Gotta Darn Good Reason Now

Filling in some gaps to kick off the weekend, this covers the first 24 sides recorded by Cab Calloway under his own name (formerly he performed with the Missourians). As noted by others, these recordings show that Calloway had already developed his style, and he was successful with it. This cd includes the original recording of Minnie the Moocher, which he recorded several times. I prefer this version. He and the orchestra also do justice to Benny Carter with a nice cover of The Blues In My Heart. The liner notes (among others) suggest that it's interesting to hear Calloway covering tunes associated with other artists of the day (Duke Ellington, Paul Whiteman, Fats Waller, Carter), but the practice was so common that I would be surprised if they hadn't done covers. In my mind, I always associate St. James Infirmary with Cab anyway. But I will agree that, of all the Ellington material available, Mood Indigo is an interesting choice. These tunes were recorded between July 24, 1930 and June 17, 1931. Enjoy. +

Tracks

1. Gotta Darn Good Reason Now (For Bein' Good)
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Sweet Jenny Lee
4. Happy Feet
5. Yaller
6. The Viper's Drag
7. Is That Religion?
8. Some of These Days
9. Nobody's Sweetheart
10. St. James Infirmary
11. Dixie Vagabond
12. So Sweet
13. Minnie the Moocher
14. Doin' The Rhumba
15. Mood Indigo
16. Farewell Blues
17. I'm Crazy Bout My Baby
18. Creole Love Song
19. The Levee Low-Down
20. Blues In My Heart
21. Black Rhythm
22. Six or Seven Times
23. My Honey's Lovin Arms
24. The Nightmare

With Plenty Of Money And You

Gadzooks, I can't believe I didn't post this already. For whatever reason, it's been sitting in my drafts folder. Well, here's the second in the Art Tatum series featuring solos by the man that could make a bad piano sound good. Six years seems like a long period to cover in one disc, but Tatum tended to work and to record unaccompanied, partly because relatively few musicians could keep pace with his fast tempos and advanced harmonic vocabulary. Tatum said of himself, "A band hampers me." Other musicians expressed amazed bewilderment at performing with Tatum. Drummer Jo Jones, who recorded a 1956 trio session with Tatum and bassist Red Callender is quoted as quipping, "I didn't even play on that session [...] all I did was listen. I mean, what could I add? [...] I felt like setting my damn drums on fire." Clarinetist Buddy DeFranco said that playing with Tatum was "like chasing a train." (notes from Wiki). Apparently Tatum thought that there wasn't much of a market for solo recordings, so his recorded output is less than it should have been, and instead he focused more on performing. Lucky audiences, they. Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Liza
02. Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle
03. Body And Soul
04. With Plenty Of Money And You
05. What Will I Tell My Heart
06. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
07. Gone With The Wind
08. Stormy Weather
09. Chlo-e
10. The Sheik Of Araby
11. Tea For Two
12. Deep Purple
13. Elegie
14. Humoresque
15. Sweet Lorraine
16. Get Happy
17. Lullaby Of The Leaves
18. Tiger Rag
19. Sweet Emaline, My Gal
20. Emaline
21. Moonglow
22. Love Me
23. Cocktails For You
24. St. Louis Blues

Jazz Me Blues

Bix Beiderbecke has shown up here and there among other posts, but this is my first to feature the famous cornetist and pianist. Many people consider Bix the greatest ever, while others sarcastically refer to him as jazz's first saint, while in recent years some less-than savory details have emerged about his earlier life. Yet for better for worse, he has come to symbolize Prohibition and the Roaring Twenties - hot jazz, flappers, changing moralities, and more importantly, illegal hootch which ultimately did him in in 1931. Bix has been cited as a major influence by many jazz musicians, including Bing Crosby, Frankie Trumbauer, Bunny Berigan, Lester Young, and many more. He recorded many of his best-known sides while with the Jean Goldkette Orchestra, and later with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. A lot has been written about Bix, too much for this small space. More information can be found at Redhot Jazz, Allmusic.com, and Wikipedia.

Bix's popularity seems only to have grown since his early death, which received only passing notice in the press. This year the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society holds its 41st annual festival, August 2 - 5, 2012, in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa. Enjoy! +

Tracks

1. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Jazz Me Blues
2. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - At The Jazz Band Ball
3. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Royal Garden Blues
4. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Sorry
5. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Singin' The Blues
6. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - I'm Comin' Virginia
7. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
8. Tram, Bix & Eddie -     For No Reason At All In "C"
9. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Goose Pimples
10. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Trumbology
11. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Ostrich Walk
12. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Riverboat Shuffle
13. Bix And His Rhythm Jugglers - Davenport Blues
14. Wolverine Orchestra, The - Copenhagen
15. Wolverine Orchestra, The - Fidgety Feet
16. Wolverine Orchestra, The - Tiger Rag
17. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - In A Mist (Bixology)
18. Jean Goldkette And His Orchestra - Clementine (From "New Orleans")
19. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Thou Swell
20. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Ol' Man River
21. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Wa-Da-Da (Ev'rybody's Doin' It Now)
22. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Louisiana
23. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Margie
24. Bix Beiderbecke And His Orchestra - I'll Be A Friend With Pleasure
25. Hoagy Carmichael And His Orchestra - Bessie Couldn't Help It

Battery Bounce

Third in the series. I cannot add anything worthwhile; so here's what Allmusic.com has to say. "This wonderful compilation -- the third volume in the complete recordings of Art Tatum -- will delight seasoned Tatum lovers and may also serve as the perfect introduction for those who seek initiation. That's because this portion of the Tatum chronology just happens to feature the pianist in his very prime as soloist, accompanist, and bandleader. The first 11 tracks were originally issued on the Decca label. Three excellent piano solos from July 1940 are followed by two sessions' worth of swinging instrumentals and strongly steeped blues sung by Kansas City's Joe Turner. Trumpeter Joe Thomas and clarinetist Edmond Hall were perfect foils for this singer. Hall's sinewy solos enliven "Stompin' at the Savoy" and Tatum's fine piece of boogie, "Battery Bounce." Guitarists John Collins and Oscar Moore each bring a special sense of conviviality to the ensembles. Moving ahead to January 1944, Tatum is heard with Tiny Grimes and Slam Stewart on a series of dazzling trio sides, most of which first appeared on the Brunswick label. These stunning collaborations are prized for their wealth of invention and relaxed intimacy." Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Begin The Beguine
02. Rosetta
03. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
04. Wee Baby Blues
05. Stompin' At The Savoy
06. Last Goodbye Blues
07. Battery Bounce
08. Lucille
09. Rock Me, Mama
10. Corrine, Corrina
11. Lonesome Graveyard
12. I Got Rhythm
13. Cocktails For Two
14. I Ain't Got Nobody
15. After You've Gone
16. Moonglow
17. Deep Purple
18. I Would Do Anything For You
19. Liza
20. Tea For Two
21. Honeysuckle Rose

Fancy Our Meeting

Albert Allick Bowlly should be no stranger to anyone who listens to the style of music shared in this blog. Born in 1898 in Mozambique, Bowlly was a Southern-African singer, songwriter, composer and band leader, who became a the most popular Jazz crooner during the British dance band era of the 1930s and later worked in the United States. He recorded more than 1,000 records between 1927 and 1941. In 1933, Bowlly began to collaborate with Lew Stone and had further success producing some of the most popular jazz records of the 1930s. A year later, Bowlly travelled abroad to New York which resulted in further success, and an introduction into the American charts. During the mid-1930s, Bowlly recorded "Blue Moon", "Easy to Love", "I've Got You Under My Skin", and "My Melancholy Baby" which were all sizable successes.

By 1938, Bowlly began to suffer problems with his throat and was forced to return to London. In a recent BBC radio program about Bowlly, however, it was suggested that his return to the UK was precipitated by a need to get out of town after a dalliance with another man's wife/girlfriend. His absence from the UK had damaged his popularity with British audiences and he toured regional theatres and continued his recording career, performing with different orchestras in order to make a living. In 1940, he formed a double act with Jimmy Messene and took part in Radio Stars with Two Guitars, performing in theatres across London. His last recorded song was a duet with Messene of Irving Berlin's satirical song on Hitler, entitled "When That Man Is Dead and Gone". It was his last venture before his death in an air raid in April 1941. This is an LP rip with no digital enhancements. Enjoy. +

Tracks

A1 - Fancy Our Meeting (Nov. 13, 1933)
A2 - My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes (June 1931 w/ Howard Godfrey's Waldorfians)
A3 - Judy (August 21, 1934 w/ Monia Liter, piano)
A4 - I'm Thru' With Love (September 1931 w/ Deauville Dance Band, dir Harry Hudson)
A5 - Be Still, My Heart (October 30, 1934 w/ Victor Young Orchestra)
A6 - Roll On Mississippi, Roll On (August 1931 w/ Sid Phillips' Melodians)
A7 - Heartaches (August 1931 w/ Sid Phillips' Melodians)

B1 - Maria, My Own (April 20, 1933 w/ instrumental accompaniment)
B2 - If I Had A Million Dollars (October 30, 1934 w/ Victor Young Orchestra)
B3 - Miss Elizabeth Brown (June 1931 w/ Howard Godfrey's Waldorfians)
B4 - If Anything Happened To You (January 28, 1932 w/ Rhythm Maniacs, dir. Roy Fox)
B5 - Got A Date With An Angel (November 1931 w/ Howard Godfrey's Waldorfians)
B6 - There's Rain In My Eyes (November 11, 1938 w/ instrumental accompaniment)
B7 - Night And Day (October 16, 1933 w/ Orchestra, dir Carroll Gibbons)
B8 - Brother, Can You Spare A Dime (December 1, 1933 w/ Lew Stone Orchestra

No Regrets

Good grief! April is nearly over and I am just getting to a new post. From Allmusic.com, "After playing in a few bands in the late '20s and early '30s, clarinetist Artie Shaw formed the first of his several big bands in 1936. This initial group was unique, to say the least: Along with a core jazz band, Shaw also included a string section and a Dixieland-style contingent. In spite of the odd instrumentation, though, Shaw's first band cut many fine sides.This roundup on the Hep label brings together 24 of them, including such highlights as "Japanese Sandman," "Copenhagen," and "Sobbin' Blues." The band might not have been up to the standards of later Shaw groups, but still produced enough in the way of tight ensemble work and topnotch solos (tenor saxophonist Tony Pastor, drummer George Wettling, and pianist/arranger Joe Lipman deserve special mention)." The review continues by suggesting this earliest of Shaw bands is best-suited for core Shaw fans, however I think this music stands well alongside most other bands playing popular music at the time. Shaw could have turned out another pedestrian version of Frost On The Moon, for example, but his clarinet and the ensemble work make it enjoyable (though I'll take Chick Webb's version any day). Vocalists include Peg La Centra and Tony Pastor. The 24 tracks (recorded between June and December, 1936) finish with My Blue Heaven, which is one of the all-time great tunes regardless of who records it. After the original, Shaw's version has to be number two or three. All in all, Shaw delivers a mix of styles that makes one wonder what he was trying to accomplish. Please everyone, lack of focus, be 'that' different, or something else? Whatever the reason, Shaw disbanded the group the following year, returning with a new band in 1938 and his biggest hit Begin The Beguine. Enjoy. +

Tracks

01. Japanese Sandman
02. A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody
03. I Used To Be Above Love
04. No Regrets
05. South Sea Island Magic
06. It Ain't Right
07. Sugar Foot Stomp
08. Thou Swell
09. You're Giving Me A Song And Dance
10. Darling, Not Without You
11. One, Two, Button Your Shoe
12. Let's Call A Heart A Heart
13. The Skeleton In The Closet
14. There's Something In The Air
15. Take Another Guess
16. There's Frost On The Moon
17. Love And Learn
18. Moon Face
19. The Same Old Line
20. You Can Tell She Comes From Dixie
21. Sobbin' Blues
22. Copenhagen
23. Cream Puff
24. My Blue Heaven