanted, Am I Blue, Dinah
(released in the fall of 1950; dubbings of C 10006, 10007, 10008 plus 2 other songs).

R-1031 The Birth of Bebop and Blues.
On SIDE 1:
Heard But Not Seen, The Beat Bouncy, What's The Matter Now
(performed by Roy Eldridge (tr), Slam Stewart (b), Cozy Cole (dr), Red Norvo (vibes), Clyde Hart (p), J.C. Heard (dr), Clyde Hart and Timme Rosenkrantz Orchestras)
On SIDE 2:
That's The Blues, I Want Every Bit Of It, 4 F Blues - performed by Dizzy Gillespie (tr), Charlie Parker (alto), Don Byas (tenor), Trummy Young (tr), Clyde Hart (pi), Mike Bryan (guitar), Al Hall (cl), Specs Powell (dr), "Rubberlegs" Williams Orchestra. (recorded January 4, 1945 - See www.danmillerjazz.com)

R-1032 Cafe Society Swing.
Timme Rosenkrantz, Cozy Cole, and Sabby Lewis orchestras: Bouncing For Barney, Timme Time, DDT, Cafe Society Blues, Look Here, Comes The Don, Are You Coming Home John, Boston Bounce.

R-1033 Modern American Musicians
Red Norvo, Johnny Guarnieri, Morey Feld, Chuck Wayne, Eddie South Trio. (Released in November 1952.)

R-1035 Moods in Blues
With Edmond Hall, Timme Rosenkrantz, "Hot Lips" Page Orchestra: Continental Blues, Blues At Dawn, Big Trees Blues, Florida Blues, Big D Blues, It Ain't Like That, Race Horse Mama Blues.

R-1037 Sax Appeal
With Morris Lane and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.

Eventually several titles were issued simultaneously on the Remington and on the Plymouth label.
Side One of Remington RJ 500 features Sarah Vaughan singing at her first, own record session on December 31st, 1944, produced by Leonard Feather.

REMINGTON RJ-500
On SIDE 1:
What More Can A Woman Do (P. Lee - D. Barbour), I'd Rather Have A Memory Than A Dream (L. Feather - J. Russel), Mean To Me (R.Turk - F. Ahlert), Signing Off (L. Feather - J. Russel), East Of The Sun (B. Bowman)
Interlude (D. Gillespie - Paparelli - Leveen)
On SIDE 2:
Bouncy (Rosenkrantz - Jones - Cavanaugh), What's The Matter Now (Clyde Hart), Continental Blues (E. Hall), Heard But Not Seen (B. Johnson - J.C. Heard), Bouncing For Barney (G. Treadwell - J.C. Heard)
Bouncy and Blues At Dawn also appear on Side 2 of Plymouth P-12-155.

REMINGTON RJ-504
On SIDE 1: Ethel Waters with the J.C. Heard Orchestra:
Taking a Chance on Love, Cabin in the Sky, Dinah, Man Wanted, A I Blue?, You Took My Man.
On SIDE 2: Selections performed by various artists:
Boston Bounce (Society Swing Orchestra)
Edna (Sabby Lewis Orchestra), Jumping Jack (Dorothy Donegan), Special (Dorothy Donegan), Little Girl from Saint Louis (Dorothy Donegan), Schubert's Boogie Woogie (Dorothy Donegan), The beat (Cozy Cole).

And there were several Plymouth releases following the same strategy so you never were sure if you did already own a certain performance. It just could have been another take or the same one. Some where also released on Pontiac, not listed in the Schwann and Long Player catalogs.

PLYMOUTH P-12-122
On SIDE 1:
Am I Blue (Ethel Waters), It Ain't Like That (Hotlips Page), They Raided The Joint (Hot Lips Page), Heard But Not Seen (J.C. Heard), Edna (Sabby Lewis)
Jumping Jack Special (Dorothy Donogan)
On SIDE 2:
Bell For Norvo (Red Norvo), Willie Mae Willow Foot (Hot Lips Page),
House Rocking (Frank Culley), Talking Back (Red Norvo), Schubert's Boogie (Dorothy Donogan), Ready For Action (Frank Culley), Lockjaw's Bounce (Eddie Davis)

PLYMOUTH P-12-155
On SIDE 1:
This release lists on SIDE 1:
Look Here (Cole - Thomas - Hart), Take It Back ( Cole - Thomas - Hart), Comes The Don (Thomas - Cole - Byas), Bouncy (Rosenkrantz - Jones - Cavanaugh), Blues At Dawn (Rosenkrantz - Jones - Cavanaugh), The Drag (Thomas - Cole - Byas)
On SIDE 2:
Saul (H. Sandy), Squint Look (H. Sandy), Diggin' Chick (H. Sandy), Stick Around (H. Sandy), Fand And Sand (H. Sandy), Black Rose Blues (Carels - Fennis)

Masterseal MSLP 5013: Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Red Norvo, Cozy Cole, Charlie Ventura, Dorothy Donegan, Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas.	Masterseal MSLP 55: Sarah Vaughan with some of the selections from Masterseal MS-5013 and Remington RJ-500.

MASTERSEAL MSLP 5013
On SIDE 1:
Mean To Me (R.Turk - F. Ahlert), Bouncy (Rosenkrantz - Jones - Cavanaugh),
Blues At Dawn (Rosenkrantz - Jones - Cavanaugh), What (Don Byas), Every Bit (Dizzy Gillespie), Rose Noir (H. Carels)
On SIDE 2:
Comes The Don (Thomas - Cole - Byas), Beat Bounce (Red Norvo), Cravin' (Hen Gates and His Gaters), Kilroy Was Here (Dorothy Donegan), Edna (Sabby Lewis), Swinging the Blue (Eddie South).

Gabor issued the same titles on different labels and in different combinations. These were not necessarily different takes. Adding some reverberation to the signal could give the listener the idea that a different recording was used. The same material from MSLP 5013 was issued on the Paris label.

MUSIC APPRECIATION LIBRARY VOLUME 10 (Paris Label - The World of Living Music - Notes by Joseph P. Muranyi)
On SIDE 1:
Mean To Me (R.Turk - F. Ahlert), Bouncy (Rosenkrantz - Jones - Cavanaugh),
Blues At Dawn (Rosenkrantz - Jones - Cavanaugh), What's The Matter Now (Don Byas), Every Bit (Dizzy Gillespie), Rose Noir (H. Carels).
On SIDE 2:
Comes The Don (Thomas - Cole - Byas), Beat Bounce (Red Norvo), Cravin' (Hen Gates and His Gaters), Kilroy Was Here (Dorothy Donegan), Edna (Sabby Lewis), Swinging the Blues (Eddie South).

MASTERSEAL MS-55
"Sarah Vaughan Sings Sweet and Sultry", a later Masterseal release.
On SIDE 1
Mean To Me - Sarah Vaughan with Charlie Parker, Flip Phillips, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill De Aranzo, Max Roach, Curley Russell, Nat Jaffe.
Bouncy - Red Norvo, Timme Rosenkrantz, Charlie Ventura, Harry Carney, Johnny Bothwell, Otto Hardwick, Jimmy Jones, Specs Powell and John Levy.
Blues At Dawn - (the same group).
What - Henry Rubberlegs Williams singing in the old tradition of Bessie Smith, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Don Byas, Trummie Young,
Every Bit - (same group)
Rose Noire - H. Carel's combo.
On SIDE 2:
Comes The Don - Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Hank D'Amico, Charlie Shavers, Tiny Grimes, Slam Stewart, Johnny Garnieri, Cozy Cole
Beat Bounce - Same artists as for Bouncy and Blues at Down
Cravin' - Hen Gates' Combo
Kilroy Was Here - Dorothy Donegan
Edna - Sabby Lewis Band
Swinging The Blues - Eddie South, Hank Jones, Leonard Garkin.

MASTERSEAL MS-75
This was another compiltaion with reshuffled songs.
On SIDE 1
Sarah Vaughan: East Of The Sun, Mean To Me - Sarah Vaughan
A Bell For Norvo, Time On My Hands - Red Norvo
Blues At Mary Lou's, D.D.T. - Mary Lou Williams
On SIDE 2
Little Girl From St. Louis, Kilroy Was Here - Dorothy Donogan
Thanks For The Memory, Esquire Jump - Coleman Hawkins
I Want Every Bit, That's The Blues - Trummie Young

Dizzie Gillespie (at far left, with glasses, looking up), Don Byas (thumbs up) and Sarah Vaughan, together again, but now in Paris, 1953. (Picture taken from the French Vogue double LP DP15 "Memorial" Don Byas.)

Bell For Norvo and Jingle Bells by the Slam Stewart Orchestra, together with Swinging the Blues and Eddie's Blues by Eddie South Trio, were released on a 45 rpm disc.

Since "The" All Star Jazz Band was led by Dizzy Gillespie and also by Cozy Cole and on other occasions by Leonard Feather, some of the same material can be found on Plymouth P-12-155, but then the names of Red Norvo, Don Byas and Clyde Hart are explicitly mentioned. Pianist Clyde Hart who was born in 1910 in Baltimore, died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty five on March 19th, 1945 in New York.

Mark Conlan wrote that there is another CONTINENTAL LP, called "Hot and Cozy". There is however no listing of it in the 1950s editions of Schwann Long Playing Record Catalog.
On SIDE 1: six recordings by Oran "Hot Lips" Page
The Lady In Bed, Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You, Big 'D' Blues, They Raided The Joint, Corsicana (an instrumental named after Page's home town), Sunset Blues.
On SIDE 2: has four selections led by Cozy Cole and two by Red Norvo:
Look Here, Take It On Back, Comes The Don, Beat Bounce, Bouncy, Blues at Dawn.

Some of the recordings by Hot Lips Page and Rubberlegs Williams made in 1944 and 1945 were issued on the French label Disques Back and Blue, LP 33.008. These must have been licensed by Don Gabor in 1966: Big D Blues, Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You, The Lady In Bed, It Ain't Like That, Florida Blues, Race Horse Mama Blues, The Lady In Debt, Corsicana, Willie Mae Willow Foot, Sunset Blues, They Raided The Joint. On 33.008 there are four numbers by Rubberlegs Williams: That's The Blues, I Want A Every Bit Of It, What's The Matter Now, 4 F Blues.

Anthony Barnett's book on Eddie South: BLACK GYPSY.

TRIP Jazz Record TLP-5803 with a selection of recordings made by The Dark Angel of the Fiddle and His Trio in 1944: Mad Monk, Rose Room, Yesterdays, Rhapsody in Blue, Idaho, Tzigani in Rythm, Dear Old Southland, Daybreak, Deep Purple, and Solace..

Eddie South specialist Anthony Barnett told me that the appearance of a title does not necessarily mean that on shellac and vinyl the same take was used. For example: Eddie’s Blues and Twelve O’Clock At Night are different takes on 78 and LP. But Swinging the Blues is the same take on 78 RPM and LP. I can’t Give You Anything but Love was only released on 78 RPM, not on LP. I have not yet found out on which LPs these were released. However, all the Ethel Waters takes are the same on 78 RPM and on LP.

Editions of Schwann Long Playing Record Catalog from the early nineteen fifties mention these Continental LPs, later released on Remington:
CLP 16004 - Charlie Parker: Bird Live with Sarah Vaughan
CLP 16005 - Red Norvo: Mainstream Jazz
CLP 16008 - Ethel Waters sings with Heard

Rudolf A. Bruil. Page first published March 6th, 2001, and updated since.

Black and White Photographs of Ella Fitzgerald, Slam Stewart, Dizzy Gillespie, Eddie South and Sarah Vaughan all courtesy William P. Gottlieb