The Vocalstyle Music Co.
3rd Floor, 412 East 6th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio

Recorded : early June 1924

Jelly Roll Morton (p).

+ The above instrumental music rolls, MAMANITA BLUES (50478), KANSAS CITY STOMP (50486) and NEW ORLEANS BLUES (50508) are listed in an April 1926 Vocalstyle catalogue (page 81). They were presumably issued, but have yet to be discovered. [N]

¤  THE PEARLS (50488) remained undiscovered for 75 years until Karl Ellison found an original roll in 1999. It is listed in an April 1926 Vocalstyle catalogue (page 82). [N]

Additional titles, reported to have been recorded, were listed in The Music Trade Review, dated 14th June 1924 and The Music Trades, dated 21st June 1924. These include: Wolverine Blues — Alabama Nights — Chicago Breakdown and Any Ox. [MT]

Pianist and bandleader Edgar Hayes wrote to Mike Montgomery stating that he had made rolls for Vocalstyle and recalled that Morton came to Cincinnati and made rolls whilst there. [MJL 7]

Morton was in Richmond, Indiana, a distance of 65 miles from Cincinnati on 9th June 1924 to carry out a major piano solo recording session with the Gennett Recording Company.

In 1926 The Vocalstyle Music Co. was located at 1107-11 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, with agencies at 34 W. 15th Street, New York City, New York and 137 Turk Street, San Francisco, California.

The Vocalstyle Music Co. ceased production in January 1928, and the Q.R.S. Music Co. purchased the company the following month.

Capitol Roll & Record Company
721 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

Recorded : c. Nov. 1925

Jelly Roll Morton (p).

‡ The original catalog number is unknown, because the roll is missing the information. Musicologist and roll historian, Dr. Frank Himpsl has assigned the roll his own catalog number of A-999029 in order to keep track of its identity, when preparing reissues as noted below:

¤ In September 1999, Frank Himpsl issued the single 88-note transcription roll PF-20 on his “Phantom Fingers” label. [J]

+ In September 1999, Frank Himpsl issued the entire 10-tune A-roll PF-19 in the original 6 perforations per inch format. [J]

Max Kortlander, owner of the Imperial Industrial Company, purchased the assets of the Capitol Roll & Record Company in 1933.

Q.R.S. Music Co.
306 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

Recorded : c. Aug. 1926

Jelly Roll Morton (p).

+ DEAD MAN BLUES, Imperial Songrecord catalog No. 06515, was reissued from the original Q.R.S. 3674 in July 1927.

Many roll collectors have suggested that J. Lawrence Cook may have created, or at least had a hand in the editing of the Q.R.S. Morton rolls listed above. Since Cook was based in New York for all of his working life, he had no involvement with the Morton rolls, which were recorded and edited in the Chicago factory.

In a letter to Mike Meddings, dated 2nd April 1975, responding to a direct question on the above, Cook wrote: “I never met Jelly Roll Morton in person, but I can tell you that, so far as I know, he made only one roll recording for Q.R.S. In my judgement he was a sloppy, ear-playing pianist. However, I think he deserved all of the fame he gained. This being because he definitely invented a certain style of jazz playing. I know this well, for I have transcribed quite a number of his record and band recordings for musicians wanting to study his style.” [JLC]

The following detailed information regarding the Q.R.S. Music Co. comes from California music roll collector Ed Sprankle: Q.R.S. were located at: 306 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois., 518 W. 55th Street, New York City, New York and 153 Kearney Street, San Francisco, California. This is based on the 1920 (complete to 9/1/19) massive roll catalog. [G]

1918 correspondence shows the 412 Fine Arts Building, Chicago address as executive offices. A 1921 stock offering shows the executive offices address as 11th Floor Kimball Building, Chicago. The stock offering shows factories in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Branches and Factory agencies were in: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Buffalo, New York; London, England; and Melbourne & Sydney, Australia. [G]

In 1931 Max Kortlander purchased the Q.R.S. Music Co. for $25,000 and changed the name to the Imperial Industrial Company.

There was another Imperial Player Roll Co., owned by the Cable Piano Co., who were located in Chicago, and they produced some noteworthy music rolls by Roy Bargy and Charley Straight.

The Chicago Defender dated 27th November 1926 3674 — Dead Man Blues   3675 — Midnight Mamma RECORDING Q.R.S ARTISTS            JELLY ROLL MORTON            SID LANEY            J. LAWRENCE COOK                                 LEMUEL    CLARENCE WILLIAMS    JAMES P. JOHNSON    CLARENCE JOHNSON FOWLER  [M]

© 1999—2022 Monrovia Sound Studio