Happy New Year!

Good news - the container with all of our belongs (most importantly, my 78s and cds) has reportedly arrived at the nearby port. Now, how long it will take for customs to clear everything remains to be seen. It is the holidays after all, and it also happens to be summer here in Brasil. The combination of which has been known to have deadly effect on the amount of work one might perform. And we haven't even considered other variables such as the beach or beer. Heck, even I keep distracting myself from work - as evidenced by the fact that I am posting this note.

So to cut to the quick, very soon I hope to post some more great Chick Bullock tunes that you will not find elsewhere, as well as more from my cd collection. My fingers are crossed in anticipation.

And a happy new year to everyone out there!

Non-Stop Flight

Desperately trying to post more than once a month, for Dec. 7th here is another Shaw collection from the time when Europe was already in the early stages of WWII. If you're like me, you'll like the imperfect sound from these live airchecks of Artie Shaw for the fact that they're not crisp and clean. It helps me imagine the music coming from the one big speaker from a 30's radio. I don't mind the announcer talking over the intros, or the corny chit-chat. In any case, the music is great and there are some very good tunes here. I just wish we had more of these live broadcasts. In the future I will post another Shaw broadcast with Robert Benchley. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Nightmare (Theme)
2. Begin the Beguine
3. Deep in a Dream
4. Back Bay Shuffle
5. Non-Stop Flight
6. I Have Eyes
7. Carioca
8. Better Than Average Girl
9. Jungle Drums
10. I Cried for You
11. Back Bay Shuffle
12. My Heart Belongs to Daddy
13. I Want My Share of Love
14. Diga Diga Doo, Pt. 1
15. Diga Diga Doo, Pt. 2
16. It's All Yours
17. Rosalie
18. Zigeuner
19. Copenhagen
20. Pastel Blue
21. Traffic Jam
22. I'm in Love With the Honorable Mr. So-And-So
23. Chant
24. Prosschai (Goodbye, Goodbye)
25. Nightmare (Theme)

Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue

The reviewer at Allmusic.com bemoans the fact that ASV opts to include less popular versions (or British) vs. the hit versions, specifically Gene Austin's version of today's post title. I think he misses the point - that the collection is about the songwriter, not the performer. Relying on the hit versions would be too easy. Besides, Austin is represented here and now we get to hear the California Rambers (at least one of their lineups) and widen our exposure to the great music of the 20s and 30s. On another note, I can't imagine how Paul Robeson must have felt when he was given Henderson's tune to record. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Best Things in Life Are Free - Jack Hylton Orchestra
2. I'm Sitting on Top of the World - Frank Crumit
3. Don't Bring Lulu - Nathan Glantz & His Orchestra
4. Lucky Day - Howard Lanin & His Orchestra
5. Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Girl) - California Ramblers
6. (Here I Am) Brokenhearted - Gene Austin
7. Black Bottom Stomp - Annette Hanshaw
8. Bye Bye Blackbird - Layton & Johnstone
9. Magnolia - Johnny Marvin
10. Varsity Drag - Zelma O'Neal
11. Sonny Boy - Al Jolson
12. You're the Cream in My Coffee - Ruth Etting
13. If I Had a Talking Picture of You - Sam Browne with the Jack Hylton Orchestra
14. I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All? - Frank Luther
15. Sunny Side Up - Joe Cassidy
16. Button up Your Overcoat - Ruth Etting
17. My Song - Rudy Vallée
18. That's Why Darkies Were Born - Paul Robeson
19. Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries - Hutch
20. Thrill Is Gone - Rudy Vallée
21. My Dog Loves Your Dog - Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards
22. Animal Crackers in My Soup - Shirley Temple
23. Birth of the Blues - Bing Crosby, Jack Teagarden Orchestra
24. Together - Helen Forrest, Dick Haymes
25. Let's Call It a Day - Hutch

My Blue Heaven

Today marks one year since I began this blog. I meant to post some WWI tunes for Remembrance Day but my audio software is on my other computer somewhere at sea. Instead, this post was published on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This is another series that I like. Often these collections are routine retreads of everything that has already been published on 45 different cds or LPs (think of all those "anthologies" that are little more than a couple of tracks by Woody Herman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Ellington, etc.). I like this cd because it doesn't include either Frenesi or Begin the Beguine. One of my favorite tunes of all time is My Blue Heaven, and I think Shaw gives it a pretty good treatment. At the time I purchased this, I was familiar with only a couple of titles. For me, that is the best time to pick up some music. It is an opportunity for discovery. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Love and Learn
2. Moon Face
3. The Same Old Line
4. You Can Tell She Comes from Dixie
5. Sobbin' Blues
6. Copenhagen
7. Cream Puff
8. My Blue Heaven
9. Streamline
10. Sweet Lorraine
11. Love Is Good for Anything That Ails You
12. No More Tears
13. Moonlight and Shadows
14. Was It Rain?
15. All Alone
16. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm
17. It Goes to Your Feet
18. Because I Love You

Whatchya Gonna Swing Tonight?

 I love a good melody, and there's a load of tunes here to keep you whistling for a while. Or at least until my next post. :-) I think they could have done without two consecutive Crosby solo tunes but will forgive the duet with Connee Boswell because it's Connee Boswell. I never tire of Tommy Dorsey's Marie, and somewhere I have a live version featuring Sinatra that I'll try to locate if and when all of our things arrive via container. Which reminds me, at some point thereafter I plan to post the four cds of complete Dorsey/Sinatra recordings (the sampler cd was posted some time back). In any case, I'm pretty sure this is the last 'Hits of' disc in my collection. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon - Andrews Sisters
2. On The Sunny Side Of The Street - Louis Armstrong
3. Rockin' Chair - Mildred Bailey
4. That Old Feeling - Connee Boswell
5. Will You Remember - Sam Costa
6. Bob White - Bing Crosby & Connie Boswell
7. Moon Got In My Eyes - Bing Crosby
8. Sweet Leilani - Bing Crosby
9. I've Got You Under My Skin - Frances Day
10. Marie - Tommy Dorsey
11. Moon At Sea - Shep Fields
12. Leaning On A Lamp Post - George Formby
13. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm - Judy Garland
14. To Mary With Love - Geraldo
15. Oh They're Tough Mighty Tough In The West - Nat Gonella
16. Pennies From Heaven - Nat Gonella
17. Nice Work If You Can Get It - Billie Holiday
18. Slap That Bass - Ink Spots
19. Was It Rain - Frances Langford
20. Greatest Mistake Of My Life - Jimmy Mesene
21. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Dick Powell
22. Broken Hearted Clown - Harry Roy
23. Can I Forget You - Jean Sablon
24. September In The Rain - Arthur Tracy
25. Where Is The Sun - Valaida

Panama Limited Blues

Yay, I found my other copy of Luis Russell! So by request, here's some hot jazz from the heart of Prohibition. Kid Ory, Barney Bigard, J.C. Higginbotham, Henry "Red" Allen, and Bill Coleman are just some of the names that perform on these terrific sides by Russell's bands. I think I included the scans (from years ago), but the cover didn't come out in color (sorry) for some reason.

By the time this is posted, the computer will have been packed away and the moving truck arrived. I've uploaded a few discs that I hope to get to in the coming weeks, but that will depend on internet access and time - and the sun. We're moving to Brasil! So until the next post - Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. 29th and Dearborn
2. Sweet Mumtaz
3. Panama Limited Blues
4. Tia Juana Man
5. Plantation Joys
6. Please Don't Turn Me Down
7. Sweet Mumtaz
8. Dolly Mine
9. Savoy Shout
10. The Call of the Freaks
11. It's Tight Like That
12. African Jungle
13. Slow As Molasses
14. The New Call of the Freaks
15. Feelin' The Spirit
16. Jersey Lightning
17. Broadway Rhythm
18. The Way He Loves Is Just Too Bad
19. Blood Hound Blues
20. Dirty T.B. Blues
21. Moaning The Blues
22. Telephoning The Blues
23. Doctor Blues

1, 2 Russell's Hot Six; 3,4 Ada Brown; 4 to 8 Luis Russell's Heebie Jeebie Stompers; 9, 10, 11 Luis Russell and His Burning Eight; 12, 13 Jungle Town Stompers; 17, 18 Lou and His Ginger Snaps; 19 to 22 Victoria Spivey; 11 Walter Pichon vocal; 15 J.C. Higganbotham vocal