London and Norwich

Some more photos from the UK visit.  A meeting of The City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society for a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Blue Amberol cylinder's introduction to the UK.  DJ MAC from WFMU's "Antique Phonograph Music Program" was traveling with me and made a recording of the presentation -- you can listen to it here.

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Shot some film making the trip out to Kingston upon Thames to the site of the grave of Nipper, the "His Master's Voice" dog.  Or rather, the place where the grave once was, before a bank was built there. In the lobby of the bank is the plaque: "At the rear of Lloyds Bank is the last known resting place of Nipper the famous HMV dog.  This commemorative plaque was unveiled by Mr D. F. Johnson, Chairman of HMV Shops Limited on the 15th August 1984."

Every bit as underwhelming as I anticipated. The plaque might as well say "Nipper is not here."

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A visit to Norwich to interview DJ78.  The shoot was terribly delayed by a guy in Ipswich who decided to climb onto the roof of the train station.  Ended up taking a little over ten hours to make the two hour journey from London to Norwich: waiting for hours at the station since the overhead lines that power the trains had been shut off, waiting in a long queue for a bus to drive all the passengers around the problem area, boarding a diesel train they brought in only to disembark before it even left the station when the police decided not to let any trains through, taking a bus to another train station where there was service, and then having to take two different trains to finally make it to Norwich.  Was such a welcoming sight for MAC and I to see DJ78 after so many hours of transportation limbo.

But despite these transportation woes, did get to film a lovely sequence punting on the river with portable gramophones.  What a splendid experience to be punting with the gramophone playing!  Indeed, listening to 78s on a boat seems to nicely illustrate one of the benefits of these acoustic and spring-driven devices free from the constraints of some form of power supply.

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A sad event just prior to the UK visit; the passing of DJ El Nino, who I'd been in touch with in order to interview and film at a wonderful London vintage event called The Black Cotton Club.  Did shoot some footage of The Black Cotton Club.  Did get to briefly meet DJ Lady Kamikaze, the co-host of The Black Cotton Club and widow of El Nino.  Throughout the trip got to experience how greatly El Nino is missed by the many people who knew him.  He had been one of the central facilitators in energizing the vintage scene with the events he helped create, and through his participation as a 78 record spinner.  He was far too young, but cancer is a cruel and unforgiving thing.

"That's all."

London!

The end of June marked the moving past half-way point in the shooting of "78rpm."  Took a visit up to Victrola Repair Service in Vermont.  Was very nice to see the place after years of sending motors up there to be worked on and springs to be replaced.  Some other enjoyable shoots included bellydancing and music on 78 record with Kaoru and MAC at Bizarre in Bushwick; an interview with Denny Daniel of the Museum of Interesting Things; roving with the camera amid the shelves of 78s at the Rogers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound; and a fun time creating a Georges Melies inspired sequence with Professor Adam Smasher!

A good feeling to be more than half done with the shooting on the film.  Several more shoots planned out for August and September in the New York area, but July is mostly devoted to doing interviews and gathering footage in the UK.

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A fascinating vintage culture scene here in London and elsewhere in the UK.  On Sunday was doing some shooting of the Shellac Sisters at the Henley Festival, spinning 78s on portable gramophones.

Picked up some records at the flea market, and also at the Tony Tunes record shop.  Was looking for examples of the "local flavor" of the place -- English music hall examples and such (found a few nice ones) -- but also interesting to see how much the American cultural influence spread itself to the rest of the world: with stacks and stacks of Bing Crosby and the like.  Passed on those.  But did pick up a little Mickey Katz, and British pressings of the California Ramblers, and Louis Armstrong, just because I couldn't resist.

Visited The City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society, where a presentation on the Blue Amberol cylinder took place.

Coming up, shooting some film at The Black Cotton Club and a visit to DJ78 in Norwich.  You can read this very nice interview with him here.

"That's all."

At the Edison Museum

Shooting film with DJ MAC at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park.  We shot a little footage of MAC using a demonstration copy of the tin foil phonograph, and I'm excited to see what comes of the double exposure shot walking through the Music Room as a transparent ghostly figure.

Rumor has it, due to his deafness there's a Diamond Disc phonograph with Edison's bite marks on the edge of the wooden cabinet.  He could listen better using the transmission of vibrations through his teeth.  If there is such a phonograph that exists, with the Edison teeth marks, it doesn't seem to be there at the Edison Museum.  But the story seems too particular to have just been invented, so maybe this machine does exist somewhere?

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Returned to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park on June 1st for Edison Day and the Wax Cylinder recording sessions with Sound Recording Curator Jerry Fabris and performances by many wonderful musicians: John Ehlis Ensemble, Sherita, Garden State Saxophone Quartet, Scott Robinson and Julian Thayer, Oliver and Gene Lake.

An interesting process to witness -- with no meters or mixing board an elaborate set of steps took place: positioning the instruments different distances from the horn based on loudness (string instruments close to the horn, brass instruments further back), recording a short test, listening back to see how it sounded, and then repositioning the performers closer or further from the horn to adjust the mix.

While the recording was being cut (literally being cut into the cylinder) Jerry used a small blower to blow away the loose shavings to prevent them from interfering with the blade mounted to the recording diaphragm.  The maximum time on a blank cylinder was two-and-a-half minutes, and in some cases (when the piece was more improvisatory) the musicians would have to keep and eye out for a hand signal to let them know when it was getting close to the end.

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Five or six more shoots scheduled in June, which should put me over the hump towards being halfway done with shooting by the beginning of July!

"That's all."

The Johnson Victrola Museum & Emile Berliner

A visit to The Johnson Victrola Museum in Dover, Delaware, named for Elridge Johnson who collaborated with Emile Berliner to add a spring motor to the gramophone, and founded the Victor Talking Machine Company.

Some very nice displays of early sound technology.  But also a very impressive collection of Nippers, the famous canine from the trademark of the Victor Talking Machine Company.  Filmed a short montage of some very nice examples of Nipperania.  Although the Nipper here in this picture that's modeled after a taxidermy head mounted on a wooden plaque seemed a little disconcerting to me.

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Interviewed the director of the museum and one of the resident experts.  And then an interview with Oliver Berliner, the grandson of Emile Berliner, inventor of the gramophone.  Some footage of the "Grammy" posthumously awarded to the gramophone's inventor.  Interesting that the "Grammy" is named for the gramophone and not the phonograph, but then again, would someone really want to win something called the "Phony" award?

More info on Emile Berliner here at the Library of Congress:
Emile Berliner and the Birth of the Recording Industry

"That's all."

At The Enrico Caruso Museum of America

Filming here in Brooklyn at The Enrico Caruso Museum of America. A wonderful micro-museum dedicated to the opera singer and recording star of the era of acoustically produced audio.

The museum displays a wealth of Caruso-related items, and quite a few phonographs, gramophones, music boxes, and an elaborate 1920s 78rpm jukebox, all in working order. Of course there are many Caruso recordings; and so visitors to the museum get to have the experience of hearing the records played on the technology for which these were made, and experience the sound of Caruso as he was heard back in his own time.

Interviewed the museum's founder and curator, Aldo Mancusi.  Among the interesting stories was how when Caruso was making records in Camden at the Victor Talking Machine Company's recording studio, he would sing into horn protruding from a curtain; behind the curtain was the recording apparatus, concealed from view, to keep the company's technological trade secrets from being revealed.

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Five film shoots taking place for the project over the next three weeks, so more updates in the near future.

But for now (in the words of jazz-age singer, Annette Hanshaw) "That's all."

Dances of Vice

Shot some film at the Dance of Vice Secret Garden Spring Costume Ball, twirling around the dancers with the Bolex.  A very charming event.  A gathering of splendid people full of celebratory and exuberant spirit, with outfits to match.  Something quite uplifting about feeling the energy of a group of people who are all happy to see one another and welcoming to every new person dressed in fanciful, vintage clothes.  A few people asked if the 16mm camera was a real, working camera, or if it was just some vintage camera prop for the occasion (although, if I'd really wanted to bring a vintage camera as a prop, I think my old Bell & Howell D70 would have had a more appropriate look to it).

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A visit to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park the other day, in anticipation of shooting some film there for the project.  A place full of wondrous things to see.  Here's just a small sampling...

"That's all."

Mechanical Music Extravaganza

Some shooting for "78rpm" this past weekend at the Mechanical Music Extravaganza in Wayne NJ.  An impressive array of phonographs, gramophones, cylinders, vintage radios, records, horns, needle tins, and everything else.

More than a few people were interested in the 16mm camera I was using. "Can you still get the film for it?" was a common question.  And an interesting question, in the context of being surrounded by 100 year old audio recordings and 100 year old players; all still producing music today in the same way it was 100 years ago.

Got to meet some experts and enthusiasts in early phonographic equipment and recorded music.  And when I was done shooting it was time to buy some 78s -- 1920s hot jazz and a smattering of opera.  The 78 collector in me just couldn't resist!

"That's all."