In The Barrel

Now a return to another favorite ... "Wingy Manone was an excellent Dixieland trumpeter whose jivey vocals were popular and somewhat reminiscent of his contemporary, Louis Prima. He had lost his right arm in a streetcar accident when he was ten, but Manone (who Joe Venuti once gave one cuff link for a Christmas present) never appeared to be handicapped in public (effectively using an artificial arm). He played trumpet in riverboats starting when he was 17, was with the Crescent City Jazzers (which later became the Arcadian Serenaders) in Alabama, and made his recording debut with the group in the mid-'20s. He worked in many territory bands throughout the era before recording as a leader in 1927 in New Orleans. By the following year, Manone was in Chicago and soon relocated to New York, touring with theater companies. His "Tar Paper Stomp" in 1930 used a riff that later became the basis for "In the Mood." In 1934, Manone began recording on a regular basis and after he had a hit with "The Isle of Capri" in 1935, he became a very popular attraction. Among his sidemen on his 1935-1941 recordings were Matty Matlock, Eddie Miller, Bud Freeman, Jack Teagarden, Joe Marsala, George Brunies, Brad Gowans, and Chu Berry. In 1940, Manone appeared in the Bing Crosby movie Rhythm on the River, he soon wrote his humorous memoirs Trumpet on the Wing (1948), and he would later appear on many of Crosby's radio shows. Wingy Manone lived in Las Vegas from 1954 up until his death and he stayed active until near the end, although he only recorded one full album (for Storyville in 1966) after 1960.

Wingy Manone's popular series of Dixieland-flavored combo records continued in 1939-40. This CD, the sixth in Classics' complete reissuance of Manone's recordings of the era, is most notable for having tenor saxophonist Chu Berry as a key sideman on three of the four sessions. Also heard in the supporting cast on some of the dates are clarinetist Buster Bailey, drummer Cozy Cole and guitarist Danny Barker, although the final four selections are done mostly with obscure players. Manone has his typical jivey vocals on 15 of the 22 selections including "Corrine Corrini," "Beale Street Blues," "The Saints," "My Honey's Lovin' Arms," "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" and "The Mosquito Song." Not too surprisingly, it is the seven instrumentals that are of greatest interest, particularly "Jumpy Nerves" (which uses Manone's riff which would soon become the basis for "In the Mood"), "Royal Garden Blues," "Blue Lou" and "She's Crying for Me." In general, this was a strong period for Manone's recordings and there are plenty of fine solos from Wingy, Chu and Bailey (Allmusic.com)." Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. Downright Disgusted blues
02. Corrine Corrini
03. I'm A Real Kinda Papa
04. Jumpy Nerves
05. Casey Jones
06. Boogie Woogie
07. Royal Garden Blues
08. Beale Street Blues
09. In The Barrel
10. Farewell Blues
11. Fare Thee, My Babe, Fare-Thee-Well
12. Limehouse Blues
13. Blue Lou
14. Sudan
15. How Long Blues
16. When The Saints Go Marching In
17. My Honey's Lovin' Arms
18. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street
19. She's Crying For Me
20. South With The Boarder
21. The Mosquito Song
22. Put On Your Old Grey bonnet