Hi gang,  I thought you all might dig this little video short from
1927 which includes Frank Black, Republic and Ampico artist, at the
piano.  Although he only has a very brief solo spot, his accompaniments
are fairly audible throughout the vocal ensembles (which are excellent,
by the way).  If you are a roll collector, you might get a kick out of
seeing what he looked like, and how he moved playing the piano!  If you
are a record collector, you might salivate seeing which vocal group
this is and who is singing!  I suspect that for some members of the
ensemble, this was their only film!

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNFlwJOxY4
 

Next is another short clip prominently featuring the tricky piano
work of "Little" Jack Little, who was better known as a songwriter and
vocalist, but also made some great rolls for Vocalstyle and possibly
other companies as well.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n0KyM7Qbmw
 

Here's a clip of one of his rolls:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LvZFOkQd-Y
 

Finally, we have Lee Sims, who made rolls for U.S. and Ampico, at
the piano, practicing his usual over-the-top manner while his wife,
Ilomay Bailey, assaults (I mean - charms) our eardrums with a stirring
rendition of "The Beat O' My Heart", a 1930s song which can also be
heard in a band organ version elsewhere on YouTube.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nqtIXUhxSw
 

One of Sims' numerous solo piano records:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bCfVkwcbbs
 

And here's one of Sims' excellent rolls, for comparison:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmp9yre2cQc
 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy,
Andrew Barrett