Opening in 1922, the Clover Gardens was a ballroom/nightclub in New York whose house orchestra recorded for both Edison and Columbia in the mid 20's. The band, which had also been directed by Ambrose (!) and Les Stevens, was at this time under
the direction of W.C. Polla (also a composer, wrote "Drifting" and "The Melody That Made You Mine"). They shine on this brisk strut recorded on April 30 of 1925. The tune was written by Carson Robison, who also co-wrote "Barnacle Bill the Sailor"
and played some mean guitar (an example can be heard at Menlo Park Museum website, look for the title "Tough Picking"). I don't know who played in the
orchestra, but they had good soul for a white band. The disc from which the sample was taken had lots of rumble at the beginning, so the bass response fades in gradually to alleviate the problem. Hardly anything wrong with it besides that.
