Zez Confrey
Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey (3 April 1895 – 22 November 1971) was an American composer and performer of novelty piano and jazz music. His most noted works were "Kitten on the Keys" and "Dizzy Fingers." Studying at the Chicago Musical College and becoming enthralled by French impressionists played a critical role in how he composed and performed music. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Peru, Died November 22, 1971 (Lakewood Township)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1921 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, piano, leader, songwriter, lyricist, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-97 of 97 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick | 9124 | 10-in. | approximately Nov. 1922 | Greenwich witch | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 6741-6742 | 10-in. | approximately Nov. 1921 | Coaxing the piano | Zez Confrey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Brunswick | 7697-7699 | 10-in. | approximately Mar. 1922 | Kitten on the keys | Carl Fenton’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 8146-8148 | 10-in. | approximately May 1922 | Stumbling | Benny Krueger’s Orchestra ; Margaret Young | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | 8521-8523 | 10-in. | approximately July 1922 | Tricks | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 9230-9232 | 10-in. | approximately Nov. 1922 | Dumbell | Benny Krueger’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | XE30582 | 12-in. | 7/25/1929 | Brunswick brevities [program and part unknown] | Brunswick Salon Orchestra | Radio transcription disc : Jazz/dance band, with accordion solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | E20006-E20007 | 10-in. | 9/2/1926 | Dizzy fingers | Victor Arden ; Phil Ohman | Piano duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Brunswick | E20110-E20112 | 10-in. | 9/13/1926 | Dizzy fingers | Victor Arden ; Phil Ohman | Piano duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Brunswick | E20315-E20317 | 10-in. | 10/1/1926 | Dizzy fingers | Victor Arden ; Phil Ohman | Piano duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Brunswick | DB66 | 10-in. | 9/25/1928 | Coaxing the piano | W. Harris | Piano solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | DAL548 | 10-in. | 5/14/1938 | Stumbling | Light Crust Doughboys | String band | composer | |
| Edison | 8226 | 10-in. | 9/23/1921 | Kitten on the keys | Zez Confrey | Piano solo | instrumentalist, piano, composer | |
| Edison | 8452 | 10-in. | 5/16/1922 | Stumbling | Atlantic Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 8465 | 10-in. | 5/25/1922 | Stumbling | Broadway Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 8572 | 10-in. | 8/11/1922 | Tricks | Broadway Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 8686 | 10-in. | 12/7/1922 | Dumbell | Broadway Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 8745 | 10-in. | 7/21/1923 | Greenwich witch | Ernest L. Stevens | Piano solo | composer | |
| Edison | 8748 | 10-in. | 7/28/1923 | My pet | Ernest L. Stevens | Piano solo | composer | |
| Edison | 11977 | 10-in. | 10/22/1927 | Dizzy fingers | Magnante-Carlino-Lange Trio | Cello, banjo, and accordion | composer | |
| Arto | [Arto Cat 9147A] | 10-in. | 5/4/1922 | Stumbling | Catalina Social Seven | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| ARC | 14380 | 10-in. | 11/24/1933 | Sittin' on a log (Pettin' my dog) | Adrian Rollini Orchestra ; Jane Vance | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Confrey, Zez," accessed December 11, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104002.
Confrey, Zez. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104002.
"Confrey, Zez." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 11 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Zez Confrey
Discogs: Zez Confrey
Allmusic: Zez Confrey
Grove: Zez Confrey
IMSLP: Zez Confrey
IMDb: Zez Confrey
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Confrey, Zez, 1895-1971 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82216205
Wikidata: Zez Confrey - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2263974
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/10042841
MusicBrainz: Zez Confrey - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/29fa57fe-26de-4249-9e85-5d41f760b252
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/104603 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/104603
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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