Mr. Wilson had an interesting posting in yesterday's MMD about jazz
and swing in Nazi Germany (990825 MMDigest).  I can remember Dutch jazz
musicians (under more the famous "Ramblers" orchestra") recording jazz
and swing music with fancy Dutch names on the record label, such as
"ramp in de Zoutmanstraat" (the latter is a street in The Hague) for
"South Rampart Street Parade".  A German orchestra recorded the Tiger
Rag as "Schwarzer Panther".

Mr. Wilson further wrote about a band with Dutch musicians playing
syncopated Nazi propaganda songs.  I seem to know some of these, under
which songs on "Mr. Echo" and "You're Driving Me Crazy", the latter
with strong anti-Semitic lyrics.  This could be the same orchestra to
which Mr. Wilson is referring, and I am quite curious to know if he can
tell me more about this mixed German-Dutch orchestra!

Quickly getting back on topic, I know that the Weber firm of orches-
trion builders in Waldkirch delivered some of the finest swinging and
syncopated dance music in the twenties.  All of this music was arranged
by Gustav Bruder, a man who had never heard a jazz-band playing, and who
never had any recordings at home!

Ludwig Hupfeld had syncopated music for his orchestrions in the
twenties, but I don't know if this music was available for the piano's.

Very little is known about the other side: Nazi music arranged for
mechanical musical instruments.  I know of one small catalog by Hupfeld
with Nazi party marches, but there must have been lots more.  Small
problem: our present German friends understandably are still very
reluctant to talk about this subject.  It would certainly be of
historic interest.

Greetings from Holland,

Hans van Oost

 [ German forces occupied the Netherlands for most of World War Two;
 [ I believe that the Nazis moved their propaganda phono recording
 [ activity to occupied Holland later in the war, because Allied raids
 [ had destroyed the record production firms in Berlin (along with
 [ a lot of other factories).  I don't know how the recording industry
 [ in Munich fared.  -- Robbie