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

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

Stealin' Apples

Here's some more Fletcher Henderson for you. "In early 1935 Fletcher Henderson broke up his classic orchestra but a year later, with the success of so many other big bands, he formed a new ensemble. This Classics CD includes four songs from 1934, Henderson's entire output from 1936 and his first recording of 1937. The main difference between the two units is that the later one boasted the trumpet of Roy Eldridge and tenor solos from Coleman Hawkins's potential successor, Chu Berry. "Christopher Columbus" became a hit as did the band's new theme song ("Stealin' Apples") but the brief bit of glory would not last. However, Henderson's brand of swing music still sounds fresh today and this CD is easily recommended." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic.com) Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Wild Party
2. Rug Cutter's Swing
3. Hotter Than 'ell
4. Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away)
5. Christopher Columbus
6. Big Chief De Sota
7. Blue Lou
8. Stealin' Apples
9. I'm A Fool For Loving You
10. Moonrise On The Lowlands
11. I'll Always Be In Love With You
12. Jangled Nerves
13. Where There's You There's Me
14. Do You Or Don't You Love Me?
15. Grand Terrace Rhythm
16. Riffin'
17. Mary Had A Little Lamb
18. Shoe Shine Boy
19. Sing, Sing, Sing
20. Until Today
21. Knock, Knock Who's There?
22. Jim Town Blues
23. You Can Depend On Me
24. What Will I Tell My Heart?

Blowin' Up A Breeze

Chu Berry is perhaps best known for his tenor saxophone work with Cab Calloway's Cotton Club Orchestra. Prior to joining Calloway's orchestra, Berry worked with Sammy Stewart, Benny Carter, Teddy Hill, and Fletcher Henderson. Though Berry based his style on that followed by Coleman Hawkins, the older man regarded Berry as his equal. His composition "Christopher Columbus" was the last important hit recording of the Fletcher Henderson orchestra, recorded in 1936. It is one of the most popular riff tunes from the swing era and used as the final showstopper in Benny Goodman's first Carnegie Hall Jazz concert dating from 1938. Berry also played for a while in the Count Basie Big band. His most impressing recording with that band is "Oh, Lady Be Good". (from Wiki). Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Now You're Talking My Language
2. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
3. Too Marvelous for Words
4. Limehouse Blues
5. Chuberry Jam
6. Maelstrom
7. My Secret Love Affair
8. Ebb Tide
9. Sittin' In
10. Stardust
11. Body and Soul
12. Forty Six, West Fifty Two
13. Blowin' Up a Breeze
14. On the Sunny Side of the Street
15. Monday at Minton's
16. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
17. Dream Girl, Pt. 1
18. Dream Girl, Pt. 2
19. Get Lost, Pt. 1
20. Get Lost, Pt. 2

Don't You Make Me High

Another one out of print and getting harder to find, this contains all of Blue Lu Barker's pre-war recordings. Blue Lu was born, raised and buried in New Orleans and her funeral even turned into a popular video broadcast spotlighting the town's jazz funeral traditions. Some of the great jazz players are here - Chu Berry, Buster Bailey, Henry "Red" Allen, and Blu Lu's husband Danny Barker, among others. Billie Holiday cited her as her biggest influence. Enjoy. +



Tracks

1. Your Going To Leave The Old Home Jim
2. New Orleans Blues
3. He Caught That B & O
4. Don't You Make Me High
5. I Got Ways Like The Devil
6. That Made Him Mad
7. Scat Skunk
8. Nix On Those Lush Heads
9. Georgia Grind
10. You Ain't Had No Blues
11. Marked Woman
12. Midnight Blues
13. Down In The Dumps
14. Blue Deep Sea Blues
15. Never Brag About Your Man
16. He's So Good
17. I Don't Dig You Jack
18. Handy Andy
19. Jitterbug Blues
20. You Been Holding Out Too Long
21. Lu's Blues