Eddy Duchin and his Central Park Casino Orchestra

Although much has been written and documented about the history of jazz, and considerable attention devoted to the Swing era of the late Thirties and early Forties, the musical period that coincided with the worst years of the Great Depression – – – 1930 to 1935 – – – has been neglected. The flashy Duchin piano styling of that period, always up front to the extent that the band was often relegated to a supporting role, was a new and novel approach to music. The radio listeners of the time were captivated, especially by the Duchin crossed-hands technique of playing the melody of the bass keys. Listeners didn’t know how he did it, but they liked what they heard. Eddy’s success influenced other trends in the business. For one thing, a horde of imitators copied his style. Every town of fairly good size supported a Duchin-styled band – – – from fair to mediocre. And almost overnight the airwaves were flooded by bands with piano playing leaders – – Henry King, Joe Reichman, Nat Brandwynne, Dick Gasparre, Little Jack Little, just to mention a few of the most popular. Even Chico Marx fronted a band. It was a trend that still lingers on in the format of trios and quartets. As popular as Eddy Duchin became – – in many ways he typified a musical era- – he has been neglected and forgotten of recent years, but as these recordings demonstrate, he left behind a worthwhile musical heritage, and one well worth preserving.

Total Playing Time: 72:08

1. You Took My Breath Away (Coslow & R. Whiting) Vic 25178 / 23 Oct 1935
2. Dust on the Moon (Canto Indio) Vic 24664 / 15 Jun 1934*
3. I Only Have Eyes for You(A. Dubin H. Warren) Vic 24665 15 June 1934*
4. Night and Day (C. Porter) Br 6977 / 7 Dec 1932
5. By the Fireside (Ray Noble) Col 2626-D / 3 Mar 1932
6. Caminito (Titman Penaloza Filiberto) Vic 25043 / 13 Apr 1934
7. Did You Mean What You Said Last Night? (Young & Petkere) Br 6458 / 21 Dec 1932
8. How Do I Rate With You (Coslow  R. Whiting) Vic 25178 / 23 Oct 1935
9. It’s De-Lovely, vocal by Jerry Cooper (Cole Porter) Vic 25432 / 2 Oct 1936
10. I’ve Got Something in my Eye, vocals by Jerry Cooper (Newman – Monaco) Vic 25429 / 2 Oct 1936
11. Just a Quiet Evening (Mercer & Whiting) Vic 25517 / 20 Jan 1937
12. Let’s Fall in Love (T. Koehler & H. Arlen) Vic 24510 / 5 Jan 1934
13. Soft Lights (Irving Berlin) Col 2626-D / 3 Mar 1932
14. Too Marvelous for Words (Mercer & Whiting) Vic 25517 / 20 Jan 1937
15. You’ve Got Something, vocal by Jerry Cooper (Cole Porter) Vic 25432 / 2 Oct 1936
16. The Song is You, vocal by Frank Munn (Kern & Hammerstein II) Br 6425 / 18 Nov 1932
17. The You and Me that Used To Be, vocals by Jerry Cooper (W. Bullock & A. Wrubel) Vic 25576 / 22 Apr 1937
18. I’ve Told Every Little Star (Kern-Hammerstein II) Br 6425 / 18 Nov 1932
19. What About Me? (Deitz / Swartz) Vic 24709 / 24 Aug 1934*
20. I Just Couldn’t Take It, Baby (M. Holinar & A. Nichols) Vic 24479 / 1 Dec 1 1933
21. Take my Heart, vocals by Jerry Cooper (J. Young & F. Ahlert) Vic 25343 / 29 May 1936
22. Guess Who, vocals by Jerry Cooper (R. Freed & B. Lane) Vic 25343 / 29 May 1936
23. Outside of You (Dubin & Warren) Vic 25057 / 29 Apr 1935

Vocals by Lew Sherwood unless otherwise noted
All songs recorded in Manhattan except for 3 in Chicago and identified with an *