"Oriental Moonlight"

by the Imperial Dance Orchestra

Harry Reser's band is probably the one playing on this Domino side, recorded in 1927, as they recorded other sides under that pseudonym that were released on Domino and Regal. The tune had been written by Bernie Seaman and Marvin Smoley (they would team up with Rube Bloom to write "Jumping Jack" the following year), and was perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the times. Irving Kaufman, who pops up in the darndest places, hands in a journeyman vocal performance on this side as well. Early electric recording equipment lent some stridency to this waxing, but some careful EQ helped to smooth that out. The record itself was in good condition so noise reduction was used sparingly.