Leave Us Leap

* Thanks to "rm" for finding the right cover!

This is in a hurry, given that I'm about to miss a second consecutive month. No, this blog is not dead. I still have much to share, it's just that life and work is consuming a lot of my focus at the moment. Still, ... This is a cd I've been meaning to share for some time, though most of the tracks are widely available. The reason I waited is because I can could no longer find the original cd, nor the original cover on the internet. I tried. It was green stripping, if I recall correctly, with an image of Krupa banging away. More than likely it was a fly-by-night European release, since I bought it out there nearly two decades ago. In any case, Krupa is probably the finest drummer that ever was, and these tracks show off that talent fairly well, touching ever so slightly further into his later career than most single cd issues seem to do. The name of the cd is Drummin' Man, which has been used numerous times for various releases (hence the difficulty in finding the right cover), including an LP of Krupa's back in the late 50s or early 60s. With that, I'll see you all next month. Promise. Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Nagasaki
02 - Jeepers Creepers
03 - Do You Wanna Jump Children?
04 - Symphony In Riffs
05 - Drummin' Man
06 - Drum Boogie
07 - Let Me Off Uptown
08 - After You've Gone
09 - Rockin' Chair
10 - Bolero At The Savoy
11 - Massachusetts
12 - Leave Us Leap
13 - Dark Eyes
14 - Stompin' At The Savoy
15 - Opus 1
16 - Lover
17 - How High The Moon
18 - Disk Jockey Jump
19 - Calling Dr. Gillespie

Coppin' A Plea

Anita! Oh, Anita! Ever since I heard Let Me Off Uptown, I was a fan of Krupa, Eldridge and O'Day. What a combination. I suppose this means I need to post some Gene Krupa now to complete the trilogy. For those who are interested, you can watch a video of the aforementioned song on youtube. The MOJ series often includes several alternate takes, and sometimes this can be a bit too much. Do we really need four takes of one song on the same cd? Anyway ...  After Krupa was busted for marijuana possession 1943, O'Day did a month-long stint with Woody Herman, and later a year with Stan Kenton. "Few female singers matched the hard-swinging and equally hard-living Anita O'Day for sheer exuberance and talent in all areas of jazz vocals. Though three or four outshone her in pure quality of voice, her splendid improvising, wide dynamic tone, and innate sense of rhythm made her the most enjoyable singer of the age. O'Day's first appearances in a big band shattered the traditional image of a demure female vocalist by swinging just as hard as the other musicians on the bandstand, best heard on her vocal trading with Roy Eldridge on the Gene Krupa recording "Let Me Off Uptown." After making her solo debut in the mid-'40s, she incorporated bop modernism into her vocals and recorded over a dozen of the best vocal LPs of the era for Verve during the 1950s and '60s. Though hampered during her peak period by heavy drinking and later, drug addiction, she made a comeback and continued singing into the new millennium." (Allmusic.com). Complete scans are included. Enjoy! +


Tracks

01. Two In Love
02. Stop! The Red Light's On
03. How Do
04. Coppin' A Plea
05. Bolero at the Savoy
06. Let Me Off Uptown
07. Thanks For The Boogie Ride
08. Skylark
09. Bolero At The Savoy
10. Thanks For The Boogie Ride
11. Thanks For The Boogie Ride
12. Pass The Bounce
13. Thanks For The Boogie Ride
14. Side By Side
15. Side By Side
16. Harlem On Parade
17. Harlem On Parade
18. Fightin' Doug MacArthur
19. That's What You Think
20. Barrelhouse Bessie From Basin Street
21. Deliver Me To Tennessee
22. That's What You Think

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

How 'Bout That Mess?

This is one of those cd's that raised my interest in jazz and big bands. Simply, it jumps with an abundance of energy. Although I love this style of music, in all honesty there aren't many that would qualify as "driving" music where you crank up the car stereo. This one is an exception to that rule. I think Krupa is the best drummer ever, even better than the mighty Chick Webb and others. Of course, that's just my opinion. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Drum Boogie
2. Full Dress Hop
3. There'll Be Some Changes Made
4. No Name Jive
5. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
6. The Babe Takes A Bow
7. Rhumboogie
8. St. Louis Blues
9. Boog It
10. Who?
11. Yes! My Darling Daughter
12. Tuxedo Junction
13. Deep In The Blues
14. Sweet Georgia Brown
15. How 'Bout That Mess?
16. Blue Rhythm Fantasy

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?