‘Stompin’ At the Savoy’: how Milt Herth paved the way for synthpop
The advent of synthesisers had a gargantuan impact on the landscape of popular music. From the funk genius of William Onyeabor to the pop mastery of The Human League, synthesisers helped to bring a new dimension to the musical world, creating a distinctly modern sound. Although the origins of electronic music are often cited as being within the robot futurism of Kraftwerk, the early days of electro stretch back much further, predating even the earliest rock ‘n’ roll stars.
The first hints at electronic music came as early as the turn of the 20th century when innovation with electricity led to the invention of various primitive electronic instruments. However, these instruments were often created just as a means of showing what could be done, rarely utilised to actually make commercially available music. That all changed in the 1930s when technological advancements led to the development of smaller instruments, like the theremin and, crucially, the Hammond organ. A precursor to the Moog synthesiser, which would find favour with the likes of Wendy Carlos and, later, rock bands like The Beatles and The Doors, the Hammond organ burst onto the scene in 1935.
Upon its initial release, it was thought that Hammonds would replace the old-school organs that populated churches worldwide, as a low-cost, low-maintenance alternative. Although many churches were unwilling to part with their grand organs, the Hammond found favour with innovative jazz musicians and, later, various prominent figures in rock, reggae and even the cheesy stylings of clubland.
One of the earliest adopters of the organ and, by extension, electronic music was the largely forgotten jazz organist Milt Herth, who began experimenting with the Hammond shortly after the release of the Model A Hammond organ in 1935.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Herth performed with various prominent jazz musicians, including the pianist Willie Smith – better known as ‘The Lion’ – as well as appearing in a variety of pretty forgettable films, including Juke Box Jenny and the strangely titled Love and Onions. Admittedly, the vast majority of Herth’s career is fairly unremarkable, but he certainly should be hailed for his innovative use of the electronic organ. On his recording of the jazz standard ‘Stompin’ At the Savoy’, for instance, he can be heard experimenting with these futuristic new sounds, creating a record which sounded far too ahead of its time to be much of a success.
‘Stompin’ At the Savoy’ sounds more akin to the soundtrack of a 1980s arcade machine than a 1930s recording of a jazz standard pressed onto a 78 rpm shellac disc. Granted, it is not a great track by any means, especially by modern standards. It certainly did not justify the $1,193 price tag of the Hammond Model A – nearly $30,000 when adjusted for inflation. Nevertheless, it is an important artefact in the history of electronic music.
Among the first examples of electronic instrumentation in popular music, Herth paved the way for future electronic experimentation with ‘Stompin’ At the Savoy’. Who knows, perhaps without the early adopters of the Hammond organ, the electronic stylings of synth-pop and new wave would have never happened. It would be a while after Herth’s track that electronic music really got into the swing of things, with the likes of Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète, Mort Garson and Wendy Carlos paving the way for the future. Still, Herth’s early work firmly remains an important moment in the history of the genre.