"Honey Babe"

by Lyman's California Ambassador Hotel Orchestra

One of the first bands on the West Coast of the U.S. to make records, Abe Lyman's orchestra at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles was one of the better white bands of the era. Brunswick took their recording equipment out to Los Angeles in the summer of 1923, and this was one of the first sides that Lyman's orchestra waxed for them on July 23 of that year. It's a nice one. The tune was co-written by Ray Lopez, who played in the trumpet section at that time, along with Lyman. Echoes of the "Wang Wang Blues" can be heard in the later part of the song, which doesn't seem out of place at all. This copy got some fairly heavy play in its time, but not so bad that it couldn't be cleaned up with some sensible noise reduction. (a CD of some more of Lyman's work for Brunswick is available through Timeless Records.)
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