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BFT #130 Discussion Thread


lipi

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Happy New Year! Here's the DL link for BFT 130, kindly hosted by Thom Keith (thanks!).

http://www.thomkeith.com/bft130.html

I arranged the tracks from "easiest/best known" to "hardest/most obscure". As far as trying to identify artists:

If you rated yourself a "1" in the sign-up thread, then I suggest you focus on the first 13 or so tracks.

If you rated yourself a "5", then I suspect the first 6 or so will be obvious and 7-18 will be more fun.

If you rated yourself a "9", then I suspect everything but 19-24 will be fairly obvious.

Special rule for this month: if you rated yourself 4 or higher, please don't identify the first six tracks. You may say things about them in veiled terms, but don't identify them until the 1's have had a fair shot at them--let's say at least two weeks. (If you rated yourself a 9 (or I rated you a 9...), maybe do the same thing but for 1-18 or so?)

Have at it, folks. Feel free to say mean things about the music if you have trouble identifying anyone. Or nice things. That's fine, too. Discussion is more important than getting things right. :)

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Alex may have overestimated my abilities; I did a quick run-through tonight, and was able to instantly identify only the first 14 tracks. But I think I can get some of the others. I'll start commenting, starting from the end, tomorrow.

The beginning of track one was my cell phone ring tone for a couple of years, until I replaced it with a recording of which Alex would not approve.

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The beginning of track one was my cell phone ring tone for a couple of years, until I replaced it with a recording of which Alex would not approve.

Mine, too! I had to replace it, because it made me jump up and look around frantically when I heard the actual recording... Great minds think alike? Small minds think alike? Unclear.

Okay,

#19 The Rosenberg Trio - I 've heard this before.

It is indeed!

Something wants me to say #7, C Jam Blues is the Count Basie Orchestra, because when it starts the chomping of the guitar makes me think of Freddie Green. Then I hear the violin and that went out the window.

It is indeed "C Jam Blues", but it is not Basie as you already realized.

Edited by alex.
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Okay, here are my comments about 19-24, in reverse order:

24. Some goofy fun, with some good musicianship to back it up. I particularly liked the dobro player. I had forgotten what a Volkswagen Thing looked like, so I looked at some internet pictures. Shudder….

23. I don’t know this recording, but it sounds like Dr. Michael White on clarinet. I’ve read some negative comments about him here, but overall, I like him – he suggests older New Orleans styles while sounding like nobody but himself. And he writes some nice original tunes, rather than just playing “Tiger Rag” and “Clarinet Marmalade” over and over. A nice little recording, and my comments still apply if it turns out not to be Dr. White.

22. Some of these harmonies sound dangerously modern, Alex! I have no idea who it is, but I like the use of older, bluesy elements in a personal way – and with occasional hints that the pianist has listened to folks like McCoy Tyner. It’s all meat off the same bone!

21. Traditional jazz played with skill and spirit, but perhaps with not much originality. Don’t take that as too much off a knock; I enjoyed this track, particularly the soprano saxophonist’s sound. It's good, well-done - just not real personal. I've kicked around some ideas about who it might be, but I don't really know.

20. Okay, this is Lavern Baker singing “On Revival Day,” a fake spiritual composed by Andy Razaf. It’s from her 1958 Bessie Smith tribute album. It’s fun, but Bessie’s 1930 version pretty much spoiled any other version for me. The arrangement is impressive – it makes four horns sound like far more. The tenor solo by Paul Quinichette is actually the element that tipped me off as to what this was. It’s makes me wish Lester Young’s recording career had overlapped Bessie’s. Buck Clayton, Vic Dickenson, and Sahib Shihab are the other horns, with short spots behind the vocal. And Danny Barker was such a great rhythm guitarist.

19. For a few seconds, I thought this was a recording of Django Reinhardt after he had adopted the electric guitar, but it seems to be a more recent recording than that. It’s very impressive, but musicians who so totally adopt the style of other musicians freak me out a little. Maybe it’s early Bireli Langrene or someone like that. Like I said, impressive, but disconcerting.

Or maybe I’m way off base and it is late Django.

I think that I can identify everything else, to one extent or another, so I'll hold off a couple of weeks as requested before posting anything else.

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Okay, here are my comments about 19-24, in reverse order:

24. Some goofy fun, with some good musicianship to back it up. I particularly liked the dobro player. I had forgotten what a Volkswagen Thing looked like, so I looked at some internet pictures. Shudder….

Amazing automobile styling. I'm glad you liked this one.

23. I don’t know this recording, but it sounds like Dr. Michael White on clarinet. I’ve read some negative comments about him here, but overall, I like him – he suggests older New Orleans styles while sounding like nobody but himself. And he writes some nice original tunes, rather than just playing “Tiger Rag” and “Clarinet Marmalade” over and over. A nice little recording, and my comments still apply if it turns out not to be Dr. White.

Not Dr Michael White. This one and the preceding two (21 & 22) share a geographical connexion.

Did you recognize the tune, by any chance?

22. Some of these harmonies sound dangerously modern, Alex! I have no idea who it is, but I like the use of older, bluesy elements in a personal way – and with occasional hints that the pianist has listened to folks like McCoy Tyner. It’s all meat off the same bone!

Don't I know it! This isn't the most recently recorded track on this BFT, but it's definitely the most modern. It's a miracle I manage to enjoy it. The pianist is not someone most people here will have heard of, I suspect, though he has written at least one non-jazz composition that many will know.

21. Traditional jazz played with skill and spirit, but perhaps with not much originality. Don’t take that as too much off a knock; I enjoyed this track, particularly the soprano saxophonist’s sound. It's good, well-done - just not real personal. I've kicked around some ideas about who it might be, but I don't really know.

"with not much originality" is more accurate than you might think, but in a very interesting way. I'm curious to hear your ideas, even if you think they're not correct. I'm particularly keen to hear what this reminds you of or in what direction it sends you. (I had a hard time picking this particular recording (over some others), and I think I might have picked better. That's not intended as a hint, BTW.)

20. Okay, this is Lavern Baker singing “On Revival Day,” a fake spiritual composed by Andy Razaf. It’s from her 1958 Bessie Smith tribute album. It’s fun, but Bessie’s 1930 version pretty much spoiled any other version for me. The arrangement is impressive – it makes four horns sound like far more. The tenor solo by Paul Quinichette is actually the element that tipped me off as to what this was. It’s makes me wish Lester Young’s recording career had overlapped Bessie’s. Buck Clayton, Vic Dickenson, and Sahib Shihab are the other horns, with short spots behind the vocal. And Danny Barker was such a great rhythm guitarist.

Yup! I love this album. I heard it before I heard it before I heard any Bessie. This particular track was (and is) played a lot at swing dances.

Wendell Marshall on bass and Joe Marshall on drums round out the outfit. I'm really impressed you remembered all the horns. (I wouldn't have been able to remember them or recognize them, and this is one of my favourite albums...)

19. For a few seconds, I thought this was a recording of Django Reinhardt after he had adopted the electric guitar, but it seems to be a more recent recording than that. It’s very impressive, but musicians who so totally adopt the style of other musicians freak me out a little. Maybe it’s early Bireli Langrene or someone like that. Like I said, impressive, but disconcerting.

Or maybe I’m way off base and it is late Django.

Not Django. Hardbopjazz recognized the artist on this one immediately, though he didn't mention the title of the song. This is a famous Balkan tune, usually played as a waltz.

Thank you for playing, and I'm sorry I didn't have more for you to guess at. Looking forward to seeing what you contribute to the discussion later in the month!

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Well, got to it (while sitting in a room where students are rehearsing a play... this is NOT the way to listen). Recognized more than I thought I would (including an album in my collection!).

Track 1 - Not my genre, but sure sounds like Armstrong to me. And now with the voice, I’m sure of it. No idea what, but confident it’s him.

Track 2 - This sounds a bit new — bass seems more actively involved in the song. Ah, that would be Ms. Holiday. A youthful one at that.
Track 3 - Tune is Minor Swing. Don’t know if this is Django or not, could be.
Track 4 - It’s early Basie, for sure. There’s the president. Man, such a BITCH over time — love it. Arguably THE best “time” player, ever. He’s so much more aggressive than he’s given credit for in common circles. Had to consult the interwebs for the title, but I believe this is Oh Lady Be Good!
Track 5 - Well, it’s St. Louis Blues, but any guess as to personnel would be trite and silly on my part.
Track 6 - Ah! Finally! One I actually *know*! Lionel Hampton’s Flyin’ Home. Heard this on NPR when I was a kid on NHPR, including an interview with the soloist. First time he played this, he was approaching the band stand and, "Marshall Royal, the first saxophonist, leaned over and said, ‘Do it for yourSELF!’” At least due in part to that interview, I’ve always had a very warm reaction to this recording.
Track 7 - C-Jam Blues. Sounds like the man himself on piano. Definitely his band. Nance on violin (always a treat). Big Ben on tenor. Given the time period, I’d say Barney Bigard on clarinet, but not from recognition.
Track 8 - I was thinking tame Hawk at first on tenor, but that’s Mr. Young, again. No idea what this is, but MAN, that guy cooks!
Track 9 - Again, no idea and any guesses would be trite and ridiculous. This is about the time that I struggle to listen to; something about the bouncy nature of the time.
Track 10 - Ditto.
Track 11 - Oh my… mega dittos.
Track 12 - Well, I don’t know what, but I know who — Mr. A.
Track 13 - Okay… now I’m doubting myself, because it sounds like that guy… again. Unless you’re toying with us, I’m now doubting my call on track 12.
Track 14 - Getting closer to my era. It’s somebody I’m less inclined towards (that’s code for a “white” band, but when I say that, I always get in trouble). Clarinet is kind of stiff, like Benny Goodman. Oh! That’s because it’s Benny Goodman, All The Cats Join In — my grandmother loved this song. (I’m not being funny, she was pretty hip)
Track 15 - I don’t know the song, but I know the clarinetist. That’s Artie Shaw. I heard a great story about him speaking at a Jazz educators convention. Ernie Sola attended with a friend and Artie was the keynote speaker. He started by saying, “All of you, are liars. You’re all claiming to do something that can’t be done — teach Jazz.” I’ll always love him for that comment (as did Ernie).
Track 16 - It’s Tea For Two, but I have no idea who by. Makes me want to hear Lester’s vocal version, though.
Track 17 - No clue. Has the bounce of the older stuff, but sure sounds like a newer recording. Is this a throwback band? I actually like what the trumpet player is doing, a lot, but that bounce gets to me.
Track 18 - No idea what the track is, but it’s Sir Edmond Hall from The Happy Man. My father gave me this record. What are the odds?
Track 19 - No clue. I wanted to say Django early, but later it sounded way too modern.
Track 20 - I like this off the bat. Helluva band. A-HA! I almost said I thought I heard Quinnichette in there, that’s definitely him on tenor. Am I hearing two baris in there? Man, I need this.
Track 21 - That bouncy style in a modern recording. No idea who or what.
Track 22 - Almost sounds like Phineas, but I’m confident there is no Phineas I do not own. Also, not quite as… spotless as him. Unsure. Nice, though.
Track 23 - Even more modern recording. No idea. Not my thing, but respect it.
Track 24 - No clue.
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I think I'll hold off on confirming or denying too much for now (except perhaps saying that you did very, very well, Thom!), but I want to comment on a few things.

Track 5 - Well, it’s St. Louis Blues, but any guess as to personnel would be trite and silly on my part.

5. bessie smith?

l p has got it. Thom, have another listen (if you can stomach it!) and tell me what you think. There's more there to discover...

Track 6 - Ah! Finally! One I actually *know*! Lionel Hampton’s Flyin’ Home. Heard this on NPR when I was a kid on NHPR, including an interview with the soloist. First time he played this, he was approaching the band stand and, "Marshall Royal, the first saxophonist, leaned over and said, ‘Do it for yourSELF!’” At least due in part to that interview, I’ve always had a very warm reaction to this recording.

Thom's got it! The soloist you mention was only 19 at the time, and his solo became de rigueur when playing "Flying Home". I suspect it's one of the most copied soli in jazz.

Track 17 - No clue. Has the bounce of the older stuff, but sure sounds like a newer recording. Is this a throwback band? I actually like what the trumpet player is doing, a lot, but that bounce gets to me.

No, it's the real thing. Pre-WWII.

I found it interesting to hear you talk about the bounce that bothers you and which recordings trigger it, Thom.

You should both listen to track 8 again (if for no other reason than that it's awesome...) and see if you can agree. One of you is right. :D

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OOo! I like the Herschel Evans guess, but something about the time still says Prez to me.

i based the Herschel Evans guess on your guess of it being lester. they say that he and lester sounded a lot alike, but i "know" that it's not lester. and Alex has confirmed that it's not lester in post #12.

and he's right, it's a great little tune.

i have (or had) this tune in my collection, and since i don't have a huge amount of music from this period, basie is a good guess for me.

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OK, for once I knew some of the songs immediately. Since no one else is stepping forward, I will ID some of them.

1. Louis Armstrong--West End Blues, 1928. With Fred Robinson-trombone, Jimmy Strong--clarinet, Earl Hines-piano, Mancy Carr-banjo, Zutty Singleton--drums.

2. Billie Holiday--Miss Brown To You, 1935. With Roy Eldridge--trumpet, Benny Goodman--clarinet, Ben Webster--tenor sax, Teddy Wilson--piano, John Trueheart--guitar, John Kirby--bass, Cozy Cole--drums.

3. Minor Swing (1937) Django Reinhardt--guitar, Stephane Grappelli--violin, Joseph Reinhardt--guitar, Eugene Vees--guitar, Louis Vola--bass

4. Oh Lady Be Good (1936) by Jones-Smith Incorporated Carl Smith--trumpet, Lester Young--tenor sax, Count Basie--piano, Walter Page--bass, Jo Jones--drums.

5. St. Louis Blues (1925) Bessie Smith--vocal, Louis Armstrong--trumpet, Fred Longshaw--reed (pump) organ

6. Flying Home--Lionel Hampton, with Illinois Jacquet--tenor sax solo.

7. C Jam Blues--Duke Ellington (1942) Soloists include Ray Nance--violin, Ben Webster--tenor sax, Rex Stewart--cornet, Joe 'Tricky Sam' Nanton--trombone, Barney Bigard--clarinet

12. Weather Bird (1928) Louis Armstrong--trumpet, Earl Hines--piano (duet recording)

I will let other members guess the other songs.

Edited by Hot Ptah
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Here we go, then

1 Oh this is Mrs Armstrong’s little boy and his Hot Five or seven or six with ‘West End blues’. And Mr Heinz on piano.

Louis started so much that just went on and on; even ‘sock it to me’ in this cut.

2 Billie Holiday, ‘Miss Brown to you’ and is that Teddy Wislon on piano? I don’t think this is on my Hep CDs of Wilson’s thirties recordings for Brunswick/Columbia. It’s nice. (Later – yes, it’s in the Hep series. Oh well.)

Goodness me, I didn’t think I’d get 2 straight off. Can’t last.

3 Must be Django and Stephane. I bought an Earl Hines/Stephane Grapelli LP a few months ago and was knocked out by the grace with which Stephane played on it (well, and Earl, too, which I hadn’t suspected from earlier stuff; though, just listening again to ‘West End blues’ I realised that I should have) so I think I ought to start getting into Django/Stephane. I hope you make a serious recommendation with the reveal.

4 ‘Lady be good’ – I’m really not sure who the musicians are but I’ll hazard a guess at Lester Young on guitar, Nat Cole on trumpet…. Actually, the pianist really does sound a good bit like Cole, which doesn’t mean I’m right about the guitarist.

5 ‘St Louis Blues’ I can’t tell those old lady blues singers apart; never have been able to, no matter how I try. As you reckon these are easy, I’ll guess that Louis Armstrong’s on trumpet or cornet and that the singer may be Bessie Smith.

6 Hamp! Illinois! YEAHHHHHH!!!!! The honking saxes and barwalkers start here! (Well, probably really with Mills’ Blue Rhythm Band’s ‘Ride Red ride’ from 1934; but that didn’t start a trend :g)

7 ‘C-jam blues’ and surely it’s by Duke Ellington’s band. Never heard this. I’m not a great Ellington aficionado; he’s too good for my taste. Well, that must be Ben Webster on tenor, and I guess, therefore, that I’ve got this in my little box of Victor sessions. I’ll check in a minute. Oh yes, I HAVE got this. Just goes to show.

If I’d been picking a cut from his Victor band of the period, I’d have picked ‘Main stem’ which is jitterbug heaven and was 4 weeks at #1 on the R&B chart. But I always prefer Ellington the great entertainer to Ellington the great genius.

8 Now this one, I don’t know. But it MUST be Sidney Bechet. This is really, really nice. Never heard anything of his that isn’t. It sounds pretty modern; I guess it was made in Paris in the early fifties.

9 Bloody ‘ell, that clarinet player is HIPPPP! And the drummer! ‘Doctor Jazz’. No idea who this is. Oh, a few Johnny Dodds type phrases in there. Maybe it’s him,

10 Sure I don’t know this but the guitarist reminds me of the guitarist who was on some of the Hot Five recordings (‘Savoy blues’?), can’t remember his name. This is really good. The trumpet player sounds like Louis Armstrong, but EVERYONE sounds like him, even Big John Patton. But an afterthought suggests it might be Roy Eldridge.

11 Now we’re definitely moving into unknown territory. I think this is what’s known as Chicago Jazz and sounds like what we furriners here call ‘Dixieland’ or ‘Trad’. I think it could be anyone and almost certainly is.

12 Phew this is nice! Just piano and trumpet. Could it be Tatum? Never heard him; too much piano for me.

13 Cor, ravishing rhythm section! I think the clarinet player might be Buster Bailey. Could the guitarist be Al Casey or, more likely, Teddy Bunn?

14 OK, after a quick cough and drag, on we go, with a long one. Big swing band with bicycle bells. Lots of gimmicks in here. Must be a white band. I’m going to guess Benny Goodman, because it’s so efficient and well organised.

15 Bet this is Woody Herman’s band. Sounds as if it’s a live recording. Well, it could be Goodman again with Krupa on drums. Oh yes, live. On balance, I’ll plump for Goodman & Krupa.

16 ‘Tea for two’ played by clarinet and rhythm; oh and trumpet. I reckon this is someone I know I’ve hardly ever heard – Pee Wee Russell. Oh, a live job again. Vibes player sounds like Hamp but has a lighter touch. Dunno Guv. Very enthusiastic, like a JATP job.

17 Hm, everyone’s playing clichés – perhaps their own, but probably someone else’s. Another live job. No idea about this.

18 ‘Petite fleur’ – beautiful tune and the drummer is so lovely. I think this is a tune no one can play badly and these guys don’t. Lovely job. No idea who it is, but thank you.

19 Strauss waltz – the skaters? By a slightly amplified guitarist with very SERIOUS chops. Could this be a guy who’s been often mentioned on the board – Oscar Aleman? I know I’ve NEVER heard this player before. And struth he’s damn fine! WOW!

20 Sister Rosetta Tharpe but not with Lucky Millinder’s band.

21 No, I’m lost here; gotta getta cuppa tea. Start again. Sounds like a fifties recording. Everyone’s taking a turn and then another one, but I think the pianner player’s the boss here. Well, this is just a bunch of jazz musicians playing jazz.

22 Very interesting time here. Sounds like an old player teaching young ‘uns what all this modern stuff is all about… REALLY. (Or it’s Ray Bryant :D)

23 Modern recording of a New Orleans Band. Very nice indeed.

24 This has to be recent – ie since the sixties. Smiley. Nice.

Wow! What a NICE BFT! Thank you Alex, that was really enjoyable; a treat on wheels!

I’ve got to say, this wasn’t quite what I expected, though I’m not disappointed. But I thought there’d be a lot more of important but little known bands like McKinney’s Cottonpickers, Bennie Moten, Edgar Hayes, Mills Blue Rhythm Band, Andy Kirk’s Clouds of Joy, even Jelly Roll Morton or Cab Calloway. You could have really got me on bands I think I know better than I really do and I approached the BFT with not a little trepidation. Still, there’s so very much to choose from. And it’s nice to hear something smashing you don’t think you’ve got and find you do have it, you know :)

MG

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Okay, I'm going to start easing my way back in - continuing backwards, since I started that way. I'm reading everyone's comments, since I pretty much know what everything is.

18. I see that Thom Keith recognized Ed Hall. This is Sidney Bechet's "Petite Fleur," from Hall's wonderful 1958 United Artists album. This is a great demonstration that a master musician can keep pretty close to the melody and still produce great jazz. And I love Ellis Larkin's understated piano solo, as well as the rhythm section groove. Some of Hall's throat tones are a little sharp (clarinetists will know what I'm talking about), but who cares? Beautiful music; the only thing that sounds funny to me is the fact that your version is stereo; I'm used to the mono LP.

17. Then I said that I could ID "pretty much" everything else, I used that qualifying phrase with this track in mind, mostly. This is the one I'm least sure about. The tune is "Dippermouth Blues," aka "Sugarfoot Stomp." When I first heard it, I thought, "Oh - Bob Crosby." But I don't have this recording, and the arrangement doesn't seem to quite match the studio version. My favorite passage is the very creative piano solo, which sounds like Jess Stacy to me. (Does someone yell Stacy's name after the solo? I'm not sure). Anyway, by playing the tune this fast, they rob it of most of the depth the original King Oliver version(s) had - although the piano soloist adds some back, in a different way. But it is a fun, exciting performance.

And while admitting that I'm not sure about this one, my "official" guess is that it's a live recording of the Bob Crosby Orchestra with Jess Stacy on piano.

And no, I don't know the tune the band on track 21 is playing. It sounds very familiar, but I can't come up with a name.

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3 Must be Django and Stephane. I bought an Earl Hines/Stephane Grapelli LP a few months ago and was knocked out by the grace with which Stephane played on it (well, and Earl, too, which I hadn’t suspected from earlier stuff; though, just listening again to ‘West End blues’ I realised that I should have) so I think I ought to start getting into Django/Stephane. I hope you make a serious recommendation with the reveal.

(Good job on 1, 2, and 3. All correct.)

Hey! I want this Hines and Grappelli CD! Is it this one on, "Stéphane Grappelli Meets Earl Hines" on Black Lion?

http://www.amazon.com/Meets-Earl-Hines-Stephane-Grappelli/dp/B00CK7N40E/

I can make an immediate recommendation here: the Django JSP series really is quite good. This particular session is on the "Paris and London (1937-1948)" set, but the others are fine, too. (I don't have the Django Mosaic, but I hear it's beautiful.) I also have a very enjoyable Definitive (I know, I know...) release called "Django Reinhardt & His American Friends: Complete Sessions". It has, among other delights, the 1937 recordings of Django and Grappelli with Eddie South. Two of these are also on the Jazz Archives release "Black Gypsy", but I'm not sure where to get the other four if you want to avoid our Andorran friends' releases.

As for pure Grappelli, I have to admit that I always find him strongest with Django. (Still, I want to hear the Earl Hines thing.) Maybe someone else has a good recommendation for Django-less Grappelli? The Ellington "Jazz Violin Sessions" comes to mind, and it's certainly fascinating (Grappelli! Nance! Asmussen on viola!), but it never really made me sigh in ecstasy like I thought it would when I first saw it or read about it.

4 ‘Lady be good’ – I’m really not sure who the musicians are but I’ll hazard a guess at Lester Young on guitar, Nat Cole on trumpet…. Actually, the pianist really does sound a good bit like Cole, which doesn’t mean I’m right about the guitarist.

:D Identified above by Hot Ptah. You're correct on the guitarist. :)

This is one of those "I wish I'd been in the studio!" sessions. Or one of those "No, wait, I'm glad I wasn't, because I wouldn't want to have thrown them off!". It's fantastic stuff. This was the first thing Basie recorded after leaving Kansas City. He couldn't use his own name because he was already under contract to Decca. This is the first we can hear of Lester Young on record, and I suspected many of you would know the track (or at least recognize Young), even if you don't particularly like early jazz.

Note that this is before Freddie Green joined the band, so the All-American Rhythm Section is short a(n actual) guitar here.

5 ‘St Louis Blues’ I can’t tell those old lady blues singers apart; never have been able to, no matter how I try. As you reckon these are easy, I’ll guess that Louis Armstrong’s on trumpet or cornet and that the singer may be Bessie Smith.

The singer is indeed Bessie, as Hot Ptah also identified.

I suspected that most would be able to guess at the identify of the singer, and I was hoping that the trumpet player sounded enough like himself to be identified, too. So I'm curious: did you guess Armstrong just because it was 20's and I said these were easy, or did it sound like him to you?

6 Hamp! Illinois! YEAHHHHHH!!!!! The honking saxes and barwalkers start here! (Well, probably really with Mills’ Blue Rhythm Band’s ‘Ride Red ride’ from 1934; but that didn’t start a trend :g)

You get an extra point for knowing "Ride, Red, Ride", you show-off. :)

7 ‘C-jam blues’ and surely it’s by Duke Ellington’s band. Never heard this. I’m not a great Ellington aficionado; he’s too good for my taste. Well, that must be Ben Webster on tenor, and I guess, therefore, that I’ve got this in my little box of Victor sessions. I’ll check in a minute. Oh yes, I HAVE got this. Just goes to show.

If I’d been picking a cut from his Victor band of the period, I’d have picked ‘Main stem’ which is jitterbug heaven and was 4 weeks at #1 on the R&B chart. But I always prefer Ellington the great entertainer to Ellington the great genius.

Many years ago, I felt the same way about Duke: I wanted Basie and none of that silly Ellingtonia. I've changed my mind. I love Ellington now--more so than Basie, even.

I'm not sure I agree that "Main Stem" is more entertainer and less genius than "C-Jam Blues". I like both an awful lot--will have to think about it more.

"C-Jam Blues" is a favourite with lindy hop (jitterbug) dancers today, and I play this recording often at dances. (Don't kill me: sometimes I play the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra/Wynton Marsalis 1998 recording from "Live in Swing City" instead. It's much slower and the recording is modern (so crisp). It helps beginner dancers...that's my excuse. It's a good recording, but it doesn't come close to the 1942 Ellington.)

8 Now this one, I don’t know. But it MUST be Sidney Bechet. This is really, really nice. Never heard anything of his that isn’t. It sounds pretty modern; I guess it was made in Paris in the early fifties.

Heheheh... No, it's earlier, and it's not Bechet. I can kinda hear where you're coming from with Bechet, but it's not even close, I'm afraid. Good. I like surprising people. :)

9 Bloody ‘ell, that clarinet player is HIPPPP! And the drummer! ‘Doctor Jazz’. No idea who this is. Oh, a few Johnny Dodds type phrases in there. Maybe it’s him,

It's not Dodds. I quite like this clarinet player, too. Later on he also played alto sax. (Side note: I got into an idiotic argument with someone who is featured on this BFT (shameless almost-name-drop!) about whether this clarinet player played alto or tenor on certain recordings. I have no life. Also, I have to admit I don't quite remember the details--we might have been arguing whether he played alto or c-melody.)

I think you'll be surprised when this one is identified. (Or have another listen, and surprise yourself?)

10 Sure I don’t know this but the guitarist reminds me of the guitarist who was on some of the Hot Five recordings (‘Savoy blues’?), can’t remember his name. This is really good. The trumpet player sounds like Louis Armstrong, but EVERYONE sounds like him, even Big John Patton. But an afterthought suggests it might be Roy Eldridge.

Nope on all counts. Are you thinking of Johnny St. Cyr, who was on "Savoy Blues"? No, it's not him. Random factoid: Lonnie Johnson (guitarist on some other Hot Five sides) and *this* guitarist recorded together in 1929, and the stuff they produced was wonderful.

The brass player is the key here, and should be the easiest of the bunch to recognize.

Ugh. The board is freaking out because of the many quoted areas of text...

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