Harry Reser

Harry Reser and the Cliquot Club Eskimos Harry Reser

Born in 1896 in Piqua, Ohio, Harry Reser seemed destined to musically �come of age� along with the banjo. As a youngster, it was discovered that Reser possessed perfect musical pitch. Realizing that he might be a prodigy, his parents began serious musical instruction on piano, violin and cello. Reser amazed everyone with the musicianship he demonstrated at concerts and recitals and began performing professionally (on piano) at the age of 16.

Working as a pianist as the 1920s approached, Harry Reser had the foresight to know that the banjo was the coming thing. The bright, snappy danceable rhythms associated with the jazz age of the �Roaring 20s� was a natural match for the sparkling sound of the banjo, and Reser intended to take full advantage of the trend. He began his banjo experiences playing rhythm plectrum banjo in dance orchestras, first in Dayton, Ohio then Buffalo, New York. Finally, in late 1920 he moved to New York City.

Even though he had established himself as a fine plectrum banjoist, Reser saw that the brighter �snap� of the tenor banjo seemed to be more popular with the general public and band leaders, so he became proficient on that instrument as well. As the tenor banjo tuning was very similar to the violin, Reser was able apply his violin technique to the instrument; astounding listeners with solo renditions of classical pieces he�d learned as a youngster. It must be noted that, up to that point in time, the tenor banjo had been thought of strictly as a rhythm instrument. With his radical approach, Harry Reser was a trend and standard setter for the tenor banjo as a solo instrument in the early 1920s.

By 1922, Harry Reser had begun writing and recording original tenor banjo solos that displayed his brilliant technique. His technically challenging compositions such as Lollipops and Crackerjax were considered the pinnacle of inventive tenor banjo solos. These tour-de-force pieces remain challenging to the banjo player of today - more than seventy years after they were written. In Autumn of 1923, after being featured in a highly successful, long-running show with Paul Whiteman�s Orchestra at the London Hippodrome, Reser returned to the United States with his greatest commercial triumph yet ahead of him.

Later that year, the owners of the Clicquot Ginger Ale company were planning to sponsor a weekly NBC radio program. Their one request was that the music "mimic the effervescence of their product". Producers at NBC felt that a band of banjos might fulfill that request and contacted Harry Reser with the idea. Though very busy both writing and recording, Reser jumped at the chance to lead his own band, and the Clicquot Club �Eskimos� took to the airwaves shortly thereafter. The program was a sensation, featuring popular music of the day played by an orchestra of banjo family instruments led by chief Eskimo, Harry Reser. The popularity of the program propelled the group and its leader into national prominence where they remained for nearly ten years.

Following the stock market crash of 1929 and into the Depression years that followed, the musical climate of America changed drastically. The public no longer wished to hear the happy carefree music of the past decade. With this trend, the banjo soon became pass�, and Harry Reser was prepared to �go with the flow�. Through the 1930s and 40s, Reser bounced between Miami and New York where he performed in clubs (mostly on guitar) and led several dance and radio orchestras.

The mood of post WWII America was again one of lighthearted existence and the public was displaying a nostalgic longing for the happier music of days gone by. By the early 1950�s the banjo was once again popular and Reser simply switched from guitar to banjo and picked up where he�d left off twenty years before. The Clicquot Club Eskimos were back on the radio with a weekly program that featured a more modern sound, but still counted on Reser�s banjo and arrangements for its musical soul. Reser made several tours for the USO during the 50�s, entertaining service men in Alaska, Japan, France, Germany and Korea. He also recorded two solo LP albums, Vamp and Happy Days Are Here Again, to fill the demand for banjo music that the record buying public was displaying.

By the end of the decade, all of America�s entertainment eyes were switching from radio to the infant medium of television. Harry Reser, then in his 60s, took the change in stride and was soon appearing on Sammy Kaye�s weekly television program Music From Manhattan. Through the early 1960s, Reser performed in the pit orchestras of several Broadway shows including Kiss Me Kate, Carnival and Sophie. He also remained very active in New York�s recording studios as both back-up musician to other artists and making one final solo LP, Banjos Back to Back, in 1962.

With his daughters Betty and Geraldine married, Reser decided to take his wife of nearly fifty years, Grace, on a tour of the Orient in 1963. However, that trip was put on hold to allow Reser to accept a position in the orchestra for the new musical Fiddler On The Roof. Rehearsals began in 1964 and Reser was given the opportunity to play the guitar as well as the mandolin and lute. The show opened to rave reviews and all indications pointed to Fiddler On The Roof becoming a classic of American musical theater. Sadly, Reser�s part of its history would be cut short. On September 27, 1965, while preparing for a performance of Fiddler, Reser collapsed in the orchestra pit and died at the age of 69.

As an innovator, composer, bandleader and consummate journeyman musician, Harry Reser set a standard by which all aspiring banjo artists of the future would be judged. While none to this date have equaled the achievements of Reser, his influence and inspiration can be heard in virtually any banjo performance where excellence in musicianship is the desired result.