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

The Cotton Club Legend 1929-1941

1985 seems to have been a good year for jazz compilations on LP. Here's a French issue that covers some of the bands who played at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, Mills Blue Rhythm Band, Cab Calloway and more. There were other Prohibition-era clubs such as the Savoy, Roseland, Lafayette, Apollo and Connie's Inn but the Cotton Club was the place to be. Enjoy. +

Tracks

(side one)
1. A Nite At The Cotton Club - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
2. Market Street Stomp - The Missourians
3. A Few Riffs - Fess Williams and His Royal Flush Orchestra
4. My Blue Days Blew Over - Eubie Blake and His Orchestra
5. Medley of Armstrong Hits - Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra
6. Drop Me Off In Harlem - Adelaide Hall with the Mills Blue Rhythm Band
7. Love Is The Thing - Mills Blue Rhythm Band
8. The Lady With The Fan - Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra

(side two)
9. Daybreak Express - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
10. Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra
11. Swingin' Uptown - Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra
12. 'Long About Midnight - Willie Bryant and His Orchestra
13. The Scat Song - Billy Banks
14. King Porter Stomp - Teddy Hill and His Orchestra
15. Jeepers Creepers - Ethel Waters with Eddie Mallory and His Orchestra
16. Bojangles - Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
17. Saint Louis Blues - Lena Horne with the Dixieland Jazz Group of NBC's Chamber Music of Lower Basin Street

A Shine On Your Shoes

You learn something new every day. Looking at bio info on Billy Banks, I find out that he was also a female impersonator - and good enough to fool a lot of people. Apparently his vocal Mean Old Bed Bug Blues with Fats Waller was long considered to be Una Mae Carlisle. Well, I picked this cd up for the two unmistakable Chick Bullock vocals (tracks 20, 21). Check out who plays on this cd: Henry 'Red' Allen, Pee Wee Russell, Joe Sullivan, Eddie Condon, Gene Krupa, Zutty Singleton, Fats Waller, Pops Foster, Jack Bland and Tommy Dorsey. Although Banks was called eccentric, he could sing and this is a very nice collection of tunes. Banks is on all but the last four, and Jack Bland (guitar) is on all (but possibly not 16, 17 and 18). Enjoy. +

Tracks

Billy Banks and His Orchestra

1. Bugle Call Rag
2. Oh Peter! (You're So Nice)
3. Margie
4. The Scat Song
5. Mighty Sweet
6. Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day
7. Oh Peter! (You're So Nice)
8. Spider Crawl
9. Who's Sorry Now?
10. Take It Slow And Easy
11. Bald Headed Mama

The Rhythmakers

12. (I Would Do) Anything For You
13. Mean Old Bed Bug Blues
14. Yellow Dog Blues
15. Yes, Suh!

Billy Banks and His Orchestra

16. Oh! You Sweet Thing
17. It Don't Mean A Thing (If You Ain’t Got That Swing)
18. You Wonderful Thing

Jack Bland and His Rhythmakers

19. Who Stole The Lock (On The Hen House Door)?
20. A Shine On Your Shoes
21. It's Gonna Be You
22. Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn

Savage Rhythm

Here's some fine music from a band that doesn't really have any 'names' involved, except for some arrangements by Benny Carter and a couple of Billy Banks vocals. I listened all the way through on this and it sounds real good. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Savage Rhythm
2. I'm Sorry I Made You Blue
3. Everytime I Look at You
4. Snake Hips
5. The Scat Song
6. Heat Waves
7. Doin' the Shake
8. The Scat Song
9. Cabin in the Cotton
10. Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day
11. The Growl
12. Mighty Sweet
13. Rhythm Spasm
14. Swanee Lullaby
15. White Lightning
16. Wild Waves
17. Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia
18. You Gave Me Everything But Love
19. Old Yazoo
20. Reefer Man
21. Jazz Cocktail
22. Smoke Rings