Early German Jazz: Eric Borchard on Polyphon (1921)

Eric Concerto’s Yankee Jazz-Band: Everybody Shimmies Now (Shimmy Fox-Trot von Ive Gold). Polyphon 30532, recorded in Berlin, January 1921. This belongs to clarinettist and saxophone player Eric Borchard’s earliest recordings. On his first Polyphons from October 1920 - January 1921 the pseudonym “Eric Concerto“ was used, but later, in 1924 - 25, his real name always appeared on the Gramophone and Polydor labels. In the early days of European Jazz, Borchard was one of the most important German jazz pioneers. Shortly after WWI he spent some time in the USA, where he met several Jazz musicians who taught him to understand and play jazz on clarinet and sax. In his early records the Louisiana Five influence is obvious, but in 1924 / 1925 his style changed more towards the OM5 / Georgians line. For a short period in 1924 he was able to hire such fine jazz men like Emile Christian or Wilbur Curtz. His band was then known as “Eric Borchard’s Atlantic Jazz Band“). As good as Bor