Shoo The Hoodoo Away

Three posts in a week! Here is an LP-rip from a 1960s EMI release of Ambrose and His Orchestra recordings during their stay at the Mayfair Hotel between 1928-1932. To quote the liner notes by none other than Brian Rust himself, "the songs on this record are a random collection: choosing a representative cross-section from so much bounty was something of a problem. Where to start? Finally, we settled for something for everyone: something for those who like a good tune offered in quiet good taste; something for those who prefer something a little more adventurous musically; something for those who enjoy and appreciate the finer points of a good solo passage by a brilliant star of the Ahola or Polo calibre; something everyone knows because the melody has lingered on; and something which for some reason is not heard nowadays much, if at all, but which will arouse happy memories of those great days of peace and optimism." A bounty indeed! As Rust later suggests, 'Leven Thirty Saturday Night is a fantastic tune, and I'll add that Sam Browne doesn't disappoint on any of the eleven vocals he handles here. I took a high-res photo of both front and back covers which should make it easy to read the full notes by simply opening the image found in the file. My copy is amazingly clean, and there was only the very slightest editing done. It sounded great to me, hopefully others will agree. Enjoy. +

Tracks

Side One

1. The Free And Easy (vocal: Sam Browne) (Turk-Ahert)
2. Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You) (vocal: Sam Browne) (Kalmar-Ruby)
3. Singapore Sorrows (Le Soir-Doll)
4. Happy Go Lucky You (vocal: Sam Browne) (Murray-Goodhart-Hoffman)
5. Exactly Like You (vocal: Sam Browne) (Fields-McHugh)
6. A Bench In The Park (vocal: Sam Browne) (Yellen-Ager)

Side Two

1. 'Leven Thirty Saturday Night (vocal: Sam Browne) (Burnett-Grantham-Kirkpatrick)
2. Love Letters In The Sand (vocal: Sam Browne) (Coots-Kenny)
3. My Baby Just Cares For Me (vocal: Sam Browne) (Kahn-Donaldson)
4. Cryin' For The Carolines (vocal: Sam Browne) (Lewis-Young-Warren)
5. Shoo The Hoodoo Away (vocal: Ella Logan and Sam Browne) (Snyder-Harris)
6. Moanin' For You (vocal: Sam Browne) (Goulding-Dougherty)

But The Fair Señorita Doesn't Seem To Care

As I attempt to bring the monthly post count back up to a respectable consistency, I offer up some Allan Jones for the discerning ear. Even though I'm a huge fan of classic films, I only first heard the infectious Donkey Serenade a few years ago in an RCA collection of 1930s music (which is in the queue to be posted soon). I don't really go much for the more operatic style in general, but sometimes one cannot help it. Jones had a terrific voice, and could act well enough to get the lead in Showboat opposite Irene Dunne. Comedy fans might recognize him opposite the Marx Brothers in A Night At The Opera and A Day At The Races. As irrelevant tangents sometimes lead, future posts will include the soundtracks from the Marx Brothers films, as well as a Jerome Kern tribute that includes some vocals by Irene Dunne. Someday. Anyway, this post was supposed to be about Jones, whose immense talent reportedly caused Nelson Eddy to get most of the former's footage cut from the Eddy/MacDonald film Rose Marie in 1936. If true, I wish he had not succeeded, but at least we can still listen to Jones' music. I have no Nelson Eddy in my collection though. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody [From the Great Ziegfeld]
2. Everything's Been Done Before [From Reckless]
3. Alone [From a Night at the Opera] - Kitty Carlisle Hart, Allan Jones
4. Cosi Cosa [From a Night at the Opera]
5. Make Believe [From Show Boat] - Irene Dunne, Allan Jones
6. I Have the Room Above Her [From Show Boat] - Irene Dunne, Allan Jones
7. You Are Love [From Show Boat] - Irene Dunne, Allan Jones
8. Blue Venetian Waters [From a Day at the Races]
9. Tomorrow Is Another Day [From a Day at the Races]
10. Woman's Kiss [From the Firefly] - Allan Jones, Jeanette MacDonald
11. Donkey Serenade [From the Firefly]
12. Giannina Mia [From the Firefly]
13. Sympathy [From the Firefly] - Allan Jones, Jeanette MacDonald
14. Donkey Serenade/Giannina Mia (Reprise) [From the Firefly] - Allan Jones, Jeanette MacDonald
15. First Thing in the Morning [From Everybody Sing]
16. Down on Melody Farm/Quartet from Rigoletto [From Everybody Sing] - Judy Garland, Allan Jones
17. One I Love [From Everybody Sing]
18. Show Must Go On [From Everybody Sing]
19. Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life [From the Great Victor Herbert] - Allan Jones, Mary Martin
20. There Once Was an Owl [From the Great Victor Herbert] - Allan Jones, Mary Martin
21. Thine Alone [From the Great Victor Herbert] - Allan Jones, Mary Martin
22. Wonderful Dreams/All for You [From the Great Victor Herbert] - Allan Jones, Mary Martin
23. Someday [From the Great Victor Herbert]
24. I'm Falling in Love With Someone [From Naughty Marietta]
25. Falling in Love With Love [From the Boys from Syracuse]
26. Who Are You? [From the Boys from Syracuse]
27. Sweethearts [From Sweethearts]

Cuban Belle

When Don Azpiazu and his Havana Casino Orchestra recorded their version of El Manicero (known to gringos like me as The Peanut Vendor), they lit a Latin American-influenced fuse that became an enormous fad in the 1930s. You can find that song (as well as Green Eyes featuring my favorite vocalist) in the Don Azpiazu post elsewhere in this site. This cd is quite simply a fantastic collection of music, full of energy that makes me want to rumba (and if I had to dance for my supper, I'd starve). The band featured here is lead by Don Antobal, the brother of Azpiazu. The vocalist on 12 - count them, 12 - songs, is non other than Chiquito Bullo. No, really. That's the pseudonym they came up with, no doubt laughing about it every time.

Eusebio Santiago Azpiazu took the stage name of Don Mario Antobal (for unknown reasons, according to the liner notes, but surely it must have been to avoid confusion/coattail riding with his brother's band?). Azpiazu's band broke up in Paris in 1933, with some of the musicians finding their way into Antobal's unit for some of the later recordings, though the session info seems to be sparse. Track # 1 is the only to feature Azpiazu vocalist Antonio Machín. Most of the tunes here were written by Marion Sunshine or Moïses Simons (or both), the latter having written El Manicero. Well, there is a lot more info in the 9 pages of liner notes, so I will stop writing and recommend picking up a copy of the cd. Great music, including twelve Chick Bullock vocals! Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. La Mulata Rumbera
2. Los Tres Golpes
3. Para Vigo Me Voy (Say "Si Si")
4. Marianna
5. Hot Tamales
6. Mammy Bong
7. Spic And Spanish
8. Songo Songo
9. A Gozar (Let's Be Gay)
10. La Conga (Havana's Calling Me)
11. The Moon Over Cuba Was High And So Was I
12. My Margarita
13. Virgen (In A Cuban Garden)
14. El Trapero (Old Clothes)
15. The All Look Alike To Pancho
16. El Maraquero
17. The Night The Lady Said "No"
18. Tierra Tropical (The Cuban In Me)
19. No Se Puede (Said The Monkey)
20. Vienne La Conga
21. Cachita
22. Conga Karabalicero (Conga Drums)
23. Blue Bayou
24. Cuban Belle
25. Onile Bó (Whoa, Nellie, Whoa)

All recorded in New York:

29 December  1932    01, 02
4 May 1936                03, 04
18 May 1936              05
7 January 1937           06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 16
21 January 1937         11
2 July 1937                 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19
16 December 1937     21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Vocalists:

Antonio Machín           01
Panchito Risét              03, 13, 19, 20
Johnny Rodriguez         06, 08, 09, 16
Alfredo Valdés             22, 25
Chiquito Bullo              04, 05, 06, 07, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 21, 23, 24
(Chick Bullock)