Paul Woodpecker

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Paul Levi Specht (born March 24, 1895 in Sinking Spring in Berks County , Pennsylvania , † April 11, 1954 in New York City ) was an American band leader and violinist. He had a popular dance band in the 1920s.

The formation of Paul Specht in the recording studio in the early 1920s, with Chauncey Morehouse (seated, holding a cymbal), Frank Guarente (right next to Morehouse), Arthur "The Baron" Schutt (in the middle of the back row, with saxophone), Specht ( rightmost)

Live and act

Specht was the son of the violinist and band leader "Professor" Charles G. Specht; Paul Specht received his first lessons (he should learn cornet ) and appeared in his band very early as a child. He studied at the Coombs Conservatory in Philadelphia ( piano , violin , counterpoint ), then played in Reading (Pennsylvania) and then founded his own dance band, the American Collegians , in 1916 . He toured with them during the First World War in the American West and played successfully for a long time at the Hotel Alamac in Atlantic City . In 1922 they were in Detroit and shortly afterwards he made his debut inNew York City . The band was also successful here, played in the ballroom of the Hotel Astor and received a recording contract with Columbia Records . As a result, he recorded frequently for Columbia, which contributed to his popularity. In 1922 he also became a booking agent for other orchestras.

In 1922 Specht sent two orchestras ( Frisco Syncopators, Criterion Orchestra ) on tour to London. In 1923 he followed to London with his own orchestra. He let his bands play there until 1926 (although he kept coming back to New York to take care of his agency and bands there), but then left the UK because of problems with the unions. When he wanted to play in England in 1924, he was initially refused and only after diplomatic pressure he could leave the ship. One of the main reasons for the difficulties he got was the aggressive business practices of Specht, who negotiated with the Cunard Line to play on all of their ships and threatened to displace English bands from the continent. He is also said to have founded a school for jazz in London (at least that is what he announced in the press) to give English orchestras some tutoring in this field, but his request does not seem to have met with great acceptance. When he returned in 1924 on the Berengaria to New York with the Prince of Wales on board, he ran into problems - when he announced that he would play with his orchestra (according to his own statements, at the special request of the Prince of Wales), the on-board orchestra threatened to play with him Seaman's union on strike.

Specht formed two more from his band, The Georgians (led by trumpeter Frank Guarente ) for hot music (jazz), the other The Romancers for waltz.

In a review of a new edition of his dance music from 1925 to 1931 ( Retro Specht , Vintage Music Productions, 2003), Scott Yanow preferred the later recordings from 1929 on, as they had more swing and hot solos. His band members included clarinetist Hank D'Amico , pianist Arthur Schutt , Russ Morgan , trumpeter Sylvester Ahola , bassist Joe Tarto , Charlie Spivak , Art Christmas , Chauncey Morehouse , Charlie Butterfield, Johnny Morris , Al Philburn, Artie Shaw , Roy Smeck and Lou Calabrese (Lou Breese).

In the late 1920s he (with Paul Whiteman and Vincent Lopez ) was one of the three leading dance band leaders in New York and the United States. In 1929, he beat Whiteman when he put the band at President Herbert Hoover's ball on his inauguration. His band was the first to be broadcast on the radio on RCA , the first to be heard over a nationwide network of over 100 stations, and the first in a talkie (DeForrest Phonofilms).

In 1932 he played with the female vocal trio Three X Sisters for the American Broadcasting Company on the radio.

Specht led orchestras until the 1940s, but then fell ill with arthritis , which forced him to retire as an active musician. Most recently he arranged for radio and television and lived in Greenwich Village . He is buried in Sinking Spring. The notes of his band's signature song are carved on his tombstone.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Specht played on board for a US consul and turned to him for help
  2. ^ Paul Specht 's Institute of Rhythmic Symphonic Syncopation, with three American musicians from the Lido Venice Dance Orchestra
personal data
SURNAME Woodpecker, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Woodpecker, Paul Levi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American band leader
DATE OF BIRTH March 24, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Sinking Spring , Berks County
DATE OF DEATH April 11, 1954
Place of death New York City