Yakov Skomorovsky & His Orchestra - Dinah (Дайна)

Trumpeter and bandleader Skomorovsky (1889-1955 in St. Petersburg) studied at the Conservatory of his hometown, and played in both symphony orchestras and brassbands. After the Revolution he worked at the Leningrad State Opera House (the former St. Michael's) as a horn soloist. Around 1929 he also briefly played in Leonid Utyosov’s Tea-Jazz ensemble. Probably in late 1929 he definitively quit his job at the Opera House, exclusively dedicating his career to jazz. In 1931, Skomorovsky debuted with his own orchestra at the Europe Hotel in Leningrad (presently St.-Petersburg). In 1932-33 he recorded more than forty works at the Muztrest Studios. The orchestra was then called "The Concert Jazz Ensemble" – probably as opposed to Utyosov’s Tea-Jazz. Interestingly, the band’s activity was mainly confined to performances at major restaurants and hotels in St. Petersburg and Moscow; specific stage concerts programs were rather rare. During this time the band’s sound changed somewhat, but dramatic changes have particularly occurred after the arrival of Elijah Jacques; the arranger who wrote all the scores for the orchestra from the mid 30’s on. In the late 30’s the orchestra performed with Claudius Shulzhenko, a popular artist of the day. After the war the orchestra no longer made records, but the musicians increasingly went on playing separately. Unfortuately, the first postwar decade saw Leningrad’s cultural life decline dramatically, and even Skomorovsky’s fame and merit could not save the orchestra’s for its final dissolution. As for this brilliant record, it was made in 1938.