The year listed on each playback machine corresponds to the years of manufacture.
MINSTER PHONOGRAPH, 1930s. Song from this era: Bunny Berigan, “A Little Bit Later On”
VICTOR VICTROLA VV-XI, Made by Victor Talking Machine Company, 1912-1928. Song from this era: Louis Armstrong, “Potato Head Blues”
GENERAL ELECTRIC TUBE RADIO, 1920-1930. Manufactured by RCA who was owned by GE at the time. The radio has no internal antenna. You must connect an external wire to the antenna terminal on the back of the chassis. Song from this era: Bunny Berigan, “A Little Bit Later On”
VOX ELECTRIC COMBO ORGAN, 1960s – The Jaguar Vox was built in Italy and is like its larger model, the Continental, made in England. The Vox was used by the Beatles; The Doors; and in the “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals. This is just thrown in for variety since it has nothing to do with jazz and the museum’s owner’s wife hopes no one will tell Mr. Collins. She also likes Elvis Presley but could find no link to Elvis and the Vox. Shhh, it’s our secret. ☺
DUKE ELLINGTON’S WURLITZER TRAVELING PIANO. During the 1960s and early 70s, this portable Wurlitzer electric piano was used by the Duke in his hotel rooms to compose and arrange as he toured from city to city. Ellington would work through the night and then slide his sketches under his composer/arranger’s, Ron Collier, door early in the morning for development. In 1971, he gifted the piano to Collier. This piano has remained unused since 1971. Song from this era: The Ron Collier Orchestra With Duke Ellington – Aurora Borealis (1968)
VICTOR V PHONOGRAPH, Made by the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, NJ, 1906 – early 1920s. Song from this era: Nick LaRocca, “Original Dixieland One-Step”
AIRLINE DULUXE AM/FM RADIO, 1960s Song from this era: Herb Alpert, “Zorba the Greek“
VICTOR VICTROLA ELECTRIC CREDENZA, Four-Door, Orthophonic Phonograph, 1925- 1927. The Credenza was the flagship phonograph of the “revolution” of Orthophonic sound. Has the largest horn ever made in a retail phonograph. In September 1906, Johnson and his engineers designed a new line of phonographs with the turntable and amplifying horn tucked away inside a wooden cabinet. This was not done for reasons of audio fidelity, but for visual aesthetics. The intention was to produce a phonograph that looked less like a piece of machinery and more like a piece of furniture. These internal horn machines, trademarked with the name Victrola, were first marketed to the public in August of that year and were an immediate hit. Victrolas became by far the most popular brand of home phonograph, and sold in great numbers until the end of the 1920s. RCA Victor continued to market phonographs with the “Victrola” name until the early 1970s. Song from this era: Bix Beiderbecke, “At the Jazz Ball”
WESTINGHOUSE TABLETOP RADIO, 1950s. Song from this era: Miles Davis: “Surrey With The Fringe On Top”
MASON AND HAMLIN VICTORIAN PUMP ORGAN. The reed organ is ideal to express dynamics by the pumping/pedaling action of the feet. The faster a player pumps, the louder the reed organ gets, and vice versa. Mason and Hamlin Organ received “First Rank” at the U. S. Centennial World’s Exhibition in Philadelphia, 1876. Song of this era: Pre-Jazz, “Longing For You”. Performed by Naomi Barfield.
REGINA MUSIC BOX, The Regina Music Box Company was established in Rahway, NJ, circa. 1892. Older technology, the cylinder music box, flourished until the late 1880s when the new interchangeable disc music box was invented. However, most of the disc and cylinder music box makers went out of business by 1910. Regina was not successful in their competition with phonograph makers Edison, Victor, Columbia, Pathe, Zonophone and many other makers of modern music machines. Music from this era: Pre-Jazz, The Stars and Stripes Forever 1896.
EDISON STANDARD PHOTOGRAPH, MODEL “C”, 1908. The phonograph was developed as a result of Thomas Edison’s work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone. Model “C” phonographs played two minute cylinders. Manufacturer’s plate reads: “Manufactured under the patents of Thomas Edison – Orange, NJ” Song from this era: Pre-Jazz, Herbert L. Clarke, “Bride of the Waves”
TOMMY DORSEY’s OLDS TROMBONE – Tommy Dorsey’s widow gifted this trombone to Russ Robinson, President of the International Songwriters Guild, and a longtime friend of Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra. Tommy Dorsey, “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.”
FERN-O-GRAND – “BABY GRAND PHONOGRAPH.” 1901-1920. Song from this era: Bix Beiderbecke, “At the Jazz Ball”, 1927
RECORDIO BY WILCOX-GAY, 1940s. The record cutters played an important role in American history, allowing average Americans their first opportunity to record in the privacy of their homes. The machines were portable and could be taken into such places as public schools. It was possible to record songs and radio shows directly off the radio. Song from this era: Harry James, “James Session”
WEBCOR PORTABLE REEL-TO-REEL TAPE DECK, 1950. Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a reel, rather than being securely contained within a cassette. Song from this era: Dizzy Gillespie, “Groovin’ High”
WESTINGHOUSE TABLE TOP AM RADIO, 1950s. 6 AM Circuits, 455 kHz Song from this era: Clifford Brown, “Cherokee”
EMERSON – BIG-BIG PORTABLE PHONOGRAPH, 1950. PLAYED 45s, 33s & 78s. Song from this era: Al Hirt with the Horace Heidt Orchestra, early 1950s
TEAC REEL-TO-REEL TAPE RECORDER, 1960s. Song from this era: Maynard Ferguson “Maria”
RADIO SHACK REALISTIC AM/FM RECEIVER, 1960s. Song from this era: Freddie Hubbard, “Without A Song”
MAGNAVOX DUAL SPEAKER TABLETOP AM/FM RADIO, with Phono/Tape Connections, Early 1970s. Song from this era: Doc Severinsen, “Doc’s Holiday”
NAKAMICHI 2-HEAD CASSETTE DECK, 1970. Record and Playback Song from this era: Bill Chase, “Bochawa”
OLYMPIC 4-CHANNELL 8 TRACK/AM/FM PLAYER, 1970. Song from this era: Clark Terry “Caravan“
“BOOM BOX”, 1980s. Song from this era: Woody Shaw, “Misteriosa”
SONY Walkman, Late 1990s. Song from this era: Bobby Shew, “Girl From Ipanema
”Mp3, Apple iPod, 21st Century Song from this era: Chuck Findley, “The Song is You”