What 78 are you spinning right now ?

[jeffcrom]

Cool looking label. When was it from?

1923-25.

[jeffcrom]

Unusually for me, I hadn't spun any 78s for about a week. I broke the drought today with four of Ted Lewis's more interesting records, jazz-wise:

Jungle Blues/A Jazz Holiday (Columbia, 1928)

Clarinet Marmalade/Shim-me-sha-wabble (Columbia, 1928)

Farewell Blues/Wabash Blues (Columbia Ted Lewis picture label, 1929)

Someday Sweetheart/Somebody Stole My Gal (Columbia, 1930; mid-30's pressing)

The first two have George Brunies on trombone and Don Murray's excellent clarinet. The last two feature Muggsy Spanier, and Farewell/Wabash have no less than the great Frank Teschemacher on clarinet - my only Teschemacher 78. I probably don't even need to add that Lewis's own contributions to all of these records, whether on clarinet, alto sax, or vocal, are just horrible.

And this came in the mail today - a record I've been looking for for about 15 years:

Johnny Heartsman - Johnny's House Party, parts 1 & 2 (Music City). Instrumental R & B fun by the late, great West Coast bluesman, circa 1957.

Edited April 17, 2012 by jeffcrom

[Clunky]

Ok pretty pointless but I was playing around with my macro lens and thought I'd share some different Parlophone labels from my collection. These are ordered roughly in the sequence in which they appeared ( to the best of my knowledge). I'm no expert but the ones with the horn behind the £ sign and purple label editions are the oldest. I've only one purple label which I think are the earliest issues. Parlophones all seem to play very well what ever the label colour

I like the original sleeve on this one

Edited April 17, 2012 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

Nice! I love 78 labels.

I've got Bean's "Lost in a Fog" on American Decca. It's a great "last 78 before bed" choice.

[jeffcrom]

I succumbed to Record Store Day madness, and just spun my new Tompkins Square 78s:

Luther Dickinson - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah/Beautiful Dreamer/Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen/Peace in the Valley

Ralph Stanley - Single Girl/Little Birdie

Dickinson is the guitarist of the blues/rock band The North Mississippi Allstars - these are very nice acoustic guitar/dobro performances. The Ralph Stanley is fabulous.

[Clunky]

I succumbed to Record Store Day madness, and just spun my new Tompkins Square 78s:

Luther Dickinson - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah/Beautiful Dreamer/Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen/Peace in the Valley

Ralph Stanley - Single Girl/Little Birdie

Dickinson is the guitarist of the blues/rock band The North Mississippi Allstars - these are very nice acoustic guitar/dobro performances. The Ralph Stanley is fabulous.

78 microgroove ?

[jeffcrom]

I succumbed to Record Store Day madness, and just spun my new Tompkins Square 78s:

Luther Dickinson - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah/Beautiful Dreamer/Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen/Peace in the Valley

Ralph Stanley - Single Girl/Little Birdie

Dickinson is the guitarist of the blues/rock band The North Mississippi Allstars - these are very nice acoustic guitar/dobro performances. The Ralph Stanley is fabulous.

78 microgroove ?

No, they appear to be more like traditional 78 grooves, more widely spaced than LP. They're pressed on vinyl, and the Ralph Stanley is extremely quiet. The Dickinson record has more surface noise, for some reason.

[Clunky]

handful of nice new additions

Blance Calloway- Casey Jones/ Washboard Serenaders-Washboards Get Together-( HMV) UK- both sides overflowing with forced hokum but nice late 20s/early 30s pressing

The Dixie Stompers- St Louis Shuffle/Have it Ready- (Harmony)

Frankie Trumbauer Jimtown Blues/The Laziest Gal in Town ( Varsity)

Frankie Trumbauer - Trumbology/For no reason at all - (Parlophone) UK- early pressing

Eddie Lang- Farewell Blues/ After you've gone- (Decca) UK-there are 4 lovely sides issued in the UK across 2 Deccas and 1 Panachord- so you need three 78s to get all 4.

The Late Ed Lang- There'll be some changes made/ Church Street Sobbin Blues-(Parlophone) -UK

California Ramblers-That old gang of mine/- The Columbians Dance Orch- No No Nora -( Columbia) Flag label- Adrian Rollini is on the Ramblers, no idea of personnel on the other title- nice jazz feel if little improvisation

Edited April 29, 2012 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

handful of nice new additions

Blance Calloway- Casey Jones/ Washboard Serenaders-Washboards Get Together-( HMV) UK- both sides overflowing with forced hokum but nice late 20s/early 30s pressing

The Dixie Stompers- St Louis Shuffle/Have it Ready- (Harmony)

Frankie Trumbauer Jimtown Blues/The Laziest Gal in Town ( Varsity)

Frankie Trumbauer - Trumbology/For no reason at all - (Parlophone) UK- early pressing

Eddie Lang- Farewell Blues/ After you've gone- (Decca) UK-there are 4 lovely sides issued in the UK across 2 Deccas and 1 Panachord- so you need three 78s to get all 4.

The Late Ed Lang- There'll be some changes made/ Church Street Sobbin Blues-(Parlophone) -UK

California Ramblers-That old gang of mine/- The Columbians Dance Orch- No No Nora -( Columbia) Flag label- Adrian Rollini is on the Ramblers, no idea of personnel on the other title- nice jazz feel if little improvisation

Nice haul!

The Columbians were a studio group; Rust didn't know the personnel. I've got a couple of their records.

For those who don't know, here's the story on the 1920's Harmony label. In 1924, Columbia bought the most up-to-date acoustic recording equipment for their New York studio. The next year, of course, saw the introduction of electrical recording, which Columbia quickly adopted. However, they had just invested in a bunch of acoustic equipment, and didn't want it to go to waste. So they started Harmony, a budget label which issued acoustic recordings only - long after nobody else was doing so. Most of the Harmony line also appeared on Diva, which was the W.T. Grant stores' label.

[JSngry]

And Harmony remained a Columbia budget label until, when, the 70s? 80s?

Did not know their origins, though. Interesting, the continuity of lineage purpose.

[jeffcrom]

My 78 spins:

Three by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, a band that's often overlooked, but which was really excellent when at their best:

No Name Jive, parts 1 & 2 (Decca, 1940)

Come and Get It/Mirage (Decca, 1940)

Memories of You/If I Love Again (Decca, 1937/1946). A later issue which pairs two trumpet features recorded almost a decade apart. "Memories" features Sonny Dunham; "If I Love Again" is Bobby Hackett's show.

Then a three-record RCA Victor album recorded in 1949: Charlie Ventura Plays Duke Ellington. (Mine is not a white-label promo like the picture.) The discographies I've seen list George Russell and George Williams as the arrangers of this big band session. Russell definitely arranged "Caravan," which RCA apparently thought was too weird to be included here. (It was issued separately later.) The introduction of "Sophisticated Lady" sounds very much like Russell's work of the period; the rest of the chart is more conservative. I haven't been able to find out for sure if Russell arranged more than "Caravan" on this date - anybody know?

And Harmony remained a Columbia budget label until, when, the 70s? 80s?

Did not know their origins, though. Interesting, the continuity of lineage purpose.

The original Harmony label died out around 1932. Columbia revived it in the mid-1940's, I believe. I don't know how long it lasted - I've got a few Harmony LPs from the late 50's or early 60's.

[Clunky]

For those who don't know, here's the story on the 1920's Harmony label. In 1924, Columbia bought the most up-to-date acoustic recording equipment for their New York studio. The next year, of course, saw the introduction of electrical recording, which Columbia quickly adopted. However, they had just invested in a bunch of acoustic equipment, and didn't want it to go to waste. So they started Harmony, a budget label which issued acoustic recordings only - long after nobody else was doing so. Most of the Harmony line also appeared on Diva, which was the W.T. Grant stores' label.

Interesting , I knew the Harmony was a late acoustic but not the reasoning behind it. The sound is pretty good for an acoustic recording so perhaps the money wasn't entirely wasted.

[Clunky]

from the same recent haul

Fletcher Henderson- Queer Notions/ It's the talk of the town -( Columbia) UK- some fine Hawk herein.

Coleman Hawkins- Dedication/ Chocolate Dandies- Smack !- (Commodore)- 2 lovely sides , especially Dedication

The Teagarden Boys and Trumbauer Swing Band- I'se a muggin Parts 1 & 2- (Victor)

Frankie Trumbauer There'll come a time/Mississippi Mud -(Parlophone) a mid 30s pressing with less groove wear than my purple Parlophone

all this Hawk has me really looking forward to the Mosaic

[Clunky]

Cousin Joe Old man blues/ Too tight to walk loose (Savoy)

Buddy Lucas Oh Mary Ann/Hi Didy Ho (Savoy)

Eddie Greene’s Californians Flight No 39/ King Cotton (Savoy)

Spun these non-jazz Savoys, all pretty much in R&B territory. Can't find anything about Buddy Lucas. His disc is marked Sav-O-Flex "Unbreakable under normal use". It doesn't exactly flex but I'd assume is made of vinyl rather than shellac. Nice quiet surface and two groovy tunes from the label that gave us Birds best (IMO).

[JSngry]

Can't find anything about Buddy Lucas.

This Buddy Lucas? http://www.allmusic.com/artist/buddy-lucas-p99818/biography

[paul secor]

There's a story in the liner notes of Dion's Bronx Blues CD concerning Buddy Lucas, and recounting a 1964 "disastrous gig at Long Island's Boulevard supper club": "I went in there with just myself on electric guitar and Buddy Lucas on harp," Dion laughs. "We're up there doing all this blues stuff, and all these people are walking in in tuxes, out for an elegant evening on the town. They never booked me back after that."

Edited May 10, 2012 by paul secor

[Clunky]

Can't find anything about Buddy Lucas.

This Buddy Lucas? http://www.allmusic.com/artist/buddy-lucas-p99818/biography

guess that must be him , him music as evidenced by these two sides is rather more considered and rather less novelty/honking as suggested in that bio.

[jeffcrom]

Some nice 20's country - I've probably mentioned all of these before:

Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers - Don't Let Your Deal Go Down/Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister (Columbia)

Roy Harvey and the North Carolina Ramblers - The Brave Engineer/The Wreck of Virginian No. 3 (Columbia)

Ernest Stoneman - Bully of the Town/Pass Around the Bottle (Romeo)

West Virginia Night Owls - I'm Goin' to Walk on the Streets of Glory/ Blind Alfred Reed - Fate of Chris Lively and Wife (Victor)

Carolina Tar Heels - When the Good Lord Sets You Free/I Love My Mountain Home (Victor)

Alfred Reed was one-third of the W.V. Night Owls; the Tar Heels consisted of the great Gwen Foster and Dock Walsh.

Most of these are pretty worn, as are many of the old-time country records I find. They often sound better than they look, however.

[jeffcrom]

Played through a small stack of new purchases today, the best of which are:

Norfolk Jazz Quartet - Jelly Roll Blues/Southern Jack (Okeh). I love this one. This vocal quartet was usually called the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet, but they sometimes recorded secular material under the name above. Really nice 1921 performances that swing hard.

Metronome All Stars - Overtime/Victory Ball (RCA Victor). The 1949 poll winners record from Metronome magazine, with Dizzy, Bird, Tristano, J. J., DeFranco, etc. For some reason, this originally issued take of "Victory Ball" was very hard to find for years - almost all reissues used alternate takes. It's probably not as rare as it used to be - I know it was on a Philology CD - but this is the first time I've heard it. At age 53, I finally got to listen to the last issued studio recording of Bird that I had not previously heard.

[jeffcrom]

A three-record Commodore album, recorded in 1943 and issued in 1947:

Eddie Condon - Jazz a la Carte. Really nice ensemble and solo playing, with Max Kaminsky, Pee Wee Russell, Sid Catlett, Benny Morton, etc.

[jeffcrom]

Back to the 20's (and earlier) this afternoon, starting with Johnny Hamp's Kentucky Serenaders, a good dance band:

Angry/Oh Say! Can I See You To-night (Victor batwing label)

Black Bottom (Flip side is by George Olsen and His Music, and is pretty forgettable.) (Victor scroll label)

What'll You Do? (Flip side is by Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra, and is a waste of talent: Mannie Klein, Miff Mole, Joe Venuti, and Eddie Lang are all in the band, to no avail.) (Victor scroll). This is the record that got me interested in the Kentucky Serenaders; it has a short, but fabulous, solo by trombonist William Benedict. No trombone solos on my other Johnny Hamp records, alas.

Then played some records featuring New Orleans clarinetist Alcide "Yellow" Nunez when he was a member of the Harry Yerkes dance band stable:

Yerkes' Southern Five: Railroad Blues/The Happy Six: Shake Your Little Shoulder (Columbia, 1920). These are both Yerkes groups. "Railroad Blues" is a Lucky Roberts composition, and represents one of Nunez's finest recordings, in my opinion.

The Happy Six: Mystery (Flip side is by the Columbia Dance Orchestra) (Columbia, 1920)

Yerkes Novelty Five: Easy Pickin's (Flip side is by Yerkes' Marimbaphone Band, and doesn't include Nunez) (Columbia 12", 1919)

Novelty Five: Barkin' Dog Blues/Laughing Hyena (Aeolian Vocalion, 1920)

Nunez is featured pretty heavily on most of these sides, and sounds very good. His playing is clean and technically assured. Except for a few bluesy breaks, he embellishes the melody rather than improvising freely, but his playing is very impressive nonetheless.

Edited May 14, 2012 by jeffcrom

[jeffcrom]

White New Orleans jazz from the 1950's:

Santo Pecora and his Dixie-Land Jazz Band - Basin Street Blues/Twelfth Street Rag (Mercury, 1950)

Santo Pecora and his Dixie-Land Jazz Band - March of the Mardi Gras/My Lou'siana (Mercury, 1950)

Both of Santo's records feature the great, ill-fated George Girard on trumpet; the second disc also has Pete Fountain (who was a great jazz clarinetist when he was young) and pianist Armand Hug, one of my favorites.

George Girard and His New Orleans Five - Liebestraum/My Gal Sal (Vik, 1956)

This is an odd one. It's not listed in the Lord discography, and it doesn't seem to have ever been issued on LP or CD, just 78 & 45. It probably comes from around the time of Girard's 1956 album for Vik. Surprisingly, a little research shows that "Liebestraum" was a minor radio hit in Chicago in late 1956. Sounds like Harry Shields on clarinet.

Sharkey Bonano and his Kings of Dixieland - Somebody Stole My Gal/With a Pack on My Back (Capitol, 1950).

Sharkey's always fun. My favorite moment is when drummer Monk Hazel puts down his sticks and plays a solo on the mellophone, continuing to keep time with his feet.

Armand Hug and Ray Bauduc - Little Rock Getaway/Breezin' Along (Okeh, 1950).

Nice Jess Stacy-influenced piano, issued in Okeh's Rhythm and Blues series!

[jeffcrom]

Haven't posted here in awhile, although I have been spinning 78s at times. Today we had hellish temperatures in Atlanta, so I though it was time for some gospel from the late '40s and '50s.

Sensational Nightingales - Burying Ground/In My Mind (Peacock, 1956)

Sensational Nightingales - Pressing On/View That Holy City (Peacock, 1957)

Sensational Nightingales - To the End/The Lord Will Make a Way (Peacock, 1957)

Bells of Joy - I'll Work, Lord/Let's Talk About Jesus (Peacock, 1951)

Golden Trumpets - Just Like Jesus Did/Down at the Cross (Nashboro, 1955)

McFadden Gospel Singers - God Be With You/Richmond Harmonizers (aka Harmonizing Four) - Jesus Gave Me Water (Coleman, 1948)

The winner was "I'll Work" by the Bells of Joy, featuring A.C. Littlefield and Clem Reed both singing lead, weaving in and out of each others' lines.

[jeffcrom]

Haven't spun any 78s for a few weeks. Today I played three new finds:

Holland Puckett - The Old Cottage Home/Little Bessie (Supertone, 1928). Really nice old-time country, originally recorded for Gennett and leased to one of Sears' labels. Puckett's "flexible" sense of meter equals that of many early bluesmen.

California Ramblers - The Sheik of Araby/Georgia Rose (Vocalion, 1921). One of the earliest discs by the Ramblers that I have. Pretty hip for 1921.

Victor Military Band - Ballin' the Jack medley/Meadowbrook (Victor 12", 1914). Pretty damn good for 1914. I was attracted by the other song in the medley - it's a James Reese Europe song, "What It Takes to Make Me Love You, You've Got It."

[jeffcrom]

Bebop and such:

Bud Powell - Bud's Bubble/Somebody Loves Me (Roost, 1947)

Oscar Pettiford - Sonny Boy/Cello Again (Roost, 1952) OP on cello; Billy Taylor and Mingus in the rhythm section.

Buddy Stewart - Laughing Boy/Shawn (Sittin' in With, 1948) Wardell Gray and Eddie Bert on "Shawn."

Dodo Marmarosa - Mellow Mood/How High the Moon (Atomic, 1946)

Stan Kenton - Laura/Jump for Joe (Capitol, 1951) Art Pepper solo on "Joe."