Celluloid Improvisations logo Jazz on Film Mark Cantor
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The Count Basie orchestra appears in only two SOUNDIES, which is unusual since four film shorts was standard practice for this period. Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Lucky Millinder and others all appeared in four-SOUNDIE sessions. Perhaps the band was too expensive to appear in two additional films; the band’s popularity was certainly not an issue, nor was the cost of clearing the two songs, $75, versus a 5 cent per print royalty, pretty much the same for all songs used in SOUNDIES.

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