Good news for nickelodeon, err, automatic piano buffs!  I recently was
privileged to preview a recut of new A-Roll hot off the Bob Billings
and John Motto-Ros presses.  And I do mean _hot!_  This heretofore
unknown blues roll -- Clark A-938, "Biff Bang Blues" by name -- contains
ten torrid tunes that anyone lamenting a shortage of really great
automatic music should really get their hands on!  The tunes are

 1. "There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears",
    by Fred Fisher, published in 1927.
 2. "I'm Feelin' Devilish", by Maceo Pinkard,
    published in 1928 by Handy Brothers Music Co.
 3. "Baltimore", by Danny Healy and Jimmy McHugh (1928)
 4. "T.B. Blues"
 5. "Keep Your Temper", a stride number by Willie 'The Lion' Smith
    (see below).
 6. "Bouncing Around", Piron and Lewis
 7. "Sunshine", Irving Berlin, 1928.
 8. "Singapore Sorrows", by Jack Le Soir and Ray Doll, 1927.
 9. "Close Fit Blues", by Clarence Williams, 1927
10. "Wild Cat Blues", by Fats Waller and Clarence Williams, 1923.

According to an MMD article by the late John Farrell, first published
in 2009, "Wild Cat Blues" also appears on Automatic Blues Roll A-1418
(entitled "Queen of the Blues") as tune #8.

According to Farrell, "Most authorities agree that this performance
of "Wild Cat Blues" (Waller's first published composition) is not
hand-played by Waller at all, but is the work of a roll arranger
employed by Automatic.  It is a seductive argument -- the piece on
the roll appears to have been transcribed quite literally from an early
Clarence Williams sheet music folio... which contains among others
Willie "The Lion" Smith's "Keep Your Temper" and the Piron/Lewis tune
"Bouncing Around".

As you'll note, "Bouncing Around" is on this roll too, and is
absolutely sensational.

I have to say that after listening to this, my favorite numbers are
"Baltimore" (from QRS 88-note roll 4131 as "played by Pete Wendling"),
"Keep Your Temper", "Bouncing Around", "Close Fit Blues" and "Wild
Cat Blues."  If Farrell's entry is correct, these are all the work
of the Clark in-house arrangers and not J. Lawrence Cook, who is
featured on tune # 1 and on # 7 (as Walter Redding).

I plan on keeping this roll on my piano for a long, long time.
Anyone interested in a copy should contact John Motto-Ros over at
"Johnny's Music Rolls", http://www.johnnysmusicrolls.com/ 
As I understand it, there aren't that many copies available, so
act fast!

Mark Forer