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

The Joint Is Jumping

This is a rather pedestrian collection of swing tunes, with the exception being that it does jump. Although suffering from commonitis (e.g., Woodchopper's Ball, In The Mood) it is saved by Stuff Smith, Artie Shaw, Harry James, Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans and Lucky Millinder. And though Drum Boogie shows up in several collections, I never get tired of hearing it. Cab Calloway shows that he, too, succumbed to the vocal chorus fever (reminding me of Tommy Dorsey's sides with the Pipers et al), but then there's Count Basie with a good one, as well as Harlan Leonard and His Rockets. Imo, the weakest tunes are Cleo Brown and Slim & Slam (I don't see how they are swing tunes), but that's just my two cents. All in all, a good listen. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Stompin' At The Savoy - Chick Webb and His Orchestra (1934)
2. Walking And Singing - Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy (1936)
3. Breakin' In A New Pair Of Shoes - Cleo Brown (1935)
4. Don't Be That Way - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1938)
5. T'ain't What You Do (It's The Way You Do It) Jimmy Lunceford and His Orchestra (1939)
6. The Joint Is Jumping - Fats Waller and His Rhythm (1937)
7. In The Mood - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (1939)
8. At The Woodchopper's Ball - Woody Herman and His Orchestra (1939)
9. The Flat Foot Floogie - Slim and Slam (1938)
10. Tuxedo Junction - Erskine Hawkins and His Orchestra (1939)
11. Back Bay Shuffle - Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (1938)
12. After You've Gone - Stuff Smith and His Onyx Club Boys (1936)
13. Hairy Joe Jump - Harlan Leonard and His Rockets (1940)
14. Jumpin' At The Woodside - Count Basie and His Orchestra (1938)
15. Woo Woo - Harry James and The Boogie Woogie Trio (1938)
16. Drum Boogie - Gene Krupa and His Orchestra (1941)
17. Oh Boy, I'm In The Groove - Horace Henderson and His Orchestra (1940)
18. Just You, Just Me - Lester Young Quartet (1943)
19. Wham (Re-Bop-Boom-Bam) - Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra (1939)
20. Flying Home - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra (1942)
21. Second Balcony Jump - Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans (1941)
22. Little John Special - Lucky Millinder and His orchestra (1942)
23. I Want To Rock - Cab Calloway and His Orchestra (1942)
24. Walk 'Em - Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra (1946)

Mutiny In The Parlour

One of my favorite musicians of the era. "One of the most exciting trumpeters to emerge during the swing era, Roy Eldridge's combative approach, chance-taking style and strong musicianship were an inspiration (and an influence) to the next musical generation, most notably Dizzy Gillespie. Although he sometimes pushed himself farther than he could go, Eldridge never played a dull solo.
Roy Eldridge started out playing trumpet and drums in carnival and circus bands. With the Nighthawk Syncopators he received a bit of attention by playing a note-for-note re-creation of Coleman Hawkins' tenor solo on "The Stampede." Inspired by the dynamic playing of Jabbo Smith (Eldridge would not discover Louis Armstrong for a few years), Eldridge played with some territory bands including Zack Whyte and Speed Webb and in New York (where he arrive in 1931) he worked with Elmer Snowden (who nicknamed him "Little Jazz"), McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and most importantly Teddy Hill (1935). Eldridge's recorded solos with Hill, backing Billie Holiday and with Fletcher Henderson (including his 1936 hit "Christopher Columbus") gained a great deal of attention. In 1937 he appeared with his octet (which included brother Joe on alto) at the Three Deuces Club in Chicago and recorded some outstanding selections as a leader including "Heckler's Hop" and "Wabash Stomp." By 1939 Eldridge had a larger group playing at the Arcadia Ballroom in New York. With the decline of Bunny Berigan and the increasing predictability of Louis Armstrong, Eldridge was arguably the top trumpeter in jazz during this era.

During 1941-1942 Eldridge sparked Gene Krupa's Orchestra, recording classic versions of "Rockin' Chair" and "After You've Gone" and interacting with Anita O'Day on "Let Me Off Uptown." The difficulties of traveling with a White band during a racist period hurt him, as did some of the incidents that occurred during his stay with Artie Shaw (1944-1945) but the music during both stints was quite memorable. Eldridge can be seen in several "soundies" (short promotional film devoted to single songs) of this era by the Krupa band, often in association with O'Day, including "Let Me Off Uptown" and "Thanks for the Boogie Ride." He is also very prominent in the band's appearance in Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire, in an extended performance of "Drum Boogie" mimed by Barbara Stanwyck, taking a long trumpet solo -- the clip was filmed soon after Eldridge joined the band in late April of 1941, and "Drum Boogie" was a song that Eldridge co-wrote with Krupa.

Eldridge had a short-lived big band of his own, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, and then had a bit of an identity crisis when he realized that his playing was not as modern as the beboppers. A successful stay in France during 1950-1951 restored his confidence when he realized that being original was more important than being up-to-date. Eldridge recorded steadily for Norman Granz in the '50s, was one of the stars of JATP (where he battled Charlie Shavers and Dizzy Gillespie), and by 1956, was often teamed with Coleman Hawkins in a quintet; their 1957 appearance at Newport was quite memorable. The '60s were tougher as recording opportunities and work became rarer. Eldridge had brief and unhappy stints with Count Basie's Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald (feeling unnecessary in both contexts) but was leading his own group by the end of the decade. He spent much of the '70s playing regularly at Ryan's and recording for Pablo and, although his range had shrunk a bit, Eldridge's competitive spirit was still very much intact. Only a serious stroke in 1980 was able to halt his horn. Roy Eldridge recorded throughout his career for virtually every label." (Allmusic.com). Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. I Hope Gabriel Likes My Music
02. Mutiny In The Parlour
03. I'm Gonna Clap My Hands
04. Swing Is Here
05. Wabash Stomp
06. Florida Stomp
07. Heckler's Hop
08. Where The Lazy River Goes By
09. That Thing
10. After You've Gone
11. Sittin' In
12. Stardust
13. Body And Soul
14. Forty Six, West Fifty Two
15. It's My Turn Now
16. You're A Lucky Guy
17. Pluckin' The Bass
18. I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You
19. High Society
20. Muskrat Ramble
21. Who Told You I Cared
22. Does Your Heart Beat For Me

Makin' Friends

Darned Blogger! This (and the next volume) were scheduled to go last week, but .... Albert "Eddie" Condon was one of the gang of young white Chicago jazz musicians in the 1920s. He started out playing banjo with Hollis Peavey's Jazz Bandits when he was 17. He worked with several members of the famed Austin High School Gang in the 1920s. In 1927 he co-led (with Red McKenzie) the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans on a record date that helped define Chicago jazz (and featured Jimmy McPartland, Jimmy Teschemacher, Joe Sullivan, and Gene Krupa). After organizing some other record sessions, Condon switched to guitar, moved to New York in 1929, worked with Red Nichols' Five Pennies and Red McKenzie's Blue Blowers, and recorded in several settings, including with Louis Armstrong (1929) and the Rhythm Makers (1932). During 1936-1937, he co-led a band with Joe Marsala. In 1938 he led some sessions for the Commodore label and he became a star. He had a nightly gig at Nick's in New York City from 1937 to 1944. From 1944 to 1945 he led a series of recordings at Town Hall that were broadcast weekly on the radio, many of which are in circulation. This first cd from the box set covers December, 1927 through June, 1930. Condon's discography is really a Who's Who of the era, and he was known for getting people together (info available on the scans). Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Sugar
02. China Boy
03. Nobody's Sweetheart
04. Liza
05. Friars Point Shuffle
06. Darktown Strutters Ball
07. There'll Be Some Changes Made
08. I've Found A New Baby
09. Jazz Me Blues
10. Oh! Baby
11. Indiana
12. Makin' Friends
13. I'm Gonna Stomp, Mr. Henry Lee
14. That's A Serious Thing
15. Minor Drag
16. Indiana
17. Tailspin Blues
18. I Need Someone Like You
19. Hello Lola
20. One Hour
21. Girls Like You Were Meant For Boys Like Me
22. Georgia On My Mind
23. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
24. Darktown Strutters Ball
25. You Rascal You

Scatter-Brain

This seems like a good follow-up to the last radio-based post. I can only imagine how cool it must have been to be able to hear weekly live broadcasts of one's favorite band. Let the radio warm up, find the station, and it's almost like being there. Nobody does that these days, alas. Fortunately for us, many radio band remotes survive to this day and we can hear the real thing still. Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, the Dorseys, and many more ... so much great music. Although their 78 rpm recordings are essentially live recordings (no dubs, remixes, edits, etc.), it's different playing in front of a crowd of fans with expectations and reactions. These recordings give us the chance to see just how good the musicianship was, and Benny Goodman ran one of the tightest groups. Goodman went to Hollywood in 1936 to take advantage of a huge West Coast fan base that developed through East Coast broadcasts (9:30 pm) of Let's Dance. He joined CBS' Camel Caravan in 1936, with recordings existing from 1937 until late 1939 (this collection), as well as a couple more featuring Bob Crosby and his Orchestra into 1940. The show switched networks to NBC in March, 1939. Enjoy. +


Tracks

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra: Ted Pearson (announcer), Benny Goodman (cl),  Jimmy Maxwell, Johnny Martel, Ziggy Elman (trumpet), Red Ballard, Vernon Brown, Ted Vesely (tbn), Toots Mondello, Buff Estes (as), Buss Bassey, Jerry Jerome (ts), Fletcher Henderson (pn), Arnold Covey (g), Art Bernstein (bs), Nicky Fatool (d), Mildred Bailey (v).


Benny Goodman Sextet: Benny Goodman (cl), Lionel Hampton (vib), Fletcher Henderson (pn), Charlie Christian (g), Art Bernstein (bs), Nicky Fatook (d).

The Camel Caravan. November 4, 1939, NBC.

1. Introduction
2. Down By The Old Mill Stream
3. What's New
4. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (vocal, Mildred Bailey)
5. Bolero
6. Shivers (sextet)
7. Love Never Went To College
8. Scatter-Brain (vocal, Mildred Bailey)
9. Roll 'Em
10. Closing


The Camel Caravan. November 18, 1939, NBC.

11. Introduction
12. Scatter-Brain
13. Lilacs In The Rain (vocal, Mildred Bailey)
14. In The Mood
15. South Of The Border (sextet)
16. Swingin' A Dream (vocal, Mildred Bailey)
17. Boy Meets Horn (featuring, Ziggy Elman)
18. Oh Johnny Oh! (vocal, Mildred Bailey)
19. Sing, Sing, Sing (featuring, Lionel Hampton, drums)
20. Closing

Shine On Harvest Moon

Finally, I'm getting around to posting this! Ethel Waters' version of Shine On Harvest Moon is my absolute favorite (Laurel & Hardy's is a close second), and there's not a track here that I don't like. Compare her playful version (some say 'campy') of A Hundred Years From Today.to that of Jack Teagarden. On Dinah she brings it down from the jumpy Mills Brothers cut to something you could slow dance to, a sort of lazy, hot afternoon stay-in-the-shade type of song. Meanwhile, Miss Otis Regrets is now a mournful ballad in comparison to Cab Calloway's version, for example. Stormy Weather is simply one of the best. Musicians present include Manny Klein, Joe Venuti, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, the Dorseys, Bunny Berigan, Dick McDonough, Benny Goodman, Jack & Charlie Teagarden, Art Karle, Taft Jordan & John Kirby. A virtual who's who of the day. Full scans included. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. River, Stay 'Way from My Door
2. Shine on Harvest Moon
3. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
4. Porgy
5. St. Louis Blues
6. Stormy Weather
7. Love Is the Thing
8. Don't Blame Me
9. Shadows on the Swanee
10. Heat Wave
11. Harlem on My Mind
12. I Just Couldn't Take It, Baby
13. A Hundred Years from Today
14. Come up and See Me Sometime
15. You've Seen Harlem at Its Best
16. Miss Otis Regrets
17. Dinah
18. When It's Sleepy Time Down South
19. Moonglow
20. Give Me a Heart to Sing To
21. I Ain't Gonna Sin No More
22. Trade Mark
23. You're Going to Leave the Old Home, Jim

Son Of The Sun

Tearin' up the internet with three posts in one month! Jack Teagarden is simply one of the music giants, period. Both his trombone and vocals put an unmistakable stamp on the jazz era, influencing many other artists. But Big T deserves more than what I can write, so I'll get to the cd. This set takes Teagarden from a romping march, through the quintessential (IMO) version of Hoagy Carmichael's Rockin' Chair, and T's classic version of A Hundred Years From Today. I love the Classics series, but they often didn't use the cleanest transcriptions and there is some scratchiness on several tracks. For me, that's part of the ambiance though. Full scans with session info are included. Personnel include Nappy Lamare, Gene Austin, Joe Venuti, Benny Goodman, Bud Freeman, Charlie Spivak, Charlie Teagarden, and others. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Son of the Sun
2. You're Simply Delish
3. Just a Little Dance, Mam'selle
4. Rockin' Chair
5. Loveless Love
6. You Rascal You
7. That's What I Like About You
8. Chances Are
9. I Got the Ritz from the One I Love
10. China Boy
11. Lies
12. I'm Sorry Dear
13. Tiger Rag
14. I've Got It
15. Plantation Moods
16. Shake Your Hips
17. Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn
18. Love Me
19. Blue River
20. Hundred Years from Today, A
21. I Just Couldn't Take It, Baby
22. Fare-Thee-Well to Harlem
23. Ol' Pappy

Riffin' The Scotch

Here's some nice music from Mr. Goodman. A short cd, only 42 minutes, but it swings nonetheless. These were recorded in 1934 and I don't think there's a bad tune in the batch. For whatever reason Biograph decided to improve their cover from a beige background to this. I wonder if it improved sales? According to the internet, the personnel are: Benny Goodman (clarinet); Red McKenzie (vocals); Dick McDonough (guitar); Art Rollini (tenor saxophone); Mannie Klien, Bunny Berigan (trumpet); Jack Jenny (trombone); Arthur Schutt (piano); Artie Bernstein (bass guitar); Gene Krupa, Stan King (drums). The only vocal however is on the last track. Enjoy. I've been listening to these rips for over an hour, so they should be good. +

Tracks

1.Old Man Harlem
2.Keep On Doin' What You're Doin'
3.Nobody's Sweetheart Now
4.Ain't Cha Glad
5.Doctor Heckle And Mr. Jibe
6.Georgia Jubilee
7.Texas Tea Party
8.Honeysuckle Rose
9.Sweet Sue
10.A Hundred Years From Today
11.Riffin' The Scotch
12.Your Mother's Son-in-law
13.Love Me Or Leave Me
14.I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby
15.I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues