Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Here's the last cd of this set. What Have We Got To Lose? Stringing Along On A Shoestring, When My Ship Comes In and If I Had A Million Dollars all echo what a lot of people were thinking.  Our Penthouse On Third Avenue features one of my favorite singers, who to my ear just seems to sing perfectly. Almost as good as the Bea Wain vocal on Our Penthouse On Third Avenue is the photo of her (sorry, no scan). The editors chose Ramona's version of Raising The Rent because it includes the verse lyrics. Roy Bargy (p), Benny Bonacio (cl) and Bunny Berigan (tr) accompany here. Ramona also sings Now I'm A Lady, which is a tune Mae West sang in a film but never recorded. Gotta Go To Work Again from Ted Wallace is a tune that was used as instrumental background music in the film My Man Godfrey. This version features an unknown male vocal. Chick Bullock makes his appearance on the 3rd of 4 of these cds, so obviously the editors have good taste. Are You Making Any Money? (is all I want to know) was written by Herman Hupfield, of As Time Goes By fame. Even without Chick singing, it's a great tune and is the first song of his I'd ever heard (on another Depression collection found early in this blog). I'm not a big Disney fan, but Artie Shaw really made Whistle While You Work swing. Closing out the decade, the Mills Brothers and Louis Armstrong recorded WPA in 1940, and to close out the entire set is the extremely pollyanish, premature and rather insulting tune (considering it was recorded on February 3, 1930 just 3 months after Black Thursday) Happy Days Are Here Again. According to the liner notes, the song was taken to George Olsen, who was playing the Hotel Pennsylvania, who told his band to "play it to the corpses". It took a few choruses for the audience to warm to the tune. This version is by Ben Selvin and an all but anonymous studio orchestra. The book to this box set features a lot of great pictures of artists, sheet music, magazines, record sleeves, etc. It also has a selected bibliography for reading about the Great Depression, and an even bigger filmography. All in all, this set deserves its place as a resource for any study of the era. Very well done. Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Phil Harris Coconut Grove Orchestra - What Have We Got To Lose?
02 - Henry 'Red' Allen - Stringin' Along On A Shoe String
03 - Eddie Cantor - When My Ship Comes In
04 - The Boswell Sisters - If I Had A Million Dollars
05 - Gene Kardos Orchestra - Our Penthouse On Third Avenue
06 - Ramona & Roy Bargy - Raising The Rent
07 - Chick Bullock's Levee Loungers - Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore
08 - Connie Boswell - The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
09 - Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra - Now I'm A Lady
10 - Adrian Rollini & Orchestra - I Gotta Get Up And Go To Work
11 - Ted Wallace Orchestra - Gotta Go To Work Again
12 - Chick Bullock's Levee Loungers - Are You Making Any Money?
13 - Ozzie Nelson Orchestra - Got The Jitters
14 - Don Bestor Orchestra - Rain
15 - The Ink Spots - With Plenty Of Money And You
16 - Teddy Hill - I'm Feeling Like A Million
17 - Red Norvo Orchestra - Slummin' On Park Avenue
18 - Artie Shaw New Music - Whistle While You Work
19 - Louis-Mills Armstrong Brothers - WPA
20 - Kay Kyser & His Orchestra - Hey Pop! I Don't Wanna Go To Work
21 - Horace Heidt & Orchestra - Dawn Of A New Day
22 - Ben Selvin & His Orchestra - Happy Days Are Here Again

Balloonacy

Lawdy, but I haven't had this many posts in one month since way back in 2010. No doubt it's due to the extra day this month. Here is the remaining Mills Blue Rhythm Band I have in my collection, and final in the five-cd series from Classics (I do not have the fourth, 1934-1936). From Allmusic.com, "The fifth and final Classics CD by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band starts out at the same high level as the fourth set. With trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen, trombonist J.C. Higginbottham, altoist Tab Smith and tenor saxophonist Joe Garland in the band (pianist Billy Kyle soon joined up as well), along with a solid rhythm section, the orchestra could swing quite hard, as shown on such numbers as "St. Louis Wiggle Rhythm," "Merry-Go-Round," "Big John's Special" and "Algiers Stomp." However, by 1937 (when the second half of this CD was recorded), Allen, Higginbottham and Garland had departed. The music is still worthwhile, with Smith and young trumpeters Harry "Sweets" Edison and Charlie Shavers in the band, but the enthusiasm was starting to drop. Due to the heavy competition from the many better-known orchestras, the Mills Blue Rhythm Band would soon become a forgotten part of history, but as the five Classics CDs show, the orchestra did create quite a bit of worthwhile music in the 1930s." Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Jes' Natch'ully Lazy (I Was Born That Way) (05 - 20 - 36)
02. St. Louis Wiggle Rhythm (05 - 20 - 36)
03. Merry - Go - Round (08 - 11 - 36)
04. Until The Real Thing Comes Along (08 - 11 - 36)
05. In A Sentimental Mood (08 - 11 - 36)
06. Carry Me Back To Green Pastures (08 - 11 - 36)
07. Balloonacy (10 - 15 - 36)
08. Barrellhouse (10 - 15 - 36)
09. The Moon Is Grinning At Me (10 - 15 - 36)
10. Showboat Shuffle (10 - 15 - 36)
11. Big John's Special (11 - 20 - 36)
12. Mr. Ghost Goes To Town (11 - 20 - 36)
13. Callin' Your Bluff (11 - 20 - 36)
14. Algiers Stomp (11 - 20 - 36)
15. Blue Rhythm Fantasy (02 - 11 - 37)
16. Prelude To A Stomp (02 - 11 - 37)
17. Rhythm Jam (02 - 11 - 37)
18. Jungle Madness (02 - 11 - 37)
19. The Lucky Swing (04 - 28 - 37)
20. Please Pity My Heart (04 - 28 - 37)
21. Let's Get Together (04 - 28 - 37)
22. Jammin' For The Jack-Pot (07 - 01 - 37)
23. The Image Of You (07 - 01 - 37)
24. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (07 - 01 - 37)
25. Camp Meeting Jamboree (07 - 01 - 37)

Swingin' in E Flat

From Allmusic.com, this fine big band was originally formed by drummer Willie Lynch as the Blue Rhythm Band in 1930 and as the Coconut Grove Orchestra, provided backup to Louis Armstrong on some records. In 1931, Irving Mills became their manager and the group was renamed the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. Lynch's departure later that year resulted in Baron Lee fronting the band until Lucky Millinder took over in 1934. They were also the Cotton Club backup band while Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington toured. Scans of the booklet are included. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Ridin' in Rhythm
2. Weary Traveller
3. Buddy's Wednesday Outing
4. Harlem After Midnight
5. Jazz Martini
6. Feelin' Gay
7. Break It Down
8. Kokey Joe
9. Love's Serenade
10. Harlem After Midnight
11. Drop Me off in Harlem
12. Reaching for the Cotton Moon
13. Stuff Is Here (And It's Mellow)
14. Growl
15. Swingin' in E Flat
16. Let's Have a Jubilee
17. Out of a Dream
18. African Lullaby
19. Solitude
20. Dancing Dogs
21. Love's Serenade
22. Keep the Rhythm Going
23. Like a Bolt from the Blue

Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain't No Swing?

Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain't No Swing? I don't want to think about it. This and Midnight Blue are two of my favorite Henry "Red" Allen tracks. Not much for me to say but enjoy some great music. This is a re-post because apparently the final track was corrupted.

Update: Apparently one track was still messed up, so for those who downloaded already it is below. I've also posted a new link of the entire cd here. Enjoy. +



Tracks

1. Midnight Blue
2. Lost In My Dreams
3. Sitting On The Moon
4. Whatcha Gonna Do When There Ain't No Swing?
5. Did You Mean It?
6. In The Chapel In The Moonlight
7. Here's Love In Your Eye
8. When My Dream Boat Comes Home
9. I Adore You
10. He Ain't Got Rhythm
11. This Year's Kisses
12. Let's Put Our Heads Together
13. After Last Night With You
14. Goodnight, My Lucky Day
15. There's A Kitchen Up In Heaven
16. I Was Born To Swing
17. Sticks and Stones
18. Meet Me In The Moonlight
19. Don't You Care What Anyone Says?
20. A Love Song Of Long Ago

Patrol Wagon Blues

Volume 8 from the L'Art Vocal series highlights a hodgepodge of singers. No surprises in the selections, really. But they did avoid the usual names that you find everywhere else and include a couple lesser-known singers. Enjoy. +

Tracks


1. I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle - Perry "Mule" Bradford's Jazz Phools with Louis Armstrong
2. Doctor Jazz - Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers
3. I'm Sober Now - Pinetop Smith
4. You Might Get Better, But You'll Never Get Well - Henry Allen & His New York Orchestra
5. Patrol Wagon Blues - Henry "Red" Allen
6. Just a Gigolo - Louis Armstrong
7. I Heard - Don Redman & His Orchestra
8. I Wanna Count Sheep (Till the Cows Come Home) - Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra
9. Reefer Man - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
10. Shag - Wilson Myers
11. Diga Diga Doo - The Mills Brothers
11. Rhythm - Spirits of Rhythm
12. Dear Old Southland - Louis Bacon
13. On the Sunny Side of the Street - Taft Jordan
14. Old Joe's Hittin' the Jug - Stuff Smith & His Onyx Club Boys
15. Lost Love - Fats Waller & His Rhythm
16. Sent for You Yesterday (And Here You Come Today) - Jimmy Rushing
17. The Flat Foot Floogie - Slim Gaillard
18. Old Man Ben - Hot Lips Page
19. Ain't She Sweet - Trummy Young
20. I Love You - Dan Grissom
21. Baby, Look at You - Big Joe Turner

Man With A Horn Goes Beserk

If you listen to much old jazz, you've probably heard Buster Bailey but don't know much about him. I picked up this collection on a lark merely because of the date range and it remains one of my favorites. Except for four titles from 1959 and an obscure 1958 LP, everything Bailey recorded as a band leader is here. The first two cuts are scratchy, but hey - when you're dealing with 78s you take what you can find, and thankfully some dedicated engineers and fans work so hard to keep the music alive for the rest of us. This collection includes a virtual who's who of talent: Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Charlie Shavers, Frankie Newton, Henry "Red" Allen, J.C. Higginbotham, John Kirby, Zutty Singleton and more. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Papa De-Da-Da
2. Squeeze Me
3. Call of the Delta
4. Shanghai Shuffle
5. The Bed Song
6. So You Won't Sing
7. Afternoon in Africa
8. Dizzy Debutante
9. Planter's Punch
10. Slow Jam Fizz
11. Chained to a Dream
12. Light Up
13. Man With a Horn Goes Berserk
14. Should I?
15. The Blue Room
16. April in Paris
17. Am I Blue
18. Seems Like a Month of Sundays (Since I Saw You Saturday Night)
19. The Fable of the Rose
20. Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
21. Eccentric Rag

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