HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Doc Cook

Birth of Jazz: Doc Cook

Doc Cook

Source: Red Hot Jazz (defunct)

 

Born Charles L. Cooke on 3 September 1891 to less than favorable circumstances in Louisville, Kentucky, arranger and band leader, Doc Cook may have had a factory worker for a father who was making fishing reels when Charles was nine. He had shifted to the tobacco industry by the time Charles was nineteen and himself working as a janitor at the same place. His mother had died by that time of causes unknown, nor when. Cook had otherwise taken up piano and had formed a band as a teenager at about age fifteen. He published his first composition, 'Maybe I'll Be Back', in Chicago in 1910, the same year he moved to Detroit with his father. In 1912 he published 'Heroes of the Balkans' followed by 'Snappin' Turtle' in 1913 and 'Blame It on the Blues' in 1914.

Cook worked in Detroit with the bands of Fred Claire and Benjamin Shook before moving to Chicago perhaps in 1917. In 1922 he became leader of the resident band at the Dreamland Ballroom, also a roller skating rink, for the next five years. This was located at the intersection of Paulina and Van Buren streets. Though Cook's was a popular ragtime dance band rather than a jazz operation Freddie Keppard and Jimmie Noone would pass through his orchestra. Bill Edwards has Cook in session in Richmond, IN, on January 21, 1924, with Keppard in his band for several titles beginning with 'Scissor Grinder Joe' on Gennett matrix G11727. Released from that session were 'So This Is Venice' / 'The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else' (Gennett 5360), 'Lonely Little Wallflower' / 'Moanful Man (Gennett 5373) and 'Scissor Grinder Joe' / 'Memphis Maybe Man' (Gennett 5374). Cook began recording with his Gingersnaps in 1926, a sextet culled from his Dreamland Orchestra with which he began to flirt with jazz. Although he performed at piano or organ at the Dreamland he only conducted or directed recordings. Personnel rosters below are estimates from various sources. No warranties of entire accuracy are sold. See also Jazz On Line and Scott Alexander's Red Hot Jazz which includes greater band personnel.

 

'Lonely Little Wallflower'   Doc Cook & His Dreamland Orchestra  

Recorded 1 Jan 1924   Matrix G11728 toward Gennett 5373

Cornet: Freddie Keppard / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Fred Garland

Reeds (clarinet or sax): Jimmie Noone / Clifford King / Joe Poston / Jerome Pasquall

Violin: Jimmy Bell   Piano: Tony Spauding   Banjo: Stan Wilson

Bass brass: Bill Newtol   Drums: Bert Greene

Composition: Kahn / Simmons

 

'Memphis Maybe Man'   Doc Cook & His Dreamland Orchestra  

Recorded 1 Jan 1924   Matrix G11731 toward Gennett 5374

Cornet: Freddie Keppard / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Fred Garland

Reeds (clarinet or sax): Jimmie Noone / Clifford King / Joe Poston / Jerome Pasquall

Violin: Jimmy Bell   Piano: Tony Spauding   Banjo: Stan Wilson

Bass brass: Bill Newtol   Drums: Bert Greene

Composition: Doc Cook

 

'The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else'   Doc Cook & His Dreamland Orchestra  

Recorded 1 Jan 1924   Matrix G11732 toward Gennett 5360

Cornet: Freddie Keppard / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Fred Garland

Reeds (clarinet or sax): Jimmie Noone / Clifford King / Joe Poston / Jerome Pasquall

Violin: Jimmy Bell   Piano: Tony Spauding   Banjo: Stan Wilson

Bass brass: Bill Newtol   Drums: Bert Greene

Music: Isham Jones 1924   Lyrics: Gus Kahn

 

'Brown Sugar'   Doc Cook & His Dreamland Orchestra  

Recorded 10 July 1926   Columbia matrix W142415   Columbia 813-D

Cornet: Freddie Keppard / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Fred Garland

Reeds (clarinet or sax): Jimmie Noone / Clifford King / Joe Poston / Jerome Pasquall

Piano: Kenneth Anderson   Banjo: Robert Shelly / Johnny St. Cyr

Tuba: Sudie Reynaud   Drums: Andrew Hilaire or Bert Greene

Composition: Harry Barris

 

'High Fever'   Doc Cook & His Dreamland Orchestra  

Recorded 10 July 1926   Columbia matrix W142416   Columbia 813-D

Cornet: Freddie Keppard / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Fred Garland

Reeds (clarinet or sax): Jimmie Noone / Clifford King / Joe Poston / Jerome Pasquall

Piano: Kenneth Anderson   Banjo: Robert Shelly / Johnny St. Cyr

Tuba: Sudie Reynaud   Drums: Andrew Hilaire or Bert Greene

Composition: Joe Sanders

 

'Messin' Around'   Doc Cook & His Ginger Snaps  

Recorded 22 July 1926   Okeh 8390-A

Cornet: Freddie Keppard   Trombone: William Dawson

Clarinet: Jimmie Noone   Alto sax / tenor sax: Joe Poston

Piano: Kenneth Anderson   Banjo: Johnny St. Cyr

Composition: Doc Cooke / Johnny St. Cyr

 

Cook earned his doctorate in music from the Chicago Musical College in 1926. He then formed his 14 Doctors of Syncopation with which he performed at the Casino Dance Hall at the White City Amusement Park located at 63rd and South Parkway in Chicago. Cook recorded with his Doctors of Syncopation from 1927 into 1928. Not long later all the instruments of his band members were stolen while performing at a dance marathon at the Chicago Coliseum. This shut down not only the marathon, but ended Cook's career in Chicago.

 

'Willie the Weeper'   Doc Cook & His 14 Doctors of Syncopation  

Recorded 11 July 1927   Columbia 1070-D

Cornet: George Mitchell / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Fayette Williams / Bill Dawson

Reeds (clarinet or sax): Jimmie Noone / Joe Poston / William Butler / Clarence Owens

Violin: William Butler   Piano: Jerome Carrington   Banjo: Johnny St. Cyr

Tuba: Bill Newton   Drums / vocal: Andrew Hilaire

Composition: Grant Rymal / Walter Melrose / Marty Bloom

 

'Hum and Strum'   Doc Cook & His 14 Doctors of Syncopation  

Recorded 30 March 1928   Columbia matrix W145859   Columbia 1430-D

Cornet: George Mitchell / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Bill Dawson

Reeds (clarinet or sax): William Butler / Joe Poston

Piano: Sterling Todd   Banjo: Johnny St. Cyr

Bass brass: Bill Newton   Drums: Andrew Hilaire

Vocals: Elwood Graham / Bill Dawson / Joe Poston

Composition: Billy Meyers / Elmer Schoebel

 

'I Got Worry'   Doc Cook & His 14 Doctors of Syncopation  

Recorded 30 March 1928   Columbia matrix W145861   Columbia 1430-D

Cornet: George Mitchell / Elwood Graham   Trombone: Bill Dawson

Reeds (clarinet or sax): William Butler / Joe Poston

Piano: Sterling Todd   Banjo: Johnny St. Cyr

Bass brass: Bill Newton   Drums / vocal: Andrew Hilaire

Composition: Peter De Rose / Jo Trent

 

Cook left Chicago for New York City in 1930 to work as an arranger for Radio City Music Hall and RKO. Working in radio for more than a decade, he also orchestrated numerous Broadway musicals. Edwards has him directing 'Brown Buddies' as early as 1930. Later productions included 'Hot Mikado' in 1939 along the way to his final Broadway project in 1954, 'The Boy Friend'.

Cook co-authored 'We Are Americans Too' in 1941 with Eubie Blake and Andy Razaf, the latter among the more popular lyricists of the period behind several jazz standards, particularly of music by Fats Waller like 'Ain't Misbehavin'. Less famous than his lyrics are Razaf's vocal recordings including 'We Are Americans Too'. As for Cooke, he continued arranging for Broadway musicals through the forties and into the fifties until a stroke in 1954 contributed to end of his career after 'The Boy Friend'. He died of a second stroke at his home in Wurtsboro, New York, on Christmas day in 1958.

 

Sources & References for Eddie Lang:

Bill Edwards (Rag Piano)

Encyclopedia

VF History (notes)

Wikipedia

Cook on Broadway: Bill Edwards

Compositions: Bill Edwards

Recordings: Catalogs: Discogs   RYM

Recordings: Compilations:

Doc Cook Featuring Freddy Keppard 1923 - 1928 (Philips 13652 / 1962)

Recordings: Sessions:

Scott Alexander (Doc Cook)

Scott Alexander (14 Doctors of Syncopation / personnel / 1927-28)

Scott Alexander (Cookie's Gingersnaps / personnel / 1926)

Scott Alexander (Dreamland Orchestra / personnel / 1924/26)

DAHR (Doc Cook)

DAHR (14 Doctors of Syncopation / 1927-28)

DAHR (Cookie's Gingersnaps / 1926)

Bill Edwards (Doc Cook)

Jazz On Line (Doc Cook / personnel)

Further Reading:

Andy Razaf (lyricist / 1895-1973):

Black Past   Jazz Standards   DAHR

Riverwalk Jazz   Wikipedia   Ron Wynn

Authority Search: VIAF   World Cat

 

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