Crazy-O-Logy

Often a sideman on many of the recordings here, Freeman also recorded several sides under his own name (albeit they were few and far between). "When Bud Freeman first matured, his was the only strong alternative approach on the tenor to the harder-toned style of Coleman Hawkins and he was an inspiration for Lester Young. Freeman, one of the top tenors of the 1930s, was also one of the few saxophonists (along with the slightly later Eddie Miller) to be accepted in the Dixieland world, and his oddly angular but consistently swinging solos were an asset to a countless number of hot sessions.

Freeman, excited (as were the other members of the Austin High School Gang in Chicago) by the music of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, took up the C-melody sax in 1923, switching to tenor two years later. It took him time to develop his playing, which was still pretty primitive in 1927 when he made his recording debut with the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans. Freeman moved to New York later that year and worked with Red Nichols' Five Pennies, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Ben Pollack, Joe Venuti, Gene Kardos, and others. He starred on Eddie Condon's memorable 1933 recording "The Eel." After stints with Joe Haymes and Ray Noble, Freeman was a star with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and Clambake Seven (1936-1938) before having a short unhappy stint with Benny Goodman (1938). He led his short-lived but legendary Summe Cum Laude Orchestra (1939-1940) which was actually an octet, spent two years in the military, and then from 1945 on, alternated between being a bandleader and working with Eddie Condon's freewheeling Chicago jazz groups. Freeman traveled the world, made scores of fine recordings, and stuck to the same basic style that he had developed by the mid-'30s (untouched by a brief period spent studying with Lennie Tristano)." (Allmusic.com) Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Craze-O-Logy
02 - Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
03 - What Is There To Say 
04 - The Buzzard
05 - Tillie's Downtown Now
06 - Keep Smilin' At Trouble
07 - You Took Advantage Of Me
08 - Three's No Crowd
09 - I Got Rhythm
10 - Keep Smilin' At Trouble
11 - At Sundown
12 - My Honey's Lovin' Arms
13 - I Don't Believe It
14 - Trappin' The Commodore Till
15 - Memories Of You
16 - 'Life' Spears A Jitterbug
17 - What's The Use 
18 - Three Little Words
19 - Swingin' Without Mezz
20 - The Blue Room
21 - Exactly Like You
22 - Private Jives

Wah-Dee-Dah

In the quest to make up for lost ground, here is some jazz by several bands, showing that Spike Jones was not the only one with a sense of humor. Some of these aren't really that funny, but the bands ad a lighter side to the recording. Barnacle Bill the Sailor should be well-known, and In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town has even been covered by Chick Bullock. But Red Allen's version is anything but crooning. Track 8, For Musicians Only, might sound familiar to fans of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. This cd sounds like several of the tracks were transferred without much noise reduction, and it makes me want to reach for a good dust cloth before playing. Oh, well. In any case the music shows that bands could have some fun as well as being top-notch musicians. Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. Laughing In Rhythm - Sidney Bechet & His New Orleans Footwarmers
02. Barnacle Bill The Sailor - Hoagy Carmichael And His Orchestra
03. Maybe Not At All - Ethel Waters & Her Ebony Four
04. It's A Great World After All - Don Redman & His Orchestra
05. The Mosquito Song (Where Do The Mosquitos Go In The Winter Time?) - Wingy Manone & His Orchestra
06. In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town - Red Allen And His Orchestra
07. The Latest Thing In Hot Jazz - Eight Squares And A Critic
08. For Musicians Only - Bud Freeman And His V-Disc Jumpers
09. Kidney Stew - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra
10. Chicken (Chicken Ain't Nothin' But A Bird) - George Lewis Band
11. The Duck's Yas Yas Yas - Eddie Johnson's Crackerjacks
12. Pussy (My Girl's Pussy) - Harry Roy And His Bat Club Boys
13. Beedle-Um-Bum - McKinney's Cotton Pickers
14. Wah-Dee-Dah - Three Keys
15. Cement Mixer - The Slim Gaillard Trio
16. Keep Smiling, Keep Laughing - John Kirby & His Orchestra
17. You're Bound To Look Like A Monkey When You Get Old - Clarence Williams' Novelty Band
18. Goofus - Red Nichols & His Five Pennies
19. Ikey And Mikey - The Washboard Rhythm Kings
20. Laughing Boy Blues - Woody Herman & His Orchestra
21. You Run Your Mouth (I'll Run My Business) - Fats Waller & His Rhythm
22. Home On The Range - Ted Weems & His Orchestra with Gary Moore (announcer)
23. It's The Tune That Counts - Leo Watson & His Orchestra
24. Laughin' Louis - Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra

Last Cent

I'm challenging myself to see how many I can share this month, and Red Nichols is always a good choice (courtesy of a fellow collector). "Overrated in Europe in the early '30s when his records (but not those of his black contemporaries) were widely available and then later underrated and often unfairly called a Bix imitator, Red Nichols was actually one of the finest cornetists to emerge from the '20s. An expert improviser whose emotional depth did not reach as deep as Bix or Louis Armstrong, Nichols was in many ways a hustler, participating in as many recording sessions (often under pseudonyms) as any other horn player of the era, cutting sessions as Red Nichols & His Five Pennies, the Arkansas Travelers, the Red Heads, the Louisiana Rhythm Kings, and the Charleston Chasers, among others, usually with similar personnel. Nichols studied cornet with his father, a college music teacher. After moving from Utah to New York in 1923, Nichols, an excellent sight-reader who could always be relied upon to add a bit of jazz to a dance band recording, quickly became in great demand. His own sessions at first featured trombonist Miff Mole and Jimmy Dorsey on alto and clarinet, playing advanced music that utilized unusual intervals, whole-tone scales, and often the timpani of Vic Berton along with hot ensembles. Later on in the decade his sidemen included such young greats as Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Jack Teagarden, Pee Wee Russell, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Adrian Rollini, Gene Krupa, and the wonderful mellophone specialist Dudley Fosdick, among others; their version of "Ida" was a surprise hit.

Although still using the main name of the Five Pennies, Nichols' bands were often quite a bit larger, and by 1929 he was alternating sessions featuring bigger commercial orchestras with small combos. At first Nichols weathered the Depression well with work in shows, but by 1932 his long string of recordings came to an end. He headed a so-so swing band up until 1942, left music for a couple of years, and for a few months in 1944 was with Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra. Later that year he re-formed the Five Pennies as a Dixieland sextet and, particularly after bass saxophonist Joe Rushton became a permanent member, it was one of the finer traditional jazz bands of the next 20 years. Nichols recorded several memorable hot versions of "Battle Hymn of the Republic," the best being in 1959. That same year a highly enjoyable if rather fictional Hollywood movie called The Five Pennies (and featuring Nichols' cornet solos and Danny Kaye's acting) made Red into a national celebrity at the twilight of his long career. Nichols' earlier sessions have been reissued in piecemeal fashion during the digital era, with later albums remaining unavailable." (Allmusic.com). Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Indiana
02 - Dinah
03 - On The Alamo
04 - Sally, Won't You Come Back
05 - It Had To Be You
06 - I'll See You In My Dreams
07 - Some Of These Days
08 - That Da Da Strain
09 - Basin Street Blues
10 - Last Cent
11 - Rose Of Washington Square
12 - I May Be Wrong
13 - The New Yorkers
14 - They Didn't Believe Me
15 - Wait For The Happy Ending
16 - Can't We Be Friends
17 - Nobody Knows
18 - Smiles
19 - Marianne
20 - Get Happy
21 - Somebody To Love Me

Barrel House Stomp

What can I say, it's been another busy month. Which is good considering that it is summer and people travel. Squeaking one in before the end of the month, and making sure that there is at least some continuity here, I offer some more Chicago jazz. This series is very well done (John R.T. Davies), and you can't beat the liner notes (Brian Rust). The music selection is good, though I do wonder if we need three takes of the same tune. That's strictly for purists, while I think most people would be satisfied with another handful of tunes. Regardless, it's good listening. The tunes span a period between December 1927 and January 1930, with musicians including Red McKenzie, Eddie Condon, Frank Teschemacher, Bud Freeman, Gene Krupa, Mezz Mezzrow, Bud Freeman and other usual suspects. Good stuff for the new year's celebrations. Scans included. And to all who enjoy the music here, have a great 2013! Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. McKenzie & Condon's Chicagoans - Sugar
02. McKenzie & Condon's Chicagoans - China Boy
03. McKenzie & Condon's Chicagoans - Nobody's Sweetheart
04. McKenzie & Condon's Chicagoans - Liza
05. Charles Pierce & His Orchestra - Bull Frog Blues
06. Charles Pierce & His Orchestra - China Boy
07. Charles Pierce & His Orchestra - Jazz Me Blues - Take 3
08. Charles Pierce & His Orchestra - Sister Kate - Take 4
09. Charles Pierce & His Orchestra - Jazz Me Blues - Take 5
10. Charles Pierce & His Orchestra - Sister Kate - Take 7
11. Charles Pierce & His Orchestra - Nobody's Sweetheart
12. Chicago Rhythm Kings - There'll Be Some Changes Made
13. Chicago Rhythm Kings - I've Found A New Baby
14. Jungle Kings - Friars Point Shuffle
15. Jungle Kings - Darktown Strutters' Ball
16. Frank Teschemacher's Chicagoans - Jazz Me Blues
17. Louisiana Rhythm Kings - Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
18. Elmer Schoebel & His Friars Society Orchestra - Copenhagen
19. Elmer Schoebel & His Friars Society Orchestra - Prince Of Wails
20. The Cellar Boys - Wailing Blues - Take A
21. The Cellar Boys - Wailing Blues - Take B
22. The Cellar Boys - Barrel House Stomp - Take A
23. The Cellar Boys - Barrel House Stomp - Take B
24. The Cellar Boys - Barrel House Stomp - Take C

Tappin' The Commodor Till

Good things come to those who wait. After taking a brief detour, here is volume three from the Eddie Condon box set. Recorded between January 17, 1938 and April 24, 1940, it starts off with Buddy Hackett & Pee Wee Russell sharing the melody of Embraceable You. One almost expects the band to bust loose, but they hold their energy for the next couple of tracks before mellowing out again with the mournful What's The Use (listen for the solitary vocal shout out during the piano bit). Generally, this is a solid set of popular tunes with the perhaps the weakest being the lone vocal track Let There Be Love sung by Doris Rhodes (who?). Regardless, the combination of Bud Freeman, Pee Wee Russell, Jack Teagarden with Eddie Condon keeping rhythm could never rightfully be called boring. These guys know how to make the joint jump. The last four tracks are a jam session at the Commodore which includes Jess Stacy on the piano. Full track information is in the scans.

Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Embraceable You
02. Tappin' The Commodore Till
03. Life Spears A Jitterbug
04. What's The Use
05. I've Found A New Baby
06. Easy To Get
07. China Boy
08. As Long As I Live
09. The Sail Fish
10. Sunday
11. Satanic Blues
12. Oh! Baby
13. I Need Some Pettin'
14. Susie
15. Big Boy
16. Let There Be Love
17. Sensation
18. Fidgety Feet
19. Tijuana
20. Copenhagen
21. Prince Of Wails
22. A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Part 1
23. A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Part 2
24. A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Part 3
25. A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Part 4