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Jaffa

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Posts posted by Jaffa

  1. "Kid Boppers" ???

    in Discography

    Posted · Edited by Jaffa

    ... I found it - exactly the copy Paul Burgess had sold way back !!!!

    It's certainly obscure but not THAT good. "Operation Bop" is Denzil Best's "Move"- but the members of the band remain a mystery, Sounds like gifted (kid?) amateurs - no clue on the label where this might have been recorded or issued. The only possibly hint might be the mx-numbers: "Jr. 265" and "Jr. 268". Any ideas ?

  2. Don Reed, Rex Hollywood 27015

    in Discography

    Posted

    @ Niko: "and Ray Vasquez: wasn't that Anthony Ortega's cousin?"

    Yes this is really interesting and sheds light on the odd Rex-Hollywood label:

    From Isoardi’s interview with Anthony Ortega, Sept. 10, 1994

    Ortega 

    Mory Rappaport recorded one record or maybe more than one record for Teddy Edwards on the Rex [Records] label, "Out of Nowhere" and— What was the name of the other one? Was it "Steady with Teddy?" No, "Steady with Teddy" was on Dial. I can't remember the name of the tune. But if you ever interview him he'll remember. I remember now; it was called "Rexology." Incidentally, my cousin Ray Vasquez had got us on a recording session with the same label. It was on the Rex label. This was in about 1947.

     

    Isoardi 

    Your group, the Frantic Five?

    Ortega 

     

    The Frantic Five. We recorded on the Rex label.

    Isoardi 

    That must have been a thrill.

    Ortega 

    Yeah, man. I was only about sixteen years old. I wrote this tune based on the "East of the Sun [and West of the Moon]." I called it "The Clutching Hand." The reason I called it "The Clutching Hand" is because many years before I even played the saxophone I used to go to these serials. You know, they used to have serials every week in the movies like "The Shadow" or all these different— Like "Batman." And in this one incident there was a real bad guy, and he was the Clutching Hand. [laughter] He was the Clutching Hand. If he got ahold of you, man, you'd had it. Anyway, I named this tune "The Clutching Hand." It was based on "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." I really liked that tune ever since I was a kid when I first heard Tommy Dorsey play it and Frank Sinatra sing it, which was one of my early influences, in a sense, hearing Frank Sinatra do all these early things with Tommy Dorsey. I was very impressed with his singing.

    Anyway, Ray Vasquez got us the date for Rex label. The guy's name was Mory Rappaport who owned the Rex label.

    Isoardi 

    Where were they based?

    Ortega 

    They were based in Hollywood there.

    Isoardi 

    Small independent record company?

    Ortega 

    A very small independent label. They only did a few sides. But it's funny, too—it isn't so funny—there was a record ban at that time. None of the musicians— They were having contract hassles with the money situation. I think the— 

    Isoardi 

    This wasn't during the war, then? Was that the wartime record ban?

    Ortega 

    It probably was. It was 1946, I think.

    Isoardi 

    'Forty-three, '44? Oh, no, afterwards? There was another ban after the war, as well? 

    Ortega 

    Yeah, something like that. Whatever. I don't know when it was. However, you weren't supposed to record. See, there was a recording ban, but Mory Rappaport had a nonunion label or whatever it was, and we didn't care. We just wanted to play. 

    Isoardi 

    To record.

    Ortega 

    We thought it was great to do a recording. So we did that one, "The Clutching Hand." On the other side was Walter Benton's tune called "Home Run." It was a blues in F. At that time Walter Benton had written an introduction like a whole tone scale. The introduction was— [sings part of introduction] And his cousin Jimmy O'Brien would play like an augmented eleventh chord on the piano. [sings] But, you know, we were pretty cool for our age. We were only teenagers, you know. But anyway, we did the record, which I still think I have a copy of at home. So that was my very first recording, and it was nonunion and the whole bit. I'd never done anything like that.

    Isoardi

    Did you ever have a chance to hear it on the radio? Ever get any airplay?

    Ortega 

    Possibly. Possibly. They may have played it a little on the radio once or something. I don't know. But it was called Ray Vasquez and his Beboppers, and Ray wasn't even on it. He didn't play nothing. But he got the session. You know, he got the recording session. And we didn't get paid or anything; we just did it. It was called Ray Vasquez and his Beboppers. It didn't have any of the guys' names or anything. That's all it said, "Ray Vasquez and his Beboppers."

    5 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

    Johnny Barbera (ts), Lennie (sic!!) (as), Willie Stader (b), Shannon Fletcher (p), Roy Hall (dr - obviously NOT the pianist of the same name)

    A bunch of unknowns too.

    Could that be Lennie Niehaus who was 18 or 19 in 1947/48 when this was recorded and who was studying in LA at the time ?!?!

  3. Don Reed, Rex Hollywood 27015

    in Discography

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

    Aah ... so that's why ... I have Rex 26027 (Johnny Barbera's Quintette - Eastside Bop/Hunter's Dream) and REX is blackened out there too. I had been wondering if someone just had tried out a pot of black paint on the label ....(I do have Onyx 215 too but must admit I never noticed - or remembered - that detail in the liner notes)

    BTW, "Perdido" on Crown 5008 is distinctly a live recording from the first bars of the rather stride-ish piano introduction so this should be quite unmistakeable. And it has a guitarist present - the above REX line-up does not.

    @jazztrain: re- that note in your discographical excerpt: Whoever compiled these is not quite correct nor complete re- the LP reissues. Vogue (UK) VJT3003 (a 1970s 3-LP reissue of the 1947 Gene Norman concerts) gives a playing time of 9:29 and I do hear a trombone solo fairly early in the proceedings (contrary to the Crown 5008 version).

    Musically, the Don Reed is quite below average: The tp player was heavily inspired by McGhee - but it's not him, of course; yet the best guy in the band. All others are really less memorable.

    That Rappoport guy of Rex-Hollywood tried to make a fast buck recording little-known musicians - like the Johnny Barbera Quintette (or the mysterious Ray Vasquez) but also hit the spot by recording really great stuff by Teddy Edwards, Roy Porter, Jay McShann - and even Wingy Manone with Kay Starr... Sure - a stunning and puzzling label !

    What's the peronnel on the Johnny Barbera ? Never seen or heard it !

  4. Don Reed, Rex Hollywood 27015

    in Discography

    Posted · Edited by Jaffa

    I can't find anything on this 78. It has "Perdido, Part I" and "Perdido, Part II. Mx 27014-A and 27014-B. The "Rex"-letters are blackened out like on several others I have on this label beacuse of a copy-right war over the label's name; see Onyx-LP 215 for details.

    The label of 27015 lists: "Don Reed and his Quintette: Tenor Sax, Ted Hoffman; Trumpet, Don Kaufman; Piano, Bod Feldman; Drums, Don Myerson; Bass, Morton Lampert."

    Who are theses guys - any ideas ???

  6. Leon Eason

    in Artists

    Posted

    I have just played my copy again after years: It's not bad at all ! LE is copying Satchmo in a blatant manner.

    I really wonder what Blue Note had in mind cutting this session...

  7. Musicraft

    in Discography

    Posted · Edited by Jaffa
    typo

    21 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

    Memory says the small group sides were originally Guild and the big bands were Musicraft.

    Musicraft re-issued the Dizzy Guilds !

  9. Hoyt Hughes

    in Discography

    Posted · Edited by Jaffa

    Thanks again, Jazztrain: I only have Manor 1182 and I doubt the/any other titles were ever issued on Manor - albeit the matrix numbers (source?) and the titles suggest that they MIGHT also be by HH. I am well aware of the entries in Bruyninckx & Lord - which L. copied from B.; abeit without the "dash" in the mx-#; another regrettable case of hasty work, I'm afraid to note.

    My copy of Manor 1182 has:

    Bop-Salad mx "N-1793-2-E"

    Puerto Rican Chaos mx "N-1792-2-E"

     

  11. Hoyt Hughes

    in Discography

    Posted

    I recently got Manor 1182 by Hoyt Hughes & his Orch.: Not that memorable musically - but what alluring titles: "Bop-Salad" and "Panic In Puerto Rico". Neither is in any way related to Dizzy as some discographies suggest; misleading info which has been copied way too often.

    It's not the best of bands but puzzling here and there with "Puerto Rico" the better side, I think.

    There seems to have been an entry in "Jazz Journal" titled "2037 Who's Hughes" but I do not have this. All I find is the - rather ambivalent - short review in Billboard from June 1949.

    Can anyone help ? Who is this ? Were the other titles on "Arco AL-8", an LP I have never seen also issued on 78 ? Same band ? Thanks a ot !!!

     

  13. What 78 are you spinning right now ?

    in The Vinyl Frontier

    Posted

    On 31.12.2016 at 10:37 PM, jeffcrom said:

    A stack of Benny Carter, on Decca, Bluebird, Capitol, Deluxe, and Manor. I particularly enjoyed Carter's imaginative solo on "There, I've Said It Again" on Bluebird; the side is mostly a vocal feature for Roy Felton, and I probably never would have heard it had I not found the 78 at an estate sale.

    The Manor disc (All Alone and Daddy Daddy, from 1945) is billed as Savannah Churchill and Her All Star Orchestra, and of course feature Ms. Churchill, who was Carter's regular female vocalist during this period. The labels helpfully identify "Trombone Solo by Jay Jay" on "Daddy Daddy" and "Tenor Sax Solo by Don Byas" on the flip.

    That Manor is wonderful: Just played it again - after years ! Although pressed on a kind of sand-paper like most early Manor/Regis-78's, it's the music that matters. And it IS great !

  14. Ed Lewis

    in Artists

    Posted

    There was Ed Lewis who led the tp-section in Basie's band

    and

    Ed "Tiger" Lewis" who played & recorded on tp with Andy Kirk, Arnett Cobb et al.

    I think neither of them worked as a restroom attendant in the mid-eighties.

  16. "Kid Boppers" ???

    in Discography

    Posted

    Recently, I leafed through old issues of "Shellac Stack" from the 80's. One 78-record offered (item 449 in issue 68) is really mysterious. I copy exactly what Paul C. Burgess wrote:

    "449. Kid Boppers: Jr. 42: Arcade cantato/Operation Bop (E+N-) This has to be super-rare."

    Who is this ? Never heard of either the band's name/pseudonym, nor that label "Jr." - not to mention those bizarre titels !

    Any info is much appreciated !

     

  17. Claude Jones

    in Artists

    Posted

    Dang - I forgot that he was on that Keynote trombone session. I need to give that a spin soon.

    It is great to find a post (and replies) here about a fantastic trombonist much forgotten today ! What a wonderful, swinging and unique session Harry Lim organized in May '44: Benny Morton's "Trombone Choir" came up with 3 incredible tracks and one that I do not like that much - I think "Sliphorn Outing" was way too fast.

    "Liza", however, ranks among my all-time favorite trombone-recordings ! Both, "Once In A While" and "Where Or When" are also amazing: I just played my Keynote 12'' 78's again...

  21. Uptown Records - Vinyl

    in The Vinyl Frontier

    Posted · Edited by Jaffa

    I have lately played some of my Uptown-LPs again - after 20+ years: What a wonderful re-discovery.

    Philly Joe's two "Dameronia"-LPs, the two Joe Thomas, Dicky Wells etc....

    Can anyone guide me to a listing of the LPs on that label ?

    The Uptown-Homepage only lists the CDs (plus a few of the last LPs still available).

    Thanks for your help !

  22. RIP Paul Bryant

    in Artists & Recordings

    Posted

    Sad, sad news: I adore his albums with Curtis Amy but I simply LOVE Pacific Jazz 12 ("Burnin'") issued under Paul Bryant's name ! Easily among my top 3 favorite organ-LPs: What a shame this has (to the best of my knowledge) never been re-issued on CD.

  25. Thrasher Sisters with Gerald Wilson

    in Discography

    Posted

    Thanks, Paul, for your interesting lead. I don't know if there is a link to the Drifters but who knows ?

    Billboard (October 31, 1942; easily searchable like all early Billboard-magazines through books.google) mentions a radio show from Cincinnati with "the Three Thrasher Sisters (Mary, Betty and Dolores), who swing out harmoniously on a sound arrangement of Idaho." I am quite sure these ARE the vocalists heard on the Wilson-recordings.

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