Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Here's the last cd of this set. What Have We Got To Lose? Stringing Along On A Shoestring, When My Ship Comes In and If I Had A Million Dollars all echo what a lot of people were thinking.  Our Penthouse On Third Avenue features one of my favorite singers, who to my ear just seems to sing perfectly. Almost as good as the Bea Wain vocal on Our Penthouse On Third Avenue is the photo of her (sorry, no scan). The editors chose Ramona's version of Raising The Rent because it includes the verse lyrics. Roy Bargy (p), Benny Bonacio (cl) and Bunny Berigan (tr) accompany here. Ramona also sings Now I'm A Lady, which is a tune Mae West sang in a film but never recorded. Gotta Go To Work Again from Ted Wallace is a tune that was used as instrumental background music in the film My Man Godfrey. This version features an unknown male vocal. Chick Bullock makes his appearance on the 3rd of 4 of these cds, so obviously the editors have good taste. Are You Making Any Money? (is all I want to know) was written by Herman Hupfield, of As Time Goes By fame. Even without Chick singing, it's a great tune and is the first song of his I'd ever heard (on another Depression collection found early in this blog). I'm not a big Disney fan, but Artie Shaw really made Whistle While You Work swing. Closing out the decade, the Mills Brothers and Louis Armstrong recorded WPA in 1940, and to close out the entire set is the extremely pollyanish, premature and rather insulting tune (considering it was recorded on February 3, 1930 just 3 months after Black Thursday) Happy Days Are Here Again. According to the liner notes, the song was taken to George Olsen, who was playing the Hotel Pennsylvania, who told his band to "play it to the corpses". It took a few choruses for the audience to warm to the tune. This version is by Ben Selvin and an all but anonymous studio orchestra. The book to this box set features a lot of great pictures of artists, sheet music, magazines, record sleeves, etc. It also has a selected bibliography for reading about the Great Depression, and an even bigger filmography. All in all, this set deserves its place as a resource for any study of the era. Very well done. Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Phil Harris Coconut Grove Orchestra - What Have We Got To Lose?
02 - Henry 'Red' Allen - Stringin' Along On A Shoe String
03 - Eddie Cantor - When My Ship Comes In
04 - The Boswell Sisters - If I Had A Million Dollars
05 - Gene Kardos Orchestra - Our Penthouse On Third Avenue
06 - Ramona & Roy Bargy - Raising The Rent
07 - Chick Bullock's Levee Loungers - Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore
08 - Connie Boswell - The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
09 - Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra - Now I'm A Lady
10 - Adrian Rollini & Orchestra - I Gotta Get Up And Go To Work
11 - Ted Wallace Orchestra - Gotta Go To Work Again
12 - Chick Bullock's Levee Loungers - Are You Making Any Money?
13 - Ozzie Nelson Orchestra - Got The Jitters
14 - Don Bestor Orchestra - Rain
15 - The Ink Spots - With Plenty Of Money And You
16 - Teddy Hill - I'm Feeling Like A Million
17 - Red Norvo Orchestra - Slummin' On Park Avenue
18 - Artie Shaw New Music - Whistle While You Work
19 - Louis-Mills Armstrong Brothers - WPA
20 - Kay Kyser & His Orchestra - Hey Pop! I Don't Wanna Go To Work
21 - Horace Heidt & Orchestra - Dawn Of A New Day
22 - Ben Selvin & His Orchestra - Happy Days Are Here Again

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

I'm Goin' Huntin'

It's time to get back to some real good Prohibition-era music to kick of the year, and one of the best is Johnny Dodds. Dodds and his younger brother, drummer Baby Dodds are well known. However, pianist Jimmy Blythe is usually overlooked despite performing on a lot of recordings during the twenties. The sides presented here include some alternative takes, and Louis Armstrong makes a cornet appearance on four tracks. Full info is in the scans. "Johnny Dodds was one of the greatest clarinetist of the 1920's. Although both Jimmie Noone and Sidney Bechet had better technique, Dodds had a very soulful, bluesy style of playing that was often emotionally powerful. He was a master of the New Orleans' ensemble style of collective improvisation. He didn't have the flash of Louis Armstrong, but often provided the perfect environment for Armstrong to shine. He worked with most of the major Hot Jazz bands of the era. Dodds was in Kid Ory's band in New Orleans from 1912 to 1919. He played on riverboats with Fate Marable in 1917 and moved to Chicago in 1921 to play with King Oliver. Johnny and his brother Baby Dodds were an important part of Louis Armstrong's classic Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings for Okeh. During the 1920's he also recorded with Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, Jelly Roll Morton and on most of Lil Hardin-Armstrong's sessions. Unlike many of his famous contemporaries, Dodds and his brother stayed in Chicago and were pretty much forgotten as Jazz moved East to New York in the Thirties. He recorded several records under his own name in the Twenties, often with Natty Dominique on trumpet, and worked regularly at Kelly's Stables from 1924 to 1930. Dodds continued to play and record in Chicago throughout the Thirties, and also ran a cab company with his brothers." (redhotjazz.com). Enjoy! +

Tracks

01 - Little Bits
02 - Struggling
03 - Struggling
04 - Easy Come Easy Go Blues
05 - The Blues Stampede
06 - I'm Goin' Huntin'
07 - If You Want To Be My Sugar Papa
08 - Bohunkus Blues
09 - Idle Hour Special
10 - 47th Street Stomp
11 - 47th Street Stomp
12 - Buddy Burton's Jazz
13 - Messin' Around - Take 1
14 - Messin' Around - Take 2
15 - Adams Apple
16 - Ape Man
17 - Your Folks
18 - Weary Way Blues
19 - Poutin' Papa
20 - Hot Stuff
21 - Have Mercy!
22 - My Baby
23 - Oriental Man

We Called It Music

It's been a busy time of late, so apologies for not getting this out sooner. Here we have the fourth and final volume of this Eddie Condon collection. This volume covers January 21, 1942 through August 1949, and includes more of the fantastic lineup: Max Kaminsky, Pee Wee Russell, Joe Bushkin, George Wettling, Zutty Singleton, Benny Morton, Hot Lips Page, Miff Mole (tracks 8 & 13), Billie Holiday, Bobby Hackett, as well as Jack Teagarden, Louis Armstrong and James P. Johnson. If this isn't all-star, then the term is meaningless. On top of that, there is one of the sexiest voices ever, Lee Wiley. Tracks that stand out for me are Cherry, Peg O' My Heart, Ballin' The Jack, and Georgia Cake Walk. But feel free to choose your own. Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Don't Leave Me Daddy
02. Georgia Cake Walk
03. Liberty Inn Drag
04. Indiana
05. Get Happy
06. Oh, Katharina
07. Uncle Sam's Blues
08. How Come You Do Me Like You Do
09. Clarinet Marmalade
10. Joe's Blues
11. Village Blues
12. Tiger Rag
13. Peg O' My Heart
14. Cherry
15. Ballin' The Jack
16. Jada
17. When Your Lover Has Gone
18. Wherever There's Love
19. Improvisation For March Of Time
20. Just You, Just Me
21. Atlanta Blues
22. Keeps On A-Rainin'
23. We Called It Music

Stomp Off, Let's Go

If there's anyone more influential in jazz, I've not heard them. Louis Armstrong was simply the greatest. Which means that any release calling itself the "Ultimate Collection" is fated to overlook a sizable quantity of "must listen" work, and unsurprisingly three cds hardly comes close to filling the bill. Still, this set does encompass his career a little better than many that are released on lesser labels which go out of print or straight to the bargain bin. There is also an informative booklet with session information and photos. If you find this on sale, you won't be disappointed. Unlike the Dorsey-Sinatra set, I'm going to post all three discs at once. All titles are by either Louis Armstrong or Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra, except as where noted. Happy Holidays. Enjoy. + + +

Tracks

1. Copenhagen
2. Shanghai Shuffle
3. Stomp Off, Let's Go
4. Drop That Sack
5. Melancholy
6. I'm Goin' Huntin'
7. I'm In The Mood For Love
8. On Treasure Island
9. Thanks A Million
10. Ev'ntide
11. Dippermouth Blues
12. Swing That Music
13. Pennies From Heaven - Bing Crosby
14. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
15. Once In A While
16. In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree
17. Jubilee
18. When The Saints Go Marching In
19. Shadrack
20. Ain't Misbehavin'
21. Jeepers Creepers

Disc 2:

1. Rockin' Chair
2. West End Blues
3. Savoy Blues
4. Hear Me Talkin' To Ya
5. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
6. You're A Lucky Guy
7. Wolverine Blues
8. Sweethearts On Parade
9. Perdido Street Blues
10. 2:19 Blues
11. Coal Cart Blues
12. Groovin'
13. Royal Garden Blues - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
14. Mahogany Hall Stomp - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
15. Blueberry Hill
16. You Can't Lose A Broken Heart - Billie Holiday
17. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
18. Panama    Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
19. New Orleans Function - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
20. You Rascal You (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead)
21. My Monday Date, Parts 1 & 2 - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars

Disc 3:

1. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
2. It's All In The Game
3. Someday (You'll Be Sorry) - Louis Armstrong With The Commanders
4. Basin Street Blues - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
5. When It's Sleepy Time Down South - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
6. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
7. Weary Blues
8. Wild Man Blues
9. Dippermouth Blues - Sugar Foot Stomp
10. Dear Old Southland    Louis Armstrong
11. Stompin' At The Savoy - Ella Fitzgerald
12. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
13. Sweet Lorraine
14. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
15. What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong's Orchestra And Chorus
16. Cabaret - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars
17. Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Louis Armstrong And The All Stars

Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train

You can't go wrong with Louis Armstrong. Here's the review from Allmusic.com: During the long cold winter of 1931-1932, Louis Armstrong stationed himself in Chicago, where he spun out the last of his OKeh recordings. This volume of vintage jazz opens with 16 of these marvelous sides. Backed by nine resilient players, the trumpeter sings on each and every track, handling light novelties and romantic ballads with relative ease. He makes "Lazy River" sound like he wrote it himself. "Chinatown" has a magnificent spoken intro and vocal by the leader, followed by what he describes as "a little argument between the saxophones and the trumpet," culminating of course in a dazzling display of Armstrong's unsurpassed virtuosity. Brimming with humorous commentary and theatrical patter, "The Lonesome Road" represents a special subgenre of sanctified church burlesques. After Armstrong asks aloud "What kind of church is this?," someone can't resist interjecting a flippant salute to "you vipers." Apparently limbered up and in the mood for conversation, Armstrong introduces his musicians with relish all throughout a fine version of "I Got Rhythm." His handling of "Kickin' the Gong Around" is less theatrical but swings more solidly than Cab Calloway's hyperventilated version. Always ready to outdo even himself, Armstrong recorded a sequel to his "Tiger Rag" with someone loudly counting off the number of choruses as he blew them. What appears to have been his last OKeh record, "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" backed with "Lawd, You Made the Night Too Long," was recorded in Chicago on March 11, 1932, and given the serial number 41560. His next opportunity to record in front of his own band occurred in Camden, NJ, on December 8th. Armstrong was now officially working for the Victor record company. His 11-piece band included trombone legend Big Charlie Green, reedman and composer Edgar Sampson, and percussion wizard Chick Webb, who provided amazing locomotive effects on his snare drum on "Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train." Mezz Mezzrow is said to have been responsible for ringing the bells on this track. This excellent segment of the Louis Armstrong chronology ends with a four-and-a-half-minute "Medley of Armstrong Hits," with a nine-piece Victor studio band backing him every step of the way. Enjoy. +
(Thanks to Guy Fawkes for contributing this one!)

Tracks

1. Lazy River
2. Chinatown, My Chinatown
3. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
4. Stardust
5. You Can Depend on Me
6. Georgia on My Mind
7. The Lonesome Road
8. I Got Rhythm
9. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
10. Kickin' the Gong Around
11. Home (When Shadows Fall)
12. All of Me
13. Love, You Funny Thing
14. The New Tiger Rag
15. Keepin' Out of Mischief Now
16. Lawd, You Made the Night Too Long
17. That's My Home
18. Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train
19. I Hate to Leave You Now
20. You'll Wish You'd Never Been Born
21. Medley of Armstrong Hits, Pt. 2: When You're Smiling/St. James Infirmary/Dinah

Patrol Wagon Blues

Volume 8 from the L'Art Vocal series highlights a hodgepodge of singers. No surprises in the selections, really. But they did avoid the usual names that you find everywhere else and include a couple lesser-known singers. Enjoy. +

Tracks


1. I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle - Perry "Mule" Bradford's Jazz Phools with Louis Armstrong
2. Doctor Jazz - Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers
3. I'm Sober Now - Pinetop Smith
4. You Might Get Better, But You'll Never Get Well - Henry Allen & His New York Orchestra
5. Patrol Wagon Blues - Henry "Red" Allen
6. Just a Gigolo - Louis Armstrong
7. I Heard - Don Redman & His Orchestra
8. I Wanna Count Sheep (Till the Cows Come Home) - Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra
9. Reefer Man - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
10. Shag - Wilson Myers
11. Diga Diga Doo - The Mills Brothers
11. Rhythm - Spirits of Rhythm
12. Dear Old Southland - Louis Bacon
13. On the Sunny Side of the Street - Taft Jordan
14. Old Joe's Hittin' the Jug - Stuff Smith & His Onyx Club Boys
15. Lost Love - Fats Waller & His Rhythm
16. Sent for You Yesterday (And Here You Come Today) - Jimmy Rushing
17. The Flat Foot Floogie - Slim Gaillard
18. Old Man Ben - Hot Lips Page
19. Ain't She Sweet - Trummy Young
20. I Love You - Dan Grissom
21. Baby, Look at You - Big Joe Turner

Happy Feet

I thought this was a good series, even if sometimes the tunes are not the most popular or well-known versions. The tunes were usually recorded by numerous artists, and I don't think there are any disappointments here. There are a couple of tunes from Annette Hanshaw (always a good choice), as well as Ruth Etting's most famous tune. My favorite here is Three Little Words from the Rhythm Boys (Bing Crosby, Al Rinker, Harry Barris) with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Trivia time: Harry Barris was the uncle of Chuck Barris (the Gong Show), and Al Rinker was the brother of the great jazz vocalist Mildred Bailey. +

Tracks

01. Happy Days Are Here Again - Jack Hylton and His Orchestra With Vocal Trio
02. With A Song In My Heart - Hutch
03. Puttin' On The Ritz - Fred Astaire
04. Little White Lies - Annette Hanshaw with Her Sizzling Syncopators
05. Falling In Love Again - Marlene Dietrich with Freidrich Hollander und sein Jazz Symphoniker
06. Happy Feet - Paul Whiteman with The Rhythm Boys - Joe Venuti - violin
07. Georgia On My Mind - Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra
08. When You're Smiling - Louis Armstrong Orchestra
09. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Layton & Johnstone with Layton Turner - piano
10. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To - Maruice Chevalier with orchestra conducted by Leonard Joy)
11. Exactly Like You - Elsie Carlisle with instrumental accompaniement directed by Jay Wilber
12. It Happened In Monterey - John Boles - tenor with Leroy Shields
13. Ten Cents A Dance - Ruth Etting
14. Let Me Sing And I'm Happy - Al Jolson
15. Three Little Words - The Rhythm Boys with Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
16. Beyond The Blue Horizon - Jeanette MacDonald
17. I'm Confessing That I Love You - Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
18. My Baby Just Cares For Me - Jack Payne
19. If I Had A Talking Picture Of You - Jacky Hylton & His Orchestra - Sam Browne - vocal
20. Oh! Donna Carla! - George Metaxa with New Mayfair Orchestra conducted by Ray Noble
21. You're Driving Me Crazy - Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees
22. Without A Song - Lawrence Tibbett
23. Body And Soul - Annette Hanshaw

Music of Prohibition

Enjoy some great music from the age of Prohibition. Today marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the Volstead Act, otherwise known as the 18th Amendment. + (256)

Tracks (covers)

1. Minnie The Moocher (Theme Song) (78rpm Version) - Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
2. Chicago Breakdown - Louis Armstrong
3. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Duke Ellington & his Orchestra
4. Sugar Foot Stomp - Fletcher Henderson
5. I Got Rhythm - Don Redman
6. Shim Sham Shimmy - The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra
7. Stompin' At The Savoy (78rpm Version) - Chick Webb's Savoy Orchestra
8. Kater Street Rag - Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra
9. The Mooche - Duke Ellington
10. You Drink Too Much - State Street Swingers
11. Mood Indigo - Duke Ellington
12. Chicago Stomp Down - Duke Ellington
13. Take The A Train (78rpm Version) - Cab Calloway
14. Black And Tan Fantasy - Duke Ellington
15. St. Louis Blues - The Mills Brothers
16. Bootlegger Blues - Mississippi Sheiks
17. Rockin' In Rhythm - Duke Ellington
18. Diga Diga Do - The Mills Brothers
19. Sweet Georgia Brown - California Ramblers
20. When The Moon Shines On The Moonshine - Bert Williams
21. Charleston - California Ramblers
22. Happy Days Are Here Again - Casa Loma Orchestra

Wild Man Blues

What can be said about Louis Armstrong that hasn't been said before? Seriously. The man could blow a horn.

(from Amazon) Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens existed only as recording bands, with the members working regularly in other groups, but they created music that will endure as long as people listen to jazz. The sessions on volume 2 of the Columbia series come from 1926 and 1927, with the first eight tracks continuing the work of the Hot Five and the final eight showing the beginnings of the expanded Hot Seven. The varied sessions demonstrate Armstrong's broadening confidence and musical invention, ranging from the clarion trumpet of "Wild Man Blues" to the bawdy vocal on "Big Butter and Egg Man." Raucous but well arranged, this is cornerstone ensemble music with enormous energy and bright, spirited blasts. --Stuart Broomer

+ (256) ..... Tell 'em Volstead sent you.

Tracks

1. Lonesome Blues
2. Sweet Little Papa
3. Jazz Lips
4. Skid-Dat-De-Dat
5. Big Butter And Egg Man
6. Sunset Cafe Stomp
7. You Made Me Love You
8. Irish Black Bottom
9. Willie The Weeper
10. Wild Man Blues
11. Alligator Crawl
12. Potato Head Blues
13. Melancholy
14. Weary Blues
15. Twelfth Street Rag
16. Keyhole Blues