Dan Gould Posted August 7, 2019 Report Share Posted August 7, 2019 (edited) Stumbled across this one and wondering if anyone can shed light on it. Discogs says 1958 which means it pre-dates the brief period when Billy was leading or co-leading some LPs (pre-Xanadu I mean). And its always tricky with his name because there was a smooth jazz or soul guy by the same name much later and it looks like maybe a singer by that name was active in the 50s or later. I went for a copy of this one because anything with Basie-ites has to be the right Billy Mitchell and it definitely looks like a one-off singles session as I don't recognize the titles or that he ever recorded for Imperial again ... As always thanks in advance! Edited August 7, 2019 by Dan Gould Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 7, 2019 Report Share Posted August 7, 2019 Hard to find anything on Wendell Tracy, just this: https://treasurechess.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/wendell-tracy/ Sounds like it might have been his project/gig? the flip side: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2019 Found youtube links here to the 45 audio http://www.45cat.com/record/x5520 And what is up with this European release: http://www.45cat.com/record/ep40090 Blue Room and Zec are on the BN New York/Detroit Junction but where do Alone Together and Compulsory come from?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 7, 2019 Report Share Posted August 7, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted August 7, 2019 Report Share Posted August 7, 2019 There are 8 tunes on Dee Gee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted August 7, 2019 Report Share Posted August 7, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Dan Gould said: Found youtube links here to the 45 audio http://www.45cat.com/record/x5520 A nice one for the r'n'r jivers/hepcats. Billy Mitchell jumping on the George Williams/Boots Brown/Dan Drew/Claude Cloud/Alan Freed Orchestra et al. bandwagon - jazzmen trying to grab a bite of the teen dancing market in the second half of the 50s. (For my taste, Satelite Beep Bop is a bit too much like other "occasional instrumentals" done by other acts at that time, though) Billboard sez this: My impression is that this was an instrumental cover of a vocal recording of that tune by the Five Stars (Hunt 318) reviewed by Billboard about a month earlier. 6 hours ago, Dan Gould said: and it looks like maybe a singer by that name was active in the 50s or later. Not to be confused with either Billy Mitchell, lead singer of the Clovers, or with Bobby Mitchell. Edited August 7, 2019 by Big Beat Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted August 8, 2019 Report Share Posted August 8, 2019 Billy Mitchell settled down on Lawnguyland in the 70s thru 90s. We all used to go down to Sonny's Place and hear him play. He came into one of our rehearsals with hale Smith to hear us play his arrangement of "I Remember Clifford". A piano player I play with sometimes used to play with him a lot. He had some funny stories about working with him, but I can't remember them right now. Something about a guy calling up the club looking for a coat that he left at the club, and Billy answered the phone with the coat on, and said he hadn't seen it... The clarinet player Joe Dixon was good friends with him. He said that some oil sheik from the Middle East liked Billy and his playing so much, that he gave him a jive job, sitting in an office a few days a week, signing stuff for him. I saw BM for the last time at Joe's house. He and Sonny were both on dialysis, and had not much time left... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted August 8, 2019 Report Share Posted August 8, 2019 On 7.8.2019 at 4:17 PM, Chuck Nessa said: There are 8 tunes on Dee Gee. Thad Jones (tp) Billy Mitchell (ts) Terry Pollard (p,vib) Jimmy Richardson (b) Elvin Jones (d) Sonny Wilson (vcl) Detroit, MI, early 1950's 1400 Rockaway rock Dee Gee 4000 1401 Rainy day blues (sw vcl) - Danny boy 4001 The bulldozer - Note:The date previously listed for this session is 1948. During that period Mitchell was in New York and the above group was formed in 1950 in Detroit. Billy Mitchell Quintet : Thad Jones (tp) Billy Mitchell (ts) Terry Pollard (p,vib) Alvin Jackson (b) Elvin Jones (d) Detroit, MI, early 1950's Compulsory Dee Gee XP4009, Savoy SV0188 [CD] The blue room - - The zec - - Alone together - - Savoy should have added the first four tracks to the CD reissue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted August 8, 2019 Report Share Posted August 8, 2019 On 7.8.2019 at 3:59 PM, Dan Gould said: Found youtube links here to the 45 audio http://www.45cat.com/record/x5520 And what is up with this European release: http://www.45cat.com/record/ep40090 Blue Room and Zec are on the BN New York/Detroit Junction but where do Alone Together and Compulsory come from?! The versions on Blue Note are different recordings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2019 1 hour ago, mikeweil said: The versions on Blue Note are different recordings! Yeah I figured that out. Never heard the earlier recordings certainly curious to hear all 8 tracks now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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