Polska Kapela Wojskowa at Okeh 

June is “Immigrant Heritage Month.” Throughout the month we will be posting materials relating to immigration and immigrant cultures of NYC.

One hundred years ago today … Polska Kapela Wojskowa (“Polish Military Band”) recorded a polka titled “Monopol” for Okeh Records at Okeh Phonograph Corporation’s studio at 25 West 45th Street.

Listen to all four surviving acetates of “Monopol” (Polish for “monopoly”) here, courtesy of the Discography of American Historical Recordings. 

The same day, the group recorded three other tunes:  “Marsz Piłsudskiego z Komanda” (listen here), which translates to “Piłsudski's march from [unclear]”; “Skowronek” (“Lark”), which was another polka; and “W Karczmie” (“In the Tavern”), a mazurka. All tracks were at some point released under the artist name, “Orkiestra” (Laird 198).

Note: we reported on the Polish newspaper Nowy Świat and the Polish community of NYC in June 2020. We previously featured Okeh in our series of posts about Mamie Smith’s 1920 blues recordings. In June, 1922, Smith was still at Okeh, recording “Mamie Smith Blues” and “Alabama Blues.” 

References/Further reading:

Laird, Ross, and Rust, Brian. Discography of OKeh Records, 1918-1934. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.

– Jonathan Goldman, Jun 27, 2022

TAGS: immigration, ethnic, Poland, music, records, entertainment, blues, recording