The Search for Michele “Mike” Alfonso Mosiello:
The Success of Cooperative Research in
The Bixography Forum
By Albert Haim
Introduction.
On January 2, 2002, Fredrik Tersmeden of Sweden posted in the
Bixography forum (http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/27140) the
following query.
“Although this highly gifted musician made hundreds of records in the 1920s
- with famous bands such as Roger Wolfe Kahn's, Fred Hall's, Joe
Candullo's and Nat Shilkret's Victor Orchestra as well as leading his own
studio groups for Grey Gull and its associated labels - almost nothing seems
to be known about him as a person. He is not in Chilton's "Who's who of
jazz", nor in the New Grove Encyclopedia and I've never read anything
about him (except the stating of his mere presence) in any LP or CD liner
notes.
I've searched the internet several times for facts about him, but so far only
found records and discographies - nothing about the man behind them. With
one remarkable exception: under Adrian Schubert's name in the "American
Big Band Biographies" database Mosiello is said only to be a pseudonym
for Mannie Klein!!!
Could this really be true? Does anyone out there know anything about Mr
Mosiello???”
Fredrik is a record collector and conducts a weekly jazz program over the
Swedish radio station Radio AF (Akademiska Föreningen) in Lund. The
Bixography Forum is a discussion group associated with the website devoted
to Bix Beiderbecke (http://bixbeiderbecke.com), the cornet/piano player and
composer from Davenport, Iowa, who had a brief, but spectacular career
during the 1920s jazz age. In this forum, Bixophiles and other interested
participants from around the world ask questions about Bix, about jazz, or
about related musicians with the hope that someone in the group will
provide the answer. Most of the time, thoughtful and informative responses
are posted by members of the group. This turned out to be the case with
Fredrik’s question. Within a short time, several members of the group started
researching Mike Mosiello, and quite soon, we were able to gather a lot of
personal information about him. The present article is an account of the
various discoveries and represents a successful example of the great power
of cooperative research via the Bixography website.
The First Breakthrough: Contact with the Mosiello Family.
On January 2, 2002, just 13 hours following Fredrik’s post, Mark
Hale, a then frequent contributor to the forum, replied that, using a
genealogy search engine, he had uncovered “a Michael Angelo Mosiello,
born in Italy in 1896, married in New Jersey in 1922 and died in New Jersey
in 1953.” Further research by Mark confirmed that he had the “right” Mike
Mosiello. On January 3, 2002, Mark announced that he had contacted some
of Mike Mosiello’s relatives, his daughter Mary Ann Mosiello and her
husband Jess McLean, who provided the following information: Michael
Angelo Mosiello was born Dec 2, 1896 in Frasso Telesino, Italy and died in
Asbury Park, NJ on June 3, 1953. His parents were Tobia Mosiello and
Emilia De Felice. Mike was married to Antoinette Greco in Union City, NJ
in 1922 and had two children, Tobias "Toby" Mosiello (1925-1990) and
Mary Ann Mosiello, currently living in Irving, Texas. Mary Ann Mosiello’s
godfather was Phil Napoleon (ne Filippo Napoli), another Italian-American
jazz musician who played trumpet with Mike Mosiello in the NBC house
band.
Shortly thereafter, discograhical information was provided by Fredrik
Tersmeden, Johan Hultman and Anders Gustafsson –all jazzophiles from
Sweden, by Michael May -record collector, music teacher and jazz historianfrom Pennsylvania, and by Norman Field, professional jazz musician, writer,
collector, and researcher –from England.
The Second Breakthrough: A Puzzle.
Following Enrico Borsetti’s lead, I consulted the Ellis Island
Immigration records. Enrico is an Italian teacher, musician, and jazz
researcher. On January 6, 2002. I found that Tobia Mosiello, his wife Emilia
and their son Alfonso, age 1 year 6 months, sailed on the ship Massilia from
Naples on February 19, 1898, and arrived in New York on March 10, 1898. I
was puzzled by the name Alfonso, but in view of the names of father and
mother, and the age of Alfonso, I concluded that Alfonso must have been the
name given to the boy who later became known as Mike Mosiello.
Mosiello, Alfonso
Italian
Frasso
March 10, 1898
1y 6m
M
S
Massilia
Naples, Campania, Italy
On January 11, 2002, Jess McLean, son in law of Mike Mosiello and
family historian, having been contacted by Mark Hale, posted about his
plans to write a biography of Mike Mosiello, including music, as a legacy
for Mike’s grandchildren.
A lot of interest was expressed by forum participants in the production
of a Mike Mosiello CD, Michael May and Johan Hultman volunteering to
make available their collections of Mike Mosiello’s 78 rpm records.
The Third Breakthrough: The Solution to the Puzzle.
In January 2002, Enrico Borsetti posted in a Frasso Telesino website a
note asking help to find relatives of Mike Mosiello. Adriano Amore
responded and sent him a scan of Mike Mosiello’s birth certificate. Enrico in
turn sent it to me and I published it in the Bixography on February 9, 2002.
Adriano Amore is a clarinet player who is active in the Associazione
culturale “Terra Fraxi” di Frasso Telesino, an organization dedicated to
historical research about the cultural contributions of people from Frasso
Telesino.
The English translation of Mike Mosiello’s birh certificate follows.
In the year of the Lord 1896, on the day 7th of the month of December, in
the parish of Santa Giuliana Vergine e Martire of the town of Frasso
Telesino, was presented to the church, a male child, born on December 2
at 5 am, son of Mosiello Tobia, Michele’s son, born in Frasso Telesino,
and of De Felice Emilia, Alfonso’s daughter, born in Scafati, legitimately
married, residing in Frasso Telesino, to whom baptism was administered
by Reverend Viscusi Canon Vincenzo and given the name Alfonso,
Michele the godfather being Francesco Ingriselli, Innocenzo’s son, the
godmother being Saprochetti Angiolina, daughter of late Pietro,
representing the godfather Mosiello Angelo, son of late Lorenzo. The
indication of the birth with the request of the baptism was done by midwife
Mosiello.
Signature of the archpriest
Antonio Iannucci
The birth certificate solves the puzzle of Mike Mosiello’s given name.
Mike Mosiello was baptized Alfonso, Michele. Note the comma between
Alfonso and Michele. Michele is the first name, Alfonso is the middle name.
However, since the order of first and middle names in Italian documents is
opposite to the order in American documents, the immigration officer who
admitted Mike Mosiello and his parents understandably –but erroneouslygave Alfonso as the first name. Thus, the Ellis Island records show the
immigration of a one and half year old boy named Alfonso Mosiello rather
than Michele Alfonso Mosiello. Incidentally, the Mosiello family had Mike
Mosiello’s middle name as Angelo. With the availability of Mike Mosiellos’
birth certificate, we now know that his middle name was Alfonso.
More information.
On January 22, 2002, Michael May sent Jess McLean a cassette of
Mosiello sides (compositions and solos).
On February 9, 2002, by combining the information available at that
time with Ellis Island records, I reconstructed the following data about Mike
Mosiello’s relatives.
Tobia Rocco Mosiello, born in Frasso Telesino on October
28, 1867 was Mike Mosiello's father. He arrived in the US
on March 10, 1898 with his wife Emilia and his one yearold son Michele Alfonso (later known as Mike Mosiello).
They came to join Tobia's brother Stanislas.
Tobia Mosiello had at least four brothers. Alfonso,
Stanislas, Angelo Raffaelo Rocco, and Americo. These are
the only ones appearing in Ellis Island records. There may
be others who stayed in Italy.
Alfonso Mosiello was the first of the brothers to come to
America. I do not have a date of arrival.
Stanislas Mosiello, born in 1876, arrived in America on
November 24, 1897 to join his brother Alfonso.
Angelo Raffaelo Mosiello, born in 1870, arrived in
America on June 8, 1898 to join his brother Tobia.
Americo Mosiello, born in 1883, arrrived in America on
July 14, 1902, to join his brother Tobia.
There was another Angelo Mosiello. He was Tobia's
cousin. He came over to the US with his wife Angela, on
the same ship that brought Tobia, Emilia and little Mike.
Angelo Mosiello was a composer and band leader. He was
Mike's godfather.
On February 10, 2002 I published in the Bixography website
(http://bixography.com/mosiellophotos.html) three photographs of Mike
Mosiello and a photograph of one of his trumpets kindly sent to me by Jess
McLean.
The efforts to produce a Mike Mosiello CD bore fruit on February 17,
2002 when Fredrik Tersmeden announced in the forum that he had
completed the transfer of 20 of Mike’s recordings onto CD and had sent a
copy to Jess McLean. The recordings were from Johan Hultman’s collection.
On April 17, 2002, Fredrik Tersmeden devoted his weekly program
over the Swedish radio station Radio AF (Akademiska Föreningen) in Lund
to Mike Mosiello’s music.
In the same month, Adriano Amore had collected sufficient
information to publish two biographical articles about Mike Mosiello, one in
IL PUNTO, Telese Terme, Year I, N° 8, April 13 th 2002, pages 12-13 and
the other in MOIFA', Frasso Telesino, Year VIII, N° 2, April 2002, pages 910. IL PUNTO, a magazine of culture and actuality, has a circulation of
20,000 mainly in the south of Italy. MOIFA, a quarterly of culture and
historical research, has a circulation of 5,000 copies, and is distributed free
of charge to all the emigrants of Frasso Telesino in the world (Germany,
France, America, Argentine, Canada, etc). Adriano Amore’s biography of
Mike Mosiello (in Italian) is available in the internet at
http://www.jazzitalia.net/articoli/mikemosiello.asp Recently, Adriano
Amore has published another biography of Mike Mosiello on the "Annuario
2002" (Piedimonte Matese, Editions ASMV, September 2003).
Mike Mosiello Recordings in the 1920s and Early 1930s.
An effort toward a systematic discography of Mike Mosiello was
initiated with my post of February 17, 2002. I listed all bands that Mike
Mosiello recorded with up to 1932 (the last year that Mike Mosiello made a
recording), as well as the singers who had Mike Mosiello as accompanist.
Here are some discographical details extracted from Brian Rust’s “American
Dance Band Discography.”
Mike Mosiello had his first recording session on July 8, 1921 at the
Victor recording studio in New York. He was one of two trumpet players
with the Shilking Orchestra, a group of 8-10 musicians directed by Nat
Shilkret. Neither of the two sides recorded on that day was issued. Mike was
in the Victor recording studio again on July 14 with the same band. This
time, one of the sides cut was issued, "When the Sun Goes Down" as Victor
18804 and as His Master's Voice (English Victor) B-1307. This is, as far as
we know, the first record of Mike Mosiello. Mike's association with Nat
Shilkret continued for several years and he recorded with the "Nat Shilkret
Victor Recording Orchestra" again in 1926 and in 1929.
There are no definitely identified recordings for 1922 and 1923, but it
is likely that Mike recorded with Sam Lanin's Roseland Dance orchestra in
late 1922 and in 1923.
In 1924 we can place Mike Mosiello definitely in a series of
recordings by the Arkansas Travellers. At the end of year, the well-known
trumpeter Red Nichols replaced Mike Mosiello. The year 1924 also
represents the beginning of the association of Mike Mosiello with the Grey
Gull Company, an association that lasted for about six years, the whole
existence of the Grey Gull Studio Bands. According to Brian Rust, the
foremost jazz discographer, Mike Mosiello and Andy Sanella were the
backbone of the Grey Gull Studio bands. As a matter of fact some of the
recordings were issued as "Mike Mosiello's Radio Stars."
In addition to making the Grey Gull recordings, Mike Mosiello
recorded with Fred Rich and His Hotel Astor Orchestra in 1925.
In 1926, Mike Mosiello recorded with the Vincent Lopez and His
Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra, with Don Vorhees and His Earl Carol
Vanities orchestra, and with Joe Candullo and His Everglades Orchestra.
In 1927 Mike Mosiello recorded several sides with Nat Shilkret and
the Victor recording Orchestra, with the Virginians under the direction of
Nat Shilkret, and with Victor Arden-Phil Ohman and their Orchestra.
The year 1928 was a very busy year. Mike recorded with Bob Haring,
Arthur Fields, the High Hatters, Ben Selvin, the Alabama Red Peppers, the
All Star Orchestra, Arthur Fields and His Orchestra, Dick Cherwin and His
Orchestra, Fred Hall, and probably with Roger Wolfe Kahn.
During the following year, 1929, Mike again was a busy musician. He
recorded with the High Hatters, the Honey Swamp Stompers, Arthur Fields
and the Noodlers, Bob Haring, Adrian Schubert, Arthur Fields, Fred Hall,
Nat Shilkret and the Victor orchestra, and the All Star Orchestra.
During 1930-1932 Mike recorded with the Southerners, the Havana
Novelty Orchestra, Roy Smeck’s Novelty Orchestra, Justin Ring and His
Dance Orchestra, Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra, Andy Sanella and
his Orchestra, and The Hit of the Week Orchestra with Bert Hirsch
In addition to his participation in dance and jazz bands, Mike Mosiello
was sought as an accompanist for famous singers in the 1920s. Thus, he
accompanied such well-known vocalists as Seeger Ellis (1927), Jane Green
(1927), Annette Hanshaw (1928), Gene Austin (1928), Johnny Marvin (1927
and 1928), Jim Miller (1929), Carson Robinson (1929), Jack Smith (1929),
Chick Endor (1929), Grace Johnston (1930), Chick Bullock (1931), and
perhaps Russ Columbo (1931).
Mike Mosiello was also a prolific composer. Among the titles to his
credit, we cite “Sweet And Hot,” “Just Blues,” “Love Me Dear,” “You
Ought To See Her Now,” “Antoinette, I Love You,” (dedicated to his wife),
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Where Is Toby?” (dedicated to his son), “Sweetheart It’s
You,” “Stomp Along,” “Wow-Wow Blues,” (the last three included in the
2003 Jazz Oracle CD “Grey Gull Rarities”), and many others. As of now,
the count of Mike Mosiello’s compositions is at 22.
A Controversial Recording: The Memphis Jazzers’ “In
Harlem’s Araby”
In November 1929, a group of musicians recorded four sides released
under the Grey Gull label: “Don’t Know And Don’t Care,” GG 1797 by the
Jazzopators; “Ev’rybody Dance,” GG 1816 by the Jazzopators; “Miss
Golden Brown,” GG 1805 by the Memphis Jazzers; “In Harlem’s Araby,”
GG 1804 by the Memphis Jazzers. The Memphis Jazzers was one of the
names utilized by the Grey Gull record company for recordings of its studio
band under the direction of Mike Mosiello and Andy Sanella. Later re-issues
of “In Harlem’s Araby” were Biltmore 1024 as King Oliver’s Dixie Devils,
and Jazz Collectors L-59 and Tempo R-27 as King Oliver’s Memphis
Jazzers. The identities of the musicians in these sides are in question, with
extensive discussion, in particular of “In Harlem’s Araby.” In the 2002
edition of his discography “Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897-1942”, Brian
Rust writes, “Many collectors, myself included, were once firmly of the
opinion that King Oliver was on the session. Although Oliver’s presence has
since been ruled out, I still think of it as the nearest approach to his playing I
have ever heard from another musician.” In “Jazz and Ragtime Records” the
trumpet player in these recordings is identified as Mike Mosiello.
An in-depth analysis of these recordings was presented by Laurens
Hertzdahl in the liners for the 2002 Jazz Oracle CD “Gray Gull Rarities.”
Hertzdahl writes, “The trumpet solos on these sides were once attributed to
no less than King Oliver himself (and in fact reissued on the British Tempo
label as ‘King Oliver and His Memphis Jazzers’!) until Brian Rust abruptly
changed his mind and identified this session as another Mosiello studio band
recording. A more radical change is hardly imaginable so I was curious to
know how Brian came to this astonishing change of opinion. A telephone
conversation with Brian helped clarify the situation. During this
conversation Brian told me that he had made a tape of Grey Gull recordings
and sent it to the late Bob Mantler, a prominent New York collector, with
the request to interview Andy Sanella. Brian Rust hoped to gain additional
information about these recordings with the help of this interview. During
the interview Sanella told Mantler that he never worked with any other
trumpet player than Mosiello. He was very appreciative of Mosiello’s
virtuosity: "he could play in any style". Eventually the famous session of
November 1929 was brought up. Listening to the tape, Sanella recognised
himself and Mosiello.” However, on the basis of aural evidence –an analysis
of the trumpet playing characteristics of Mike Mosiello in bona fide
Mosiello recordings such as “'T Ain't No Sin” by the Wolverine Pepperpots,
“Beale Street Blues” by the Atlanta Syncopators, Just Blues and Wow Wow
Blues by the Memphis Jazzers, and comparison with the style, timing and
phrasing of the trumpet player in the Memphis Jazzers recordings of
November 1929- Laurens Hertzdahl concludes that the trumpeter in these
recordings is not Mike Mosiello but more likely a black musician.
Laurens Hertzdahl ends his scrutiny of these recordings with this
paragraph, “The Grey Gull archives are lost up to this day so nothing can be
proven and definite answers remain a problem. However I dare say that
Mosiello's and Sanella's presence on these two sessions is very doubtful. So
there, in a nutshell, is the synopsis of the mystery. There is much
controversy about the trumpet player. Some collectors attribute the trumpet
playing to Louis Metcalf who recorded on other Grey Gull sessions (e.g. The
Wabash Trio). Other collectors insist on Mosiello's presence. Most agree
that it isn't King Oliver. The discussion lingers on.”
In Memory of Mike Mosiello
On December 27 and 28, 2003, Adriano Amore organized a series of
events in memory of the 50th anniversary of the death of the Italian–
American jazz player Mike Mosiello (Frasso Telesino-Italy 1896 – Asbury
Mass in Memory of Mike Mosiello
December 28, 2003
Frasso Telesiono, Italy
Park 1953). The celebration took place in Frasso Telesino, Benevento, Italy
and was sponsored by Fondazione Madonna di Campanile with the support
of the Embassy of the United States of America, the Presidency of the
Regional Council of Campani, the Province of Benevento, the Community
of Frasso Telesino, and The Cultural Association “Terra Fraxi.” On
December 27, 2003 there was a Symposium on the emigration of citizens of
Frasso Telesino to the United States of America and on the life and art of
Mike Mosiello with the participation of several Italian scholars and
musicians. Mary Ann Mosiello, the daughter of Mike Mosiello, was
scheduled to present some of her childhood memories. Unfortunately, she
was unable to attend, but sent an eight-minute video recording, recounting a
few memories of her father. The symposium was followed by a concert by
Professor Marco Sannini on trumpet with the Benevento Jazz Ensemble. On
December 28, 2003, there was a mass in memory of Mike Mosiello, the
unveiling of a commemorative plaque next to Mike Mosiello’s childhood
Plaque in memory of the 50th anniversary of the death of Mike Mosiello.
Unveiled on December 28, 2003, Frasso Telesino, Italy
home, the granting of the title “Honorary Citizen of Frasso Telesino” to
Mary Ann Mosiello, and a concert by Professor Marco Sannini on trumpet
with the Benevento Jazz Ensemble.
A Brief Biography of Mike Mosiello.
Michele “Mike” Mosiello was born in Frasso Telesino, Italy on
December 2, 1896. Frasso Telesino is a rural village located about 30 miles
northwest of Naples. On February 19, 1898, Mike, with his father Tobia and
mother Emilia boarded the ship Massalia with destination New York, where
On February 19, 1898, Mike Mosiello sailed form Naples, Italy.
Built for Anchor Line, British flag, in 1891 and named Massilia.
Mediterranean-New York service.
they arrived on March 10, 1898. Tobia’s cousin, Angelo Mosiello,
accompanied them. Tobia’s and Angelo’s occupations are listed as tailor and
musician, respectively, in the Ellis Island records. Angelo was a composer
and bandleader. Tobia played clarinet with his cousin’s band. Thus, little
Mike grew up in a musical family. He started playing cornet at age 6.
Mike enlisted in the United States Marine Corp in World War I and
was sent to Europe as a member of the U.S.M.C. band. He returned to the
US and was transferred from active duty to the Marines Reserves and
inactive status on August 21, 1919.
On his return, Mike started playing in New York professionally. By
1921, he made his first recording with the Shilkring Orchestra, a band under
the direction of Nat Shilkret, director of Light Music at Victor. In 1924,
Mike and his friend Andy Sanella began their long career as musicians for
Grey Gull Records. Jazz historian Michael May writes that, “His
[Mosiello’s] greatest and most creative work was for Grey Gull, probably
the cheapest record company ever. They wouldn't pay publisher's royalties
for more than one side of a record. To fill the other side, the company had
the musicians play whatever they wanted for a flat fee. Thus, the "A" side of
a typical Grey Gull record would feature a recognizable Tin Pan Alley song,
by a reputable composer, played by a full ten or eleven piece band. The "B"
side would be some song you never heard of and played by anything from a
trio to a septet of miscellaneously assorted instruments. These "B" sides are
the real treasures of the Grey Gull catalogue. Mike Mosiello is responsible
for a good many of these, both as composer and player.”
In 1925 Mike was with the Vincent Lopez Orchestra during its
European tour. They were booked for a two-month engagement at the KitCat Club and the Capitol. Lopez and his musicians left New York in the
Leviathan on May 2, 1925 and arrived in England on May 8, 1925. There
were seventeen band members in addition to Lopez, one of them listed in the
passengers list as Michael Mosiello, age 28, occupation musician. Vincent
Lopez travelled in first-class, the rest of the band in second class. The band
played at the opening of the Kit-Cat Club on May 11, 1925 with royalty in
attendance. The Duke of Marlborough presented a silver baton to Vincent
Lopez. The six week engagement in the Kit-Cat Club was followed by a
three-week appearance at the Hippodrome, the legendary London club –a
disco emporium in recent years, but closed currently- in the West End of
London at Leicester Square. The band returned in the "S.S. Paris" and
arrived in New York on August 1, 1925.
Beginning in 1925-1926, Mike played with the NBC Studio band and
continued for several years. During the period 1925-1932, Mike’s excellent
trumpet playing could be heard in hundreds of recordings. Some of the
musicians in the recordings were Miff Mole, Harry Reser, Joe Tarto, Lou
Raderman, Vic Berton, Muggsy Spanier, Xavier Cugat, Jack Teagarden, Joe
Venuti, Eddie Lang, Phil Napoleon, Arthur Schutt, Stan King, Jimmy
Dorsey, and Tommy Dorsey
Mike was with the NBC Studio Band until 1933. He was lead
trumpet in the Roxy Theater Band under the direction of Paul Ash from
about 1933 to about 1941.
In the early 1940s, Mike organized a band under the name “Michael
Mells, His Trumpet and His Orchestra, the Crooning Trumpeter.” The band
played at the cabaret club “Top Hat” in New Jersey. The music was
broadcast, live, 10 hours per week, at 11PM, on New York City radio station
WNEW.
Also during the 1940s, Mike played in the Catskills (1944), travelled
with the Victor Borge road show (1946) , had an engagement with Laurence
Melchior, (1947) and then had one final job in 1947-1948, for about 18
months, with the road show of "Brigadoon."
In early 1953 Mike was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died
within a few months, on June 3, 1953.
Mike Mosiello was a versatile trumpeter who could play in various
styles. With “sweet” dance bands, Mike played straight, but with more jazzy
groups he could blow –and did- “hot.” His open horn had a strong, round
sound; his muted trumpet had a subtle, smooth tone. We are fortunate that
Mike Mosiello left us an extensive musical legacy in the form of his
hundreds of recordings.
Conclusion.
The commemoration of Mike Mosiello’s musical legacy in Frasso
Telesino at the end of December 2003 represents the culmination of research
initiated under the auspices of the Bix Beiderbecke website and its
associated Forum. The “Mike Mosiello Story” began with an innocent
question from Fredrik Tersmeden: he wanted to learn more about the
personal and musical life of jazz trumpeter Mike Mosiello. The follow-up
research efforts by Mark Hale, Enrico Borsetti, Adriano Amore, Albert
Haim, Mike May, Jess McLean and Fredrik Tersmeden have resulted in a
substantial body of knowledge about the life and the music of Mike
Mosiello. Had it not been for the group of dedicated and knowledgeable
Bixography Forum participants willing to share their time and expertise, we
would not have known much about Mike Mosiello’s life and music, nor
would his memory be honored in his birth place –Frasso Telesino- on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death. The success of the “Mike
Mosiello Story” is a tribute to cooperative research carried out by the
participants of the Forum associated with the Bix Beiderbecke website.
Acknowledgments.
This article is dedicated to Mark Hale who died in 2002, a few months after
he opened up the research on Mike Mosiello. Mark was a generous and very
knowledgeable individual. His contributions to the Bixography Forum were
extensive and thoughtful. We shall miss him.
Enrico Borsetti first suggested that I write an article about the research done
by the Bixography Forum participants for publication in "The Sannio
Quotidiano," a newspaper of the province of Benevento, Italy. A very
abbreviated version of the present article was published in the December 27,
2003 issue of the newspaper. I am indebted to Mary Ann and Jess McLean
for their encouragement, for permission to include some of their photos in
the present article, and for sharing with me biographical information about
Mike Mosiello. Enrico Borsetti helped with the Ellis Island records and
made the first contact with the people of Frasso Telesino. Michael May
contributed with his extensive understanding and collection of Grey Gull
recordings. I thank Adriano Amore for his discovery of Mike Mosiello’s
birth certificate and for sending me information about the celebration of
Mike Mosiello in Frasso Telesino. Adriano Amore, Enrico Borsetti, Jess
McLean, Michael May and Fredrik Tersmaden read preliminary drafts of the
article and made invaluable comments. I am grateful to Joe Moore for
researching lists of passengers arriving to England and confirming that Mike
Mosiello sailed to England with Vincent Lopez and other members of the
band. Finally, I am grateful to the Bixography Forum participants, Norman
Field, Hans Eekhoff, Brad Kay, Michael Kieffer, and Richard Iaconelli, for
their interest in various aspects of the Mike Mosiello Story. The image of the
Grey Gull record label for “In Harlem’s Araby” is via Courtesy of VJMs
Jazz & Blues Mart. I thank Russell Shor for the scan of the Dixie Devils
record label. The photos from the celebration in Frasso Telesino and the scan
of the birth certificate of Mike Mosiello were kindly provided by Adriano
Amore.