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

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)

Let's Swing It

On the second of four discs in this box set, Condon performs on some pretty good tunes. The first six tunes are with Billy Banks and Jack Bland (see the post for their Classics cd), but best of all. the vocalist on track 5 is none other than Chick Bullock. Thus proving that ... they both did a lot of session work. Also in these first April. October 1932 sessions, we can hear Henry "Red" Allen, Gene Krupa, Fats Waller, Tommy Dorsey and Pee Wee Russell among others. Tracks 7-10 and 11-12 are by Eddie Condon and His Orchestra, recorded October 21 and November 17, 1933, respectively. Check out Russell, Bud Freeman and Max Kaminsky take turns on The Eel (both takes), while Condon and the others keep things shuffling and swinging along. Madame Dynamite is another good one. Murder in The Moonlight starts off five tracks recorded with Condon's buddy Red McKenzie, who proves that even a pocket comb is a jazz instrument when used right. Next up brings in Bunny Berigan, and his signature tune I Can't Get Started. Filling out the disc are tunes performed with the bands of Jonah Jones, Putney Dandridge, Sharkey Bonano and Joe Marsala. This set covers April, 1932 thru April, 1937. See the scans for the complete information. In the meantime... Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. Bugle Call Rag
02. Oh! Peter
03. Yes Suh!
04. Who Stole The Lock
05. A Shine On Your Shoes
06. Somebody Stole Gabriel's Horn
07. The Eel
08. Tennessee Twilight
09. Madame Dynamite
10. Home Cooking
11. The Eel
12. Home Cooking
13. Murder In The Moonlight
14. Let's Swing It
15. Double Trouble
16. That's What You Think
17. Every Now And Then
18. What Is There To Say
19. Keep Smilin' At Trouble
20. I Can't Get Started
21. Sweet Thing
22. Easy To Love
23. Old Fashioned Swing
24. Wolverine Blues
25. Jazz Me Blues

Zonky

William McKinney scored a coup when he hired Don Redman away from Fletcher Henderson in 1927, and his band was strong competition to those of Henderson and Ellington. But when Redman left in 1931 to form his own hugely successful band, the writing was on the wall and the Cotton Pickers folded in 1934. This set gives a hint of what's to come from Don Redman, with help from Benny Carter, Fats Waller and Coleman Hawkins on some classic tunes. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Plain Dirt
2. Gee, Ain't I Good To You?
3. I'd Love It
4. The Way I Feel Today
5. Miss Hannah
6. Peggy
7. Wherever There's A Will, Baby
8. I'll Make Fun For You
9. Words Can't Express The Way I Feel
10. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight
11. Then Someone's In Love
12. Honeysuckle Rose
13. Zonky
14. Travelin' All Alone
15. Just A Shade Corn
16. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home?
17. Okay, Baby
18. Blues Sure Have Got Me
19. Hullabaloo
20. I Want A Little Girl
21. Cotton Picker's Scat
22. Talk To Me
23. Rocky Road
24. Laughing At Life