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MomsMobley

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Just checked and you're right. They've both been added to the Cottrell cd. Should have remembered that.

Chuck:

I was referring to the LPs. I guess I had forgotten that the cd had bonus tracks. For some reason I thought the cd wasn't complete. I'll have to pull the twofer from the shelves and compare.

I agree that the Louis Cottrell album is a gem. Note that there's some additional material by the Cottrell trio that shows up on the New Orleans twofer on Riverside.

You must be speaking of the lps - there are 2 bonus tracks on the cd version.

the added tracks are:

Down By the Riverside 2:48

You Don't Love Me 3:29

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Enjoying the hell out of my Wooden Joe and Big Eye discs that arrived yesterday!

Jeff, anyone, what say on the two volumes of Prelude To The Revival, featuring Kid Rena, Bunk, Kid Howard, Punch Miller?

Historically, very "important" stuff; musically, somewhat mixed. But with my affection for New Orleans music, I love them.

Volume I contains "homemade" acetates from New Orleans, 1937-1940, when jazz wasn't really being recorded commercially in New Orleans. The first four tracks feature Kid Howard - young and strong, and very much in a Louis Armstrong bag. The other New Orleans tracks are by less well-known musicians. All are in a swing vein, and are good, although not well recorded. There are also five tracks by the mighty Punch Miller, recorded in 1941 in Chicago. These are very much worth hearing - there aren't that many recordings of Punch in his prime. I would say that this CD is not essential for most folks, but those particularly interested in New Orleans music, Kid Howard, or Punch Miller have got to have it.

The meat of Volume II is the Delta session by the legendary trumpeter Kid Rena, along with some rehearsal acetates made a week earlier. Most critical opinion I've read focuses on what these recordings are not, rather than what they are. From all reports, Kid Rena was a fabulous, innovative trumpeter in his youth - possibly the equal of Punch, Lee Collins, or the unrecorded Buddy Petit. There's no evidence of that kind of greatness on these, his only recordings, so many listeners have been disappointed with them. But I love his playing here for what it is - a strong, straightforward New Orleans lead style - nothing virtuosic or innovative. Louis "Big Eye" Nelson and Alphonse Picou are both on clarinet, and I wish that the producers of this session had let them alternate on different tracks, rather than play together on every track. I guess they were carried away with that picture of the Buddy Bolden band that has two clarinetists. Anyway, I love the Kid Rena sides - although sonically, they have an unpleasant, metallic quality that I assume is the result of the studio they were recorded in. The rehearsal tracks don't have the same sound.

There are also a few "homemade" records by Bunk Johnson - his first, recorded at his home in New Iberia. Nothing earth-shattering here, although they are interesting. Even more interesting are the tracks on The John Reid Collection (also on American Music) on which Sidney Bechet overdubbed a soprano part onto some of these discs.

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Bunk and Leadbelly.

At New York Town Hall 1947

How is this?

21H8WZG45XL._SL500_SL135_.jpg

Sorry for the late reply - I somehow missed this post earlier.

How is it? Short answer - disappointing. Bunk is not in good form, and there are only a few minutes of Leadbelly. I'm keeping it, because I'm kind of a Bunk Johnson completist, but I don't recommend it unless you already have most of Bunk's recordings and still want more.

Edited by jeffcrom
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Enjoying the hell out of my Wooden Joe and Big Eye discs that arrived yesterday!

Jeff, anyone, what say on the two volumes of Prelude To The Revival, featuring Kid Rena, Bunk, Kid Howard, Punch Miller?

Historically, very "important" stuff; musically, somewhat mixed. But with my affection for New Orleans music, I love them.

Volume I contains "homemade" acetates from New Orleans, 1937-1940, when jazz wasn't really being recorded commercially in New Orleans. The first four tracks feature Kid Howard - young and strong, and very much in a Louis Armstrong bag. The other New Orleans tracks are by less well-known musicians. All are in a swing vein, and are good, although not well recorded. There are also five tracks by the mighty Punch Miller, recorded in 1941 in Chicago. These are very much worth hearing - there aren't that many recordings of Punch in his prime. I would say that this CD is not essential for most folks, but those particularly interested in New Orleans music, Kid Howard, or Punch Miller have got to have it.

The meat of Volume II is the Delta session by the legendary trumpeter Kid Rena, along with some rehearsal acetates made a week earlier. Most critical opinion I've read focuses on what these recordings are not, rather than what they are. From all reports, Kid Rena was a fabulous, innovative trumpeter in his youth - possibly the equal of Punch, Lee Collins, or the unrecorded Buddy Petit. There's no evidence of that kind of greatness on these, his only recordings, so many listeners have been disappointed with them. But I love his playing here for what it is - a strong, straightforward New Orleans lead style - nothing virtuosic or innovative. Louis "Big Eye" Nelson and Alphonse Picou are both on clarinet, and I wish that the producers of this session had let them alternate on different tracks, rather than play together on every track. I guess they were carried away with that picture of the Buddy Bolden band that has two clarinetists. Anyway, I love the Kid Rena sides - although sonically, they have an unpleasant, metallic quality that I assume is the result of the studio they were recorded in. The rehearsal tracks don't have the same sound.

There are also a few "homemade" records by Bunk Johnson - his first, recorded at his home in New Iberia. Nothing earth-shattering here, although they are interesting. Even more interesting are the tracks on The John Reid Collection (also on American Music) on which Sidney Bechet overdubbed a soprano part onto some of these discs.

Thanks! Under consideration.

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Thanks to you fine folks, I now have the following on order:

Emile Barnes' Harmony Four, on Moms' enthusiasm

Wooden Joe Nicholas, on everyone's enthusiasm

Vols. 1 & 2 Prelude to the Revival, on Jeff's description, which indeed makes it sound, if not essential, near enough.

Also awaiting Bunk Johnson 1944

Listening now to Punch Miller 1960. And enjoying the hell out of it.

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One of my fave AM albums is AMCD-9 - 1949 by Herb Morand. First 11 cuts feature Albert Burbank, Louis Nelson, St Cyr. Final four tracks are live from a camp at Lake Ponchartrain. Fabulous!

This one arrived in the mail today. Excellent.

Spun the Barnes-Bocage Big Five 1954 earlier also. A bit rougher around the edges, that one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Have added quite a few AM titles since this thread was begun. This one absolutely soars, IMO -- Emile Barnes, the Louisiana Joymakers, DeDe & Billie Pierce (AMCD-13):

41AEMYPQ1WL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Recorded in 1951, the sound quality is excellent as well; among the best I've heard in the yellow label series. Great album.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I always found it interesting Bill Russell (American Music) and Ross Russell (Dial) burst on the recorded music scene around the same time. This brought a trad/modern fight fostered by the music press but these 2 fellows did right by a whole bunch of folks.

I had the pleasure of a phone calls and letters with Ross but had minimal contact with Bill. Thanks - you were inspirations.

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I always found it interesting Bill Russell (American Music) and Ross Russell (Dial) burst on the recorded music scene around the same time. This brought a trad/modern fight fostered by the music press but these 2 fellows did right by a whole bunch of folks.

I had the pleasure of a phone calls and letters with Ross but had minimal contact with Bill. Thanks - you were inspirations.

:tup

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I met Bill Russell while visiting the Hogan Archives in New Orleans in 1981 - Bill was sorta the host there, then. It was a festival week in April. He sd, "Where are you from?" I sd, "Chicago." The rest of our conversation was his memories of the times he heard Art Tatum play at a club on Randolph Street.

When Ross Russell was writing his biography of Raymond Chandler he asked me for a photo of Chandler's birthplace, here on the south side.

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Since there seems to be some confusion re the Cottrell tracks on Riverside, here are two pages from a session notebook I kept all those year ago. They may help to clear up any questions regarding the Louis Cottrell sessions.

I did 18 selections in two sessions, not having been too happy with Slow Drag on the first one. Fantasy botched up a lot of things when they put this material out, obviously wanting to milk it for as much as possible, regardless of artistic merit. I originally put together 2 LPs.

Hope this helps.

Cottrellsessions.jpg

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Always glad to clarify.

As for the 2-LP set, that was the first release in the "Living Legends" series. I meant it to be an introduction to the LPs that followed. To avoid people having to buy duplicates, I deliberately programmed the double LP with material that would not reappear on an individual issue. Some were different tunes, others were alternate takes, but there was one exception: Kid Thomas' Jada, which was recorded August 18, 1960 and produced by Herb Friedwald (Will's father). It was the only session not supervised by me, so I didn't have extra material. The Fantasy people used the 2-LP tracks to pad the CD reissues.

LivingLegends2-lp.jpg

Edited by Christiern
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Fess Manetta - Whorehoue Piano (AMCD-122)

This CD is a lot more than just the OK New Orleans curiosity Jeff and I were expecting.

On my first few plays, it sounded just that way.

But I've played it straight through several time since I got it yesterday - there's not a lot! - and it sounds pretty damn fine and magical.

Allen summed it up beaut:

Less subtle and sophisticated than Morton's, it is probably more stylistically typical of the early New Orleans pianists, with a thumping left hand that acts as its own primitive rhythm section. Harmonically straightforward, it has the natural dissonance of occasional musical error, of the misplaced interval within a style driven as much by rhythm as by tonality.

I don't hear any musical errors, FWIW (very little!), but that could be, as Allen sez, he makes them musical anyhow.

There's a strong Spanish tinge on a few cuts.

On Old New Orleans Blues he sounds like he's about to break into Cry To Me, which evokes "forward echoes" of Professor Longhair - no surprise, given the left hand business goin' on!

This is one that New Orleans fans will treasure.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Have added quite a few AM titles since this thread was begun. This one absolutely soars, IMO -- Emile Barnes, the Louisiana Joymakers, DeDe & Billie Pierce (AMCD-13):

41AEMYPQ1WL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Recorded in 1951, the sound quality is excellent as well; among the best I've heard in the yellow label series. Great album.

Yes, thanks for the tip on this one - very good. Over the year, haven't really warmed to Billie's singing, but like it fine here.

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  • 1 month later...

3327.jpg

Just gave this one a spin for the first time in a while (a few years, probably):

Raymond Burke's Speakeasy Boys 1937-1949 It's one of the blue-label, non-Bill Russell issues, and contains what I think are Wooden Joe Nicholas's only recordings not made for Russell. Burke (1904-1986) is one of my favorite New Orleans clarinetists, and the meat of this CD is a 1949 session (with Nicholas) recorded by New Orleans jazz fan Herb Otto. Four the of the sides were issued on the Paradox label, as I understand it, but there are a total of 15 tracks from this session. The Herb Otto session is pretty sloppy at times, but the best tracks, like the slow "Backroom Blues," are wonderful. The other tracks are private recordings or demos featuring Burke, dating from 1937 to 1942, and are musically very good and sonically pretty bad.

This one's well worth picking up, but only if you're willing to accept some "feet of clay" weaker tracks, and some scratchy acetate sound.

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  • 1 month later...

On a heavy Punch Miller revival, "Delegates of Pleasure" (AMCD 57) from Aug-Sep '62 gets ****** six stars, with Gorman (clt), Warner (tbn), Guesnon (bj), Tillman (bs), ALEX Bigard (dr). Worth it for a goddamn crazed "Gate's Blues" alone.

http://www.amazon.com/Delegates-Pleasure-Punch-Miller/dp/B00004T1YT

Just posted a blog entry (with links to mp3's) about the only unreissued American Music artist, gospel pianist George Hornsby - click here.

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Ordered last week:

New Jelly Roll on Jazz Oracle

Ordered a few days ago:

Kid Howard/Punch Miller - Prelude To The Revival Vol. 1

Kid Rena/Bunk Johnson - Prelude To The Revival Vol. 2

Raymond Burke - Speakeasy Boys

Young Tuxedo Brass Band - Jazz Begins

Nice. Thanks for mentioning the Jelly Roll again. Will be ordering that here as well.

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and in Aug-Sep 1961, there was Kid Howard "La Vida Band" (AMCD 54)--

http://www.amazon.com/Vida-Band-Kid-Howard/dp/B00005YOAL

Israel Gorman (cl), Eddie Somers (tb), Emmuel Sayles or Homer Eugene (bj), Louis James (bs), Eddie Sommers (tb).

Your Moms will personally buy it back (for $5-6) from anyone dissatisfied with this astonishing release.

(note bizarre error in Amazon listing above though WARNING is right; you might not ever tolerate jive 'avant' splatting again]

Edited by MomsMobley
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