What 78 are you spinning right now ?

[jeffcrom]

A late night/early morning New Orleans 78 session; I've mentioned many of these before:

Louis Armstrong: Basin Street Blues/No (Okeh, 1928). This one's reissue quality - just magnificent.

Louis Armstrong: Squeeze Me/Two Deuces (Okeh, 1928)

Louis Armstrong: It Takes Time/I Wonder, I Wonder (RCA Victor, 1947). The last days of the big band.

Louis Armstrong: A Song Was Born/Before Long (RCA Victor, 1947). The early days of the All Stars. "Before Long," a Sid Catlett composition, is really beautiful.

Louis Armstrong: Basin Street Blues, parts 1 & 2 (Decca, 1954). The All Stars plus Bud Freeman.

Original Creole Stompers - B-Flat Blues/Baby Won't You Please Come Home (American Music, 1949)

Original Creole Stompers - Eh, La Bas!/Some of These Days (American Music, 1949). The Stompers were Herb Morand on trumpet, trombonist Louis Nelson, Albert Burbank on clarinet, Johnny St. Cyr on guitar, Austin Young on bass, and drummer Albert Jiles. It's a fabulous band, and "Eh, La Bas" has never been reissued in any format. (The AM CD uses a rehearsal take.)

Wooden Joe Nicholas - Ai Ai Ai/Holler Blues (American Music, 1949). The AM CD uses a different take of "Holler Blues."

A.J. PIron's New Orleans Orchestra - Mama's Gone, Goodbye/New Orleans Wiggle (Victor, 1923)

A.J. PIron's New Orleans Orchestra - Do-Doodle-Oom/West Indies Blues (Victor, 1923). I love the A.J. Piron recordings from 1923, and I learned a lot about New Orleans music by listening to them: hot and sweet are equally important, someone's always got to play the melody, but everyone else can improvise, and there are always at least two layers of rhythm going on.

Edited December 11, 2012 by jeffcrom

[paul secor]

I've spent some time over the past week re-evaluating my relationship to the O forums, and the internet in general, without coming to any firm conclusions yet. Posting in this thread seems like a particularly strange exercise to me right now. Who cares what obscure jazzy dance records from the 1920s I've been listening to?

But for what it's worth, last night I spun all my 78s by the Varsity Eight (or the University Six, as they were known on some labels). They were a slightly smaller offshoot of the California Ramblers. If only one title is listed, then the flip side is by a straight dance band of the time.

I Love the Girl Who Kisses (Cameo, 1924)

Copenhagen (Cameo, 1924)

Beets and Turnips (Cameo, 1924)

Cheatin' On Me (Cameo, 1925)

Yes, Sir! That's My Baby (Cameo, 1925)

Oh! If I Only Had You/I Ain't Got Nobody (Harmony, 1926)

Changes/There's Something Spanish In Your Eyes (Velvet Tone, 1927)

Except for the last record, which is mostly a vehicle for the vocals of Arthur Fields, these are all pretty good. All but the last disc have the great Adrian Rollini on bass sax, and he usually gets in at least a few solo breaks, if not a full-length solo. The Dorsey brothers and Red Nichols show up on various sides, and even the lesser-known musicians contribute some pretty good jazz.

For whatever reason, this music means something to me, and hearing it from the original 78s means something to me.

I own some 78s, but have nothing to play them on. If I were younger, I'd probably pick up a turntable that could play them and probably would collect some. But at this stage in my life, I don't need more stuff. I do read the "What 78" thread and get a sort of vicarious pleasure from doing that. Hope you 78 guys will keep posting.

Edited December 11, 2012 by paul secor

[Clunky]

I made the "mistake" of comparing the sound of the JSP set against the Parlophone 78s ( mostly from late 30s) I bought last week. I say mistake as the 78s albeit that they were UK ressues simply blew the CDs away. When not doing an A/B comparison the CDs sound just fine but the 78s have so much more power and much better sense of space around instruments. So I picked up more Armstrong 78s today , all in near mint condition. Any they too sound superb. All are pressings rather than dubs. These will do for now.

The following UK Parlophones,

Melancholy Blues /Wild Man Blues

Weary Blues/ Willie the weeper

Hotter than that / That’s when I’ll come back to you

Between the devil and../. Kickin the gong around (ex Okeh)

Lazy River/ Georgia on my mind (ex Okeh)

Lonesome Road/ Struttin with some BBQ ( rec 1931/1927)

and

Swing that music / Wolverine Blues (Decca ) US original

and

Gut bucket blues/ Yes I’m in the barrel (Columbia) UK forties pressing

Edited December 12, 2012 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

I made the "mistake" of comparing the sound of the JSP set against the Parlophone 78s ( mostly from late 30s) I bought last week. I say mistake as the 78s albeit that they were UK ressues simply blew the CDs away. When not doing an A/B comparison the CDs sound just fine but the 78s have so much more power and much better sense of space around instruments. So I picked up more Armstrong 78s today , all in near mint condition. Any they too sound superb. All are pressings rather than dubs. These will do for now.

The following UK Parlophones,

Melancholy Blues /Wild Man Blues

Weary Blues/ Willie the weeper

Hotter than that / That’s when I’ll come back to you

Between the devil and../. Kickin the gong around (ex Okeh)

Lazy River/ Georgia on my mind (ex Okeh)

Lonesome Road/ Struttin with some BBQ ( rec 1931/1927)

and

Swing that music / Wolverine Blues (Decca ) US original

and

Gut bucket blues/ Yes I’m in the barrel (Columbia) UK forties pressing

[Clunky]

something different this evening...thank goodness for Esquire, otherwise my collection of bop 78s would be pretty meagre. They sound great and come from all sorts of parent labels including Prestige, Metronome ( Sweden), Dial etc. I think the first were issued 1948/9. Early British bop was recorded by the label too by the likes of Ken Moule, Ronnie Scott etc. Tonight found these by chance mixed in with some Tatum Brunswicks

Lee Konitz 78s

Ezz thetic / Hi beck (Esquire) Prestige

You go to my head/ Palo alto (Esquire ) ex NewJazz

[Clunky]

Mary Lou Williams - ( Asch) 351- three 78 album with Bill Coleman and DSM cover too. Nice.

[jeffcrom]

I was feeling restless tonight, and neither the Globe Unity Orchestra or Louis Armstrong on CD settled me down. So I retreated to the shellac, starting with:

A wonderful two-pocket album of Illinois Jacquet on Savoy. I enjoyed it so much that I played my other Jacquet 78s:

She's Funny That Way/12 Minutes to Go (Apollo)

Pastel/All of Me (Mercury). Carl Perkins on piano!

The Cool Rage/Lean Baby (Mercury). A slightly rare take of of "Lean Baby."

Then the Coleman Hawkins sides from:

The Dizzy Gillespie sides have been reissued together many times; the Hawkins sides, not so much. Then:

Jess Stacy - Daybreak Serenade/It's Only a Paper Moon (Victor). A one-off 1945 session for Victor which produced only this one record. "Daybreak" made me laugh - I had forgotten that it's a blatant attempt to copy Frankie Carle's piano hit "Sunrise Serenade." "Paper Moon" is better, due mostly to a lovely Lee Wiley vocal.

Great 1946 recordings, with a great Jim Flora cover. Barney Bigard is on clarinet, and Mutt Carey, whose lip was variable in those days, is in great form.

Ended the evening with Jelly Roll Morton's Jazz Man session. Great music, lousy pressings:

Winin' Boy Blues/Honky Tonk

Fingerbuster/Creepy Feeling

Edited December 14, 2012 by jeffcrom

[Clunky]

Picked these nice discs by Clara Smith - all on the Columbia flag label, which dates the discs to 1924/5 if I recall correctly. Ms Smith is smoother than Bessie but perhaps a touch more musical , very nice.

You don’t know my mind / I’m gonna tear your playhouse down

Don’t never tell nobody/ Waitin’ for the evenin’ mail

West Indies blues/ The Clearing House Blues

Don’t advertise your man /Good looking papa blues

[jeffcrom]

Since inquiring minds want to know - 1920s jazz-flavored dance music, mostly by the Benson Orchestra of Chicago. All of these are on Victor:

Nobody Knows But My Pillow and Me/I Never Miss the Sunshine (1923)

No No Nora (1923). I didn't play the flip side - it's by the International Novelty Orchestra, a Victor studio band. A bit much even for me.

Wolverine Blues/ The Virginians: House of David Blues (1923)

My Sweetie's Sweeter Than That/Wow! (1923)

Riverboat Shuffle/ Oliver Naylor's Orchestra: Sweet Georgia Brown (1925)

Frank Trumbauer is on all of the Benson Orchestra's 1923 sides, but the only improvised solo he takes is on "I Never Miss the Sunshine." It's pretty good for the time. It's interesting to hear such an early recording of a Jelly Roll Morton tune as "Wolverine Blues." The Virginians were clarinetist Ross Gorman's dance band. They recorded a lot of promising-looking titles, but all of their records that I've heard are pretty disappointing. The Naylor Orchestra, from New Orleans, is hotter than anything else in this lot - "Sweet Georgia Brown" is a nice side.

My own comments and Chuck's comments earlier in this thread got me thinking about why I like this kind of stuff. Of course, I love the "real" jazz from this era - King Oliver, Jelly Roll, Bix, etc. But I also enjoy exploring stuff like the records above - music that the middle class thought of as jazz, stuff that we now consider closer to pop than jazz. The web of influences is interesting to explore, and the best of this hot dance music is pretty good music, even if it's not hard-core jazz.

And the bottom line is that I just like it.

[Big Beat Steve]

Just so that it be said:

Clunky & Jeffcrom, please don't feel like you are just dialoguing among the two of you only.

I for one do check out this thread regularly and keep marveling at the 78s originals you keep digging up (including the label and album cover shots).

While I have a good part of the music you are discussing (20s dance bands and very early blues possibly excepted), it is on reissues, of course, and my collection of 78s is light years away from yours and there is not really much new to be found and added these days anymore over here (and I don't feel like taking chances at having 78s shipped across the pond anymore) so I cannot really contribute much.

But by all means keep up your input!

[Clunky]

Just so that it be said:

Clunky & Jeffcrom, please don't feel like you are just dialoguing among the two of you only.

I for one do check out this thread regularly and keep marveling at the 78s originals you keep digging up (including the label and album cover shots).

While I have a good part of the music you are discussing (20s dance bands and very early blues possibly excepted), it is on reissues, of course, and my collection of 78s is light years away from yours and there is not really much new to be found and added these days anymore over here (and I don't feel like taking chances at having 78s shipped across the pond anymore) so I cannot really contribute much.

But by all means keep up your input!

that's good to know. When I started this thread I had four 78s , I now have over four hundred but it's still a very small collection. I have no intention of becoming a collector as such but I'm fascinated by them as historical artefacts and by the promise of improved sound they often seem to offer even when quite worn.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

For years, when I'd bring home another cool jazz LP I had found and my wife would roll her eyes, I would say, "At least I'm not a 78 collector. Those people are nuts!" Then I saw the unreissued Boyce Brown "Collectors Item Cats" 78 on Ebay - at a time when I was trying to track down all of Boyce Brown's recordings. That's all it took.

My wife still reminds me of that comment.

[paul secor]

For years, when I'd bring home another cool jazz LP I had found and my wife would roll her eyes, I would say, "At least I'm not a 78 collector. Those people are nuts!" Then I saw the unreissued Boyce Brown "Collectors Item Cats" 78 on Ebay - at a time when I was trying to track down all of Boyce Brown's recordings. That's all it took.

My wife still reminds me of that comment.

Wives are like that.

[Clunky]

Louis Armstrong - Skip the gutter/ Knee Drops ( Parlophone UK) R 2438 - played this for a friend yesterday. He was totally unfamiliar with the music or indeed any form of jazz. He felt he couldn't but smile in response to the joyful noise of Knee Drops. It's no novelty song but the percussion does indeed make you smile. Both sides appear near mint with very little crackle and great sound- a perfect 78 - even if it's a 40s reissue.

[jeffcrom]

The Complete Super Disc Recordings of Don Byas!

Byas recorded two sessions for Super Disc, resulting in eight sides spread over five records (two have the Erskine Butterfield Quartet on the flip side). I just tracked down the last one, and spun them all today:

Three O'Clock in the Morning/One O'Clock Jump

Harvard Blues/Erskine Butterfield: St. Louis Boogie

Slammin' Around/Erskine Butterfield: Anything

Embraceable You/The Sheik of Araby

Super Session/Melody in Swing

The Byas sides are really nice, with Erroll Garner and Slam Stewart on the first four sides and Sid Catlett on the last four. The Butterfield sides have some good trumpet by Shorty Baker.

[Clunky]

Slammin' Around/Erskine Butterfield: Anything

Super Session/Melody in Swing

I've these two and they are excellent. Mid 40s Byas is almost always excellent and I've frequently thought these sessions would make a fine Mosaic.

[Clunky]

Had to dig out some Byas , two nice forties sides

Dark eyes /Laura (American records) USA

These foolish things/ Blues for Panassie (Bluestar) France

[Clunky]

I usually avoid 78s which are derived from tape masters as but in the case of Clifford Brown I felt differently. Two very clean Swedish 78s of his Parisian sessions in very vivid sound. Edit to add that the labels are quite nice too and look like the Shearing disc above.

The song is you/ Come rain come shine (Jazz selection)

Blue & Brown / I can dream can’t I (Jazz selection)

Edited December 20, 2012 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

My last night at home before Christmas - we fly across the country tomorrow. So I spun some seasonal shellac, some of it pretty odd:

Norbert Ludwig (as Philip Hauser), pipe organ - Silent Night, Holy Night/Holy Night (Banner, 1926). Not sure why a church organist needed a pseudonym.

Coppia Parisi - 'A Vigiglia 'E Natale/'A Storiella 'E Natale (Columbia, 1923-24). "Neapolitan Christmas Duet with Bagpipe," as the label says. It's on the Columbia "flags" label, in the green "E" (ethnic) series.

Dr. A. Edwin Keigwin - A Christmas Greeting/A Morning Prayer (Columbia Personal Record, 1924-25). Two short addresses from a New York preacher, pressed by Columbia's custom recording department. Dr. Keigwin also apparently wrote a book called "The Meaning of Life."

Rev. J.M. Gates assisted by Deacon Leon Davis & Sisters Jordan & Norman - Where Will You Be Christmas Day?/Will the Coffin Be Your Santa Claus? (Okeh, 1927). Rev. Gates' grim messages are much more entertaining than Dr. Keigwin's scholarly speeches.

[jeffcrom]

Two more while packing:

Billy Ward and His Dominoes - Christmas in Heaven/Ringing In a Brand New Year (King)

Roy Milton - Christmas Time Blues/Oh Babe! (Specialty)

[Clunky]

Rex Stewart - Menelik- The Lion of Judah/ Poor Bubber (HMV) UK JO 282

Duke Ellington - Old man blues/ Hittin the Bottle (HMV ) UK B 4888

Only Xmas 78s in the house are a few English carols - Hark the Herald ..etc and I feel it's too early to play them just yet. I have a Roy Milton 78 on Speciality - So Tired/ Thelma Lou- I don't recall much about either side and can't be bothered to hunt for it now. Meanwhile just two near mint 78s this weekend . The Rex Stewart the better of the two. As indicated above I rarely can be bothered with A/B comparisons but for "fun" I put on The Great Ellington Units CD from RCA to see how it compared. The CD was not only dull and lifeless appeared to sound slower. I'll need to find my strobe disc but last time I checked my TT was bang on 78. . Because my Lenco has continuously variable speed I was able to slow it down to match the CD. It's a pity the CD does sound so poor as it was my first exposure to Ellington all those years ago and I've yet to collect all the sides on 78. I'll need to dig out the relevant LP edition and check it too.

Edited December 23, 2012 by Clunky

[Clunky]

Found this interesting Swedish All Star 78 in Oxfam. Vey nice modern arrangement with glimpses of Gullin and Domnerus Sophisticated Lady/L'Estrado (Esquire 10 313). Can't find much info on this on the web but it's well worth the £1.

[Clunky]

A few non jazz sides, Picked these up several years ago thinking they'd be cool. Mixed bag really with both boys tending to croon a bit. Ivory Joe probably has the edge. Although Thelma Lou by Milton has a nice RnB feel.

[jazztrain]

The end of the year is fast approaching and snow is moving in, so I thought I'd pull some some previously unheard records from a large collection that came my way last year. Here goes...

Melvin Moore Sings - Deep Purple / Kai Winding Plays - I'm Shooting High (Cosmopolitan 300).

First side vocal, second side instrumental. Warne Marsh solos on both. Record label based in Albany, NY. Wonder what else they may have issued. These two are on an IAJRC LP (Battle of the Tenor Saxes). Ventura is somewhat rhapsodic but not over the top. I like the second tune (versions by Armstrong and Wingy come to mind). It gets a somewhat more modern treatment here as you might expect.

Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra - Deep Valley/Trombonology (RCA Victor 20-2419)

Corny vocal group (Stuart Foster and The Town Criers) on first side, but Tommy saves it with his trombone solo. Second side is the reason to keep it (some excellent trombone work by Tommy).

Cab Calloway and his Orchestra - Hard TImes/Who's Yehudi! (Vocalion 5566)

The usual Calloway vocals with some solo work by Dizzy and Chu. Rust also lists the first side as "Topsy Turvy (Hard TImes)" but there's no sign of "Topsy Turvy" anywhere on the label of the Vocalion issue.

Paul Whiteman And His Swing Wing - Jeepers Creepers/Mutiny In The Nursery (Decca 2222)

You have to put up with vocals by the Four Modernaires and Joan Edwards but otherwise get to hear some singing and impressive trombone work from Jack Teagarden. Brother Charlie (he doesn't get his due) solos as well.

James P. Johnson - Worried And Lonesome Blues/Weeping Blues (Columbia A3950)

Some early solo recordings by James P. A little stiffer rhythmically than his later efforts but still special. I love James P. Wish this was in a little better condition.

The Dardanelle Trio - September Song/When A Woman Loves A Man (RCA Victor 20-1993)

Better than I expected. Some nice guitar work and vibes. Wonder who? Just looked it up. She's on vibes as well as piano (should have guessed that). Guitarist is Joe Pinacore. Wonder who he is.

Here's a link to a photo that shows Pinacore with Dardanelle:

And here's a YouTube link where you can see Pinacore with Dardanelle (and some forgettable "dancing"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKkKUp5P2dk

But I digress.

Spike Jones and his Other Orchestra - Minka/Lassus Trombone (RCA Victor 20-1983)

Spike Jones? Well there must be a reason this was in the collection. FIrst side features George Rock on trumpet. He can play, but taste is not his strong point. Some frailich style trumpet initially with a sound reminding me of Ziggy Elman and Charlie Shavers gives way to more of a Clyde McCoy-like segment (ugh) and then some rapid trumpet tonguing later. Technically impressive but musically wanting. The other side, on the other hand, features Eddie Kusby on trombone. Now he can play. That's the reason to hold onto this.

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra - For Every Man There's A Woman/Beyond The Sea (Capitol 15030)

The first side is billed as "with Peggy Lee." The second side is almost unrecognizable as a BG item. Not notable.

Gene Krupa and his Orchestra - Yesterdays/Hop, Skip, and Jump (Columbia 36931)

Charlie Ventura featured on first side, Anita O'Day on the second. Some muted trumpet that sounds like Roy Eldridge, but he wasn't in the band then. Don Fagerquist perhaps.

Bechet-Nicholas Blue Five - Quincy Street Stomp/Weary Way Blues (Blue Note 517)

Great pairing of two N.O. reed masters with rather different stylistic conceptions. Nicholas doing his usual filigree work much of the time around Bechet's lead (although Nicholas gets hot at times as well here). Always liked these sides. It's nice to have them on 78, although one wishes that the session had been better recorded. Victor, to my mind, captured Bechet's sound better than Blue Note ever did. Bechet on clarinet on the first side and soprano on the second. The first title, by the way, refers to the street on which Bechet was living at the time in Brooklyn but has also been issued as "Blame It On The Blues." My copy uses takes 1 and 2, respectively for those who might be interested.

Cliff Jackson's Black & White Stompers - Weary Blues/If I Could Be With You (Black & White 4)

Great record. Pee Wee (Russell) is wild on the first side which really romps. Cliff Jackson sounds somewhat more cohesive than usual on this session and seems to be channelling James P. Johnson at times. The second side is more subdued, with Pee Wee playing subtone on much of it. These two really come alive on 78. Great record. Best of this lot so far.

More later if the spirit moves me.

[jeffcrom]

Some nice stuff there!