Freddy Taylor - Blue Drag - Paris, April 1935 video free download

Freddy Taylor and his Swing Men From Harlem

Freddy Taylor (tp & vo);

Charlie Johnson (tp);

Chester Lanier (cl,as & bs);

Fletcher Allen (cl,ts & arr.);

John Ferrier (p);

Oscar Aleman (g);

Eugène d'Hellemmes (b);

William Diemer (dm)

1935 April - Paris

During his stay in Europe, Oscar Alemán was a regular member of Josephine Baker's orchestra on and off throughout the 1930s - on her tours he even was musical director of the 16 piece band, The Baker Boys. When not performing with Baker, Alemán had a 'second career' as a freelance musician (i.e. with the Jean, Jac & Jo vocal trio, also members of the Josephine Baker organisation) besides leading his own bands in Paris and taking part in gigs and recording sessions by others as well. Around 1935 Alemán had the guitar chair for some time in the orchestra led by the American entertainer and bandleader, Freddy Taylor.

Freddy Taylor was a black tap dancer, singer, trumpeter and entertainer, who had come to Paris with the Lucky Millinder orchestra during the band's 1933 tour of Europe. Taylor stayed in Paris and soon formed his own band, which he named Freddy Taylor & His Swing Men From Harlem. At the same time Taylor was running his own club at Montmartre and often left the band on its own while he worked as a soloist throughout the Continent. In Paris Taylor recorded as a vocalist with Django Reinhardt and the QHCF in 1936 - these sides belong to his most well known, scholars of the QHCF recorded legacy probably will mention "Nagasaki" and "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby" as core examples, both recorded 1936. However, Freddy Taylor also recorded with his own group, the Swing Men From Harlem, in March 1935.