The Charleston Chasers

The Charleston Chasers was a name used between 1925 and 1931 for a series of recording groups that did not exist outside of the studios. The 1925 edition (which recorded two numbers) matched cornetist Leo McConville with trombonist <a href="spotify:artist:1WZqArTg7JOsXScvGF78cw">Miff Mole</a> and pianist Arthur Schutt. By their second session two years later, the Charleston Chasers was a group similar to <a href="spotify:artist:2fuD20CaUMbw1hVFii8BQC">Red Nichols' Five Pennies</a> with <a href="spotify:artist:0lKHVrznMIh4noTdNQJ1qw">Nichols</a> on cornet, trombonist <a href="spotify:artist:1WZqArTg7JOsXScvGF78cw">Mole</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3xPpQCRiTBxgmL4PD8J5ek">Jimmy Dorsey</a> on clarinet and alto (he was later replaced by clarinetist <a href="spotify:artist:61EY7PIU7wT3t3766ZTvqB">Pee Wee Russell</a>), and usually pianist Schutt, <a href="spotify:artist:56yeY09668gasaayysXiS5">Dick McDonough</a> on banjo or guitar, Joe Tarto on tuba, and the inventive drummer Vic Berton. Other than two songs by a similar band (plus singer Scrappy Lambert) in 1928, the Charleston Chasers were inactive until mid-1929, when trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:3m3V2wqHYlRDHDNGFbIXb5">Phil Napoleon</a> became their lead voice. At first using <a href="spotify:artist:1WZqArTg7JOsXScvGF78cw">Mole</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3xPpQCRiTBxgmL4PD8J5ek">Dorsey</a>, and Schutt, the group at various times included clarinetist <a href="spotify:artist:1pBuKaLHJlIlqYxQQaflve">Benny Goodman</a> and trombonist <a href="spotify:artist:4WoGga7UeRcmjD4ufif4nG">Tommy Dorsey</a>, along with Roy Evans and <a href="spotify:artist:4tcdCfYOTLmHkjzfIIHocL">Eva Taylor</a> on vocals. Probably the best-known session under the Charleston Chasers name was the final one, four songs cut on February 9, 1931, by an 11-piece group that included trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:1UywRc6V81aJyLODz6ZzlB">Charlie Teagarden</a>, both <a href="spotify:artist:3okiREk3dV4F8BmK7cpEJf">Jack Teagarden</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2aAHdB5HweT3mFcRzm0swc">Glenn Miller</a> on trombones, <a href="spotify:artist:1pBuKaLHJlIlqYxQQaflve">Benny Goodman</a>, and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:2YODXXiVE8ABc0TfihLOFj">Gene Krupa</a>. While two songs had pop vocals by Paul Small, the renditions of "Basin Street Blues" and "Beale Street Blues" (featuring famous <a href="spotify:artist:3okiREk3dV4F8BmK7cpEJf">Jack Teagarden</a> vocals) were arguably the high point of the group's existence and alone would have guaranteed the band's immortality. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi