When Rust's American Dance Band Discography went to press (so many years ago), he listed the two tracks illustrated here on Duophone D-4034. When he went to press with Jazz Records (6th ed.) he still listed Tiger Rag on D-4034, but he had put in mx E-28657B (Do You? (That's All I Want to Know) as also on D-4034. Previously, he had listed that track as on Duophone D-4046 with no mention of D-4034. Now JR6 showed it as on both D-4034 and D-4046.
The data listed in Mike Thomas' mgthomas.co.uk Duophone listing is consistent with Rust's original position as stated in the ADBD.
Clearly, this raises a question whether there is an alternate version of Duophone D. 4034 or not. As we know, it is virtually impossible to prove a negative, but if there issuch a creature, somebody must a copy. Can anybody help?
"Tiger Rag" is an unbelievably hot rendition for a Meyer Davis outfit (or for anybody, when it comes to that). It earned a spot in Rust's Jazz Records where most of Davis' work does not. Davis must have gone out of his way to recruit a "hot" squad for this recording. Certainly these are not his run-of-the-mill society men.
Rust speculates that the personnel included Tommy (tb) and Jimmy Dorsey (on clarinet surely), Mickey Bloom and Fuzzy Farrar on trumpets, Arnold Brilhart on alto sax, Babe Russin on tenor, Frank Signorelli on piano, Perry Botkin on banjo, Joe Tarto on string bass, Chauncey Morehouse on drums, and possibly an unidentified violinist (I don't hear one). These were his guesses as of 2002, when the 6th edition of Jazz Records came out. In 1975, when the same record was listed in the American Dance Band Discography, he had no opinions to offer. In both books he places the session in New York, c. November, 1928.
I haven't checked to see if it was chronologically possible, but it wouldn't surprise me if the banjoist were actually Eddie Condon. The session has that feel to it. Lots of solo space, but none for the banjo and no real audible banjo presence, which is to say that we have very few actual clues in that regard. Eddie, however, was never a soloist and made a great many records on banjo and guitar where you were never conscious of him as an instrumentalist. We have the testimony of many musicians, however, that Condon, like Basie's Freddy Green, was a "force" to be reckoned with in the rhythm section. You felt him more than heard him.