What 78 are you spinning right now ?

[jeffcrom]

Original Memphis Five Static Strut / Tampeekoe (Victor) 20039

Two more from yesterday with very contrasting sound. The immediacy of the sound on the Victor is astonishing for what must be an acoustic recording.

Yeah, I figured out pretty early in my ongoing 78 obsession that Victor was head and shoulders above everyone else in terms of sound - not only during the acoustic era, but well into the electric era.

[jeffcrom]

Today I played all my Charlie Venture Nationals, 1946-48. The ensembles range from big bands to sextets, with "bop vocals" by Buddy Stewart, Marianne Dunn & Jack Palmer, and Jackie & Roy. My favorite contributions are from Bennie Green, who's on about half of these records.

Moon Nocturne, parts 1 & 2

Synthesis/Blue Champagne

East of Suez/I'll Never Be the Same

Euphoria/If I Had You

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

Baby, Baby All the Time

Stop 'n Go/Pina Colada

A.M. - P.M. Song/F.Y.I.

And last night before bed, I played one of my real treasures, which I found in a long-gone Atlanta junk store around 40 years ago:

Blind Willie Johnson - Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning/Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying (Columbia)

[Clunky]

CLEO BROWN - Latch On/Slow Poke ( DECCA 795 )

CLEO BROWN - BREAKIN' IN A NEW PAIR OF SHOES/ You're my fever ( Decca)

Pleasant lightly bluesy voice and more than decent stride piano with bass/guitar very much in the background. I wasn't at all familiar with Cleo Patra Brown until i got these today , although I notice GOM had a radio show several years ago featuring her and other women musicians. Basically a female Fats Waller but more subtle and more of a blues singer . All in all very nice. I think these sides are on a Hep CD by Miss Brown.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

Junior jazz at the auditorium- w. lucky thompson and howard mcghee. 2 12'' 78 rpm discs in cover, 'black & white' records. i believe i have this material on a 10'' 'tops records' issue Edited January 21, 2013 by chewy

[Clunky]

Some British jazz by the really excellent Spike Hughes. Known primarily for his Negro Orchestra dates with Carter/Hawk et al, he also recorded some pretty original compositions with British bands in London. I'm sketchy on details but this interesting site has a fair bit about him http://www.jabw.demon.co.uk/spike.htm

I've three 78s of his recorded in London all on Decca, some wonderful Duke inspired compositions with decent solos. Buddy Featherstonehaugh on BWO as far I know but plenty of evidence from these sides that at least when it comes to Spike Hughes jazz in Britain was in rude health in the Thirties. I think these three are in chronological order.

Joshua fit de battle ob Jericho (sic)/ Roll Jordan

Sirocco/Six Bells Stampede

Buddy's Wednesday Outing/ Long night scamper

Edited January 22, 2013 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

Two by California Ramblers sub-groups and two Original Indiano Fives:

University Six - Smile a Little Bit/Then I'll Be Happy (Harmony, 1925)

The Goofus Five - Blue Baby/Is She My Girl Friend (Okeh, 1927)

The Okeh is pretty hot, in spite of the vocals. Adrian Rollini has left, but his replacement, Spencer Clark, sounds pretty good. And those electric Okehs really sound good.

Original Indiana Five - The Chant/Stockhom Stomp (Harmony, 1926)

Original Indiana Five - My Melancholy Baby/Gotham Society Orchestra (Mike Markel) - Tomorrow's Tomorrow (Banner, 1927/28)

[Clunky]

When You're Feeling Blue (Stevens-Purvis) Parlophone R890

Down Georgia Way (Purvis) Parlophone R698

I've all of two Jack Purvis sides which seems to account for a quarter of his output as a leader. Played these back to back as I've been eyeing the Purvis Jazz Oracle set. He's clearly in the thrall of Louis but a fine player with a great band including Rollini and a fine piano player I've not come across (knowingly) Frank Froeba. The two sides are on very very clean UK Parlophones. Late 40s issues I'd guess but pressings not dubs ,so sound great.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

Some late-night klezmer before bed:

Naftule Brandwein - Bulgar a la Naftule/A Hore mit Tzibeles (Columbia). Early 40s pressing of 1925 recordings. Naftule remained popular among the twelve tribes for many years!

Abe Schwartz (as Yiddisher Orchestre) - Noch der Havdoleh/Gus Goldstein - Yiddische Simcheh (Columbia, 1918)

Abe Schwartz (as Yiddisher Orchestre) - Keshenever Bulgar/Die Yiddishe Neshomoh (Columbia, 1917)

Abe Schwartz (as Yiddisher Orchestre) - Biem Reben's Sideh/Sadegurer Chused'l (Columbia, 1917)

Abraham Moskowitz - Die Greene Cousine/Nit Die Hagede, More die Kneidlech (Columbia, 1922). Peggy Lee recorded "My Green Cousin" with Benny Goodman 20-odd years later.

Cantor Josef Rosenblatt - Tka B'shofar from "Shofros"/Uwyom Simchaschem from "Shofros" (Columbia, 1915). Okay, not klezmer, but I wanted to hear something by the greatest of all recording cantors.

Joe Feldman - Tzigan's Liedele/Gamzele Toive (Victor, 1922)

All of the above are acoustic recordings; I ended with a couple of electrics:

Dave Tarras - Runenishe Doina/A Rumenisher Nigun (UK Columbia, 1927). A wonderful record by the great clarinetist, with a sticker from a Tel-Aviv record store on one side.

Bracha Zfirah - Bein Nehar Prath/Yesh li Gan (Columbia). 1940-41 pressing of 1937 recordings. I found this record in a Chattanooga antique store. Its beauty got to me right away, and I arranged the Sephardic song "Yesh li Gan" (I Have a Garden) for the 9th Ward Afro Klezmer Orchestra; it's on our new album, Abdul the Rabbi.

I have a garden and I have a well.

And every Sabbath my lover comes

And eats from my garden and drinks from my well.

Edited January 25, 2013 by jeffcrom

[Clunky]

University Six - Smile a Little Bit/Then I'll Be Happy (Harmony, 1925)

The Goofus Five - Blue Baby/Is She My Girl Friend (Okeh, 1927)

I have the Six 78 and it's pretty hot and as I've mentioned before I love it. I also have a version of "Is she my girlfriend" by the Golden Gate Orchestra , lame pop tune IIRC !

[jeffcrom]

University Six - Smile a Little Bit/Then I'll Be Happy (Harmony, 1925)

The Goofus Five - Blue Baby/Is She My Girl Friend (Okeh, 1927)

I have the Six 78 and it's pretty hot and as I've mentioned before I love it. I also have a version of "Is she my girlfriend" by the Golden Gate Orchestra , lame pop tune IIRC !

A lame song, but something of a hit apparently - I have several recordings of it.

[Clunky]

Charles Jackson "The cats got the measles"/ "I got what it takes but it breaks my heart to give it away" (Paramount)

. My first real Paramount , ok it's not jazz but a decent blues side. Hardly what you'd call raw blues but fine none the less. Bought today, edge bite removes first few seconds only and the rest plays pretty well, no skips etc. Mine for £2, I was quite happy

Edited January 27, 2013 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

Three "new" ones; two Reds and a Duke:

Red Nichols' Stompers - Make My Cot Where the Cot-cot-cotton Grows/Sugar (Victor, 1927). Lame vocal duets on both sides, but otherwise pretty swinging - solos by Pee Wee Russell, Adrian Rollini, and Tram.

Charleston Chasers - Five Pennies/Feelin' No Pain (Columbia, 1927). Very nice! More Pee Wee, and "Feelin' No Pain" is by the always interesting Fud Livingston.

Duke Ellington - Ring Dem Bells/Three Little Words (Victor, 1930). My earliest Duke, and a good one.

And congrats on your first Paramount, Clunky! I've got a couple of good ones, but they're not easy to find even on this side of the pond.

[Clunky]

Charleston Chasers - Five Pennies/Feelin' No Pain (Columbia, 1927). Very nice! More Pee Wee, and "Feelin' No Pain" is by the always interesting Fud Livingston.

And congrats on your first Paramount, Clunky! I've got a couple of good ones, but they're not easy to find even on this side of the pond.

Fud's compositions sound quite unlike anything else I'm aware of from that era. The Jazz Oracle set is a great show case for Fud in general, only wish there were more comps. by Fud.

[sidewinder]

Mine for £2, I was quite happy

The price is definitely right with this '78 rpm' lark !

[Clunky]

THE SEVEN "HOT AIR" MEN. ".Harlem Madness/ Navy Blues". (Columbia) British pressing, recorded January 9, 1930...

­2 pretty good sides from a studio band with Phil Napoleon on trumpet. Here he sounds at least as good as Red Nichols , who sounds fairly similar to my untutored ear.

[jeffcrom]

Carl Sandburg - Cowboy Songs and Negro Spirituals (Decca)

I've had this four-record album for about a year and a half, and wasn't that impressed on previous spins. Today I listened to it more sympathetically after reading John Szwed's biography of Alan Lomax. Lomax produced this album, and it was one of the first commercial presentations of American folk music by a major record company. Most of Sandburg's renditions of African-American songs are pretty grim (a couple are really embarrassing), but I enjoyed the cowboy songs this time around. There's a nice booklet with Lomax's notes and musical notation and lyrics for all the songs. Not great music, but I appreciate this album for what it is.

[jeffcrom]

I've spun lots of 78s the past few days - maybe I'll get around to posting about some of them. But a few early jazz discs before bed tonight, starting with three by Gene Fosdick's Hoosiers, a pretty good Midwestern jazz band:

One Night In June/Lost (Vocalion, 1922)

You've Got to See Mamma Ev'ry Night/Way Down Yonder in New Orleans (Vocalion, 1922/23)

Peggy Dear/Apple Sauce (Vocalion, 1923)

The first three sides, from 1922, have Gene Fosdick's (relatively) more well-known brother Dudley on mellophone.

And two by a band I really love, A.J. Piron's New Orleans Orchestra:

Mama's Gone, Goodbye/New Orleans Wiggle (Victor, 1923)

West Indies Blues/Do-Doodle-Oom (Victor, 1923)

The great Piron band included the legendary Lorenzo Tio Jr. on clarinet, Peter Bocage on trumpet, Steve Lewis on piano, and Louis Cottrell Sr. (the father of the clarinetist) on drums, early jazz giants all. Cottrell is one of the real fathers of jazz drumming; Chuck and I visited his tomb in St. Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans last month, where I did a really poor job of explaining his importance.

[Clunky]

The Piron's sound interesting . I'll keep an eye out -

Edited February 10, 2013 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

The Piron's sound interesting . I'll keep an eye out -

Piron's entire output has issued on CD, but as you know, there's nothing like hearing old music as originally issued. My near-minty copy of "Mama's Gone/New Orleans Wiggle" sounds better than my Azure CD.

[Clunky]

Coleman Hawkins - "I can't get started/ If I could be with you" ( Decca) personality series - recorded 30th July 1952' NYC. Highly melodic Hawk but both sides are typical of his majesty over fairly indifferent accompaniament. Excellent -

[jeffcrom]

So what shellac have I been spinning lately? Lots. Over the past few days, I've played all my California Ramblers sides. Since I last did so last April, I'm up to 20 sides by the Ramblers, on 13 records. (Some have other bands on the flip side.)

I'm up to twelve 78 sides by the California Ramblers, that hot band from the 1920's. (A couple of these records have other groups on the flip side.) Most of these have forgettable vocals, but most also have hot solos - from Red Nichols, the Dorsey Brothers, the underrated saxist Bobby Davis, the great Adrian Rollini, and others. I played them all today:

California/Frisco Syncopators - Pick Me Up and Lay Me Down in Dear Old Dixieland (Puritan, 1922)

Cover Me Up With the Sunshine of Virginia/California, Here I Come (Columbia, 1923)

No, No, Nora/That Old Gang of Mine (Columbia, 1923)

as Golden Gate Orchestra - Yes! We Have No Bananas/Original Memphis Five - Memphis Glide (Perfect, 1923)

as Golden Gate Orchestra - Tell All the Folks in Kentucky/Sittin' in a Corner (Perfect, 1923)

as Southampton Society Orchestra - I Miss My Swiss/Oh, Say! Can I See You Tonight? (Hormograph, 1925)

as Golden Gate Orchestra - My Troubles Are Over/Glad Rag Doll (Diva, 1928)

The original owner of my copy of "California, Here I Come" was apparently a skating rink. There's a piece of tape on the label with "All Skate" written on it.

Here are the new ones since that last post:

The Sheik of Araby/Georgia Rose (Vocalion, 1921). Their first record.

Hot Lips/Nobody Lied (Vocalion, 1922)

as The California Wonderer's (sic) - Rememb'ring/Wood's "Bijou" Orch. - Sleep (Gennett, 1923)

Moonlight Kisses/What Do You Do Sunday, Mary? (Columbia, 1923)

as Golden Gate Orchestra - After You've Gone/Willard Robison and His Orchestra - Dew Dew Dewey Day (Perfect, 1927). I love this one. "After You've Gone is very hot, with good solos by trumpeter Chelsea Quealey, longtime Rambler Bobby Davis on alto, and Adrian Rollini.

as Ford Britten & His Blue Comets - All My Life I Have Dreamed/Hotel Pennsylvania Music (really Jack Albin's Orchestra - Little White Lies (Clarion, 1930). Not great, but more good Bobby Davis.

The Ramblers were a dance band, not a Jazz band with a capitol "J," but jazz was part of their bag of tricks. Even the sides with little overt jazz content are hipper than most dance bands of the time, and are fun to listen to.

[Clunky]

Sid Bright and Orchestra - Little Sunshine/ Tomorrow is another day ( Decca) F1975.

Bought on the strength of being a relatively early UK Decca (circa 1930) and being mint . Two modest dance band numbers but with a jazzy feel. Nice for 99 pence

[jeffcrom]

Today I picked up three 78 albums which I had been looking for. Tonight I'm spinning the RCA Victor New 52nd Street Jazz album, which alternates records by Dizzy Gillespie and Coleman Hawkins.

I've been spinning 78s almost daily, but not posting everything. But this one again today - I love the Hawkins records, and wow - Don Byas is mighty mighty on the Gillespie sides.

And yesterday:

The Stuff Smith Trio on Asch, with Jimmy Jones on piano and John Levy on bass. A real pleasure from beginning to end.

[jeffcrom]

Four new aquisitions:

Edna Hicks - I'm Goin' Away (Just to Wear You Off My Mind)/Lizzie Miles - You're Always Messin' Round With My Man (Victor, 1923). Lizzie is the winner here, not surprisingly.

Maggie Jones - Undertaker's Blues/North Bound Blues (Columbia, 1925). I had only heard Maggie's sides with Louis Armstrong, but I like them a lot. This record is excellent, with Charlie Green and Fletcher Henderson. It looks to be in terrible condition, but it plays pretty well.

Rev. J. M. Gates - Baptize Me/Dying Gambler (Regal, 1926). Wonderful; recorded for Paramount.

And the winner:

Rev. J.M. Gates - I'm Going If It Takes My Life/I've Left This World Behind (Paramount, 1926). I don't have that many Paramounts; this is a nice one.

[Clunky]

Been spinning quite a lot of 78s recently. Some nice recent acquisitions have been London sessions from 1930/1 by Spike Hughes prior to his American adventure in 1933.

I've been lucky enough to find quite a number of these Decca sides in really excellent condition. Mostly by Spike Hughes and his Orchestra , others with his Three Blind Mice. Some excellent solo work by Norman Payne (trumpet) , Phil Buchel (as) and Buddy Featherstonehaugh (ts). Some hot jazz on the earlier sides but later sides show a clearer Ellington influence.

All good stuff and I'm enjoying reading his second autobiography "Second Movement" too.