Surprisingly, not much biographical information is available about this outstanding, African American band inspired by Paul Whiteman's symphonic jazz style. The most well-known Detroit band of the years during and after World War I was undoubtedly that of Leroy Smith. Born in 1888 in Romeo, Michigan, Smith's career was clearly within the society band tradition. His father was a trumpeter with the Finney band and in later years Smith praised his father's decision to put him under the supervision of one of the best private violin teachers in Detroit. In Smith's view, the well-schooled Detroit musicians of the 1910s compared favorably with those of the 1930s who "only had swing on their mind." Critics and scholars who have analyzed Smith's recordings made in New York City between 1921 and 1928 have found that these reflect his attitudes toward music. These recordings emphasized full orchestrations at the expense of improvisation by some of his younger and more jazz-oriented players.
Starting in 1914 Smith led a 16-piece band at the Pier Ballroom, which was billed as a "ballroom of refinement" and catered to white audiences of relatively high social standing(8). After Smith moved to New York City in 1921, he began a long residency at the fashionable Connie's Inn. This wonderful recording was made in 1928.
