Sud Bustin' Blues

Here's another good one from smack dab in the middle of Prohibition. I find the span of the Fletcher Henderson series  fascinating because it shows both Henderson's growth and changes in popular music at the time. That, and it is just darned good music. "Originally appearing on the Pathe Actuelle, Brunswick, Ajax, Vocalion, Emerson, Columbia, and Banner phonograph labels, Fletcher Henderson's recordings from early 1924 make for peculiarly pleasant listening. It is possible to face up to these heavily arranged dance band records from the early '20s and actually enjoy the rickety arrangements. All you need to do is shed any preconceptions of what jazz is or ever was supposed to sound like. Anatol Schenker's liner notes point out that this music was intended to accompany theatrical performances. Even without that kind of historical perspective, this stuff sounds good with no context whatsoever, provided the listener surrenders to the weirdly wonderful world of thoroughly outmoded popular music. At the very least, these are funny old records. From the standpoint of early jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Don Redman are in here slogging away on their clarinets and saxophones, treading where few had ever set foot before them. Teddy Nixon periodically asserts himself with the slide trombone, and Kaiser Marshall proves to have been a spicy, resourceful percussionist. "Ghost of the Blues" appears to have been co-composed by Sidney Bechet, and sounds a lot like a product of that fine musician's mind. Redman's "Teapot Dome Blues" contains a rare example of Howard Scott soloing on the cornet. "Mobile Blues" allows room for a muffled solo by an unidentified kazoo player. Redman contributes a fine and sassy scat vocal on "My Papa Doesn't Two-Time No Time," which also exists elsewhere as a Rosa Henderson vocal backed only by Fletcher Henderson (no blood relation) at the piano. "Somebody Stole My Gal" bumps along marvelously and has a bass sax solo by Coleman Hawkins with Don Redman playing a weepy clarinet, even removing the mouthpiece from the instrument to achieve maximum cornball effects. "After the Storm" actually has segments of Rossini's William Tell Overture grafted into the chart, with someone blowing a siren whistle and Redman taking a solo on oboe. Nixon opens "Feeling the Way I Do" with growling trombone and Charlie Dixon demonstrates how a banjo could be used to propel nine other instruments by executing a series of well-timed blows across the strings. Together with piano and drums, the banjo was an agitator in these early ensembles. "Red Hot Mama" is an exciting illustration of how, during the first half of 1924, Henderson's band began to settle down and play something like real jazz." (Allmusic.com) Enjoy! +

Tracks

01. Chicago Blues
02. Why Put The Blame On You
03. Sud Bustin' Blues
04. War Horse Mama
05. Wish I Had You (And I'm Gonna Get You Blues)
06. Just Blues
07. I'm Crazy Over You
08. I Wish I Could Make You Cry
09. Say Say Sadie
10. Chicago Blues
11. Feelin' The Way I Do
12. Chattanooga (Down In Tennessee)
13. Ghost Of The Blues
14. Tea Pot Dome Blues
15. Mobile Blues
16. My Papa Doesn't Two-Time No Time
17. Somebody Stole My Gal
18. After The Storm
19. Driftwood
20. Feeling The Way I Do
21. Red Hot Mama

Pagan Paradies

Hi-ho, doin' the new low down! For the first post of the new year, here is another Classics offering of Don Redman and His Orchestra. No Chick Bullock vocals here, but well worth the purchase. Redman shares the arrangements with Horace Henderson, and the vocals with Harlan Lattimore. Doin' The New Low Down brings together three of my favorite artists of the era: Don Redman, Cab Calloway and the Mills Brothers, and this is on top of an orchestra that includes Henry Red Allen, Bill Coleman and Benny Morton. Just a whole lot of good listening. Since I forgot to include the scans with the upload, just click on the images and they should open in full view, then you can save them. Enjoy. +


Tracks

01. Trouble, Why Pick On Me
02. Shakin' The African
03. Chant Of The Weed
04. Shakin' The African
05. I Heard
06. How'm I Doin' (Hey-Hey)
07. Try Getting A Good Night's Sleep
08. Got The South In My Soul
09. If It's True
10. It's A Great World After All
11. You Gave Me Everything But Love
12. Tea For Two
13. Hot And Anxious
14. I Got Rythm
15. Pagan Paradies
16. Two-Time Man
17. Underneath The Harlem Moon
18. Ain't I The Lucky One
19. Doin' What I Please
20. Nagasaki
21. Doin' The New Low-Down (Instr.)
22. Doin' The New Low-Down (Vocal)
23. How Ya Feelin'
24. Shuffle Your Feet / Bandana Babies

Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble

Life is full of good intentions, but it wasn't my goal to go so long between albums. That said, however, it is World Cup time, so it's still going to be a slow month for posting until it's over. The good news is that I've got a Mildred Baily LP set, some Bunny Berigan, and more Clarence Williams lined up. In the meantime, here is another selection from the McKinney's Cotton Pickers series. I find it a little odd that the label leap-frogged with the dates to include the latter Don Redman sides, especially considering that they have his work separately. But I guess that's what you get from a label that can't spell "chronological." Anyway, this set includes performances from Benny Carter, Doc Cheatham and more. Two versions of Chant of the Weed and Reefer Man leaves little doubt in my mind what the band did to relax. Enjoy. (and go Brasil!) +

Tracks

1. Never Swat a Fly
2. I Want Your Love
3. Hello!
4. After All, You're All I'm After
5. I Miss a Little Miss
6. To Whom It May Concern
7. You're Driving Me Crazy
8. Come a Little Closer
9. It's A Lonesome Old Town (When You're Not Around)
10. She's My Secret Passion
11. Do You Believe in Love at Sight?
12. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
13. Chant of the Weed
14. I Heard
15. Got the South in My Soul
16. Reefer Man
17. Chew, Chew, Chew (Your Bubble Gum)
18. Igloo
19. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
20. Ain't I Good to You
21. You Ain't Nowhere
22. About Rip Van Winkle
23. Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble
24. Chant of the Weed

Recording dates
Nov 4, 1930-Jan 17, 1940

It's Tight Like That

At last, a new post. And there's more where this came from, too. This McKinney's Cotton Pickers disc precedes the one posted some time ago (check the tabs) and has some very good tunes, including two versions of Four or Five Times and a version of Stardust. Milenberg Joys is another good one. Don Redman and the band were still playing some hot jazz with tight arrangements before turning a bit sweeter as they entered the 1930s. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Four Or Five Times
2. Put It There (Shag Nasty)
3. Crying And Sighing
4. Milenberg Joys
5. Cherry
6. Stop Kidding (Neckbones And Sauerkraut)
7. Nobody's Sweetheart
8. Some Sweet Day
9. Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble
10. Paducah - The Chocolate Dandies
11. Star Dust - The Chocolate Dandies
12. Birmingham Breakdown - The Chocolate Dandies
13. Four Or Five Times - The Chocolate Dandies
14. It's Tight Like That
15. There's A Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder
16. It's A Precious Little Thing Called Love
17. Save It, Pretty Mama
18. I've Found A New Baby
19. Will You, Won't You Be My Babe?
20. Beedle-Um-Bum
21. Do Something
22. Sellin' That Stuff

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

Got The Jitters

Another (out of print) nice find in my quest for Chick Bullock tunes was the music of Don Redman. Redman played mostly clarinet or saxophones, and is known for arranging the charts for Fletcher Henderson in the 1920s, and many of his arrangements became hits for other such as Paul Whiteman, Bing Crosby, Isham Jones, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie and Harry James. After leaving Henderson's band in 1927, Don Redman took over McKinney's Cotton Pickers which rivaled the bands of Ellington and Henderson, ultimately leaving in 1931 to form his own band. The Cotton Pickers lasted three more years before disbanding, while Redman continued with success. This collection includes six vocals by Chick Bullock (noted below by an asterisk), but also has some fine vocals by Harlan Lattimore. Redman is the great-uncle of saxophonist Joshua Redman. +

Tracks

1. Mommy, I Don't Want to Go to Bed
2. How Can I Hi-De-Hi (When I Feel So Low-De-Low)
3. Shuffle Your Feet/Bandanna Babies
4. Sophisticated Lady
5. I Won't Tell
6. That Blue-Eyed Baby from Memphis
7. It's All Your Fault
8. Lazy Bones
9. Watching the Knife and Fork Spoon
10. I Found a New Way to Go to Town
11. You Told Me But Half the Story
12. Lonely Cabin
13. She's Not Bad
14. No One Loves Me Like That Dallas Man
15. Our Big Love Scene *
16. After Sundown *
17. Puddin' Head Jones *
18. My Old Man *
19. Tired of It All *
20. Keep on Doin' What You're Doin' *
21. I Wanna Be Loved
22. Got the Jitters
23. Christopher Columbus
24. A Little Bit Later On
25. Lazy Weather