Arthur Schutt

Who was Arthur Schutt?

Arthur Schutt was an American jazz pianist and arranger.

Schutt learned piano from his father, and accompanied silent films as a teenager in the 1910s. He was playing in a movie palace in 1918 when Paul Specht hired him to play in a band; he worked for Specht until 1924, including during a tour of Europe in 1923. He held positions with Roger Wolfe Kahn and Don Voorhees, and became a prolific studio pianist, recording with Fred Rich, Nat Shilkret, Frankie Trumbauer, Bix Beiderbecke, and the Charleston Chasers. From 1926-29 and again in 1931 he played with Red Nichols; he also recorded with Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey's orchestra, and Benny Goodman. He recorded under his own name in 1929-30 as a bandleader.

Schutt receded from jazz in the 1930s, though he did play with Bud Freeman in 1939. He spent much of the 1940s and 1950s working in the Hollywood recording studios.

Schutt composed a jazz tune "Delirium" in 1927, which was widely recorded and enjoyed a fair amount of popularity. In 1934, Schutt co-wrote "Georgia Jubilee" with Benny Goodman which, while a hit, was also recorded by Isham Jones's band.