Won't You Come Over And Say "Hello"

(new link!)

Need I say it? I really like the Chick Bullock vocals here because I think he paired very well with Clarence Williams' style. I'm gonna rig myself up, in a swaller-tail coat ... Although Williams has been called a "decent pianist and a likable but limited vocalist," he was quite capable of putting together some of the best recording sessions. Many of the sides here include James P. Johnson, Roy Smeck, and Louis Jordan among others, and there is a lot of good music to be heard here. One of the criticisms of the Classics series is that it isn't always all-inclusive. Although recorded in the same recording session as track 20, this cd omits "Sashay, Oh Boy!" which also features Little Buddy Farrior on vocal. That said, if you haven't heard it yet, Williams' subsequent chronological entry set can be found elsewhere in this blog. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Swaller-Tail Coat (Miller)
2. Looka-There, Ain't She Pretty (Todd)
3. St. Louis Blues (Handy)
4. How Can I Get It? (Williams)
5. On The Sunny Side Of The Street (McHugh-Fields)
6. Won't You Come Over And Say "Hello" (Barnett-Williams)
7. Old Street Sweeper (Sullivan-Gray)
8. I'm Gonna Wash My Sins Away (Williams-Brevard)
9. Jimmy Had A Nickel (Siglar-Goodhart-Hoffman)
10. He's A Colonel From Kentucky (Tobias-Scholl-Mencher-Baer)
11. Pretty Baby, Is It Yes Or No? (Williams-Brevad)
12. Mister, Will You Serenade? (Williams-Hill-Robinson)
13. I Got Horses And Got Numbers On My Mind (Bernard-Wirges-Bibo)
14. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues (Thomas)
15. Let's Have A Showdown (Pinkard-Page)
16. I Can't Dance, I Got Ants In My Pants (Gaines-Williams)
17. Christmas Night In Harlem (Parish-Scott)
18. Ill Wind (You're Blowing Me No Good) (Koehler-Arlen)
19. As Long As I Live (Arlen-Koehler)
20. Tell The Truth (Scott-O'Frye)
21. I Can't Beat You Doin' What You're Doin' Me (Piron-Williams)
22. Trouble (Rofkin-Walman-Blank)

I'm An Old Cowhand

Hardly the "essential," as many of these tracks are included in other collections, and it doesn't come close to sampling his 10 year career, but it is the only commercially-produced cd that is dedicated expressly to the vocals of Chick Bullock. Some of these show up in the Frank Newton collection, others in the Classics set of Bill Coleman, and there are others from a Bunny Berigan set that I've uploaded and hope to post this month. Despite that, there are a couple of alternate takes and tunes that don't show up elsewhere such as as Going! Going! Gone!, and No-One Loves Me Like That Dallas Man. I find the latter odd, because where normally the gender is switched to match the singer, Bullock sings it from the woman's point of view. I encourage people to buy a copy of the cd because there are some good liner notes and information on the life of Chick Bullock, including a rare picture of him in his later years, plus a younger picture of his wife. Overall, a worthy set of recordings and the quality is good. But an "essential" collection has to include some of his earlier and jazzier material, as well as some of his more romantic crooning from 1930-1931. Seriously, Amapola in an "essential" collection? Incidentally, There'll Be Some Changes Made was recorded during Chick's final recording session on February 12, 1941 Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Underneath The Harlem Moon
2. Mighty River    2:51
3. (When It's) Darkness On The Delta
4. Any Time, Any Day, Anywhere
5. Going!Going!!Gone!!!
6. Low Down Upon The Harlem River
7. No-One Loves Me Like That Dallas Man
8. Extra (All About That Gal Of Mine)
9. Frankie And Johnnie
10. I Can't Dance (I've Got Ants In My Pants)
11. Somebody Loves Me
12. I'm An Old Cowhand
13. Smiles
14. It Had To Be You
15. My Melancholy Baby
16. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
17. Dolores
18. Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)
19. Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning
20. There'll Be Some Changes Made
21. It Had To Be You
22. My Melancholy Baby
23. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
24. Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning
25. My Melancholy Baby

Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble

Life is full of good intentions, but it wasn't my goal to go so long between albums. That said, however, it is World Cup time, so it's still going to be a slow month for posting until it's over. The good news is that I've got a Mildred Baily LP set, some Bunny Berigan, and more Clarence Williams lined up. In the meantime, here is another selection from the McKinney's Cotton Pickers series. I find it a little odd that the label leap-frogged with the dates to include the latter Don Redman sides, especially considering that they have his work separately. But I guess that's what you get from a label that can't spell "chronological." Anyway, this set includes performances from Benny Carter, Doc Cheatham and more. Two versions of Chant of the Weed and Reefer Man leaves little doubt in my mind what the band did to relax. Enjoy. (and go Brasil!) +

Tracks

1. Never Swat a Fly
2. I Want Your Love
3. Hello!
4. After All, You're All I'm After
5. I Miss a Little Miss
6. To Whom It May Concern
7. You're Driving Me Crazy
8. Come a Little Closer
9. It's A Lonesome Old Town (When You're Not Around)
10. She's My Secret Passion
11. Do You Believe in Love at Sight?
12. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
13. Chant of the Weed
14. I Heard
15. Got the South in My Soul
16. Reefer Man
17. Chew, Chew, Chew (Your Bubble Gum)
18. Igloo
19. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
20. Ain't I Good to You
21. You Ain't Nowhere
22. About Rip Van Winkle
23. Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble
24. Chant of the Weed

Recording dates
Nov 4, 1930-Jan 17, 1940

Sloppy Drunk Blues

Good grief, another month gone by. Here's another one of those tangents, though not irrelevant once you give a listen. During my search for Chick Bullock, in the days prior to having discographies available, I stumbled across some Clarence Williams' cds featuring the singer. Even better than adding a paltry four or five vocals to my Bullock collection, I now had yet another disc of cool music. Which means of course, another chance to share with everyone. The years covered here range from 1926 to 1939, and include Johnny Dodds, Clarence Williams, Louis Armstrong and others. Wine pairing recommendation: none. Open up a bottle of good beer. Repeat as needed. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Little Bits - Jimmy Bertrand's Washboard Wizards (featuring Johnny Dodds) 1926
2. Idle Hour Special - Jimmy Bertrand's Washboard Wizards (featuring Johnny Dodds) 1926
3. 47th Street Stomp - Jimmy Bertrand's Washboard Wizards (featuring Johnny Dodds) 1926
4. Cushion Foot Stomp - Clarence Williams Washboard Band 1927
5. PDQ Blues - Clarence Williams Washboard Band 1927
6. I'm Goin' Hunting - Jimmy Bertrand's Washboard Wizards (featuring Louis Armstrong) 1927
7. Forty And Tight - Beale Street Washboard Band (featuring Johnny Dodds) 1929
8. Piggly Wiggly - Beale Street Washboard Band (featuring Johnny Dodds) 1929
9. Pigmeat Stomp - Alabama Washboard Stompers (featuring Teddy Bunn) 1930/1932
10. Wild Man Stomp - Chicago Stompers (featuring Jimmy Blythe) 1931
11. Stomp Your Stuff - Chicago Stompers (featuring Jimmy Blythe) 1931
12. Pepper Steak - Alabama Washboard Stompers (featuring Teddy Bunn) 1930/1932
13. Sloppy Drunk Blues - Washboard Rhythm Kings 1932
14. Fire - Washboard Rhythm Kings 1932
15. Warehouse Blues - Washboard Sam & His Washboard Band 1938/1939
16. Booker T. Blues - Washboard Sam & His Washboard Band 1938/1939
17. This Time Is My Time - Washboard Sam & His Washboard Band 1938/1939
18. Block And Tackle - Washboard Sam & His Washboard Band 1938/1939