From around 1933, The Casani Club Orchestra, led by popular pianist Charlie Kunz, playing “Learn To Croon”, a song also recorded and made famous by Bing Crosby, as well as Al Bowlly. The vocalist is Harry Bentley .
I'm glad you asked that question lol! Charlie had a long experience of leading bands. By age 19 he was leading his first band and opening for Paul Whiteman and Vincent Lopez at a ballroom in Allentown, USA. He came to England in 1921 with a group led by percussionist Ed Krick. In 1928/29, Charlie Kunz & His Chez Henri Club Band made a handful of recordings for Columbia. The next phase of Kunz’s career was inaugurated by nationally renowned dance instructor Santos Casani, who heard the band at Chez Henri and liked it enough to lure Charlie away to his own Casani Club, which opened in March 1933 in Imperial House, Regent Street, London. As Geoff said, he eventually fell out with Casini and went solo, but it was not such an abrupt change as often portrayed. For instance, he was still recording numbers with the Casini band in 1937, but had already started doing solo recordings around 1934. Re-releases of Casani band recordings also continued into the 40s and beyond. So, yes Charlie led the band, usually, if not always, from the piano, and Casani had the financial involvement and premises. (I'd like to find those earlier pre-1930 recordings!)
@@IVORIESMAN Yes, Charlie had many other irons in the fire anyway, from performing at music halls, to recording records, selling sheet music and arrangements, to piano tuition publications and radio work. He did a lot of charity work as well. Without a band to support and pay for, he was probably a lot better off. He became the highest paid popular pianist eventually (1,000 GBP a week at one point, which of course was a lot of money in those days.)
