BFT #56 Discussion Disc 2

[BERIGAN]

Are ya happy Alex, and Thom Keith???

[lipi]

Are ya happy Alex, and Thom Keith???

elated, in fact. ) i liked disc 2 better than disc 1, though i still don't recognise most of it. i foresee a trip to amoeba records once you post the answers.

1. awesome. no idea who this is. sounds a little like some of the hrs sessions. new orleans style trumpet. upon re-listening: it sounds like jabbo. it's not a track of his i have, though, so it must be post-1929.

2. is that stuff smith? actually, yes, that is stuff. and now i can find it online: stuff and jonah, "old joe's hittin' the jug". i like it. aside: i put this on in the car this morning, and two measures in, my girlfriend says "that's jonah jones." yes, she's awesome. yes, she's taken. sorry. )

3. live basie? oops! no, because there's a guitar break! and that piano is not basie. late 1940's? there are a lot of notes in those sax solos and i can hear a lot of hitting of the open high-hat, i think. wish i could figure out what is being yelled at 2:16. trumpet player is good. if you told me this was the tommy dorsey orchestra, i'd believe you.

4. i love this stuff. it's from here: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...10:3pfyxzl5ldje

5. tempo changes would drive dancers mad. trumpeter has listened to a lot of louis (that's of course as useless as my earlier comment that some guy sounded like he was influenced by tram!).

6. sweet (as in, not hot) sax. honky tonk piano. boring guitar. trumpet out of nowhere! lullaby ending. weird.

7. absolutely no idea. it's o.k., but not something i'd listen to often. guitar doesn't sound like the usual suspects (reinhardt, aleman), but that leaves me with no one else to guess.

8. i like the chuggachugga rhythm guitar. i wish the alto (?) would go a little wilder. i wish all of it was a little rawer, actually. electric guitar sounds awfully clean. i have, again, no idea who these guys are. i know django went electric for a little while at some point. i've never heard those sides, but i imagine they sound something like this.

9. opening horn made me go: "duke?", but i quickly recanted. are those vibes or a marimba? what on earth is going on? oh. 1:31. someone found a beat. annoying vibe/xylophone/marimba is back. i don't like it. i feel like i'm in the rain forest with a bunch of fellow explorers who sing out of tune.

10. hawk? any electric guitar, i automatically think it's christian. so i'll just say christian.

11. this is really fun. mid to late 20's again?

12. man, i really am terrible at identifying bands. dorsey, perhaps, but i have no good reason for saying that. it's too sweet for my taste.

13. i can see this as part of a soundtrack, behind the montage where we see the killer do his evil deeds and hide all the evidence. not my thing at all.

14. but this is! late 1940's? again with my inability to identify a band. the riff hits at the very beginning (0:03 and 0:06ish) remind me of lunceford, but the rest of the track sure doesn't, and it goes all modern crazy 20 seconds in. at times just a little too modern for my taste.

15. aaaaah, there's chick! this time it really is him. "liza". love this. (what a great intro--right up there with "will git it".)

16. yeeeeeah. another great track. basie, i bet. sounds like they're quoting "swingin' on nothing".

17. and another winner. what is this? i need to get this. what a great bounce! love those reed riffs and the way the trumpet breaks in at 0:32 or so. the bouncy rhythm reminds me of basie again, but it clearly isn't. some other kansas city band, perhaps?

18. the pianist reminds me of morton because of those little ragtime figures. it's someone who learned to play early. the rest of the band sounds more modern, though. the four beats to the bar ("and no cheatin'!") rhythm suggests it's at least 1930, probably closer to '35. kinda fun.

19. cool. more for the "to buy if i don't actually already have it somewhere" list. mckinney's cotton pickers, or one of the other territory bands, if i had to guess.

20. ick. ) i'm fine with the fiddle, but the clarinet trill and the other squeakiness kills it for me.

21. is that "honeysuckle rose" being quoted there? i like this, but i can't identify anyone on it. i like the piano player. sounds like a condon jam session, but the guitar player isn't condon. (for one, he's soloing. for another, well, he doesn't sound like condon.)

22. latin influenced swing is not my thing.

23. with a beginning like that, i have to think of duke--again.

24. boswell sisters? or is it the king sisters? ah, i looked it up. cool. i like it.

25. it doesn't sound like connie (who of course i have to think of because of that last track), and the recording is really early. i don't really know the early female vocalists. so who is it? reminds me of a hollywoody thing--like a cross between ginger rogers and betty boop. oh. wow. lyrics & google led me to it online. that's wild. it pretty much is betty boop.

26. this is really early. 1918-1921ish? odjb? morton's peppers? no piano. hmm, not morton, then. could be odjb. also reminds me of jim europe, noble sissle, etc., but it sounds like a small group, and i don't know that they recorded in a small group.

great fun! thanks again.

Edited April 7, 2008 by alex.

[Stereojack]

Have listened through this disc a couple of times, and now I'm ready to commit -

1. This has got to Jabbo Smith! What an exciting player. This track gets the second disc off to a very nice start.

2. “Old Joe’s Hittin’ the Jug” – Stuff Smith, with Jonah Jones on trumpet, and, I think, Cozy Cole on drums. LOVE Stuff!! Here’s a band I’d love to have seen live, had I been born 30 years sooner.

3. “Gin For Christmas” in rechanneled stereo! Even with the crappy mastering, it’s hard to contain the excitement. Of course, it’s Hamp at the drums, and Ziggy Elman on trumpet, can’t remember who else. A classic side!

4. The Rhythmmakers – “Who Stole The Lock”. Red Allen sings & plays trumpet, Pee Wee is delightful, can’t remember the tenor (Bud?) or the trombone (great trills!). A classic session.

5. “You Can’t Cheat a Cheater”. I think you’re throwing us a curve here, my man. That’s Tommy Dorsey on trumpet, with Eddie Lang, and the pianist (Artie Schutt?) doubling on harmonium. I’ve always marveled at how Tommy’s personality was so different when he played trumpet. On trombone, he plays with great beauty and control, and on trumpet he’s a wild man! Then again, maybe this is Phil Napoleon on trumpet – they both recorded this tune. I’ll stick to my first guess.

6. Tram, Bix & Lang – another curve. Bix is on piano until the very end.

7. I think this is Dick McDonough, a marvelous guitarist who died young. Beautiful playing, and a lovely tune.

8. George Barnes – “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”. I found this Okeh 78 some years ago, on which the billing was The Georgie Barnes Trio. Can’t remember who the sidemen are, but Barnes (barely out of his teens when he cut this) sounds great!

9. Red Norvo – “Dance of the Octopus”. This was considered pretty avant garde back in 1933. If I recall correctly, Benny Goodman’s playing the bass clarinet. A delightful side.

10. That’s Tiny Grimes on guitar, I’m pretty sure. I think this may be a Blue Note date, with Ike Quebec on tenor. Or is it John Hardee?

11. This sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. Really nice late 1920’s Harlem jazz – maybe Charlie Johnson?

12. Harlan Leonard – “A La Bridges”, featuring the legendary Henry Bridges on tenor, and Fred Beckett on trombone. A beautiful side by a great Kansas City band. Nice selection!

13. This is a little busy, and slightly pretentious - possibly Boyd Raeburn? Nevertheless, I give them an A for effort.

14. Another swing-to-bop attempt from the mid-40’s. Can’t name the band, although I think the alto bears a strong resemblance to Jimmy Dorsey. Haven’t heard anything quite this forward-looking from JD, but I guess anything’s possible.

15. This has to be Chick Webb – “Liza”. Probably Taft Jordan on trumpet, and the great Chick Webb in one of his rare solos. A great band , a great drummer.

16. A strong Basie feel here, but I really have no idea who this band is. The band plays with spirit, but the chart is rather mundane.

17. I seem to recall this title – “Swinging In the Groove” – Jan Savitt. Strong trumpet and tenor, can’t remember their names. Nice boogie woogie piano. Cutty Cutshall on trombone?

18. A nice track, dubbed from a less-than-mint 78. I like the sound of the sax section a lot, very mellow. Damn, I know this band, but can’t come up with a name. Hilton Jefferson on alto?

19. Very fine trumpet player. Good playing all around. Nothing is coming to mind here, although I like the band’s feel, especially when they kick it up a notch in the final chorus. Sudden ending!

20. Recalling Venuti-Lang here, although this sounds like it may from a little later, mid-30’s I’d guess, with the “jump” rhythm. Maybe a western swing outfit?

21. Nice quasi-country guitar in the first chorus, fine muted trumpet. Clarinet opens with the famous “High Society” quote. No ideas on this one.

22. Bob Crosby? A nice slow-boogie feel. The reeds with the clarinet lead are very nice. I’m a big fan of the 30’s Crosby band, I would suspect that this was made in the early 40’s. Fine trombone solo.

23. A nice segue – this follows the previous track with a similar rhythm. I think this is John Kirby’s “Twilight In Turkey”. Didn’t figure it out until I recognized Charlie Shavers, then Billy Kyle and Buster Bailey. Not a typical Kirby performance, but excellent nonetheless.

24. The Boswell Sisters!!! MUCH LOVE for the Boswells, and for Connee after the sisters retired. Is that Dick McDonough on guitar? The arrangement is a tad precious, but these babes sure swing! Jimmy Dorsey again? Bunny on trumpet?

25. The singer is a little deadpan, slightly reminiscent of Annette Hanshaw, but I don’t think this is her. The trumpet soars on this – Jack Purvis?

26. “Shake That Thing”. Acoustically recorded. Can’t pin this band down, but I like them. Can this be the California Ramblers?

I thoroughly enjoyed this disc, and the challenge to identify the individuality of each band is great fun!

[tkeith]

Are ya happy Alex, and Thom Keith???

Heck, I was fine with the one thread... at least that way *half* my responses were in the right place!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

BFT 56 Disc 2

Well, I never expected to have as many as three cuts in this BFT. It really cheered me up, y’know!

1 New Orleans jazz. I get a strong Jelly Roll Morton feeling about the way this is arranged.

2 Red Allen? It has that sort of feel, to me, though it would be strange for him to have a violin player. After hearing the whole disc, it isn’t Red.

3 Roaring tenor player! Leaping altoist! Has a funny sort of sound to it. Krupa on drums? Phew!

4 I’ve got this. Track 12 disc 1 of this. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Feat-P-W-Russel-Ge...1144&sr=8-1

5 Is that trumpet, guitar and harmonium? Or accordion, more like. Guitarist sounds like Django to me. Is that a drummer or foot-patting?

6 Nice alto sax player with piano & guitar. No ideas, but this sounds a like it’s European.

7 Solo guitarist. Can’t say I like this much.

8 “I’m forever blowing bubbles” – a fifties version, I guess. Les Paul?

9 Bass clarinet & marimba. Didn’t expect this! Definitely a shellac drop. Wow! After the long intro, it settles down into a wonderful relaxed groove. But the marimba player doesn’t have a lot to say. I suspect this isn’t a jazz performance, but it’s very nice.

10 Ravishing sound to that tenor player! And do laid back and mellow! Also the guitarist. At 2 minutes, it sounds as if it’s going to go on all night. Pity it didn’t. A lot like Hawk, but not quite.

11 Twenties vintage – good arrangement with all sorts of interesting bits.

12 Lazy mood. Very nice. Forties stuff, I guess. I should know the tenor player.

13 This one’s a bit to clever, I fancy. Coherent, but I don’t like it at all.

14 Another one to tax the dancers! Exhilarating! I bet this is someone like Charlie Barnet or Jimmy Dorsey.

15 “Liza” Another I’ve got. Don’t know if I can find a link on the web, chickie.

16 Basie. I don’t know this cut.

17 Kind of brash band. Brassy trumpet player. Boogie piano suggests early forties. Brassy trombone, too. Didn’t like it much. Harry James?

18 Piano & guitar; then mellow sax section. Cor, this is easy on the soul! Very interested in this band.

19 This is a bit too choppy to be really nice for me. But the soloists are really on the ball. And the arrangement, while complex, is very tuff. Is this Earl Hines?

20 Western Swing? Must confess I don’t like, or get, this, whatever it is.

21 This one seems a bit too busy. I think it’s the guitarist’s fault. Or it may be Colin. Yes, I think it’s Colin. [This paragraph dedicated to Tommy Cooper]

22 Oh, this is nice! That blues riff just GRABS you! Then the band comes in so easy and laid back – and then how it builds! Beautiful trombone solo. I don’t think this is modern, but it sounds so up to date, it could be used as a TV theme now.

23 It was you who recommended this band to me, so I guess you’d be disappointed if I didn’t recognise it. I’m not going to play through my 2 CD set to find out which cut it is, but it’s the one that always makes me think of Henry Mancini’s “It had better be tonight” from “The Pink Panther”. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Columbia-...1235&sr=1-1

24 I guess the song is “Sleep”, isn’t it? Is it the Boswell Sisters?

25 Kind of corny pop song enlivened by some hot solos. Charming singer, a cut above the average.

26 Another shellac drop. Ah, do I hear Adrian Rollini on hot fountain pen? In the sixties I used to have a landlord who was a jazz fan and he loaned me an album of 78s (a REAL album, that is) by Fred Elizalde, which featured Rollini and this reminds me of that stuff, so I’ll guess that’s what it is.

Well, thanks for what I’m sure is going to be a very educational BFT, and one I’ve enjoyed a lot, even when I wasn’t enjoying it, if you know what I mean.

MG

[BERIGAN]

Hey guys....just a quick note to say I am trying to work on taxes, HAD to mow the lawn after a ton of rain, and have a stomach virus...which has little to do with why I ain't answering Disc 2 guesses! I mentioned on the other thread that a track I thought was on this set (A Bunny Berigan/Bud Freeman track) isn't...and my order is off, and I just want to double check a few tracks on cds to make sure I haven't transposed some answers....later this evening/early morning most likely...

Besides, know it all stereojack is about 80% right once again!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Besides, know it all stereojack is about 80% right once again!

Yeah, Jack & Jim are the killers to mark at this game.

MG

[Stereojack]

Besides, know it all stereojack is about 80% right once again!

I'll take that as a compliment.

[Big Al]

Gave it a brief listen this afternoon and once again, like disc one, I have no clue as to any of these. But I love me some big-band swingin' from the 30's & 40's, so this is ALL good!

[BERIGAN]

Are ya happy Alex, and Thom Keith???

elated, in fact. ) i liked disc 2 better than disc 1, though i still don't recognise most of it. i foresee a trip to amoeba records once you post the answers.

Anything to help the economy. Hope some of this is still in print!

1. awesome. no idea who this is. sounds a little like some of the hrs sessions. new orleans style trumpet. upon re-listening: it sounds like jabbo. it's not a track of his i have, though, so it must be post-1929.

Right, it's Jabbo! Good ears! It's not post 1929, it's early 1929. It's off a 2 cd set of his I have...

2. is that stuff smith? actually, yes, that is stuff. and now i can find it online: stuff and jonah, "old joe's hittin' the jug". i like it. aside: i put this on in the car this morning, and two measures in, my girlfriend says "that's jonah jones." yes, she's awesome. yes, she's taken. sorry. )

Right again! Your gal said Jonah Jones??? And you haven't married her yet??? Good, then I can still take her away from you!

3. live basie? oops! no, because there's a guitar break! and that piano is not basie. late 1940's? there are a lot of notes in those sax solos and i can hear a lot of hitting of the open high-hat, i think. wish i could figure out what is being yelled at 2:16. trumpet player is good. if you told me this was the tommy dorsey orchestra, i'd believe you.

Not live Basie. Nor Dorsey. Man, I wish I had found the better (audio wise) version!

4. i love this stuff. it's from here: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...10:3pfyxzl5ldje

3 out of 4, pretty good! I'd love to hear what a trombone player thought of this solo....

5. tempo changes would drive dancers mad. trumpeter has listened to a lot of louis (that's of course as useless as my earlier comment that some guy sounded like he was influenced by tram!).

Oh yeah, he loved Louis for sure. I love the tempo changes that you see in some old jazz. You just never know when someone will hit the accelerator. Boswell sisters were better than anyone else, IMHO at doing this.

I hope Thom Keith will give it one more listen when he finds out who the trumpeter is...I bet he clicked off before they threw off the chains

6. sweet (as in, not hot) sax. honky tonk piano. boring guitar. trumpet out of nowhere! lullaby ending. weird.

Funny reactions to this so far. I see the all knowing one guessed it. So, you now know that at least this guy wasn't influenced by Tram!

7. No guesses from Alex, well...no correct ones!

8. i like the chuggachugga rhythm guitar. i wish the alto (?) would go a little wilder. i wish all of it was a little rawer, actually. electric guitar sounds awfully clean. i have, again, no idea who these guys are. i know django went electric for a little while at some point. i've never heard those sides, but i imagine they sound something like this.

Not Django....rare track to say the least. Tenor, not alto. No ones heard these sides either....

9. opening horn made me go: "duke?", but i quickly recanted. are those vibes or a marimba? what on earth is going on? oh. 1:31. someone found a beat. annoying vibe/xylophone/marimba is back. i don't like it. i feel like i'm in the rain forest with a bunch of fellow explorers who sing out of tune.

Yep Marimba! "i feel like i'm in the rain forest with a bunch of fellow explorers who sing out of tune" So, it's safe to say you want a cd of all the alternates, right????

10. hawk? any electric guitar, i automatically think it's christian. so i'll just say christian.

Nope, and nope....

11. this is really fun. mid to late 20's again?

Late 20's

12. man, i really am terrible at identifying bands. dorsey, perhaps, but i have no good reason for saying that. it's too sweet for my taste.

Not Dorsey.

14. but this is! late 1940's? again with my inability to identify a band. the riff hits at the very beginning (0:03 and 0:06ish) remind me of lunceford, but the rest of the track sure doesn't, and it goes all modern crazy 20 seconds in. at times just a little too modern for my taste.

15. aaaaah, there's chick! this time it really is him. "liza". love this. (what a great intro--right up there with "will git it".)

Correct. No messing around here, right to the action by one of the best drummers ever.

16. yeeeeeah. another great track. basie, i bet. sounds like they're quoting "swingin' on nothing".

Not Basie, believe it or not. A very underrated band. Heck, I didn't even know of this band till I got this compilation set!

17. and another winner. what is this? i need to get this. what a great bounce! love those reed riffs and the way the trumpet breaks in at 0:32 or so. the bouncy rhythm reminds me of basie again, but it clearly isn't. some other kansas city band, perhaps?

Not a Basie band, but again either the Bandleader or arranger had heard a fair bit of Basie. A nearly unknown band(Except for Stereojack and me!) that put out some very interesting music.

18. the pianist reminds me of morton because of those little ragtime figures. it's someone who learned to play early. the rest of the band sounds more modern, though. the four beats to the bar ("and no cheatin'!") rhythm suggests it's at least 1930, probably closer to '35. kinda fun.

One of my all time favorite tracks, for some reason....

19. cool. more for the "to buy if i don't actually already have it somewhere" list. mckinney's cotton pickers, or one of the other territory bands, if i had to guess.

Not a territory band, but a band that was more like an all star band, with no true identity since folks came and went all the time....

20. ick. ) i'm fine with the fiddle, but the clarinet trill and the other squeakiness kills it for me.

I love it, just cuz it's weird...and some famous folk there....

21. is that "honeysuckle rose" being quoted there? i like this, but i can't identify anyone on it. i like the piano player. sounds like a condon jam session, but the guitar player isn't condon. (for one, he's soloing. for another, well, he doesn't sound like condon.)

Someone fairly well known is here, but on an instrument I have never heard him on, except for this track.

22. latin influenced swing is not my thing.

Sounds sorta like a title for a song!

23. with a beginning like that, i have to think of duke--again.

Nope.

24. boswell sisters? or is it the king sisters? ah, i looked it up. cool. i like it.

I'm assuming you guessed correctly!

25. it doesn't sound like connie (who of course i have to think of because of that last track), and the recording is really early. i don't really know the early female vocalists. so who is it? reminds me of a hollywoody thing--like a cross between ginger rogers and betty boop. oh. wow. lyrics & google led me to it online. that's wild. it pretty much is betty boop.

I'll be curious if you guessed right, or not!

26. this is really early. 1918-1921ish? odjb? morton's peppers? no piano. hmm, not morton, then. could be odjb. also reminds me of jim europe, noble sissle, etc., but it sounds like a small group, and i don't know that they recorded in a small group.

Early for sure, not quite as early as you are guessing though, 1926. Scratchy recording makes it older sounding...

great fun! thanks again.

You're quite welcome! It's great fun seeing folks guess correctly, and incorrectly!

Will sleep, then pat Stereojack on the head in the A.M....His ego must be hard to contain at this point!

[Big Al]

Yeah, can I just say how awestruck I am that Jack knew so many of these? Wow!

[BERIGAN]

Have listened through this disc a couple of times, and now I'm ready to commit -

Sigh...this will be fun.... (Too many emoticons so, that will make this even more fun!)

1. This has got to Jabbo Smith! What an exciting player. This track gets the second disc off to a very nice start.

He sure is, isn't he??? Sometimes I hear him in the late 20's and think at that moment he was as good as Armstrong!

2. “Old Joe’s Hittin’ the Jug” – Stuff Smith, with Jonah Jones on trumpet, and, I think, Cozy Cole on drums. LOVE Stuff!! Here’s a band I’d love to have seen live, had I been born 30 years sooner.

Ha, you guessed the wrong drummer! Of course, seeing the name, it's a guy I've never heard of....

Right of course on tune, Stuff and Jonah. Your desire to have seen them live makes sense. If they could swing like mad on a studio track, what were they like when they had a few drinks and let their hair down????

3. “Gin For Christmas” in rechanneled stereo! Even with the crappy mastering, it’s hard to contain the excitement. Of course, it’s Hamp at the drums, and Ziggy Elman on trumpet, can’t remember who else. A classic side!

Right you are! Robert Parker IMHO, has done some decent stuff...this ain't even close to decent! But, I opened my Hampton cd knowing I had to put this track on this BFT, and it's missing! Crap, I said! Then I remembered a Big Band Christmas cd from Parker had this very un-Christmassy tune on it...I think Lionel brought out the very best in Ziggy. They worked so well together.

Oh, and did you all see who SJ said was on drums??? Yep! I'm sure some know this fact, but I didn't know of it til I bought the Hampton cd in the mid 90's. He also played a funky hunt in peck style on the piano(Or perhaps better described as as playing the vibes on the keys) that some don't like, but I enjoy...

4. The Rhythmmakers – “Who Stole The Lock”. Red Allen sings & plays trumpet, Pee Wee is delightful, can’t remember the tenor (Bud?) or the trombone (great trills!). A classic session.

Right on the first two, not Bud. It trills me every time I hear the trombonist. From what I read, one of the very few pure jazz sessions recorded in 1932....

5. “You Can’t Cheat a Cheater”. I think you’re throwing us a curve here, my man. That’s Tommy Dorsey on trumpet, with Eddie Lang, and the pianist (Artie Schutt?) doubling on harmonium. I’ve always marveled at how Tommy’s personality was so different when he played trumpet. On trombone, he plays with great beauty and control, and on trumpet he’s a wild man! Then again, maybe this is Phil Napoleon on trumpet – they both recorded this tune. I’ll stick to my first guess.

I tried to throw you a split-fingered pitch, with Vaseline on my fingertips, but you still hit the ball out of the ballpark! Even knew it was Schutt on Harmonium!

I love his trumpet as well. So much energy, he obviously owed a debt to Louis, but this was recorded in 1928! Who else, black or white, could have played such a hot solo then????

6. Tram, Bix & Lang – another curve. Bix is on piano until the very end.

Hanging curve to you! ; ) Kind of surprised the bad reaction to Tram's playing though. Not a lot of C-melody sax to be heard though....

7. I think this is Dick McDonough, a marvelous guitarist who died young. Beautiful playing, and a lovely tune.

X Good guess, but not him.

8. George Barnes – “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”. I found this Okeh 78 some years ago, on which the billing was The Georgie Barnes Trio. Can’t remember who the sidemen are, but Barnes (barely out of his teens when he cut this) sounds great!

How, I mean, no way you could, I...I...are you an ???

Folks, the liner notes for this track mentioned the sides from this session were so rare, they weren't even mentioned in most discographies!!! Hats off to you for buying the 78 in the first place, and remembering it still! Give yourself 10 gold stars! I figured no one, not Brownie, Lon, no one would get this unless they happened to find the same cd I had.

9. Red Norvo – “Dance of the Octopus”. This was considered pretty avant garde back in 1933. If I recall correctly, Benny Goodman’s playing the bass clarinet. A delightful side.

Correct on all points!

10. That’s Tiny Grimes on guitar, I’m pretty sure. I think this may be a Blue Note date, with Ike Quebec on tenor. Or is it John Hardee?

Tiny on Guitar, and your second guess on Tenor.

11. This sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. Really nice late 1920’s Harlem jazz – maybe Charlie Johnson?

X Ha! See that everyone??? He missed one! Not Charlie Johnson, but right on the money era-wise, and there are some very name folks in the band....

12. Harlan Leonard – “A La Bridges”, featuring the legendary Henry Bridges on tenor, and Fred Beckett on trombone. A beautiful side by a great Kansas City band. Nice selection!

Got them all right!!! Amazing!!!

13. This is a little busy, and slightly pretentious - possibly Boyd Raeburn? Nevertheless, I give them an A for effort.

X Not him. Not something I could listen to all the time, just didn't want folks to think I was too much of a fuddy duddy!

14. Another swing-to-bop attempt from the mid-40’s. Can’t name the band, although I think the alto bears a strong resemblance to Jimmy Dorsey. Haven’t heard anything quite this forward-looking from JD, but I guess anything’s possible.

Anything IS possible!

15. This has to be Chick Webb – “Liza”. Probably Taft Jordan on trumpet, and the great Chick Webb in one of his rare solos. A great band , a great drummer.

Yes to everything you said above!

16. A strong Basie feel here, but I really have no idea who this band is. The band plays with spirit, but the chart is rather mundane.

X Not Basie. Yea, I don't have to spill the beans yet! I will have something to talk about come answer time!

17. I seem to recall this title – “Swinging In the Groove” – Jan Savitt. Strong trumpet and tenor, can’t remember their names. Nice boogie woogie piano. Cutty Cutshall on trombone?

Another one no mere mortal could get! Even the Trombonist for God's sake! Satan, is that you???? I really like his band, but am more familiar with his shuffle Rhythm(Which can get old after listening to a whole cd of it) than this style.

18. A nice track, dubbed from a less-than-mint 78. I like the sound of the sax section a lot, very mellow. Damn, I know this band, but can’t come up with a name. Hilton Jefferson on alto?

X Yeah, crap "remaster" Another tune I have a better version of, but you don't think I could find it, do you??? Not Hilton Jefferson

19. Very fine trumpet player. Good playing all around. Nothing is coming to mind here, although I like the band’s feel, especially when they kick it up a notch in the final chorus. Sudden ending!

X Very sudden ending, it's true!

20. Recalling Venuti-Lang here, although this sounds like it may from a little later, mid-30’s I’d guess, with the “jump” rhythm. Maybe a western swing outfit?

It recalls them for a darn good reason! A bit earlier, 1931, which makes it's goofiness all the more interesting to me!

21. Nice quasi-country guitar in the first chorus, fine muted trumpet. Clarinet opens with the famous “High Society” quote. No ideas on this one.

X If had known this one... Drummer is a guy you know

22. Bob Crosby? A nice slow-boogie feel. The reeds with the clarinet lead are very nice. I’m a big fan of the 30’s Crosby band, I would suspect that this was made in the early 40’s. Fine trombone solo.

Not Crosby, it is from 1940 if that helps(I hope it doesn't! )

23. A nice segue – this follows the previous track with a similar rhythm. I think this is John Kirby’s “Twilight In Turkey”. Didn’t figure it out until I recognized Charlie Shavers, then Billy Kyle and Buster Bailey. Not a typical Kirby performance, but excellent nonetheless.

/Right group, but a different tune...

24. The Boswell Sisters!!! MUCH LOVE for the Boswells, and for Connee after the sisters retired. Is that Dick McDonough on guitar? The arrangement is a tad precious, but these babes sure swing! Jimmy Dorsey again? Bunny on trumpet?

Right you are! My favorite vocal group. Correct on McDonough, and Dorsey, but it's not Berigan on Trumpet.

25. The singer is a little deadpan, slightly reminiscent of Annette Hanshaw, but I don’t think this is her. The trumpet soars on this – Jack Purvis?

/You were wrong to doubt yourself! Not Purvis.

26. “Shake That Thing”. Acoustically recorded. Can’t pin this band down, but I like them. Can this be the California Ramblers?

It can be!

I thoroughly enjoyed this disc, and the challenge to identify the individuality of each band is great fun!

Glad you enjoyed it! And all kidding aside, I am very impressed by your knowledge! Much more jazz knowledge than my brain possesses. You got 19 out of 26 correct!!!

Edited April 9, 2008 by BERIGAN

[lipi]

17. and another winner. what is this? i need to get this. what a great bounce! love those reed riffs and the way the trumpet breaks in at 0:32 or so. the bouncy rhythm reminds me of basie again, but it clearly isn't. some other kansas city band, perhaps?

Not a Basie band, but again either the Bandleader or arranger had heard a fair bit of Basie. A nearly unknown band(Except for Stereojack and me!) that put out some very interesting music.

hah. i looked at stereojack's answers. i actually have a savitt cd--but just one.

25. it doesn't sound like connie (who of course i have to think of because of that last track), and the recording is really early. i don't really know the early female vocalists. so who is it? reminds me of a hollywoody thing--like a cross between ginger rogers and betty boop. oh. wow. lyrics & google led me to it online. that's wild. it pretty much is betty boop.

I'll be curious if you guessed right, or not!

i guess not! my googlification suggested it was helen kane, but your reply to stereojack suggests it's annette hanshaw.

[BERIGAN]

17. and another winner. what is this? i need to get this. what a great bounce! love those reed riffs and the way the trumpet breaks in at 0:32 or so. the bouncy rhythm reminds me of basie again, but it clearly isn't. some other kansas city band, perhaps?

Not a Basie band, but again either the Bandleader or arranger had heard a fair bit of Basie. A nearly unknown band(Except for Stereojack and me!) that put out some very interesting music.

hah. i looked at stereojack's answers. i actually have a savitt cd--but just one.

25. it doesn't sound like connie (who of course i have to think of because of that last track), and the recording is really early. i don't really know the early female vocalists. so who is it? reminds me of a hollywoody thing--like a cross between ginger rogers and betty boop. oh. wow. lyrics & google led me to it online. that's wild. it pretty much is betty boop.

I'll be curious if you guessed right, or not!

i guess not! my googlification suggested it was helen kane, but your reply to stereojack suggests it's annette hanshaw.

googlification! I'll have to remember that one! You have a Savitt cd as well??? Small world! Does it have this track though??? The track on the BFT is off a compilation cd.

Hanshaw also did Helen Kane-ish stuff as well....Don't know if this was the reason she did these recordings, but she couldn't record a lot on Columbia, the Gimp didn't want anyone competing with his Ruthie!

Here's Annette on one of the better Boop ripoffs....

http://www.redhotjazz.com/songs/hanshaw/Is...ginThat1928.ram

[lipi]

You have a Savitt cd as well??? Small world! Does it have this track though??? The track on the BFT is off a compilation cd.

well, the only track of his i "know" off the top of my head is "720 in the books" (love the ella version, too). i looked through my library tonight, and i found the track you picked, though: "blues in the groove", from decca's excellent "anthology of big band swing". so i had it. oopsie. thanks for helping me rediscover it. )

[jazztrain]

Damn. Lost my wireless connection just as I was sending my reply. Gone. Have to recreate it, albeit with somewhat less commentary.

Here are my answer's to Disc 2:

2-1: Jabbo Smith. And His Rhythm Aces. Omer Simeon on clarinet. Ikey Robinson on guitar perhaps. Cassino Simpson on piano? Is this "Jazz Battle?"

2-2: Stuff Smith and Jonah Jones. The tune has "jug" in the title. OK, it's "Old Joe's Hittin' the Jug." What a hot group this was.

2-3: This sounds like an all star date. Maybe one of the Metronome All Star dates? The first tenor sax soloist sounds a bit like Ben Webster. The drummer sure sounds like Krupa. The pianist is more advanced than many of the others. Harry James on trumpet near the end?

2-4: This is the Rhythmakers (or similar group recorded under the name of Billy Banks or Jack Bland). Red Allen and Pee Wee Russell in the front line. Red singing. "Who Stole the Lock (On the Hen House Door)?" Is that Dorsey on trombone? Good piano. Joe Sullivan maybe?

2-5: Eddie Lang is on guitar. I think the trumpet (sounds like a cornet, actually) is someone who usually plays another instrument. I think it's one of the Dorseys. Sounds like there's an organ or harmonium in there also. Great side!

2-6: "For No Reason at all In C." Tram on c-melody. Bix on piano (except for the flourish near the end on cornet). Eddie Lang on guitar.

2-7: Not Lang. This is either Dick McDonough or Carl Kress.

2-8: George Barnes! "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles." This swings like crazy. Barnes with some of his relatively unknown Chicago associates as I recall.

2-9: Red Norvo on marimba. Benny Goodman on bass clarinet. "Dance of the Octopus" isn't it?

2=10: That sounds like Tiny Grimes on guitar. This sounds too subdued to be one of his own "Rocking Highlander" sides. If he's a sideman, it could be someone like Ike Quebec (but it doesn't sound like Ike). Sounds like a Texas tenor. Could it be John Hardee?

2-11: There's tuba in there. I was initially thinking Bennie Moten but became less sure. Good solos throughout. It's on Victor (you can hear the "whistle" near the end). How about McKinney's Cotton Pickers? The drummer reminds me of Kaiser Marshall who I think played with McKinney.

2-12: That sounds like Joe Thomas on tenor. If so, it must be Lunceford. There's a figure the band plays in the break in the trombone solo that reminds me as well of a lot of Lunceford recordings. Let's go with Lunceford. Trummy Young on trombone?

2-13: Not coming up with much. Some of the writing reminds me a little bit of George Russell (like "A Bird in Igor's Yard"). How about Boyd Raeburn as a guess?

2-14: Boppish. Could that be Jimmy Dorsey on alto? Dodo on piano as a wild guess? Or is it Woody Herman on alto?

2-15: That's Chick Webb. Liza.

2-16: This one sounds like Basie. Buddy Tate on tenor, I think. Let's go with Basie.

2-17: Harry James on trumpet? Not getting much from this.

2-18: Struggling with this. Trumpet and alto are sound familiar. The trombonist sounds like Dickie Wells, but this doesn't sound like Basie. Could this be Benny Carter and His Orchestra? Around 1933 or so? But that's not Teddy Wilson on piano.

2-19: Sounds like Red Allen on trumpet. Tab Smith on alto? Could this be the Mills Blue Rhythm Band?

2-20: Joe Venuti and some friends having fun. Sounds like Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet (or perhaps half a clarinet). Eddie Lang on guitar.

2-21: I love this side. The unheralded Bernard Addison on guitar at the beginning. Freddie Jenkins on trumpet. Is it Joe Turner on piano? Albert Nicholas on clarinet. I think the music from this session was issued under two or three different names.

2-22: I like this but have no real idea. Good trombone. Could this be Ray McKinley?

2-23: Sounds like Buster Bailey on clarinet. This has kind of a Dukish feel to it. That could be Charlie Shavers on trumpet. This must be John Kirby. Yep, that's Billy Kyle. There's an alto (Procope?) in the ensemble.

2-24: Boswell Sisters. Dick McDonough on guitar perhaps. Is that Larry Binyon on tenor? Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and then soloing on alto.

2-25: This is a bit too cute. Ruth Etting or Annette Hanshaw. The trumpet saves the side. Is that Bunny on trumpet? Or more likely Mannie Klein making a return visit? Venuti perhaps on violin. This is all a bit too cute for Bunny. "That's All" at the end means it's Hanshaw.

2=26: This sounds acoustic (and a bit doo-wacka-dooish as well). A California Ramblers type group. Good trombone. Perhaps Abe Lincoln or Miff Mole. That could be Jimmy Dorsey on alto, although he phrases like Don Murray. Adrian Rollini on bass sax. Is that a hot comb solo near the end?

Well, that's it. Thanks for the enjoyable and, at times, challenging selections!

Thunderstorms are rolling through. Let me fire this off before there are any more mishaps.

Are ya happy Alex, and Thom Keith???

[JSngry]

Damn... 26 tracks? :eye: :eye:

TRACK ONE - Jabbo Smith? Fine indeed!

TRACK TWO - My ears are getting kind of blurry right now, so all I can say is that this sounds fine to me, good time, fluent players, really good drummer, & Stuff Smith?

TRACK THREE - HI FI! Sounds kinda Columbia-ian as far as studio goes... Willie Smith on alto? It all goes by so fast...sounds fine to me.

TRACK FOUR - Kinda corny, but kinda not... I like the trumpet's entrance & the clarinetist's tone. The vocalist...sounds put on to me. As entertainment, it's cool, as entertainment-plus, I dunno...

TRACK FIVE - I halfway expected the Ink Spots to come in... not really "transcending the period" for me, if you know what I mean....sorry.

TRACK SIX - Tram. If he wasn't so sly, he'd be so damn corny.

But he is, so he's not. Not even.

TRACK SEVEN - Oddly "modern" in time feel, especially on the intro, unless it was from after 1945 or so...nice playing. I really like the pedal-point on that vamp, that's another "modern" element to it.

TRACK EIGHT - I recognize "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" (NOT Whitman!), but that's it. There's kind of a "non-New York" thing about this, like it's from somewhere else with a big scene with some different flavor, including some "country bumpkin" aspects. I like it, but it is different.

TRACK NINE - Well, xylophone or marimba, so..Red Norvo? That's pretty damn out there for a "jazz" record from those days, until it comes back in, and even then, it ain't in no way following an "expected" direction...proof that the impulse towards "chamber jazz" is hardly a post-WWII thing, and proof that good musiicans with open minds will not only love a challenge but often enough thrive on one.

TRACK TEN - Mid-late 40s, yeah, that's some stuff right there. Excellent, mellow tenor, really got that Texas moan going on. Buddy Tate? Love the opening melody, wish it had been repeated at the end. Sure feels good to me.

TRACK ELEVEN - Really dig the drum fills & very fluent trombone. Otherwise...you gotta wonder what it was like to be playing both a music (jazz) and a format ("big band" that still didn't have any real "rules" in place other than the ones that were being made up as they went along....wild notion that...But DAMN that's some nice tenor playing, and an equally nice tune. I'd like to play it today, only a tad slower.

TRACK TWELVE - Nice tune! Not "Folling Myself", but sure starts off similar...Interesting voicings in the background...very nice playing all around, although band intonation is a little, uh, "slippery" here and there, which adds dimension to the voicings - most of the time...

TRACK THIRTEEN - Now that's just nuts! Kinda like "Ebony Concerto Blew My Mind & This Is What Is Left Of It"... Now see, bob Graettinger's shit was even more out there than this, but it had an organic quality that this lacks. This really sounds like somebody's composition class semester project. I mena, it's like the back-handed compliment, "Yeah man, I really dig what you're trying to do"...

TRACK FOURTEEN - Jimmy Dorsey playing "Red Cross". All I know is that Dizzy wrote some charts for Jimmy Dorsey & that a college buddy had a LP of Maynard Ferguson playing with Jimmy Dorsey. Other than that, I know nothing, except that Jimmy Dorsey could play.

TRACK FIFTEEN - Chick Webb or Sid Cattlett? "Lisa" I recognize. As for what I said earlier about "rules" and big band playing, you can hear the difference here, how the sections all know how to phrase and shade together to maximum effect. Helluva chart too, that's another thing, the once the basic guesswork was codified, it got easier to expand the pallate. A most enjoyable performance.

TRACK SIXTEEN - Basie. Maybe w/Shadow Wilson. Papa Jo was a little "smoother" than this. Helluva sax section. Not Buddy Tate, I don't think, almost sounds like the other guy in the Miller band besides Tex Beneke, what was his name..Al Klink. What, is this some sorta prank and this is another stealth Miller cut? I've got a few myself, so I know the band could go here...

And once again - helluva sax section. A Miller trademark, btw...

TRACK SEVENTEEN - I guessed Lips Page on Disc One & it turned out to be Harry James. So if I guess Harry James here, will it turn out to be Lips Page?

TRACK EIGHTEEN - No idea. Almost "African" in how the rhythm is the melody in so much of it...Didn't think I was going to get into this one, at least not from the intro, but once the band came in, hey, it get better & kept getting moreso. By the end, I was all smiles!

TRACK NINETEEN - I reckon this to be Hodges on alto, but outside (totally) of the Ellington environment. Exceedingly fluent! And DAMN, that intro almost sounds like a distorto-guitar! I get the feeling that this is from the time when arrangers and bands had gotten comfortable enough with each other to begin pushing things ahead. The scoring on this is very "traditional", not musch different than some of the earlier big band cuts heard here, but the band is way more comfortable executing, to the point of this almost starting to sound "old fashioned", so everybody was probably thinking, "Hey, we/they can do this already, let's see what happens with this..." Gotta love that.

TRACK TWENTY - Wow, this is kinda out there too., at least at first...Then it's not. And then it sorta is. I think I like it better when it is. I think I like the clarinetist either way too.

TRACK TWENTY ONE - Piano @ 1:13 = WHOA! The rest is fine, too, especially the trumpet.

TRACK TWENTY TWO - mmm...I've heard this one before...Tommy Dorsey, from a little later on? That tone and cleanliness of execution certainly suggests so. Very clean. Nice arrangement, playing the hit "Boogie Woogie" chart against itself & opening up both the time and the density. Although, in terms of "intrinsic quietness", I could lean towards Claude Thornhill here...either way here, the star is the chart. Excellent writing within intentionally limited parameters.

TRACK TWENTY THREE - "Petrushka" or derived from there, I think. Bird used to quote it. No idea otherwise, but I really dig it.

TRACK TWENTY FOUR - Gotta be the Boswells. Mellow.

TRACK TWENTY FIVE - Kinda sexy (sorry ladies!). No idea otherwise. Not a great song by any stretch of the imagination, but a darn fine singing of it.

TRACK TWENTY SIX - Is this an acoustic recording? Good groove, and again, the beat doesn't get on top of itself, which to me is what makes the difference between "swinging" and just "playing hot". Was that Red McKenzie doing the comb thing?

Wow, that's a helluva lot of tunes to comment on, dude. But even more to assemble & upload and such. Worth every second afaic, and big thanks to you for doing it. Love Points aplenty!

[mikeweil]

Again, a fascinating compilation, and again IHAFC .....

that guitar solo track sounds so damn familiar (# 7) - I think I have heard this recently but can't pin it down ...

# 9 is downright fascinating: bass clarinet and marimbas ... starts like a distant cousin of Red Norvo's rendition of "In a mist" - I'd buy this in a minute.

# 10 is very luscious tenor piece - who is this.

# 13 is a killer! I want this!!!

Great - I will keep this one as a great anthology of pre-war jazz.

Edited April 15, 2008 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

... and then there's one of the greatest "train" tracks ever in jazz - I know I have heard that one not too long ago, but can't recall where ... such a great arrangement, I love the clarinets in the reed section here!

[BERIGAN]

... and then there's one of the greatest "train" tracks ever in jazz - I know I have heard that one not too long ago, but can't recall where ... such a great arrangement, I love the clarinets in the reed section here!

Are you talking about a track on this BFT??? Or some other track????

And google was no help...what's IHAFC ?????

[mikeweil]

... and then there's one of the greatest "train" tracks ever in jazz - I know I have heard that one not too long ago, but can't recall where ... such a great arrangement, I love the clarinets in the reed section here!

Are you talking about a track on this BFT??? Or some other track????

It's track # 22 on disc 2 that I'm talking about - that's a slow train to my ears - I'd like to take a ride with this piece as a soundtrack!

[mikeweil]

And google was no help...what's IHAFC ?????

"I haven't a f....ing clue"!

[BERIGAN]

... and then there's one of the greatest "train" tracks ever in jazz - I know I have heard that one not too long ago, but can't recall where ... such a great arrangement, I love the clarinets in the reed section here!

Are you talking about a track on this BFT??? Or some other track????

It's track # 22 on disc 2 that I'm talking about - that's a slow train to my ears - I'd like to take a ride with this piece as a soundtrack!

Oh, cool! Music is so many things to us, sound, color, imagination, etc....

"I haven't a f....ing clue"!

Oh, cool! Like I said before, I couldn't find anything, except I Hate Alexis Fan Club' Didn't think that was what you meant!

[Guest Bill Barton]

Well, I'm a bit late to the party on this one...

The same as with Disc #1 I'm going to assign stars a la Down Beat.

After getting my butt kicked in a big way on Disc #1 (sheesh - Bill Harris was the only one I identified!) I'm realizing just how out of touch with the more vintage sounds and styles that I am.

And, again, I chose not to read any of the responses in this discussion thread before chiming in.

______________________________________________________________________________

1. 1920s. I should know this one! I may even have the record. This is truly classic material. Brilliant all the way around. Five stars. Lonnie Johnson with the Hot 7?

2. These are some politically incorrect lyrics that show their age for sure. Joe Venuti on violin? I really, really like the drumming here which sounds way more "modern" than the other players do. Can't place the drummer though. Maybe early 1930s? Two and a half stars for the track. Four for the drummer.

3. The drummer is the star here and probably the leader of the band. Chick Webb? Mid-1930s I'd guess. Three stars for the track. Four stars for the drummer.

4. 1920s. Sounded to me like Fats Waller at first but now I don't think so. Ooops. Now I think it's him again... A toss-up. I don't care for the vocals at all. Two stars.

5. 1920s. There's some very nice guitar work here but I can't place the player. Eddie Lang? I don't care for the trumpeter (or - I should say - I don't care for what he or she does here.) Three stars.

6. More nice guitar! The rest of this does absolutely nothing for me. One and a half, maybe two stars. Early 1930s?

7. Holy smokes, it's a guitar festival! I'd say that this is Dick McDonough. It could conceivably be Carl Kress but I'm going with McDonough. This is superb, wonderful, magnificent guitar playing!!!!! Five stars.

8. "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" from maybe the mid to late 1940s. I can't really place the saxophonist but the guitar sounds like Les Paul. Four and a half stars. Five for the guitarist.

9. Red Norvo. This sounds way more "modern" than it probably is. Could this even reach back to the late 1920s or early 1930s? The surface noise sounds to me like 78 era anyway. This is a very unique sound. Did I hear a bass clarinet and col arco double bass? Intriguing... Four stars for originality.

10. Mighty low! This is a Coleman Hawkins influenced tenor player but it sounds too bluesy to be Hawk himself. Nice tenor work. Ike Quebec? I'd say that this is mid to late 1940s. Four and a half stars.

11. The instrumentation and style sound like the 1920s but the recording quality is way too good for this track to be that old. Could it be one of the British revivalist bands? Or a group like the Hot Antics? 1980s????? Two stars.

12. "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" could serve as my disclaimer for this BFT! This, I believe, really is Coleman Hawkins. There's some very pretty trombone playing too. I'm having trouble placing whom it might be. A young Benny Green? A really young, as yet unformed, J.J. Johnson? This is a beautiful performance. Probably late-ish 1940s. Five stars.

13. Boyd Raeburn? A George Handy arrangement? 1940s. This is an intriguing chart. It's very interesting, original, imaginative music but doesn't really reach me much on an emotional level. Makes me think though! Three and a half stars.

14. Whoa, some frantic stuff here! It's great fun but strikes me as rather empty. It probably would have been fun to dance to back in the day. I'd say that this is from the early 1940s. I have no idea who it is. Two stars.

15. There's some really flashy drumming here. Like the last track, this one strikes me as sort of good-timey but ultimately empty. Two stars for the track. Two and a half for the drummer.

16. Could this be the early Count Basie band? I'd say from the early to mid 1930s. This sounds to me like Dickie Wells on trombone. Wait... Could I be thinking Basie because the pianist sounds so much like him? Now I'm not so sure. Maybe yes, maybe no. Four and a half stars.

17. Early 1930s. This swings along nicely. The first tenor (?) saxophone soloist really caught my ear; sounds almost like Pres but the band doesn't sound like Basie to me. Three stars. Three and a half for the tenor (?) solo.

18. This is a tricky one. At first I thought that it was Benny Carter. But now I think it's Charlie Shavers with John Kirby's band. There's some drop-dead gorgeous muted trumpet playing on this track and it's a very cool arrangement. Circa 1936. Four and a half stars.

19. Some more pretty frantic stuff here... I like the alto saxophone solo a lot. It sounds like Benny Carter. It's not his band though. I'd guess early to mid 1930s. Three stars. Four for the alto solo.

20. Late 1920s. My bet is that this is Joe Venuti on violin. I can't place the others. Three stars.

21. There's some wild guitar work on this one. The combination of single-note lines and chordal stuff threw me off. At first I thought Eddie Lang, but now I don't think so. Whoever it is kicks butt!!!!! This is spectacular guitar playing. Three and a half for the track. Five - no, make that ten - for the guitarist.

22. The trombone player is buttery smooth. Very nice indeed. The piano player seems somehow out of place though, as if he or she is caught in a time warp. The piano seems in one era and the rest of the band in another more recent era. I have no idea who the players are but I like this one quite a bit. Four and a half stars for the trombonist. Three and a half for the track. Two and a half for the pianist.

23. Here's another one that I should know. Damn! This sounds familiar... I can't place it though. It sounds like "Hernando's Hideaway." Probably late 1930s. There are parts of this that sound almost Ellingtonian but I don't think that it's the Duke. Two and a half stars.

24. Sort of fun but these vocals don't really do much for me. No idea. 1930s? Two stars.

26. Again, the vocal left me totally cold. That little sarcastic trumpet wah-wah after she says "family" is priceless though. And the boat whistles are cool. Mid 1930s? Two stars.

26. 1929. I'd say that this is by Red McKenzie and the Mound City Blue Blowers. It hangs together nicely and trundles right along. Three stars.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Bill Barton