BFT #85 Reveal

[lipi]

1. "St James Infirmary", Turk Murphy, 1957

New Orleans Stomp (Jasmine)

Larry Conger (tp), Turk Murphy (tb), Bill Napier (cl), Pete Clute (p),

Dick Lammi (bj), Al Conger (tu), Thad Wilkerson (d)

West Coast New Orleans revival. There are still some people playing around here

(San Francisco Bay Area) who have played with Turk Murphy. I go hear one of

them twice a month or so.

2. "Variety Stomp", Fess Williams' Royal Flush Orchestra, 1927

Fess Williams 1926-30 (Jazz Oracle)

Stanley "Fess" Williams (cl,as,vcl), George Temple (tp), Kenneth Roane

(tp), David "Jelly" James (tb), Perry Smith (cl,ts), Otto Mikell

(cl,as,bari-sax,bass-sax), Henry "Hank" Duncan (p), Oliver "Ollie"

Blackwell (bj), Clinton Walker (bb), Ralph Bedell (d)

Early New York Big Band. These guys were the house band at the Savoy Ballroom

when it opened in 1926. (Opening night Fletcher Henderson was there, too.)

3. "Lawd, Lawd", Cecil Scott and His Bright Boys, 1929

Oh! You Jive Thing (P-Vine)

Cecil Scott (cl,ts,bari-s), Bill Coleman (tp), Frank Newton (tp,vcl),

Dicky Wells (tb), John Williams (cl,as), Harold McFeran (cl,as), Don

Frye (p), Rudolph Williams (bj), Mack Walker (tu), Loyd Scott (d)

The bass (tuba) is still playing two-beat, but the drummer is already

playing four-to-the-bar. (BTW, this CD is hard to find. Amazon-MP3

lists this track, but I don't see a CD for sale that has it just now.)

4. "The Darktown Strutters' Ball", Jack Hylton and His Orchestra, 1939

The Essential Sides Remastered (JSP)

George Swift, Stanley Howard, Stan Roderick (tp) Woolf Phillips, Jack

Bentley (tb) Benny Daniels, Leslie Gilbert (cl,as) Joe Crossman,

Freddie Schweitzer (cl,ts) Coleman Hawkins (ts) Billy Ternent (ts,arr)

Billy Hill (p) A1 Thomas, Ulrich Neumann (g) Bruce Trent (b,vcl) Lew

Stevenson (d) André Budegary, Reg Cole, Les Maddox (vln)

5. "Harlem Congo", Chick Webb, 1937

Strictly Jive (Hep)

Mario Bauza, Bobby Stark, Taft Jordan (tp), Nat Story, Sandy Williams

(tb), Chauncey Haughton (cl,as), Louis Jordan (as), Wayman Carver

(fl,ts), Ted McRae (ts), Bobby Johnson (g), Tommy Fulford (p),

Beverley Peer (b), Chick Webb (d)

Chick tearing it up. That drum break is actually danceable, which is rare.

The man knew how to play for dancers. (Webb's band was the house band

at the Savoy in the thirties.) I love Haughton's solo.

6. "Satan Takes a Holiday", Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, 1937

The Seventeen Number Ones (RCA)

Pee Wee Erwin, Joe Bauer, Andy Ferretti (tp), Tommy Dorsey, Les

Jenkins, Red Bone (tb), Johnny Mince, Mike Doty, Fred Stulce (cl,as),

Bud Freeman (ts), Howard Smith (p), Carmen Mastren (g), Gene Traxler

(b), Dave Tough (d)

7. "Boulder Buff", Glenn Miller, 1941

The Spirit Is Willing (RCA)

Dale McMickle, Ray Anthony, Johnny Best (tp) Billy May (tp) Glenn

Miller (tb) Paul Tanner, Jimmy Priddy, Frank D'Annolfo (tb) Hal

McIntyre, Wilbur Schwartz (cl,as,arr) Ernie Caceres (as,bar) Tex

Beneke (ts) Al Klink (ts) Chummy MacGregor (p) Jack Lathrop

(g) Herman "Trigger" Alpert (b) Maurice Purtill (d)

Evidence that Miller could swing. This whole album is excellent.

8. "Dinah", Eddie South, Stéphane Grappelly, 1937

Django Reinhardt & His American Friends: Complete Sessions (Definitive)

Eddie South, Stéphane Grappelli (vln), Roger Chaput (g), Wilson Myers (b)

9. "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me", Sidney Bechet and his Hot Six, 1951

Complete 1939-1951 Blue Note Master Takes (Definitive)

Sidney de Paris (tp), Jimmy Archer (tb), Sidney Bechet (ss), Don

Kirkpatrick (p), George "Pops" Foster (b), Manzie Johnson (d)

Sidney Bechet and Pops Foster. What else can you ask for? (Well, I, personally,

could ask for the Bechet Blue Note Mosaic...though it all sounds pretty good on

this Andorran release, too.)

10. "It's Only a Shanty in Old Shanty Town", Edmond Hall Quartet with Teddy Wilson, 1944

Piano Solos/Teddy Wilson, Edmond Hall Quartet With Teddy Wilson (Commodore)

Edmond Hall (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Billy Taylor (b), Art Trappler (d)

Everything Edmond Hall did is excellent. It's hard to get a complete collection, with

things released here and there, and no box sets (I should ping Mosaic about a

Select, maybe.)

11. "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate", Muggsy Spanier, 1939

The "Ragtime Band" Sessions (RCA)

Muggsy Spanier (cn), George Brunies (tb), Rod Cless (cl), Ray

McKinstry (ts), George Zack (p), Bob Casey (g), Pat Pattison (b),

Marty Greenberg (d)

I love Muggsy. Last time around, I had one of the Spanier/Bechet Big Four

recordings in the BFT. This time something from the red book. This whole

album is excellent and a classic of trad jazz.

12. "Mama Don't Allow It", Julia Lee and Her Boyfriends, 1947

Julia Lee: That's What I Like (Proper)

Julia Lee (vcl, p), Bobby Sherwood (tp), Vic Dickenson (tb), Benny

Carter (as), Dave Cavanaugh (ts), Red Norvo (xyl), Jack Marshall (g),

Red Callender (b), Baby Lovett (d)

An excellent blindfold test track, I think, to give everyone a sporting chance.

And it always makes me smile.

[lipi]

Part 2: these are the modern tracks--that is, tracks recorded recently. It's still all moldy fig stuff, of course! I especially encourage you to go out and buy CDs from these guys. I've included websites. I think all the albums are self-published and they're hard to find on amazon (so no images, I'm afraid). You can try cdbaby, Louisiana Music Factory, or, best, order from the artists directly.

13. "South of the Border", 4 Beat 6, 2007

The Band That Plays the Music of Benny Goodman, Volume 1

David Lukacs (cl), Jacco Griekspoor (vib), Martien Oster (g), Joop van

Deuren (p), Frans van Geest (b), Barry Olthof (d)

http://www.4beat6.com/

A Dutch group that does an excellent Goodman imitation, in my opinion.

This particular track was released as a promo a few years ago. I think it's

also on one of their albums, but I don't have any of them yet. (Next trip to

Holland, I plan to catch a live show and stock up.)

14. "Backwater Blues", Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, 2010

Lucky Devil

Meschiya Lake (vcl), Jason Jurzak (so), Charles Halloran (tb), Shaye

Cohn (cn), Luke Winslow King (g), Winfield Burdick (bj), Mike Voelker

(d,perc), Peter Loggins (wb), Cassidy Holden (perc), Aurora Nealand

(ss), Neti Vaan (vln), Tom McDermott (p)

http://meschiyalake.com/

Last time around, I had a track of Meschiya singing with the Loose Marbles

on the BFT. She has split with that band and formed her own backing band.

She still does better live than on recordings, I think, but I do still love her voice.

15. "Broken Hearted Blues", Tuba Skinny and His Tiny Men, 2009

Tuba Skinny

Lulu (vln), Shaye (tp), Barnabus (tb), Todd (tu), Kiowa (g), Erika (vcl)

http://tubaskinny.bandcamp.com/

Another New Orleans busking band. The CD liner notes are very hip

and don't have last names. (You don't lose much buying MP3's rather

than a CD, incidentally: my disc, from Louisiana Music Factory, came

in a stapled piece of letter-size paper!)

16. "Egyptian Fantasy", The New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings, 2009

New Orleans Cotton Mouth Kings: Smokin' Swing from New Orleans

Bruce Brackman (cl), Charlie Fardella (tp), Matt Rhody (vln), Tom

Saunders (bass-s), John Rodli (g), Robert Snow (b)

http://www.neworleanscottonmouthkings.com/

And...yet anther band you might hear on Frenchmen street!

17. "Hummin' to Myself", Reynolds Brothers, 2009

A Rhythm Rascal Cocktail (Zasu)

John Reynolds (g,vcl), Ralf Reynolds (wb), Marc Caparone (cn), Katie

Cavera (b)

http://www.reynoldsbrothers.net/

The Reynolds Brothers are a trad jazz festival staple. I love this last

CD of theirs in particular. (Disclaimer or shameless name dropping,

depending on your mood: Katie is a personal friend.)

18. "The Curse of an Aching Heart", Carl Sonny Leyland, 2009

Live & Lively

Carl Sonny Leyland (p)

http://www.carlsonnyleyland.com/

(Another disclaimer: so is Carl.)

Absolutely fantastic pianist. (I cut the spoken introduction at the beginning

of the track, which is kind of a shame, because Carl Sonny's accent is crazy:

he was born in England and moved to New Orleans to study piano for ten

years--so now he has a mix of a Southern drawl and a British accent. It's

surreal.)

[mikeweil]

Thanks again - very interesting stuff. The Chick Webb went straight to my wish list. I actually have a few of these tracks, but haven't listened to the respective discs in quite a while. That Reinhardt track sounded more like Lonnie Johnson or some other American player to me.

# 13 - Goodman with Hampton was my first thought, but it sounded much too recent, recording-wise. Nice to hear there are so many people who can play in these styles authentically and with conviction.

That Carl Sonny Leyland is stunning!

Edited April 29, 2011 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

# 14 - Meschiya Lake! I knew this voice sounded familiar - there was a discussion about her on the forum, right?

[jeffcrom]

I thought about Fess Williams for track two, but I don't have enough in collection to compare it to. I feel like I should be more familiar with his band, but since I haven't really liked what I've heard that much, I've never bothered.

I also wondered if Bruce Brackman was the clarinetist on #15, but didn't take the leap for the same reason - I think I only have one album that he plays on. I've really enjoyed hearing him live.

Another interesting BFT - I enjoyed it. Thanks for putting it together.

[Spontooneous]

I gotta run down those Fess Williams and Cecil Scott sides. Wow.

Where has the Edmond Hall been reissued?

[lipi]

I gotta run down those Fess Williams and Cecil Scott sides. Wow.

Where has the Edmond Hall been reissued?

This Giants of Jazz compilation has that particular track:

http://www.amazon.com/Edmond-Hall-1941-1957-Hall/dp/B0001UTN7K/

# 14 - Meschiya Lake! I knew this voice sounded familiar - there was a discussion about her on the forum, right?

Was there? I missed it, and I can't find it right now (though her name sure is hard to spell, so who knows what search term I should use). If you happen upon it, please let me know, because I'm curious to see what others say about her music.

[NIS]

No wonder I didn't know the vibes player on #13. I will need to check this group out. Meschiya Lake also.

Thanks again for the effort and thanks for the links.

Edited April 30, 2011 by NIS

[Hot Ptah]

Very interesting to read this Reveal. I thought that #7 sounded "Glenn Miller-like" but couldn't actually be Miller himself.

Once again I am kicking myself because I have the Fess Williams CD for #2 but did not recognize it.

Much new stuff for me to check out. The Chick Webb is a must get. Thanks for a most enjoyable listen all month in the car! I will be keeping this one handy for future playing in the car as well.

[Bright Moments]

I thoroughly enjoyed this BFT - much thanks!!

[Big Al]

Does anyone have the link to this BFT they can share? I didn't have time to play along with this one and based on the Reveal, I missed a dandy!!!

[Bright Moments]

Does anyone have the link to this BFT they can share? I didn't have time to play along with this one and based on the Reveal, I missed a dandy!!!

it is right up your alley big al! unfortunately the link is dead - maybe alex can re-up it for you.