•Lesson 7 
•Reser - Doctor Of Music 
•Melody Syncopation 
•Peter Pick 
•Cliquot Club Eskimos 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Click Here to Hear "Swanee"

Harry Reser and The ...

Reprint of a classic!

PLUS CD addition: "Harry Reser & The Cliquot Club Eskimos"

 A Message From Juergen Kulus

"Clicquot Club Eskimos Back — Reser 'N' All"...was just one of the many newspaper headlines in January of 1951 applauding the return of Harry Reser to the national broadcast airwaves.

For the story behind these headlines, some historical background is in order.  In 1924, H.Earle Kimball, the visionary owner of Clicquot Club Ginger Ale, was looking for a unique way to advertise his produce over the radio.

Banjo virtuoso Harry Reser was approached to create a format for a weekly musical variety program that would "sparkle" like Mr. Kimball's beverage, and this marked the birth of one of the most successful bands in popular music history - The Cliquot Club Eskimos.  Starting in December of 1925, the thirty minute live broadcast ran for nearly ten years, spotlighting Reser's considerable talents as conductor, orchestrator and composer - he wrote the Eskimo's ppular theme march - "Cliquot" - in addition to his renowned performing skills.  In 1950Cliquot Club again approached Harry with an offer to bring back the Cliquot Club Eskimos, but this time in a more contemporary setting.  Reser agreed to a one-year contract calling for 52 weekly broadcasts with a 15 piece studio band consisting of 3 violins, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, 4 saxophones, piano, bass, drums.  Again, Harry conducted, wrote all the arrangements and was featured on both banjo and guitar.

 The music of the "new" Eskimos was more modern in approach.  Reser re-scored his earlier compositions, surprising his audience at times with such innovations as an electrified banjo!  Always exploring new technological developments, he experimented with new sound capabilities by playing with a microphone mounted on his instrument.

How fortunate we are that these sessions were recorded, for despite some technological limitations of the era - the masters were on disc, no magnetic tape - the musical excitement created by the playing and writing of the great Harry Reser remains undimmed.  All those who enjoy Harry Reser's music should welcome this CD to their collection!

Juergen Kulus, Leonberg, Germany, 1998

A Message From Bruce Reser Armstrong

Harry Reser is still one of the yardsticks by which all banjo players are measured, and what a thrill it is to hear my grandfather's virtuosity in "state-of-the-art" audio technology!

These recordsings - never before available to the public - offer a unique opportunity to hear him in a more "modern" setting than we are accustomed to, and the exciting performances demonstrate just how timeless his artistry is.

Bruce Reser Armstrong, Los Angeles, California, 1998