Let Yourself Go

Closing out the month with a bang! For all the excellent work that Classics did in compiling this great music, there were sometimes complaints about missing and erroneous tracks. I can't speak to the former, but the Bunny Berigan 1935-36 disc was issued with the unforgivable sin of deleting Chick Bullock's vocals. They were why I had bought the cd in the first place! Thanks to a fellow collector, I'm able to share this. All is well now, as Classics made up for the inclusion of those tracks (which I believe had come from a 1960s Berigan LP - so beware should you be record browsing and contemplate purchasing it). The Berigan / Bullock combination on Let Yourself Go is alone worth picking up the entire 3-cd set, in my opinion. Both are in fine form. ... The set starts off with a couple of Chick Webb instrumentals, the last before Ella Fitzgerald joined the band. In addition to these, there are some really interesting and / or alternative tracks here from many of the artists familiar to listeners of this series. Band title of the set goes to Louis Armstrong and Buster Bailey for their Red Onion Jazz Babies. Enjoy! + + +

Tracks

Disc 1
01 - Who Ya Hunchin'
02 - In The Groove At The Grove
03 - Night Wind
04 - If The Moon Turns Green
05 - Devil In The Moon
06 - Louisiana Fairy Tale
07 - Boats
08 - Fish For Supper
09 - 'Ats In There
10 - Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide
11 - Rain, Rain, Go Away
12 - Summertime
13 - Pistol Packin' Mama
14 - Redman Blues
15 - Great Day In The Morning
16 - Midnite Mood
17 - Dark Glasses
18 - Mickey Finn
19 - Carrie Mae Blues
20 - Clementine
21 - I've Found A New Baby
22 - After Hour Creep
23 - Garbage Man Blues
24 - Chickasaw Stomp
25 - Memphis Rag

Disc 2
01 - I Got Rhythm
02 - St. Louis Blues
03 - Lazy Bones
04 - Dinah
05 - King Porter Stomp
06 - Moten Swing
07 - Minor Riff
08 - Satchel Mouth Baby
09 - Close Your Eyes
10 - This Is Everything I Prayed For
11 - Again
12 - Ain't I Losing You
13 - Of All The Wrongs You Done To Me
14 - Terrible Blues
15 - Santa Claus Blues
16 - Cake Walking Babies From Home
17 - Lucy Long
18 - I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle
19 - If You Can't Hold The Man You Love
20 - Blue Devil Blues
21 - Squabblin'
22 - Smoke-House Blues
23 - Beau-Koo Jack
24 - Exactly Like You
25 - Froglegs And Bourbon

Disc 3
01 - I Would Do Anything For You
02 - Tiger Rag
03 - Bugs Parade
04 - Wall Street Wail
05 - Poor Lil' Me
06 - Are You Hep To The Jive
07 - All The Time
08 - On The Sentimental Side
09 - Pete's Lonesome Blues
10 - Mr. Drums Meets Mr. Piano
11 - Mutiny In The Doghouse
12 - Mr. Clarinet Knocks Twice
13 - Ben Rides Out
14 - Page Mr. Trumpet
15 - J.C. From K.C.
16 - Pete's Housewarming Blues
17 - It's Been So Long
18 - I'd Rather Lead A Band
19 - Let Yourself Go
20 - A Melody From The Sky
21 - Rhythm Saved The World
22 - I Nearly Let Love Go Slipping Thru' My Fingers
23 - But Definitely
24 - If I Had My Way

Crazy-O-Logy

Often a sideman on many of the recordings here, Freeman also recorded several sides under his own name (albeit they were few and far between). "When Bud Freeman first matured, his was the only strong alternative approach on the tenor to the harder-toned style of Coleman Hawkins and he was an inspiration for Lester Young. Freeman, one of the top tenors of the 1930s, was also one of the few saxophonists (along with the slightly later Eddie Miller) to be accepted in the Dixieland world, and his oddly angular but consistently swinging solos were an asset to a countless number of hot sessions.

Freeman, excited (as were the other members of the Austin High School Gang in Chicago) by the music of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, took up the C-melody sax in 1923, switching to tenor two years later. It took him time to develop his playing, which was still pretty primitive in 1927 when he made his recording debut with the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans. Freeman moved to New York later that year and worked with Red Nichols' Five Pennies, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Ben Pollack, Joe Venuti, Gene Kardos, and others. He starred on Eddie Condon's memorable 1933 recording "The Eel." After stints with Joe Haymes and Ray Noble, Freeman was a star with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and Clambake Seven (1936-1938) before having a short unhappy stint with Benny Goodman (1938). He led his short-lived but legendary Summe Cum Laude Orchestra (1939-1940) which was actually an octet, spent two years in the military, and then from 1945 on, alternated between being a bandleader and working with Eddie Condon's freewheeling Chicago jazz groups. Freeman traveled the world, made scores of fine recordings, and stuck to the same basic style that he had developed by the mid-'30s (untouched by a brief period spent studying with Lennie Tristano)." (Allmusic.com) Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Craze-O-Logy
02 - Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
03 - What Is There To Say 
04 - The Buzzard
05 - Tillie's Downtown Now
06 - Keep Smilin' At Trouble
07 - You Took Advantage Of Me
08 - Three's No Crowd
09 - I Got Rhythm
10 - Keep Smilin' At Trouble
11 - At Sundown
12 - My Honey's Lovin' Arms
13 - I Don't Believe It
14 - Trappin' The Commodore Till
15 - Memories Of You
16 - 'Life' Spears A Jitterbug
17 - What's The Use 
18 - Three Little Words
19 - Swingin' Without Mezz
20 - The Blue Room
21 - Exactly Like You
22 - Private Jives

White Lightnin' Blues

Here's an extra one for having goofed on the last one. "Bennie Moten is today best-remembered as the leader of a band that partly became the nucleus of the original Count Basie Orchestra, but Moten deserves better. He was a fine ragtime-oriented pianist who led the top territory band of the 1920s, an orchestra that really set the standard for Kansas City jazz. In fact it was so dominant that Moten was able to swallow up some of his competitors' groups including Walter Page's Blue Devils, most of whom eventually became members of Moten's big band.

Moten formed his group (originally a sextet) in 1922 and the following year they made their first recordings. Among Moten's 1923-1925 sides for Okeh was the original version of his greatest hit "South." During 1926-1932, Moten's Orchestra recorded for Victor and, although none of his original musicians became famous, the later additions included his brother Buster on occasional jazz accordion, Harlan Leonard, Jack Washington, Eddie Durham, Jimmy Rushing, Hot Lips Page, and (starting in 1929) Count Basie. So impressed was Moten by Basie's playing that Count assumed the piano chair for recordings from that point on (although in clubs Moten would generally play a feature or two). The most famous Bennie Moten recording session was also his last, ten songs cut on December 13, 1932 that found the ensemble strongly resembling Basie's five years later. In addition to Hot Lips Page, Durham, Washington, and Basie, the band at that point also starred Ben Webster, Eddie Barefield, and Walter Page and one of the high points was the debut of "Moten Swing." (Allmusic.com). Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Elephant's Wobble
02 - Crawdad Blues
03 - South
04 - Vine Street Blues
05 - Tulsa Blues
06 - Goofy Dust
07 - Baby Dear
08 - She's Sweeter Than Sugar
09 - South Street Blues
10 - Sister Honky Tonk
11 - As I Like It
12 - Things Seem So Blue To Me
13 - 18th Street Strut
14 - Kater Street Rag
15 - Thick Up Stomp
16 - Harmony Blues
17 - Kansas City Shuffle
18 - Yazoo Blues
19 - White Lightnin' Blues
20 - Muscle Shoals Blues
21 - Midnight Mama
22 - Missouri Wobble
23 - Sugar
24 - Dear Heart

Soothin' Syrup Stomp

(*Oops, wrong cover originally - it's correct now and the link has been changed. Thanks to Enoch, a higher encode is now available.)

Back a few years for some tunes from smack dab in the middle of Prohibition. These are some of Waller's solo recordings, which most people simply never get to hear. These show another side of Waller, in contrast to the well-known clown. "Not only was Fats Waller one of the greatest pianists jazz has ever known, he was also one of its most exuberantly funny entertainers -- and as so often happens, one facet tends to obscure the other. His extraordinarily light and flexible touch belied his ample physical girth; he could swing as hard as any pianist alive or dead in his classic James P. Johnson-derived stride manner, with a powerful left hand delivering the octaves and tenths in a tireless, rapid, seamless stream. Waller also pioneered the use of the pipe organ and Hammond organ in jazz -- he called the pipe organ the "God box" -- adapting his irresistible sense of swing to the pedals and a staccato right hand while making imaginative changes of the registration.

Waller started making records for Victor in 1926; his most significant early records for that label were a series of brilliant 1929 solo piano sides of his own compositions like "Handful of Keys" and "Smashing Thirds." After finally signing an exclusive Victor contract in 1934, he began the long-running, prolific series of records with His Rhythm, which won him great fame and produced several hits, including "Your Feet's Too Big," "The Joint Is Jumpin'" and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter." He began to appear in films like Hooray for Love and King of Burlesque in 1935 while continuing regular appearances on radio that dated back to 1923. He toured Europe in 1938, made organ recordings in London for HMV, and appeared on one of the first television broadcasts. He returned to London the following spring to record his most extensive composition, "London Suite" for piano and percussion, and embark on an extensive continental tour (which, alas, was canceled by fears of impending war with Germany). Well aware of the popularity of big bands in the '30s, Waller tried to form his own, but they were short-lived." (Allmusic.com) Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - St. Louis Blues
02 - Lenox Avenue Blues (The Church Organ Blues)
03 - Soothin' Syrup Stomp
04 - Sloppy Water Blues
05 - Loveless Love
06 - Messin' Around with the Blues
07 - The Rusty Pail
08 - Stompin' the Bug
09 - Hog Maw Stomp
10 - Blue Black Bottom
11 - Sugar (instrumental)
12 - Sugar
13 - Beale Street Blues
14 - Beale Street Blues (instrumental)
15 - I'm Goin' to See My Ma
16 - Fats Waller Stomp
17 - Savannah Blues
18 - Won't You Take Me Home
19 - Anything That Happens Just Pleases Me
20 - My Old Daddy's Got a Brand-New Way to Love
21 - Black Snake Blues
22 - I've Got the Joogle Blues

Panassie Stomp

Another name that deserves more recognition, here's what an abridged Allmusic.com bio says about Alix Combelle. "Despite the continuing popularity of Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli, and Gypsy swing, Alix Combelle has yet to be recognized in the U.S. for his steadfast contributions to the development and establishment of that tradition. An accomplished saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, and bandleader, Combelle was a vital figure in the development of European jazz during the 1930s who made dozens of recordings with Reinhardt and members of the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, and it is with Reinhardt that his reputation was established. Unlike Django, Combelle adhered stubbornly to straightforward swing and does not seem to have felt it necessary to modernize into the style and methodology of bop. Most of his best recordings date from the years 1935-1943 and were released on the appropriately named Swing label.

Beginning with a historic multinational session led by Coleman Hawkins in 1937, Combelle's unwavering devotion to jazz brought him into close contact with many visiting and emigrating U.S. swing masters, including multi-instrumentalist Benny Carter, clarinetist Danny Polo & His Swing Stars, pianist Freddy Johnson, vocalist Adelaide Hall, and trumpeter Bill Coleman, in whose orchestra he worked alongside Argentine guitarist Oscar Alemán. He also made a number of fine recordings with groups led by trumpeter Philippe Brun, gigged with altoist Andre Ekyan, and backed popular French vocalists Jean Sablon and Charles Trenet.

Combelle visited the U.S. twice in 1937-1938. Tommy Dorsey was impressed enough to make him an offer but the Parisian opted for a return to home turf, where he joined an orchestra led by pianist Ray Ventura. A session with Reinhardt that took place in December 1940 featured Combelle shoulder to shoulder with fellow saxophonists Christian Wagner and Hubert Rostaing. After the outbreak of war, he led a cooperative big band known as Le Jazz de Paris, and stayed at the helm for several years before turning it over to drummer Jerry Mengo. Somehow, Combelle and his partners in swing managed to continue performing jazz during the nightmare years of the Occupation, despite their obvious association with Jews, African-Americans, and Gypsies, three ethnic groups singled out by Nazi ideologists as racially inferior. The simplest expedient involved camouflaging the titles of jazz standards, but it took a lot more than that to fool or deter the Gestapo. And Combelle was definitely a cultural "Enemy of the Reich," for his African-American heroes included Chu Berry, Herschel Evans, Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller, Jimmie Lunceford, and Count Basie." (Allmusic.com)

Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Crazy Rhythm
02 - The Sheik Of Araby
03 - Exactly Like You
04 - Alexander's Ragtime Band
05 - Hang Over Blues
06 - Avalon
07 - I Can't Give You Anything But Love
08 - When You're Smiling
09 - If I Had You
10 - Al's Idea
11 - Don't Get Tired
12 - Morning Feeling
13 - Daphne
14 - Swingin' At The Sugar Bowl
15 - Every Tub
16 - Jumpin' At The Woodside
17 - Weekend Stomp
18 - Nerves And Fever
19 - Fast, Slow, Medium Tempo
20 - Panassie Stomp
21 - Rock-A-Bye Basie
22 - Tel quel (en plein sur le nez)
23 - Deux pieds gauches

Moanin' In The Mornin'

Taking a side trip from the hotter music (which we'll get right back to), here's another set of simply one of the best singers ever, in my opinion. This LP put together Lee Wiley's recordings of Rodgers & Hart and Harold Arlen compositions. Tracks 1, 3, 4, and 6 are with Joe Bushkin and His Orchestra. Tracks 2, 5, 7 and 8 are with Max Kaminsky and His Orchestra. Tracks 9-16 are with Eddie Condon, either with his Orchestra, the Quintet or the Sextet. As often happens, when LPs and CDs are rereleased by another distributor they felt compelled to change the cover, so I included both (the white one didn't scan too well apparently). Anyway, Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Baby's Awake Now (1940)
02 - Here In My Arms (1940)
03 - You Took Advantage Of Me (1940)
04 - A Little Birdie Told Me So (1940)
05 - A Ship Without A Sail (1940)
06 - I've Got Five Dollars (1940)
07 - Glad To Be Unhappy (1940)
08 - As Though You Were There (1940)
09 - Let's Fall In Love (1943)
10 - Moanin' In The Mornin' (1943)
11 - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (1943)
12 - Stormy Weather (1943)
13 - Down With Love (1943)
14 - I've Got The World On A String (1943)
15 - Fun To Be Fooled (1943)
16 - You Said It (1943)

In A Little Gipsy Tea Room

March madness rolls along! I'm willing to bet that most people have never heard of Bob Howard, which is a shame. He was fairly prolific in the 1930s and put out some very nice sides. From the first, it is obvious how much these recordings were influenced by Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong. As the liner notes suggest, when Victor began publishing Waller, Decca rushed to sign Howard in an attempt to cash in on Waller's popularity. Despite the similarity of style, Howard was talented in his own right and these recordings deserve to be heard on their own merit. Among those who performed on these sessions (January, 1932 - July 1935) are Benny Carter, Buster Bailey, Teddy Wilson, Cozy Cole, Rex Stewart, and Billy Taylor. Not bad company to keep! I've got three more Bob Howards to share in future posts (courtesy of another collector). Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. You Rascal, You
02. All Of Me
03. It's Unbelievable
04. Whisper Sweet
05. Throwin' Stones At The Sun
06. You Fit Into The Picture
07. You're The Top (contd.)
08. The Ghost Of Dinah
09. Pardon My Love
10. Stay Out Of Love
11. I'll Never Change
12. On The Night Of June The Third
13. Breakin' The Ice
14. Corrine Corrina
15. Ev'ry Day
16. A Porter's Love Song To A Chambermaid
17. I Can't Dance
18. If The Moon Turns Green
19. Lulu's Back In Town
20. In A Little Gipsy Tea Room
21. I Never Saw A Better Night

Wah-Dee-Dah

In the quest to make up for lost ground, here is some jazz by several bands, showing that Spike Jones was not the only one with a sense of humor. Some of these aren't really that funny, but the bands ad a lighter side to the recording. Barnacle Bill the Sailor should be well-known, and In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town has even been covered by Chick Bullock. But Red Allen's version is anything but crooning. Track 8, For Musicians Only, might sound familiar to fans of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. This cd sounds like several of the tracks were transferred without much noise reduction, and it makes me want to reach for a good dust cloth before playing. Oh, well. In any case the music shows that bands could have some fun as well as being top-notch musicians. Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. Laughing In Rhythm - Sidney Bechet & His New Orleans Footwarmers
02. Barnacle Bill The Sailor - Hoagy Carmichael And His Orchestra
03. Maybe Not At All - Ethel Waters & Her Ebony Four
04. It's A Great World After All - Don Redman & His Orchestra
05. The Mosquito Song (Where Do The Mosquitos Go In The Winter Time?) - Wingy Manone & His Orchestra
06. In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town - Red Allen And His Orchestra
07. The Latest Thing In Hot Jazz - Eight Squares And A Critic
08. For Musicians Only - Bud Freeman And His V-Disc Jumpers
09. Kidney Stew - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
10. Chicken (Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird) - George Lewis Band
11. The Duck's Yas Yas Yas - Eddie Johnson's Crackerjacks
12. Pussy (My Girl's Pussy) - Harry Roy And His Bat Club Boys
13. Beedle-Um-Bum - McKinney's Cotton Pickers
14. Wah-Dee-Dah - Three Keys
15. Cement Mixer - The Slim Gaillard Trio
16. Keep Smiling, Keep Laughing - John Kirby & His Orchestra
17. You're Bound To Look Like A Monkey When You Get Old - Clarence Williams' Novelty Band
18. Goofus - Red Nichols & His Five Pennies
19. Ikey And Mikey - The Washboard Rhythm Kings
20. Laughing Boy Blues - Woody Herman & His Orchestra
21. You Run Your Mouth (I'll Run My Business) - Fats Waller & His Rhythm
22. Home On The Range - Ted Weems & His Orchestra with Gary Moore (announcer)
23. It's The Tune That Counts - Leo Watson & His Orchestra
24. Laughin' Louis - Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra

Jeep Jockey Jump

Although the Glenn Miller Orchestra has been criticized and/or derided by jazz critics, it was nonetheless a part of the era. Myself, I prefer the live airchecks that are floating around more than any of the studio recordings, and though I do like several of his biggest hits, I think the Army Airforce recordings were rather uninspiring. But that is merely my opinion, and others may enjoy this last part of Miller's career. "In 1942, at the peak of his civilian career, Miller decided to join the war effort. At 38, Miller was too old to be drafted, and first volunteered for the Navy but was told that they did not need his services. Miller then wrote to Army Brigadier General Charles Young. He persuaded the United States Army to accept him so he could, in his own words, "be placed in charge of a modernized Army band." After being accepted into the Army, Miller's civilian band played its last concert in Passaic, New Jersey, on September 27, 1942. His patriotic intention of entertaining the Allied Forces with the fusion of virtuosity and dance rhythms in his music earned him the rank of captain and was soon promoted to major by August 1944.

At first placed in the United States Army, Miller was transferred to the Army Air Force. Captain Glenn Miller served initially as assistant special services officer for the Army Air Forces Southeast Training Center at Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1942. He played trombone with the Rhythmaires, a 15-piece dance band, in both Montgomery and in service clubs and recreation halls on Maxwell. Miller also appeared on both WAPI (Birmingham, Alabama) and WSFA radio (Montgomery), promoting the activities of civil service women aircraft mechanics employed at Maxwell.

Miller initially formed a large marching band that was to be the core of a network of service orchestras. Miller's attempts at modernizing military music were met with some resistance from tradition-minded career officers. For example, Miller's arrangement of "St. Louis Blues March", combined blues and jazz with the traditional military march. Miller's weekly radio broadcast "I Sustain the Wings", for which he co-wrote the eponymous theme song, moved from New Haven to New York City and was very popular. This led to permission for Miller to form his 50-piece Army Air Force Band and take it to England in the summer of 1944, where he gave 800 performances. While in England, now Major Miller recorded a series of records at EMI owned Abbey Road Studios. EMI at this time was the British and European distributor for RCA Victor. The recordings the AAF band made in 1944 at Abbey Road were propaganda broadcasts for the Office of War Information. Many songs are sung in German by Johnny Desmond and Glenn Miller speaks in German about the war effort." (Wikipedia). Enjoy! +

Tracks

Disc One
01 - Over There
02 - Anvil Chorus
03 - Stardust
04 - Song Of The Volga Boat Men
05 - Farewell Blues
06 - They Are All Yanks
07 - My Ideal
08 - Mission To Moscow
09 - Sun Valley Jump
10 - Tuxedo Junction
11 - I'll Be Around
12 - Poinciana
13 - I Hear You Screamin'
14 - Juke Box Saturday Night
15 - My Blue Heaven

Disc Two
01 - Saint Louis Blues March
02 - It Must Be Jelly
03 - Blues In My Heart
04 - Everybody Lover My Baby
05 - Medley
06 - Victory Polka
07 - There'll Be A Hot Time In The Town Od Berlin
08 - Flying Home
09 - Here We Go Again
10 - Glenn  Miller - Jeep Jockey Jump
11 - Enlisted Men's Mess
12 - Begin The Beguine
13 - In The Mood

Last Cent

I'm challenging myself to see how many I can share this month, and Red Nichols is always a good choice (courtesy of a fellow collector). "Overrated in Europe in the early '30s when his records (but not those of his black contemporaries) were widely available and then later underrated and often unfairly called a Bix imitator, Red Nichols was actually one of the finest cornetists to emerge from the '20s. An expert improviser whose emotional depth did not reach as deep as Bix or Louis Armstrong, Nichols was in many ways a hustler, participating in as many recording sessions (often under pseudonyms) as any other horn player of the era, cutting sessions as Red Nichols & His Five Pennies, the Arkansas Travelers, the Red Heads, the Louisiana Rhythm Kings, and the Charleston Chasers, among others, usually with similar personnel. Nichols studied cornet with his father, a college music teacher. After moving from Utah to New York in 1923, Nichols, an excellent sight-reader who could always be relied upon to add a bit of jazz to a dance band recording, quickly became in great demand. His own sessions at first featured trombonist Miff Mole and Jimmy Dorsey on alto and clarinet, playing advanced music that utilized unusual intervals, whole-tone scales, and often the timpani of Vic Berton along with hot ensembles. Later on in the decade his sidemen included such young greats as Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Jack Teagarden, Pee Wee Russell, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Adrian Rollini, Gene Krupa, and the wonderful mellophone specialist Dudley Fosdick, among others; their version of "Ida" was a surprise hit.

Although still using the main name of the Five Pennies, Nichols' bands were often quite a bit larger, and by 1929 he was alternating sessions featuring bigger commercial orchestras with small combos. At first Nichols weathered the Depression well with work in shows, but by 1932 his long string of recordings came to an end. He headed a so-so swing band up until 1942, left music for a couple of years, and for a few months in 1944 was with Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. Later that year he re-formed the Five Pennies as a Dixieland sextet and, particularly after bass saxophonist Joe Rushton became a permanent member, it was one of the finer traditional jazz bands of the next 20 years. Nichols recorded several memorable hot versions of "Battle Hymn of the Republic," the best being in 1959. That same year a highly enjoyable if rather fictional Hollywood movie called The Five Pennies (and featuring Nichols' cornet solos and Danny Kaye's acting) made Red into a national celebrity at the twilight of his long career. Nichols' earlier sessions have been reissued in piecemeal fashion during the digital era, with later albums remaining unavailable." (Allmusic.com). Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Indiana
02 - Dinah
03 - On The Alamo
04 - Sally, Won't You Come Back
05 - It Had To Be You
06 - I'll See You In My Dreams
07 - Some Of These Days
08 - That Da Da Strain
09 - Basin Street Blues
10 - Last Cent
11 - Rose Of Washington Square
12 - I May Be Wrong
13 - The New Yorkers
14 - They Didn't Believe Me
15 - Wait For The Happy Ending
16 - Can't We Be Friends
17 - Nobody Knows
18 - Smiles
19 - Marianne
20 - Get Happy
21 - Somebody To Love Me

Crazy People

Back to the roots of this blog, at long last another selection completely dedicated to Chick Bullock. At one point I had skipped 1932 entirely due to a move, so that is where this and the next two posts (covering at least another fifty tunes) will focus. To get things in chrono(lo)gical order, the first track is from Bullock's final recording session of 1931, on December 24. From there we go to January 12, with a song recorded more than three weeks prior to the Boswell Sisters' version. The girls make an appearance on one track, so listen closely. Most of these tracks were released as Chick Bullock and His Levee Loungers, with some exceptions that are noted in the tags, along with the record labels and number. Recording dates are below (which covers what I have through April 19, 1932). Most of these are from my own 78s, but a handful are courtesy of other collectors who have generously shared their collections with me. I've given each of these a listen, compared my original rips with post-restoration versions, and opted to back down on the editing on the theory that perhaps my ears aren't the best judge. On one track I noticed that the cleaned version had obscured some of the instrumentation, so hiss & static is back. Enjoy! +

Tracks

24 December 1931
01. She Didn't Say Yes

12 January 1932
1.   Was That The Human Thing To Do?
2.   How Long Will It Last

13 January
3.   Can't We Talk It Over

14 January
4.   You're My Everything
5.   Of Thee I Sing
6.   Who Cares?

5 February
7.   Kiss Me Goodnight

24 February
8.   Sing A New Song
9.   Stop The Sun, Stop The Moon
10. Soft Lights And Sweet Music
11. Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee

29 February
12. Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now
13. I Know You're Lying, But I Love It

8 March
14. Somebody Loves You
15. You're Dancing On My Heart
16. Everything Must Have An Ending

14 March
17. You're The One
18. If It Ain't Love

15 March
19. I Can't Believe That It's You
20. Lawd, You Made The Night Too Long

26 March
21. California Medley, Part 2

31 March
22. My Gal Sal
23. Darktown Strutters Ball

4 April
24. I'd Rather Be A Beggar With You
25. My Extraordinary Girl
26. When The Lights Are Soft And Low
27. I'm So Alone With The Crowd

19 April
28. Crazy People

Si Sabes Que Te Quiero

Since I missed all of February, the first month in more than 4 years that I failed to at least post one selection, this month will be chock-full in comparison. Although this blog prefers music from the Prohibition era and on into the 1940s, one thing it is not is North-America centric. Some fantastic music came from beyond US borders. And I love Latin American music. With that, here is Miguelito Valdes who was famous worldwide.

Miguelito began his musical career in the Sexteto Habanero Infantil, where he played, variously, the guitar, tres, double bass, timbal and sometimes sang. Soon, his capability as a singer was realized, and from that moment he was constantly in demand. After a brief spell with María Teresa Vera's Sexteto Occidente, he was one of the founding members of the Septeto Jóvenes del Cayo in 1929. In 1933 he moved to the charanga of Ismael Díaz, and then to the Charanga Gris, directed by the pianist and composer Armando Valdés Torres, and to the Orquesta Habana, directed by Estanislao Serviá.

In 1934 he made his first journey abroad, to Panama, and on his return joined the Orquesta Hermanos Castro, which was a leading band of the day. He was their lead singer until 1936. In 1937 he joined a group of top musicians who formed the Orquesta Casino de la Playa. He was now perhaps the top singer in Cuba, on the verge of international fame. In 1939 the La Playa toured South and Central America, and started a series of recordings for RCA Victor which would make them famous throughout the world.

In 1940 Valdés briefly joined the Orquesta Riverside (another of the big Cuban bands) before emigrating to New York, which became his home base for the rest of his career. In New York City he worked for Orquesta Siboney de Alberto Iznaga, Xavier Cugat, Tito Rodríguez and Machito. He directed his own orchestra for a few years, and made some successful recordings with it in 1949/50. He appeared in a number of films, and was known as "Mr. Babalú" after his performance of Marguerita Lecuona's Babalú. Miguelito recorded this number with three top orchestras: Casino de la Playa in Havana, and Xavier Cugat and Machito in New York. He recorded with the renowned band Conjunto Sonora Matancera in 1951, 1977 and 1978.

Miguelito was regarded as one of the greatest soneros and guaracheros in Cuban music. Although non-African, his interpretation of Afro-Cuban lyrics was remarkable. Numbers he composed include Mondongo, Rumba rumbero, Loco de amor, Los tambores, Oh, mi tambó, Bongó, Dolor cobarde. He died from a heart attack during a performance in Bogotá. (from Wiki). Enjoy! +




Tracks

01 - Pa' La Risuena
02 - Los Venecianos
03 - El Manisero
04 - Tu
05 - Elube Chango
06 - El Reino De Tus Ojos
07 - No Hay Como Nadie Como Tu
08 - Los Componedores
09 - Yo Son Macua
10 - Jose Isabel
11 - La Bata De Olla
12 - Si Sabes Que Te Quiero
13 - Adios Africa
14 - La Conga Negra
15 - El Perro Y El Gato
16 - Yo 'Ta Namora
17 - La Cancion Del Guajiro
18 - Funfunando
19 - Mi Comparsa
20 - Dejate Enganar
21 - La Conga De Quirina