One of the bands from Kansas City that many remember with fondness with Andy Kirk and the Clouds of Joy. A popular swing band of the thirties into the forties the bands' sound was attributable to the piano and arranging skills of Mary Lou Williams as well as the marvelous tenor sax of Dick Wilson. Balladeer Pha Terrell was also popular with the sides with his vocals selling many copies. This week we sample five choice recordings by this fabled band.
We start with the band's theme, Mary Lou Williams' "Walkin' and Swingin'."
Next up is Williams' arrangement of "Moten Swing," which arguably is the finest version of this song other than the Benny Moten Band's original.
Arguably their biggest hot was "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" with Pha Terrell's memorable crooning.
The band celebrated Williams with "The Lady Who Swings The Band."
We close this Take 5 with a feature for guitarist Floyd Smith, "Floyd's Guitar Blues."
A video of Cab Calloway and His Big Band featuring the Nicholas Brothers from the legendary movie Stormy Weather recently was the subject of several posts on Facebook. While a good portion of the reaction focused on the incredible dance routine of the two brothers, one which Fred Astaire is reported to have called the greatest dance sequence on film. The Nicholas Brothers are astonishing, but also one might overlook the terrific playing of Cab Calloway's big band along with some of the greatest scat singing on film. We kick off this salute to Cab Calloway with Jumpin' Jive.
He also recorded one of the most famous renditions of St. James Infirmary.
His band had some incredible musicians including tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, trumpeters Doc Cheatham and Dizzy Gillespie, bassist Milt Hinton, drummer Cozy Cole, and guitarist Danny Barker. Chu Berry and Dizzy Gillespie are featured on Boo-Wah Boo-Wah.
With the success of Minnie the Moocher, Cab became known as the Hi De Ho Man. Here is a 1934 film with some of his hits from that time.
Finally, herehe is heard on the song he is most identified with, Minnie the Moocher. This is not his original recording but a classic one.
This is a trailer for a film I recently purchased as a download. For those not familiar with Vince Giordano, he has led a small big band, The Nighthawks for about 4 decades that focuses on the hot and sweet music of the 1920s and 1930s, often playing arrangements dating from those years and trying to replicate the sound of the bands as heard on recordings from that era. This band has been employed on a number of films including those by Woody Allen, The Aviator, as well as on the HBO TV series Broadway Empire, in which the band actually was scene performing in some episodes. This documentary examines what is entailed for him to actually engage in such activities, how he became interested in this music and his ongoing obsessiveness, his collecting of original stock arrangements (he has tens of thousands of such arrangements), the musicians who are in his band and what is entailed in keeping the band afloat and regularly performing. He is scene performing at (among other locations) Sofia's where he had a regular gig for several years, The Iguana where they currently perform two nights a week, the Newport Jazz Festival (with George Wein off to the side enjoying their set) at a Lincoln Center summer performance, and Wolf Trap as part of a Prairie Home Companion broadcast from that venue. There is scenes of a recording session for Broadway Empire and him on radio promoting a Town Hall concert that celebrated the 90th Anniversary of Paul Whiteman's Aeolian Hall Concert which included the premiere of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Towards the documentary's end we are taken to a NYC Hot Jazz Festival where a number of younger performers discuss Vince's influence and the Nighthawks are joined by vocalist Catherine Russell for a number. It is a fascinating look at a gentleman who triples on bass saxophone, tuba and a steel bass, in addition to leading the band, singing and so much more in filling a certain, and important musical niche. This should be available as a download or a rental as well as hard DVD.
Delmark recently acquired the Jump Records label and the first result of this acquisition is a Jump CD release under the name of Zoot Sims, Compatability. This is a reissue of what was a four-song, 10 inch LP from 1955 that was originally issued under the name of trumpeter Hall Daniels who composed two of the songs and arranged two standards. In 1977, Zim Records issued a ten track LP that added six alternate takes under the rubric of the Zoot Sims/ Dick Nash Octet. The present Jump Records reissue adds an additional two alternate takes and a brief bit of studio chatter.
In addition to leader Daniels, he participants on these recordings included tenor saxophonist Sims, trombonist Dick Nash, baritone saxophonist Bob Gordon (who died in an automobile crash shortly after the 1955 recording sessions), guitarist Tony Rizzo, pianist Paul Atkerson, bassist Rolly Bundock and drummer Jack Sperling. The liner booklet reproduces producer Clive Acker’s 1977 liner notes with brief biographical information.
Daniels certainly provided attractive, clean arrangements for these swinging, ‘cool’ sounding octet recordings. At the time of the 1977 reissue, Sims had become a fairly prominent tenor saxophonist so its not surprising he shared billing with Nash then. His opening solo on the “The Way You Look Tonight displays the fluidity of his own distillation of Lester Young’s sound. Daniels' arrangements provides nice setting for Sims lead work. Trombonist Nash is well featured on Nash-Ville, which also has notable solos by Rizzo and Gordon. The ballad, You Don’t Know What Love Is features some exquisite playing from Nash along with Sims, while Gordon’s baritone plays a prominent backing role. The title track is a lively bop-flavored number with pianist Atkerson taking a nice solo before Daniels employs a mute and then Gordon digs in with authority.
There is certainly much to enjoy of these performances and the alternate takes provide interesting contrasts to the originally issued tracks. Gordon, for example, is more prominent on the first alternate of The Way You Look Tonight. Compatability is an engaging recording whose the performances hold up over fifty years after being waxed. A final note – the album title Compatability may seem to be incorrectly spelled, but that is how it is spelled on the CD cover.
Lisa Biales has a new recording out on Big Song Music, Singing My Soul. The Ohio based singer, songwriter and guitarist is backed Cincinnati-based pianist Ricky Nye (who also produced the album) and the Paris Blues Band who includes Thibaut Chopin on upright bass, Anthony Stelmaszack on guitar and Simon “Shuffle” Boyer on drums.
This is a change in pace for her as nine of the ten songs on this are interpretations of vintage material in contrast to her originals. Biales interprets songs associated with Blu Lu Barker, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sippie Wallace and others. Opening is her straight cover of Barker’s peppy A Little Bird Told Me, followed by her rendition of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s Strange Things Happening Every Day, likely the most familiar song here.
Biales roots includes country as well as blues as indicated by the lovely bluegrass-infused rendition of Mississippi John Hurt’s Let the Mermaid’s Flirt With Me, with fiddle and mandolin in the backing. Hey country-based singing also lends a nice flavor to Sippie Wallace’s bawdy You Got To Know How.Magic Garden is the only original here and her honey-sounding performance benefits from Doug Hamilton’s violin and Bill Littleford’s guitar. A lovely reading of Careless Love is followed by an evocative I Only Have Eyes For You (modeled on The Flamingo’s hit) with Nye and Stelmaszack playing tastefully behind her. Biales has played Patsy Cline onstage and Write Me In Care of the Blues, was a song she uncovered researching the part, and she certainly does wonderfully on this traditional country gem. The recording closes with the title track, another Sister Rosetta Tharpe composition, that Lisa and the band provide a crisp reading.
Lisa Biales is an appealing singer who brings a mix of roots influences to Singing My Soul, a delightful, if not earthshaking recording of old school country, swing and blues.
I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a video of Lisa performing Magic Garden.
Stony Plain recently issued “Shivers,” the second collaboration of New Guitar Summit, comprised of guitarists Jay Geils, Duke Robillard and Gerry Beaudoin, Guitarist-vocalist Randy Bachman (of Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Guess Who fame) guests on two Mose Allison
songs included among the eleven selections.
While I have not heard the prior recording, my familiarity with Robillard led me to expect a swing-based session and obviously the earlier collaboration was successful enough to justify this sequel. And one can understand,
as all three obviously love the easy swinging groove
throughout this collection of jazzy blues, swing classics
(the title track is from Charlie Christian and Lionel Hampton), and the pair of Mose Allison numbers.
One hears echoes of Christian and Grant Green (listen to the opening of Beaudoin’s original Blue Sunset).
They take the old Thurston Harris R&B hit Little Bitty
Pretty One and turn it into a swing romp, followed by a
spiffy jam on Flying Home. They really rip into the
old swing romp, Broadway. Bachman’s low-key vocal
delivery really contributes to the mood of the two Mose
Allison numbers, Your Mind Is On Vacation, and
Everybody’s Crying Mercy and adds his distinctive guitar style on these selections. Honeysuckle Rose may be taken a bit too slow, but that is more a matter of
preference and the playing here is very lovely, as it is on the closing Mediterranean Nights. This album just brings some friends together for a
blues-tinged, swinging disc that will deservedly have wide
appeal. This review originally appeared in the October 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 309), although I have made a few minor edits. I likely received a review copy from a publicist. Here is a performance clip of the New Guitar Summit.
Sunny Crownover is a Boston based vocalist that grew up[ as a military daughter, although spending much of her life from high school in Austin, Texas, honing her chops in various blues groups, and since moving to Boston sang with the 2120 South Michigan Avenue, a blues band led by Harvard professor Charles Sawyer. She becomes the axis around which guitarist Duke Robillard gets to put together a project to salute some of the women song stylists of the 30s to 50s. Duke added saxophonist and clarinetist Billy Novick, bassist Jesse Williams and rhythm guitarist Paul Kolesnikow to form Sunny and Her Joy Boys, with an album Introducing Sunny and Her Joy Boys on Stony Plain Records. With the exception of one track on which Duke plays conga drums, it is interesting that this swing-oriented album was made with a drummer, although the bass and rhythm guitar do provide a foundation for the engaging swinging performances. Sunny possesses an attractive voice with nice diction and phrasing. Although some of the material is more novel like the opening Strictly From Dixie, there are a number of well known standards of the era such as You’re Driving Me Crazy, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sing, Today I Sing the Blues, and Duke Ellington’s I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good).” The performances are enhanced by the swinging accompaniment and Novick’s traditionally oriented reed work is exemplary as are Robillard’s fills and solos. While having a very attractive voice, Sunny is not convincing as a bluesy ballad singer on Today I Sing the Blues, or I’ve Got It Bad, but her voice and delivery suits upbeat lyrics like Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams. For those looking for an engaging pop-jazz revival album of swing tunes from the classic era of American songs, this should fill the bill. This review originally appeared in the April 2009 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 325). I have made some minor edits to the review. Duke has produced a new album by Sunny Right Here, Right Now, on Shining Stone Records that I will be posting a review of in a day or two. This new album is in a straight blues vein. Here is a video that was made to promote Sunny and Her Joy Boys.
Claude Williams' Swinging the Blues on Bullseye Blues & Jazz, is certainly a release for loves of blues-laced, swinging jazz. Williams' recording career goes back to the twenties when he was with Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joys. A member of Count Basie's Band when Basie left Kansas City, he was replaced as guitarist by Freddie Greene. He can be heard on some radio airchecks of the Basie Band.
In more recent years, his recordings with Jay MacShann on a Canadian album, The Man From Muskogee, helped lead to a revival in his career. Today he no longer doubles on guitar and fiddle, sticking to the latter, and in recent years he has produced a number of highly regarded albums for Progressive and Arhoolie, among other labels. He also was a recipient of a Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Swinging the Blues finds him backed by a terrific band that includes pianist Henry Butler and the great bassist Keter Betts. They play a wonderful collection of ballads and blues including Duke Ellington's blues Things Ain't What They Used to Be, the classic Kansas City rearranging of You're Driving Me Crazy - Moten Swing, the classic blues ballad, Gee Baby Ain't I Good to you along with a wonderful rendition of These Foolish Things.
Over 90, Claude Williams shows no signs of slowing down, and with the terrific combo here, has produced a delightful recording.
I likely received a review copy from Rounder Records and the review likely appeared in the DC Blues Calendar back in 2000. Here he is in performance.
COUNT BASIE
Swingin the Blues Masters of American Music EUROARTS DVD Among the recent reissues from the Masters of American Music video series is one Swingin’ the Blues, devoted
to Count Basie, the great big band leader and pianist. Issued
by EuroArts on the Lower 5th imprint, it presents the near
hour appreciation of Count Basie with some choice video
clips and interview recollections by Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison,
Al Grey, Illinois Jacquet, Jay McShann, Buddy Tate, Earle
Warren, Claude Williams, Joe Williams and Albert Murray
(who co-authored Basie’s autobiography), along with a number of interview clips of the Count himself.
Additionally, there are a number of performance clips
from Basie himself from several periods of his career which
feature Joe Williams, Jimmy Rushing, Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis,
and Lester Young. The sources range from the soundies (an
amusing Rushing performance of Take Me Bake Baby, a
film short (the clip of Young is from the classic film The
Blues), and television (Basie with Judy Garland).
The mix of recollections and oral history with the clips
helps us understand the development of the Basie sound as
Basie remembers how he came to Kansas City and gradually put together his own band and Jay McShann remembers Basie and his band and the impact they had. Earle Warren, Edison, Williams and Tate recall there time with the band
(Williams ironically recalling that John Hammond had him
let go from Basie at a time when Claude was highly regarded
as a guitarist) and the personalities including Lester Young,
and Buck Clayton as well as how Basie could set the tenor of
a number with just one note, the use of the two tenors, and
the All American rhythm section. Murray adds his own perspective on Basie’s place in the music.
This documentary then traces how Basie had to disband
the big band for a sextet before gradually bringing back the
big band and the new personnel and sounds with arrange-
ments from the likes of Neal Hefti, Frank Wess and Frank
Foster and numerous new legendary soloists like Lockjaw
Davis and Al Grey.
Joe Williams recalls how Basie asked him to join the
band, which he agreed to so long as he did not to do any of
Jimmy Rushing’s material. And he brought Basie an old
Memphis Slim tune, Everyday I Have the Blues, that helped
reignite Basie’s profile. And that led to more commercial
successes as well as partnerships with Frank Sinatra, Sammy
Davis, Jr., and others.
Like others in the Masters of Modern American Music
series, the program on Count Basie; Swingin’ the Blues, fleshes out a musical icon in a most entertaining and informative manner. This review originally appeared in the June 2010 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 326). I received my review copy from the publication. Here is a classic video of Basie with Buck Clayton on trumpet.
I had heard strong things about Dave Gross, a young guitarist-singer who is only in his twenties. Duke Robillard has taken him under his wing and produced Gross’ CD Take the Gamble, (SwingNation Records), and even plays on three tracks. Listening to this one can understand why as Gross is enamored in the swing and jump blues that Robillard has mined so well.
Opening with a nice take of Gatemouth Brown’s She Walks Right In, he also covers Hot Lips Page, T-Bone Walker and the old standard After You’ve Gone, as well writes songs that reflect his inspirations. I’m So Hungry Blues, is a tribute to T-Bone Walker with some fine playing and the instrumental Swingin’ on All Six with some strong harp from Dennis Gruenling is really nicely delivered.
Doug James adds some sax on a number of selections including Hot Lips Page’s Walkin’ in a Daze, which also sports a nice cornet solo by Al Basile. Gross is a very accomplished player and eschews the hard rock approach of many ‘contemporary’ blues artists. He also varies things with the rockabilly romp, Once Had a Girl. Unfortunately his vocals do not come across as well. His phrasing sounds awkward and forced at times (like on the T-Bone styled I’m So Hungry Blues as well as his Moving On Down the Line).
Hopefully he will become a more natural and convincing singer as he continues to perform. He writes interesting songs and is a wonderful player with this disc showing more than simply potential, but his vocals prevent this from receiving a high recommendation.
This review appeared originally in the March 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 302), although I have made minor edits. I likely received a review copy from the label or a publicist. I posted a review of Gross’ Crawlin The Wallson January 11 2012. Here is a video of Dave doing "She Walks Right In."
The Washington DC area has long been a hotbed for jump blues and swing dancing. One of the popular bands in the area was The Uptown Rhythm Kings fronted by Eric “Shoutin’” Sheridan, a singer with considerable personality. After Sheridan left the Washington area, the band morphed into the J Street Jumpers with guitarist Rusty Bogart and pianist Artie Gerstein anchoring the group. Bogart subsequently left the Washington area making us poorer for his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz and blues guitar styles, his driving playing, his constant swing and good taste and the Jumpers themselves are now history although others still keep the local jump blues-swing dance grooves alive. This review of their Severn release, Good For Stompin’, appeared originally in the December 2003-January 2004 DC Blues Calendar although I have made a few minor stylistic edits.
The brief swing revival has seemed to die down as a national craze, but its clear that nothing made Brian Seltzer’s Orchestra or groups like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy any better than countless bands that had been playing such music back at least three decades when Roomful of Blues and Powerhouse were making noise. Proof of this is evident from Good For Stompin’, the new Severn Records release by The J Street Jumpers. It is a handsomely sounding and swinging big little band disc with some fine playing by the entire band and some lovely vocals from the
featured singer Carmen Velarde, who sings wonderfully in a blues-ballad vein including lovely renditions of several songs from Count Basie’s songbook, including Blue and Sentimental. She does not come across quite as convincing on the hot-tempoed rendition of Louis Jordan’s Fire, although the band rocks very hard here, but on the slow ballads and pop tunes she is wonderful with her rendition of the Buddy Johnson hit, Til My Baby Comes Back to Me. She also capably delivers, I Don’t Hurt Anymore, from the Dinah Washington repertoire.
Pianist Artie Gerstein sings enthusiastically if not quite as distinctively as Ms. Verlande, with his rocking I Want You I Need You featuring a booting tenor sax solo and slashing guitar from Rusty Bogart, that displays Bogart’s synthesis of such masters as T-Bone Walker and Gatemouth Brown. I don’t want to sound overly critical about this as it is a wonderful disc, and the Jumpers play splendidly, have wonderful tight arrangements and are a first rate band. Furthermore, this disc will certainly make for very happy dancing feet.
Companion to the DVD of Zoot Sims "In a Sentimental Mood," MVD Visual has released in the US the Gazell Records DVD of Chet Baker, "Candy." Like the Sims video it is an intimate trio recording that finds the trumpeter in the library of Sonet Records in Lidingo, Sweden. Sims is backed ,by pianist Michel Graillier and bassist Jean Louis Raissinfosse with one duet with bassist Red Mitchell. Mitchell, was resident in Stockholm at the time, also conducts a brief interview with him.
Performances are introduced by the song-titles and the CD opens with Baker taking the vocal on Candy, before his trumpet solo. While by the time this was recorded, Baker's James Dean-like looks had a weathered look, certainly the visual appeal of him is still apparent as is the genial melodicism of his approach. Bassist Raissenfosse sets the tone on his 5-string electric upright bass providing a bass line to anchor the performance of Love For Sale, with more lyrical playing from Baker and some nice piano by Graillier. It's followed by a lively version of Bud Powell's Tempus Fugue-It, and the bluesy late-night feel of Sad Walk.
The trio portion concludes with a nice Red's Blues with some nice playing by all, Miles Davis's Nardis, with a slight exotic flavor and the standard Bye Bye Blackbird, which of course many know from Miles' classic recording. Baker's playing is suggestive of Miles and like Miles he focused on painting a mood rather than exhibit fleet technical facility, and his vocals similarly inhabited a narrow range but had such an expressive quality to them. One can't overlook pianist Graillier who turns in a nice blues solo on Red's Blues, or Raissinfosse's firm playing throughout.
Mitchell and Baker are seen at a piano when Mitchell mentions that he was able to work out on piano some chords in playing My Romance, and Baker stating it was among the first songs he recorded before the two of them play a duet of it with Mitchell playing piano. It is a fine way to end this engaging DVD.
MVD Visual has released in the US the Gazell Records video of Zoot Sims, In a Sentimental Mood. This video was filmed in November, 1984, just months before the tenor saxophonist passed away. It was filmed at the library of Sonet Records in Lidingo, Sweden with Sims backed by Bassist Red Mitchell and guitarist Rune Gustafsson. The library setting and the drummer-less trio makes for an intimate performance. An interview by Mitchell of Sims (actually more of a conversation) is interspersed between the performances.
The performances focus on ballads starting with the Ellington classic that gives this DVD its title and ending with Autumn Leaves. The swinging Sims was a masterful ballad playing which, like his basic approach to the saxophone, reflected the influence of Lester young perhaps with a slightly vibrato that might have been picked up from Ben Webster. Mitchell provides a foundation as Gustafsson lends some chords with each taking solo breaks. Gone With the Wind opens with somewhat more of a breathier sound, perhaps reflecting more Webster here (and Webster did record this on a session with Art Tatum.
The interview portions includes recollections of his early days including a story of his time with Benny Goodman when he had a big apple on the stand and Benny had him solo and took the apple and kept gesturing for Sims to keep soloing as Goodman ate the apple and recalls it was the longest solo he ever had with Benny. After Sims had talked about his early days on 42nd Street, Mitchell himself recalls playing with a trio opening for Charlie Parker at the Onyx Club, and Bird after the set comes by and speaks in a very proper Wasp-ish accent and asks Mitchell to play the next set with him. Mitchell thinks this isn't serious until Bird announces it from the bandstand.
The light banter complements the performances with the filming centering mostly on the players faces and expressions, so we see Sims and his embouchure but little fingering, but their is plenty of character revealed in their faces as well as in the music. In a Sentimental Mood is a delightful video that fans of Sims' ballad mastery will certainly enjoy.
Ben Webster is generally recognized as one of the major pioneers and stylists of the tenor saxophone, whose beefy, brawny, yet sensuous tone and attack gave him a signature, recognizable sound which influenced other tenor players such as Dexter Gordon (who named a son after Webster), Paul Gonsalves, and Harold Ashby. His breathy vibrato was adapted by Albert Ayler and, later, David Murray. He was a player of driving swing as well as a tender balladeer.
A combination of lesser jobs being available to swing era stylists in the early sixties and his reputation for a volatile personality led to less work stateside, and at the urging of friends like Milt Hinton, he took a boat and sailed to England where he was booked by Ronnie Scott at Scott's legendary club. No one knew at the time that Webster would never return to the United States. But in December, 1964, Webster began an engagement backed by a trio with the superb pianist Stan Tracey. The performances, his first in Europe, were recorded and have been issued by the European Storyville label, At Ronnie Scott 1964: The Punch.
Its a wonderful collection of performances as Tracey helps spur on Webster, who Scott introduces as one of the kings of the tenor sax. Opening is Blues in B Flat, a brisk, swinging rendition of a blues Webster first recorded for Emarcy as Randle's Island, displaying his strength as a blues player (not unexpected given his Kansas City background and his work with Jimmy Witherspoon amongst others). It is followed by two superb ballad performances. Stardust, which was a feature for Webster in the Ellington band and remained a central part of his repertoire (and the rendition here is typical for him) and is followed by Gone With the Wind, which he had recorded with Art Tatum, and here he displays the velvety tone he often brought to a ballad.
The liner notes make a deal out of his renditions of Charlie Parker's Confirmation (inexplicably credited to Dizzy Gillespie) and Gillespie's Night in Tunisia, two bebop classics. One shouldn't be surprised at how Webster strong Webster sounds here. Confirmation after all is one of Parker's original blues, and Webster was quite at home with the blues. Also heard is a spirited How High the Moon, which after all was the source of another Parker classic bebop number, Ornithology. There is a tendency to perhaps make the gulf between swing and bebop broader than it was, and the better swing musicians might not play in the bebop style, but they could certainly play convincingly in the style.
There are also other strong ballad performances on this including My Romance and a especially lovely Over the Rainbow. The album closes with a spirited Cottontail, with Tracey's spare accompaniment helping propel Webster, before taking his own thoughtful solo. This engagement at Ronnie Scott’s was the beginning of a fruitful time for Webster. 47 years later Webster's music from then still strongly resonates.
Born in Norman, Oklahoma in 1985, Champian Fulton was influenced by her father, a renown jazz trumpeter. Learning piano as a youth, she has playing and singing jazz since she was little and has been devoted to jazz piano and vocals since 1998. In 2006 she met David Berger, leader of the Sultans of Swing at the New York club, Birdland, where she had a regular gig and after each heard the other, and she eventually joined Berger’s band. Berger, a conductor and arranger for Jazz at Lincoln Center, is well-respected authority on the music of Duke Ellington and the swing era (having transcribed 700 or so classic works including 500 from Ellington and Strayhorn) and the Sultans of Swing is a marvelous big band that lives up to its name.
Such Sweet Thunder has just issued their collaboration, Champian, a marvelous journey through the American Songbook, on some classic standards such as I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Get Out of Town, He Ain’t Got Rhythm, Too Close For Comfort, and Just One of Those Things, along with such intriguing choices as The Gypsy (a number Dinah Washington recorded) Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens (a classic associated with Louis Jordan), and Lil Green’s Romance in the Dark. She projects the lyrics in a lively, natural fashion perhaps suggesting the late Etta Jones with a touch of Ella thrown in. Her performances benefit from the superb Sultans of Swing, and Berger’s arrangements, with their Ellingtonian accents (particularly evident on the performances of The Gypsy and Romance In the Dark). Two of the performances feature her own piano, including You Turned the Tables on Me, with trio backing, and the solo, Never-The-Less.
In summary, this is a marvelous debut by Champian Fulton with David Berger & the Sultans of Swing. Champian is a singer from whom we undoubtedly shall hear more from in the future. This is available from cdbaby.com as well as from the Sultans of Swing website, www.sultansofswing.com.
This review originally appeared in the January 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 300) and my review copy was provided by the publication. Champian's present website is www.champian.net from which this and her more recent recordings are available.
The late Joe Williams was one of the great male big band singers from his association with Count Basie, and later remained an extraordinary vocalist of blues, ballads and standards. The following review appeared in the January-February 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 279). I likely received my review copy from that publication
Hyena has just issued a posthumorous release by the great Joe Williams, Havin’ a Good Time! Recorded at Pio’s in Providence, Rhode Island in the snowy winter of 1964, this tape was among the items that the Estate of Joe Williams gave the Hamilton (NY) College jazz Archive.
This is a club recording the great blues and ballad singer backed by the Junior Mance Trio (Bob Cranshaw on bass and MIckey Roker on drums) with Ben Webster joining the proceedings. Sound is generally good with Williams’ voice and Webster’s sax having a definite presence in the mix. The backing trio can be felt if not as prominent listening to this, although Mance has plenty of space for his strong, bluesy piano playing.
There is a real nice mix of material opening with Duke Ellington number Just a Sittin’ and A Rockin’ , using the lyrics of the Delta Rhythm Boys 1946 rendering of this number and a nice song for Webster who took the solo on Ellington’s original. Its followed by Kansas City Blues, Williams’ rendition of the Pete Johnson-Big Joe Turner blues classic, Piney Brown Blues, with Williams pointedly saluting the Boss of the Blues in his intro. While not sure he knew all the words of the standard That’s All, Williams more than gamely handles it for the request of the audience member who braved the blizzard conditions for the show. Also on the program are a couple of Fats Waller classics, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Honeysuckle Rose, some other standards and Williams’ hit Alright, Ok, You Win.
I suspect the presence of Webster is a factor in the release of this material which is a welcome addition to Williams discography. This is a release that is consistently enjoyable, if perhaps not an essential release. It does lead to anticipation of further releases of Williams recordings from the Hamilton College Jazz Archives.
One of the albums that gives this writer much pleasure is Zoot Sims’ Pablo release, If I’m Lucky, which had a terrific band of Jimmy Rowles on piano, George Mraz on bass and Mousey Alexander on drums. A wonderful, swinging album, Sims sounds so warm on his tenor and the band complements him like the band has been together all of their lives.
The same band is heard on what is believed to be a 1973 Caribbean recording that HighNote has just released, Zoot Suite. Its not a high fidelity recording and Rowles piano and the rhythm section especially comes off a bit tinny at times. Despite any audio limitations, Sims plays energetically on the opening Jitterbug Waltz with echoes of Lester Young in his playing before Rowles handles a solo with repeated ascending lines. The sound quality perhaps lends a somewhat harsh tone to Sims’ reading of Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, while Lester Young’s influence is again evident on Young’s Tickle Toe, with a rollicking solo from Rowles before Sims trades fours with Alexander. Other ballads like I Want It Bad and That Ain’t Good and My Old Flame are wonderfully handled, while the band gets rocking on Honeysuckle Rose and Rockin’ in Rhythm (with Sims playing soprano on the latter number).
Plenty of fervor in these performances even if this recording lacks some of the wistful romanticism that made If I’m Lucky so special. If one can get past the tinny recoding, there is some fine music here.
This review originally appeared in the October 2007 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 298), from whom I received my review copy.
Arhoolie Records and Alligator Records are not the only important independent labels that are celebrating an important milestone this year. Canadian Stony Plain Records is 35 years young and the label has a double CD celebration 35 Years of Stony Plain to celebrate that fact. In addition to the 41 varied performances, there is also a bonus DVD with some performances, such as Jay McShann and Johnnie Johnson together and special material such as a tour of Stony Plain’s headquarters. The booklet that comes with this release contains an essay from Richard Flohil that provides a concise overview of Stony Plain and the remarkable Holger Petersen who has been the force behind this remarkable label. The booklet also provides a concise overview of the marvelous contexts of the two CDs and the DVD.
I am not as familiar with the Stony Plain catalog, particularly since it’s catalog is not devoted to simply blues. Calling it a roots label is accurate and the first of the two CDs is subtitled “Singers, songwriters and much, much more …” The contents include folk, country and some swing jazz. Maria Muldaur is heard on a Dan Hicks song with backing that includes David Grisman and John Sebastian. Other highlights is the one of the explorations by the late Jeff Healy into early jazz with a wonderful revival of The Wildcat by Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti; country-folk troubadour Steve Earl; Canadian legend Ian Tyson; Tim Hus’ Country Music Lament on the sad state of today’s country music; Asleep at the Wheel’s Western Swing version of a Count Basie hit, That’s Your Red Wagon; the New Guitar Summit of Duke Robilliard, Jay Geils and Garry Beaudoin; Emmylou Harris singing Gram Parsons’ Wheels; Rodney Crowell; and three previously unissued Bob Carpenter demos. Most of this disc was totally new to me and delightful.
The second disc is subtitled “Blues, R&B, swing, jazz, and even more …” and contains more familiar material with some nice highlights from Joe Louis Walker, Jay McShann, Kenny ‘Blues Boy’ Wayne (this is a preview of his upcoming album) and Rosco Gordon from various recordings Duke Robillard has produced for the label. There is a terrific instrumental by Ronnie Earl from his most recent CD, Spread the Word, as well as a Rory Block song from her marvelous Mississippi Fred McDowell album. Its nice to hear selections from Sonny Rhodes and Billy Boy Arnold. This disc closes with a strong, unissued recording by the late Richard ‘King Biscuit Boy’ Newell, a fine harp player and singer; and four unissued sides from 1965 by Robert Nighthawk that likely were his last recordings. Nighthawk’s performance of Tampa Red’s You Missed a Good Man features particularly superb slide guitar.
This is a fine celebration of an important label that I will be returning to listen to. Stony Plain may be slightly cutting back on its release schedule compared to past years because of the changing nature of music and recording distribution. This reflects the hard reality of the fact few mortar and brick record stores still exist and digital downloads are increasingly important. Fans of blues, folk, country and other similar music need to support labels like Stony Plain that produce much terrific music that otherwise would not be so readily available. 35 Years of Stony Plain is well worth obtaining to savor the music, videos and the booklet. Here is to Stony Plain having another 35 years.
My copy was provided by the record company or a publicist for the label.
The quintet, Shout Sister Shout, took its name from a Sister Rosetta Tharpe song and brings together an enthusiasm for the music of the thirties and forties. MC Records has issued Hit That Jive which is a slightly enlarged version of a self-produced CD that has been available on cdbaby.
The Michigan based quintet is comprised of Rachel Davis on vocals; Joe Wilson on trombone, steel guitar and vocals; Andy Wilson on Harmonicas, trumpet and flugelhorn; Dominic John Suchyta on upright bass and vocals; and Joshua Davis on guitar and vocals. While its obvious when Ms. Davis sings, the male vocal on Louis Jordan’s No Sale, is not identified, but that track does feature some nice steel guitar. There is a bit of retro flavor to some of the performances which goes with the repertoire. This is not to say they get overly campy and don’t show respect to the music.
Ms. Davis is certainly easy to listen to and does a marvelous job on the Louis Jordan evergreen, Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying, as well as the standard Moonlight in Vermont, with nice steel guitar and harmonica in the accompaniment. It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie, has a bit of campy feel in the backing although their is some nice trumpet and steel guitar again before Davis’ straight-forward vocal. “Carolina Moon,” has a bit of campfire country flavor with steel guitar in the backing and country flavored harmonica.
Other selections come from the discography of Billy Holiday Ms. Otis Regrets, and God Bless the Child, the latter having more trumpet. She accounts for herself well although she not in Lady Day’s league as a singer (few are). Andy Wilson’s harmonica leads off “It’s a Paper Moon,” where one the men (Joshua Davis?) shares the vocal with the rhythm strutting behind the singers. On Don’t Let Your Eyes Go Shopping For Your Heart, Ms. Davis’ lovely vocal is backed marvelously by Joshua Davis’ restrained guitar. You Rascal You, one of the two tunes added to this edition of the recording, has some nice tailbone trombone and the closing Hit That Jive Jack, features an ensemble vocal.
Also included is a short behind the scenes video of clips of them recording and talking about themselves. Hit That Jive, may not be profound, but it certainly is a delightful recording that provides a refreshing change of pace for listeners.
This review originally appeared in the July 2009 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 318) and my review copy was provided by M.C. Records.
In the liner notes of “After Hours in Harlem” (High Note), a compilation of Hot Lips Page recordings culled from recordings made on a wire recorder in the 1940s by Jerry Newman, Dan Morgenstern declares, “If ever there was a musician who represented the spirit of the jam session, it was Oran Hot Lips Page. It can only be said that Lips was the spirit of the jam session incarnate … .”
Page was from Dallas, Texas and raised on T.O.B.A. theater tours with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. He later joined the band of his half-brother Walter Page, the legendary Blue Devils which also included the legendary alto saxophonist and arranger, Buster Smith and made a pair of legendary recordings of "Squabblin’” b/w “Blue Devil Blues” for Vocalion that also included vocalist Jimmy Rushing and Count Basie on piano. The Blue Devils however broke up and members of the band including Page, Rushing and Basie found themselves in Bennie Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra, and Lips page’s trumpet was an important part of the Moten Band’s celebrated recordings “Moten Swing,” “Lafayette,’ and “Blue Room.”
Page was with Count Basie’s Orchestra at the time when the Band was about to go national, but Joe Glaser, Louis Armstrong’s manager signed him to a solo management contract which turned out to be a commercial mistake. Instead of having the limelight as such legends in the Basie Orchestra as Lester Young, Sweets Edison and Buck Clayton, Page's decision to go solo with Glaser as manager turned out as commercially disastrous for Page. He did make a number of fine recordings as a leader for RCA/Bluebird and later Columbia, before recording for a variety of labels including Commodore, Apollo, Continental, Savoy, Remington and others before passing in 1954 at the age of 46. Yet he never came close to the profile of Armstrong.
His recordings have been reissued on a number of releases, including several in the low out-of-print Classics label. There is also an excellent collection, “Shoutin’ the Blues” that compiles Page’s accompaniments to singers Mabel Smith (Big Maybelle), Wyonnie Harris (including Harris’ recording of “Good Rockin’ Tonight”) and Marion Abernathy. I do want to place the spotlight on an excellent new release, “Roll, Roll Roll: The R&B Years” but wish to point out one other release of merit.
The afore-mentioned “After Hours in Harlem” (HighNote) is a valuable document of the uptown music scene in 1940 and 1941. In includes four lengthy jams from a house party at Jerry Newman’s pad with Page, tenor saxophonist Herbie Fields and pianist Donald Lambert. Lambert was one of the unsung masters of stride piano who did not record that much so his presence on “I Got Rhythm,” “I’m in the Mood For Love,” “Dinah,” and “Tea For Two” is most welcome. Fields can get somewhat vulgar on tenor while LIps is a marvel is his mix of daring blasts mixed with and long swooping lines while Lambert’s piano provides the foundation as well as his rollicking stride as evident on “I Get Rhythm.”
The remainder of this disc was recorded at Minton’s and includes trumpet battles between Lips and Joy Guy. On “I Found a New Baby,” they are joined by guitarist Tiny Grimes,” whose single note lines are very horn like in construction. Page, playing with a mute, takes the solo after Grimes. The rendition of “Sweet Georgia Brown,” has Thelonious Monk on piano and his playing displays a strong two-handed style that as Morgenstern observes shows that Monk’s piano style developed by artistic choice, not lack of technique. Lips Page follows with choice hot open trumpet. Page scats a bit on “Old Yazoo,” a jive novelty lyric and Rudy Williams is the saxophonist, and this is a pretty strong vocal with Guy, according to Morgenstern, likely the trumpet player. This is followed by “Topsy” with Monk again on piano, and Lips standing out here with his rhythmic attack and interplay with the drummer. “Konk” is a fast Kansas City styled blues that gives Lips Page plenty of space to rip. It ends a recording of considerable importance and not simply because the two tracks with Monk are his earliest recordings. I had this on vinyl and purchased it again on CD and it should be readily available.
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