Take 5 With Tommy Ladnier

Tommy Ladnier is a forgotten early jazz trumpeter who participated in a number of notable recording sessions starting with a variety of sessions backing some of the early women blues singers like Ida Cox and Ma Rainey. These recordings were under the leadership of pianist Lovie Austin. Later he was among the Black Americans jazz artists to tour Europe during the 1920s with Sam Wooding among others. He also was a member of the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra for a few years. He also was with Nobel Sissle and later led a group with Sideny Bechet with whom he made the famous New Orleans Feetwarmers recordings. For this edition of Take 5 we can only touch upon a few of the 187 recordings he can be heard on.

We start with one of his accompaniments to Ma Rainey on Paramount Records as part of Lovie Austin and her Blues Serenaders. Jimmy O'Bryant is the clarinet player on "Bo-Weavil Blues."

Next up is Tommy's trumpet featured on Lovie Austin and Her Blues Serenaders recording of "Traveling Blues."

Sam Wooding's Orchestra was recorded during their extensive touring of Europe. Here is "Shanghai Shuffle."

With Fletcher Henderson, Ladnier was featured on the Don Redman arrangement of Jelly Roll Morton's "The Chant." Fats Waller was on organ for this session.

We close this brief appreciation of Ladnier with one of the recordings with Bechet aspart of the New Orleans Feetwarmer, "Sweetie Dear."

Hope you enjoyed this. Bo Lindström and Daniel Vernhettes wrote an incredible biography of Ladnier, Traveling Blues published by JazzEdit. I am not sure of it is still in print, but worth looking for if you have interest in pre-bop jazz history.

Take 5 With Clark Terry

December 14, 2020, is the centennial of the birth of the late Clark Terry. Terry was one of the premier jazz trumpeters of the post bebop era who played and recorded with so many giants. how many folks had substantial stints with Count Basie and Duke Ellington? Also, he was with Thelonious Monk for a period, led a group with Bob Brookmeyer as well as led his own Big Bad Band. And he had an irrepressible personality. Today we have a short playlist of him.

First up, we feature him with Quincy Jones, who was a good friend of Clark. Clark is on fluegelhorn for "Moanin'."

Next up is Clark and his Big Band Live in 1974.

Here is Clark with Duke Ellington along with Ray Nance, Shorty Baker, and Cat Anderson.

Next up is "Stardust," from a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert.

Finally, we close with Clark's classic blues, "Mumbles."

Take 5 With Henry 'Red' Allen

One of my favorite jazz trumpeters of the swing era is Henry 'Red' Allen. Son of a legendary Brass Band leader, he first came to notice as part of Luis Russell's Band with whom he made some memorable recordings. He was also in Fletcher Henderson's Big Band in the thirties and later formed a small group similar to Louis Jordan. In the fifties, until his passing in 1967, he played predominantly in a trad jazz vein.

Here he is with Luis Russell's Big band where he is featured on trumpet on "Jersey Lightning." Pops Foster is on bass and J.C. Higginbotham on trombone.

Here is a fabulous recording with Red Allen's trumpet the highlight along with Coleman Hawkins in "Queer Notions" from Fletcher Henderson.

Later in the Mills Rhythm Band, they recorded this feature for Red Allen, "Ride Red Ride," which he would record numerous times including with Coleman Hawkins on a 1957 RCA Victor album.

The first time I heard Red Allen was listening to Phil Schaap over WKCR on Saturday Nights when he opened with "The Crawl." This was simply a stunning jump blues and we have a soundie of them performing this.

Finally, we find him in a swing-trad vein from the classic television show "The Sound of Jazz" performing "Rosetta." Besides Coleman Hawkins and Pee Wee Russell, there is Vic Dickenson on trombone, Rex Stewart on cornet, Jo Jones on drums, Danny Barker on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass and Nat Pierce on piano.

I could easily have chosen many more tunes by him. There is such joy in Red Allen's playing and his music is well worth sampling.

WKCR TO Broadcast A Full Day Of Roy Eldridge

WKCR, Columbia University's radio station, will be broadcasting 24 hours of the great Roy Eldridge (in the above video with Oscar Peterson) on Wednesday, January 30.  I saw a tweet from Phil Schaap, and a mention by Mark Myers in his JazzWax blog about it, so it is worth using this page to alert you if by chance you were not aware.  Available over the internet, go to wkcr.org.

On the Phil Schaap Jazz Facebook page, Phil writes:

Little Jazz and not Bird on Wednesday January 30, 2013
There will be no Bird Flight on WKCR next Wednesday 1/30. 

Instead WKCR – 89.9 FM in the New York City region and wkcr.org online – will play ROY “Little Jazz” ELDRIDGE all day.

The live broadcast of Roy in various discussions at The West End on his 76th birthday (1/30/1987) will be aired at 8:20am ET and a much longer interview done on his 77th birthday (1/30/1988) will be aired at 6:00pm ET

A Lot of Little Jazz on WKCR: January 30, 2013

Here are a couple more videos to whet your appetite. First a classic of Roy and Anita O'Day with Gene Krupa's Big Band from a sound.

Now here is a clip of Roy handling (among other things) a blues associated with Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Kidney Stew.