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This is another one that I had intended to post long ago, but on the other hand there is something to be said for not posting all the best stuff first. I really like the TOM series (am hoping to pick more up soon) because they have been issuing good quality releases of artists that are largely ignored by the larger producers. Check out Charlie Palloy, for a great example. I doubt anyone could do a complete Ben Selvin series, but what TOM included is still very entertaining. Many of these songs were covered by others, including Chick Bullock (gotta get my Bullock plug in!). If you read the post for Vol. 1, the liner notes suggest that these were throw-away tunes. However, the band performs them with gusto and I'm glad the recordings survive to this day. As did others in the era, Kardos recorded these under pseudonyms in an effort to record outside of his contract. From Amazon.com, "Gene Kardos led a popular dance band in New York in the early 1930s, but most of the records he recorded were released under a variety of names on different labels, which made it difficult for him to get proper credit for his accomplishments. The songs on this CD, for example, were released on the Crown label under the name of Joel Shaw and His Orchestra. Crown was a budget label that was started during the Depression--its slogan was "Two Hits for Two Bits"--and most artists who recorded for them used pseudonyms, particularly if they had recording contracts for other labels, as Kardos did. The Joel Shaw Orchestra, which was named for the band's piano player, had a propulsive rhythm. On tracks such as their cover of the Cab Calloway classic "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day" and on standards ("Dinah"), they were capable of playing some fine jazz. And selections like "Barnacle Bill (the Sailor)" and "Call of the Freaks" reveal a goofy sense of humor that only adds to the band's raucous, but good-natured sound. No matter whose name is on the label, the music of Gene Kardos and his band deserves to be heard." Enjoy. +
Tracks
1. Stop The Sun, Stop The Moon
2. Business In F
3. Barnacle Bill
4. Sweet Violets
5. Some Of These Days
6. Alexander's Ragtime Band
7. Sing A New Song
8. If It Ain't Love
9. Business In Q
10. My Extraordinary Gal
11. Oh! Monah
12. Goofus
13. Dinah
14. Mouthful O' Jam
15. Whistle And Blow Your Blues Away
16. Darktown Strutters' Ball
17. Call Of The Freaks
18. How'm I Doin'?
19. The Scat Song
20. Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day
21. When You're Getting Along With Your Gal
22. Who's Your Little Who-Zis?
23. One More Kiss, Then Goodnight
11 comments:
chester- campbell here in Italy can't wait to get back to montreal for all the wondrous things i am unble to enjoy from this backwater
thanks as usual
campbell
Oh, sure - just when it's warming up! Cheers, Campbie.
believe me the weather may be warm here but i've been going through a romantic deep freeze! Montreals snows shall seem like deep south sfter deep freeze of heart in Trieste
i keep my humour ( humor to you )
campbell
back in montreal after disaster in italy. this makes up for hearbreak with miss x
Thanks Chester!
Just did a radio show which included Wingy Manones "Tar Papeer Stomp" which sounds a lot like "In the mood".
Have you any records that sound familiar to other tunes?
Regards
Bob
Your welcome as always, Bob. I wish that my musical ear was better than it is. Some people can name the tune from the slightest hint (remember the tv show?), but often I can't tell that difference. Listening to these vintage tunes, I have to laugh when modern artists cry plagiarism. Everybody was stealing from everybody else from what I can tell. Plus, arrangers had their personal styles that they weren't always able to escape (I'm thinking of John Fogerty's defense when he was sued by Fantasy Records). It's just who they are, and their music sounds the same.
To me, Stompin' at the Savoy sounds like Don't Be That Way, which in turn may sound like something else. I can't think of others offhand right now, but there's also the many tunes based on older popular songs and classical. Larry Clinton, Artie Shaw and Goodman (I think) all did this. Somewhere I have an old radio show with 3 examples of this type of song evolution (or devolution, depending on tastes).
I know that musicians often "improvised" by using excerpts from others in their solos, as well.
When trying to download this, you get an Ethel Waters file (EW2629.zip) instead...
Sorry about that, the link is corrected now. I hope you enjoy the Ethel Waters as well though.
Ready to enjoy again.
Thanks so much for giving us the chance to "audition" out-of-the-ordinary music like this. As has already been said, pretty hot for a Jazz Age dance band - mighty long on the novelties - and most any collection of 20 tracks by a single dance band tends to get a little tedious after a while. Still, there are several outstanding tracks. I really like the "Stop the Sun...," "Business in F," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and the over-the-top whoop-de-do of "Sing a New Song." "Sweet Violets" is actually a pretty good rendition of a song I never wanted to hear again. Here again, the blaring brass on the out chorus enhances the absurdity.
Those novelty numbers paid the bills in the bad years, when you had to leaven the hot music with gimmicks to make it tolerable. 1932-33 saw a minor boom in such stuff, notably from the Joe Haymes orchestra, who actually adapted Bob Miller's country and spiritual songs to big band jazz. The trend never began, but Haymes made some shockingly good recordings in the meantime.
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