Reviews from April 1988

Notes Hot & Blue - This was a column of reviews I wrote for the DC Blues Society's original newsletter, the DC Blues Calendar. This is from April 1988 when it was a two-page flyer. The front-page noted the Blues Society was presenting a concert with Friz Hollway and John Dee Holeman. As noted from my review, Lonnie Brooks was appearing at the Bayou on April 4th.

Lonnie Brooks, in town at the Bayou on the 4th, has a new Alligator album, Live From Chicago- Bayou Lightning Strikes. Brooks has always had strong rock roots, first being part of the Louisiana swamp pop scene before moving to Chicago. This is a pretty tasty set of rocking blues and rhythm & blues which is sure to appeal to those who like blues laced with rock which strikes me as more bouncy than some other recent Alligator albums. As a label on the cover says, this is "Genuine Houserockin’ Music”.

The English Krazy Kat label has been issuing a variety of albums of blues, rhythm'n'blues, and gospel from the Gotham family of labels. A typical album is Big Band Blues (KK814) which includes several swinging selections by the great blues shouter Jimmy Rushing with a band including Bill Doggett and a variety of Basie alumni, a track by J.B. Sumners who sang with Tiny Grimes, three tracks by singer Tiny Tim (Timothy Flair, not the 60s" pop figure), and a jumping band led by trombonist Ernie Fields. Solid swinging and jazzy stuff.

A recent reissue, Alley Special (KK 820) represents  Sometime of a coup. This album includes Muddy Waters’ first commercially issued recording, "Mean Red Spider" from 1946 appeared on the 20th Century label as by James ‘Sweet Lucy" Carter. Muddy sings strongly and is backed by an urban blues band which includes strong piano and alto sax but some awful Soprano sax. Other recordings on this include the fine Detroit bluesman, Baby Boy Warren, a previously unissued Eddie Burns track, a track by harmonica player Sonny Boy Johnson (influenced by the 1st Sonny Boy Williamson) and several tracks by Texas bluesman Wright Holmes.

More unissued Eddie Burns along with some excellent John Lee Hooker can be heard on Detroit Blues 1950-1951 (KK 816). The Hooker sides are Strong solo recordings including an early version of “House Rent Boogie". The Burns selections feature some tough harp and a rough down home blues band with John Lee Hooker's quitar evident on a couple tracks. Great Downhome blues.

I likely received a review copy of the Lonnie Brooks from Alligator Records. I likely purchased the three Krazy Kat releases (which were English). The Krazy Kat label no longer operates and I believe its releases are out-of-print although maybe available as CDs from Collectables.

Take 5 with I Want a Little Girl

This edition of Take 5 is devoted to several versions of the song "I Want a Little Girl." This song is probably most familiar from the Count Basie recording with Jimmy Rushing handling the vocal. We start this playlist with this classic recording.

There have been so many versions over the years. Here is the great Ray Charles.

Then there is a memorable version by T-Bone Walker. As I write this, Hal 'Cornbread' Singer, who plays tenor sax on this track, is still alive.

I must confess a video of Doc Cheatham performing this inspired this blog post. He did record this for the French Black & Blue label.

Next up, and last, is an instrumental rendition by the Kansas City Six featuring Lester Young on clarinet and other Basie-ites without the Count. Eddie Durham is on trombone and electric guitar, Freddie Greene on guitar, Walter Page on bass, Jo Jones on drums, and Buck Clayton on trumpet.

There are versions by Lou Donaldson, Stanley Turrentine with the Three Sounds, Big Joe Turner and more that folks can explore.

Take 5 With Some Jazzy Holiday Music

Yesterday we had a brief playlist of Blues Holiday Music. Today with have a brief selection of Jazz Holiday Music. We open with a Christmas 1948 radio broadcast of Charlie Parker from the Royal Roost playing "White Christmas."

Next up is Louis Armstrong with 'Christmas in New Orleans."

I wonder if the same folks who claim "Die Hard" isn't a Christmas movie, would argue "Good Morning Blues" by Count Basie isn't a Christmas song, even though Jimmy Rushing wants to see Santa Claus.

Here is Duke Ellington with "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen."

  Finally, we have Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performing "Jingle Bells."

How Long How Long Blues

One of the most celebrated blues recording is " How Long How Long Blues," most famous from Leroy Carr's recording. It was so popular, Carr recorded a number of sequels. Today, we explore a variety of recordings and performances of this number starting with Carr's hit.

It derives somewhat from Ida Cox's "How Long Daddy" by the great Ida Cox with Papa Charlie Jackson on the accompaniment.

Here is T-Bone Walker doing this classic.

Jimmy Yancey may be my favorite blues and boogie-woogie pianist. Here is his poetical version.

Count Basie with Jimmy Rushing singing.

Here is one by Big Joe Turner, who recorded the song several times.

The great slide guitar master, Kokomo Arnold, an influence on Robert Johnson, recorded this.

The late Lou Rawls did a marvelous rendition.

Last up for this playlist is Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee and Leadbelly.

There are many I could have selected, but this gives an idea of the range of interpretations.

Jimmy Rushing's Classic Blues Shouting

Avid Jazz is one of several European Public Domain reissue labels that have compiled reissues of vintage jazz albums primarily from the 1950s and among recent reissues is Four Classic Albums Plus by Jimmy Rushing. Rushing is best known as a vocalist with the classic Count Basie Band of the swing era. His career of course started prior to that and his first recording was made with the legendary Blue Devils. Later he was associated with the Bennie Moten Orchestra which after the leader's death eventually morphed into The Count Basie Band. While more than simply a blues singer, his vocals on such songs as Boogie Woogie, Good Morning Blues, Goin' To Chicago, Sent For You Yesterday, and Don't You Miss Your Baby, led him to be cast as a blues singer. Of course he did sing more than just blues as exemplified by the Hoagie Carmichael classic New Orleans, with Moten as well as such pop tunes and novelties as as Exactly Like You, Boo Hoo, Georgiana, and Mama Don't Want No Peas 'N' Rice 'N' Coconut Oil. Like his blues vocals, he always swung hard with his phrasing and his full-throated and ebullient delivery.

By the 1950s he had established himself as a single artist. He had recorded for Vanguard Records under John Hammond's direction in the early 1950s with members of the Count Basie band and boogie woogie legends like Pete Johnson and Sammy Price. Subsequently he recorded a number of albums for Columbia of which four are featured on this Avid Jazz compilation: Jimmy Rushing and the Smith Gals, Little Jimmy and The Big Brass, Brubeck & Rushing and The Jazz Odyssey of James Rushing Esq. In addition to the music from those albums, these reissues also include a performance from the legendary TV show The Sound of Jazz and a rare British EP, The Way I Feel.

Altogether there are 49 songs over the two CDs included here so there is plenty of music. Some of the recordings are familiar to me from a Columbia vinyl reissue of the 1970s, but many of these specific recorded performances are fresh to the ears. On much of the recordings he is backed by some of the cream of the swing era musicians including Basie veterans like Walter Page, Buck Clayton, Dickey Wells, Sweet sEdison, Jo Jones, Vic Dickenson, and Buddy Tate, along with such other legends like Coleman Hawkins, Budd Johnson, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Hilton Jefferson, Doc Cheatham, Danny Barker and Zutty Singleton. And of course one of the albums included here had Rushing backed by Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright and Joe Morello.

From the opening moments of Arkansas Blues to the closing The Way I Feel, one is treated to some wonderful renditions of blues and classic pop songs that are sung with heart and humor. He can sound world weary on the blues like Down Hearted Blues, and Jimmy's Blues, yet wink about the fact Somebody Stole My Gal. He provides his own personal signature on classic blues like T'aint Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do, and I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts of Town as well as interpretations of Louis Jordan's hit, Knock Me a Kiss, and the classic Earl Hines tune Rosetta. And we should not neglect to mention the welcome reissue of the rare EP with the terrific blues Go Get Some More.

While most of the recording has him with big band (or little big band in some cases), the album with Brubeck has its own charm with a bit more intimacy in the setting and the somewhat lighter backing provided on a revival of Evenin', one of the songs he recorded with Basie, Fats Waller's Ain't Misbehavin', and the torch song Am I Blue. There is a definite appeal to Brubeck's understated piano and Desmond's dry martini alto sound and if Brubeck may have been skeptical when Rushing first suggested they collaborate, the result was another stellar showcase of a vocalist who touched many years ago and whose singing still sounds fresh today.

Like other similar reissues, the liner notes are reproduced in the accompanying booklet (although in some cases only portions are). The music also sounds good to these deafening ears. There is not a solid overview of Rushing's Columbia recordings available on CD. This makes this reissue even more valuable in addition to the wonderful music contained here.

This was a purchase. Here Jimmy sings I Left My Baby, from the legendary TV show, The Sound Of Jazz.

Jimmy Rushing & the Two Cool Tenors

I am a long time fan of Mr. 5 X 5 and the chance to review a recent previously unissued recording by the former Count Basie singer is something I could not resist. The review originally appeared in June 2009 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 317 and on page 15), which can be downloaded at www.jazz-blues.com.

Jimmy Rushing is best known for his association with the classic Count Basie Orchestra for whom he was the principal male vocalist for a period of over 15 years. His acquaintance with Basie began much earlier as he was a member of the legendary Blue Devils, and after that band disbanded, they both were part of Benny Moten’s well regarded band.

The blues shouter, known as Mr. 5 by 5 reflecting his stocky build, was an important part of the Basie band with his blues and ballad singing. After leaving Basie, he made a number of excellent albums for such labels as Vanguard and Columbia, but thanks to High Note, we can add to Rushing’s discography the marvelous, previously unissued 1965 performances with a small combo that included tenor saxophonists Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, “The Scene: Live in New York.”

Included on this are eight vocals by Rushing but such staples of his time with Basie as “Deed I Do,” “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You?,” “I Want a Little Girl,” “Goin’ to Chicago,” “I Cried For You,” and “Good Morning Blues,” with Cohn and Sims adding their voice with a rhythm section generally comprised of Dave Frishberg, either Major Holley or James Beal on bass and Mousey Alexander on drums. The remastering of the tapes by Jon Rosenberg is first-rate as Rushing’s voice has quite a presence here. The band really swings behind him and their are a number of excellent solos.

In fact it should not be surprising as both Cohn and Sims are among those indebted to Lester Young’s whose tenor enlivened so many of Rushing’s classic recordings with Basie. Sims’ solos on “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You?,” and “I Cried For You,” are especially marvelous with the almost feathery tone. Cohn is heard to best effect on “I Want a Little Girl,” with his somewhat harder tone, but no less swinging style.

Two hot instrumentals with unidentified rhythm sections provide Cohn and Sims with the spotlight and complement the superb Rushing vocals here, that make this such a pleasant surprise that fans of Jimmy Rushing and swinging jazz will want.

For purposes of FTC regulations, my review copy was provided to me by Jazz & Blues Report.