Abe Lyman & His Ambassadors for California

Abe Lyman

Source: Planet Barberella

Born Abraham Simon in Chicago on 4 August 1897, Abe Lyman's first professional engagement is thought to have been at age fourteen playing drums in a Chicago cafe. His first major gig was at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1922 with his own eleven-piece orchestra, drawing 2000 heads his opening night. The Ambassador was a giant venue frequented by Hollywood stars that had opened on January 1, 1921. Taking up 24 acres along Wilshire Avenue in Los Angeles, it opened its main ballroom, the Cocoanut Grove which seated 1000, on 21 April 1921. The Cocoanut Grove would host numerous orchestras besides Lyman's including Gus Arnheim's, Henry Halstead's, Art Hickman's, Guy Lombardo's, et al. The Rhythm Boys would famously perform there consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker. The Ambassador sailed blue skies as a hotspot for major stars from Carmen Cavallaro (pianist) to the Supremes (R&B) for several decades until finally demising to its close in 1989. Casting a general pall over business was the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy on 5 June 1968 at the Ambassador. Its raven call to whole absence arrived upon its demolishing begun in 2005, what is now Koreatown filling its vacancy.

Ambassador Hotel

Lyman also first recorded with his Ambassador Hotel Orchestra perhaps the summer of 1922 in Santa Monica, CA, those tracks issued on Nordskog 3019: 'Those Longing for You Blues' and 'Are You Playing Fair?' [Lord]. Lyman next began recording for Brunswick in 1923 with 'Honey Babe' on #2563. As a hotel operation Lyman's music comes under the umbrella of popular dance. But he also loved jazz, and was one of the least conservative about it on the West Coast. Between East Coast and West Coast, avant-garde jazz made its center in New York City while on the West Coast it was more domesticated to better fit the dance venue. I've not identified Lyman's role beyond band leader in titles below, but he was usually the drummer. Where data differs from other sources in recording locations I usually don't investigate and simply go largely by DAHR (ADP) which may or may not be correct. DAHR has Lyman in Chicago a lot, but he operated out of California unless on tour.

Composition: Al Rayner / Harry Wiley

Composition: Ray Henderson / Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva

Composition: Ray Henderson / Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva

Composition: Ray Henderson / Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva

Composition: Lindsay McPhail / Walter Michels

Composition: Bud Green / Sam Stept

In 1929 the Lyman Orchestra toured London and Paris, then began to appear in a steady stream of films in 1930. Lyman's band performs some very early country western swing during the barn dance of 'Pardon My Gun' of 1930. Though essentially jazz erupting from out of a country western theme, it precedes Bob Wills finally pushing his way into a performance of country swing at the Grand Ole Oprey by fourteen years. Though there was more country in Wills than in the caricatures in the barn dance, the Grand Ole Oprey was a highly conservative pure country operation only at the time of this film. Between Hollywood and Nashville there was some distance. Trumpet, trombone and Lyman at drums could have in no way appeared on a Grand Ole Oprey stage or radio show at that or any time because jazz wasn't country no matter how you dressed it.

Composition: Arthur Johnston / Sam Coslow

Composition: Joe Burke / Al Dubin

Composition: Milton Drake / Harry Stride

By the time Lyman joined the Merchant Marine in 1943 his career was waning. He made his last recordings with his orchestra in 1945, 'Rum and Coca Cola' a calypso track featuring his wife, Rose Blane. Lyman never did top the charts, though he had placed thirteen titles in the Top Ten since 'Midnight Rose' at #5 in 1923. 'Rum and Coca Cola' was his fourteenth and last highly popular issue at #4. Lyman had earlier featured Blane on several highly popular titles in the forties, but this bought the cow.

Lyman and Blane took their whole cow home upon his retirement from the music business at age 50 (1947) to work in restaurant management, dying in Beverly Hills ten years later on 23 October 1957.