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

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

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

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

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

Makin' Friends

Darned Blogger! This (and the next volume) were scheduled to go last week, but .... Albert "Eddie" Condon was one of the gang of young white Chicago jazz musicians in the 1920s. He started out playing banjo with Hollis Peavey's Jazz Bandits when he was 17. He worked with several members of the famed Austin High School Gang in the 1920s. In 1927 he co-led (with Red McKenzie) the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans on a record date that helped define Chicago jazz (and featured Jimmy McPartland, Jimmy Teschemacher, Joe Sullivan, and Gene Krupa). After organizing some other record sessions, Condon switched to guitar, moved to New York in 1929, worked with Red Nichols' Five Pennies and Red McKenzie's Blue Blowers, and recorded in several settings, including with Louis Armstrong (1929) and the Rhythm Makers (1932). During 1936-1937, he co-led a band with Joe Marsala. In 1938 he led some sessions for the Commodore label and he became a star. He had a nightly gig at Nick's in New York City from 1937 to 1944. From 1944 to 1945 he led a series of recordings at Town Hall that were broadcast weekly on the radio, many of which are in circulation. This first cd from the box set covers December, 1927 through June, 1930. Condon's discography is really a Who's Who of the era, and he was known for getting people together (info available on the scans). Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Sugar
02. China Boy
03. Nobody's Sweetheart
04. Liza
05. Friars Point Shuffle
06. Darktown Strutters Ball
07. There'll Be Some Changes Made
08. I've Found A New Baby
09. Jazz Me Blues
10. Oh! Baby
11. Indiana
12. Makin' Friends
13. I'm Gonna Stomp, Mr. Henry Lee
14. That's A Serious Thing
15. Minor Drag
16. Indiana
17. Tailspin Blues
18. I Need Someone Like You
19. Hello Lola
20. One Hour
21. Girls Like You Were Meant For Boys Like Me
22. Georgia On My Mind
23. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
24. Darktown Strutters Ball
25. You Rascal You

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