Rod Cless
George Roderick Cless (May 20, 1907, in Lenox, Iowa – December 8, 1944, in New York City) was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, perhaps best known for his work on sixteen Muggsy Spanier tunes for Bluebird Records. Additionally, Cless worked with other artists such as Frank Teschemacher, Gene Krupa, Art Hodes, Bobby Hackett, Max Kaminsky and Mezz Mezzrow. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Iowa (state of the United States of America), Died December 8, 1944 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1939 - 1944
Roles Represented in DAHR: clarinet
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 29 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-040260 | 10-in. | 7/7/1939 | Big butter and egg man | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-040261 | 10-in. | 7/7/1939 | Someday sweetheart | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-040262 | 10-in. | 7/7/1939 | Eccentric | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-040263 | 10-in. | 7/7/1939 | That da da strain | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043375 | 10-in. | 11/10/1939 | At the Jazz Band Ball | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043376 | 10-in. | 11/10/1939 | I wish I could shimmy like my sister Kate | George Brunis ; Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043377 | 10-in. | 11/10/1939 | Dipper mouth blues | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043378 | 10-in. | 11/10/1939 | Livery stable blues (Barnyard blues) | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043894 | 10-in. | 11/22/1939 | Riverboat shuffle | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043895 | 10-in. | 11/22/1939 | Relaxin' at the Touro | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043896 | 10-in. | 11/22/1939 | At sundown | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-043897 | 10-in. | 11/22/1939 | Bluin' the blues | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-045745 | 10-in. | 12/12/1939 | Lonesome road | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-045746 | 10-in. | 12/12/1939 | Dinah | George Brunis ; Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-045747 | 10-in. | 12/12/1939 | (What did I do to be so) Black and blue | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Victor | BS-045748 | 10-in. | 12/12/1939 | Mandy, make up your mind | Ragtime Band [Muggsy Spanier] | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, clarinet | |
| Signature | T-1909 | 10-in. | 12/18/1943 | Squeeze me | Yank Lawson and his Jazz Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Signature | T-1910 | 10-in. | 12/18/1943 | When I grow too old to dream | Yank Lawson and his Jazz Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Signature | T-1911 | 10-in. | 12/18/1943 | Too many times | Yank Lawson and his Jazz Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Signature | T-1912 | 10-in. | 12/18/1943 | The sheik of Araby | Yank Lawson and his Jazz Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | N 2703 | 10-in. | 9/29/1944 | Black and blue | Max Kaminsky and his Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | N 2704 | 10-in. | 9/29/1944 | [Unknown title(s)] | Max Kaminsky and his Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | N 2705 | 10-in. | 9/29/1944 | Wrap your troubles in dreams | Max Kaminsky and his Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | N 2706 | 10-in. | 9/29/1944 | Dippermouth blues | Max Kaminsky and his Band | instrumentalist, clarinet | ||
| Decca | N 2706[a] | 10-in. | 9/29/1944 | Black and blue | Max Kaminsky and his Band | instrumentalist, clarinet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cless, Rod," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113044.
Cless, Rod. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/113044.
"Cless, Rod." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cless, Rod, 1907-1944 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2006054083
Wikidata: Rod Cless - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1322588
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/56798261
MusicBrainz: Rod Cless - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e5540232-8ec7-4c71-9f8c-5effc2c4cae9
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