What 78 are you spinning right now ?

[Chuck Nessa]

New Jazz 832 - Lennie Tristano Quintet - Retrospection / Progression.

[Chuck Nessa]

Playing the Red Norvo Comet sides now. Forgot how Bird and Diz blast through on these.

[paul secor]

Looks like you're having a good time playing with your new turntable. Good for you.

[jeffcrom]

Rose Henderson Everyday blues / Hes never gonna throw me down (Perfect 12100) USA , rec. NY December 1923

No image for this one, label states "Soprano" and her first name as Rose not Rosa. Again a very good blues singer.

I've got, I think, four sides (on three 78s) by Rosa (aka Rose), and like her music quite a bit. Glad you found her.

I just bought a lot of nine records, one of which checks an item off my want list that I thought might never find. I played all the modern jazz from the lot today:

Dodo Marmarosa - Mellow Mood/How High the Moon (Atomic, 1946). I already had a copy of this, but I picked this one up anyway, because it looked to be in significantly better shape than my copy. It really doesn't sound any better, though. But it's a great record.

Tempo Jazz Men featuring Gabriel on trumpet (Dizzy Gillespie) - Dynamo A/Dynamo B (Dial, 1946). I've been listening to Dizzy for almost 40 years, and I had never heard the "B" master of this tune (aka "Dizzy Atmosphere") until today.

Tom Archia - McKie's Jam for Boppers/Downfall Blues (Aristocrat, 1947/48). Nearly as cool as my "big" find. Which is:

Andrew Hill Combo - After Dark/Down Pat (Ping, 1956). With Von Freeman, Pat Patrick, Malachi Favors, and Wilbur Campbell. The 45 RPM issue of this is rare, but seemingly findable with patience. I have never seen a picture of the 78 and never seen it for sale until I found this one. I'm pretty tickled. And Von absolutely kills.

[Clunky]

Ma Rainey "Bo Weavil blues/ Last minute blues" -(Paramount ) 1923-

today's "find", this copy enjoyed by previous owners it's fair to say. Some damage to one label, an edge flake and some moderate groove wear. A nice addition to my small blues library -

[jeffcrom]

Ma Rainey "Bo Weavil blues/ Last minute blues" -(Paramount ) 1923-

today's "find", this copy enjoyed by previous owners it's fair to say. Some damage to one label, an edge flake and some moderate groove wear. A nice addition to my small blues library -

Okay - that's cool, worn or not!

[paul secor]

Ma Rainey "Bo Weavil blues/ Last minute blues" -(Paramount ) 1923-

today's "find", this copy enjoyed by previous owners it's fair to say. Some damage to one label, an edge flake and some moderate groove wear. A nice addition to my small blues library -

Okay - that's cool, worn or not!

If it's a Paramount, it may sound better worn.

[Clunky]

Ma Rainey "Bo Weavil blues/ Last minute blues" -(Paramount ) 1923-

today's "find", this copy enjoyed by previous owners it's fair to say. Some damage to one label, an edge flake and some moderate groove wear. A nice addition to my small blues library -

Okay - that's cool, worn or not!

If it's a Paramount, it may sound better worn.

I thought it pretty cool too. In fact it's not too worn and more than listenable

[jeffcrom]

Some discs which blur the line between jazz and R & B:

Bill Doggett - Eventide/And the Angels Sing (King promo)

Bill Doggett - Sweet Lorraine/Tailor Made (King promo). Percy France is on both of these; they're from the same session, in fact.

Tiny Bradshaw - Off and On/Free for All (King). Red Prysock wails.

Tiny Bradwhaw - Later/South of the Orient. Syl Austin plays frantic for the people on side one.

Tom Archia - Mean and Evil Baby/Fishing Pole (Aristocrat)

Tom Archia - McKie's Jam for Boppers/Downfall Blues (Aristocrat). Nobody seemed to know where the ending of "McKie's Jam" was going to be, so Ike Day kept playing drum codas until everyone was done.

[Chuck Nessa]

[jeffcrom]

I've been spinning 78s almost daily, but I don't always post what I'm listening to, for various reasons - it takes too long, it's weird and not jazz-related, I don't think anyone would be interested, etc. But here are the highlights of the past few days - I think I've mentioned all or most of these earlier at some point:

Six late-1920s Cuban records on Victor, all in great condition and in their original Spanish or bilingual Victor sleeves. A couple have stickers from a Havana record store. Really wonderful stuff.

Rudy Wiedoft's Saxophone Sextette - Pan-Americana (Victor Herbert)/Country Dance (Ethelbert Nevin) (Vocalion, 1922). A beautiful record - two light classical pieces played by some great saxophonists.

And an early New Orleans session tonight:

Jelly Roll Morton - Black Bottom Stomp/The Chant (Victor, 1926)

New Orleans Rhythm Kings - Mr. Jelly Roll/Clarinet Marmalade (Gennett, 1923). From the session with Jelly Roll on piano.

Piron's New Orleans Orchestra - Do-Doodle-Oom/West Indies Blues (Victor, 1923)

Piron's New Orleans Orchestra - New Orleans Wiggle/Mama's Gone, Goodbye (Victor, 1923). One of my favorite New Orleans bands.

Anthony Parenti and His Famous Melody Boys - French Market Blues/Dizzy Lizzy (Victor, 1925)

Tony Parenti's New Orleanians - In the Dungeon/When You and I Were Pals (Columbia, 1928). The Columbia features an early example of Johnny Wiggs' wonderful cornet - poised somewhere between King Oliver and Bix.

[Clunky]

Been spinning 78s daily for some weeks. Recently got a haul of around 40 platters. Quite a mix of jazz , mainly British pressings. All filthy having been stored poorly.Fletcher Henderson , Sonny Berman, Howard McGhee, Ellington, Bix, Satch and ten Jelly Roll HMVs !!!

I'll mention a few of these in the coming weeks as they get cleaned up.

Pick of the bunch so far are three Josh White sides of which this one stands out.

Strange Fruit/ House of the Rising sun ( Brunswick UK) 1944-

yes those two well known tunes all delivered in a pretty slow bluesy fashion. Fruit is the better I think but Rising Sun makes interesting comparison to the. Animals version.

[jeffcrom]

A late-night 78 session, in which I spun three recent finds. Two of them were only okay, so I won't even mention them, but the third is fascinating for the B side:

Lou Gold and His Orchestra - Magnolia/Deep River Orchestra - Harlem Blues ("American Suite No. 8") (Perfect, 1927). The Lou Gold side is a nice little hot dance side, but "Harlem Blues" is something else. The Deep River Orchestra is the Willard Robison band, and "Harlem Blues" is apparently the last part of an eight-movement suite Robison wrote and recorded for Perfect. The movements were not issued together; they were paired fairly randomly with other recordings.

This movement is pretty cool - poised somewhere between Gershwin and Ellington. It's "jazzy," and there's a trumpet solo, but I'm not sure there's any real improvisation. But it's quite good, and so interesting that I now want to track down the other seven sides.

Edited May 27, 2013 by jeffcrom

[jeffcrom]

Vess Ossman - Creole Belles (Victor Monarch single-sided). The pioneer recording banjoist playing my favorite "cakewalk" rag. The recording is announced at the beginning, in the manner of the earliest days of recording; it was made in 1902, and my copy (like the one pictured) was pressed in 1904.

And this very cool record before heading to bed.

[Clunky]

Swanee Syncopators-"Show me the way to go home/ No one knows what it's all about "- (Homochord) UK . Part of my recent haul.

1920s acoustic recording of a British group ( I think) . Devoid of improvisation but quite fun in a stiff formal way that you'd expect. Recommended for insomniacs but the label does look nice -

Next .....

Boyd Senter- "Wabash Blues/The Grind Out"- (Parlophone UK) ultra quiet laminate pressing (purple label) . Picked this one as Eddie Lang plays too. Jerky see saw clarinet but quite nice really

Edited May 27, 2013 by Clunky

[Clunky]

Two new 78s today , both 99 pence

Enrico Caruso "Because" -(HMV) single sided pink label 1912 issue

Art Hickman Orchestra- "Whispering /If a wish could make it so" (Columbia) Blue label 1920

The latter is actually quite jazzy the former less so. For a disc that's over 100 years old "Because" plays incredibly well with very good ( acoustic sound). The singer isn't bad either. Anyone know why these were one sided? Perhaps anticipating audiophile fetishism by some while.

Edited June 5, 2013 by Clunky

[jeffcrom]

Enrico Caruso "Because" -(HMV) single sided pink label 1912 issue

For a disc that's over 100 years old "Because" plays incredibly well with very good ( acoustic sound). The singer isn't bad either. Anyone know why these were one sided? Perhaps anticipating audiophile fetishism by some while.

Yes, those original-issue Caruso 78s sound better than any reissue I've heard. I'm up to about 20, most in excellent condition - they were so expensive at the time that the original owners generally took good care of them.

Almost all very early disc records were single-sided. Pressing music onto both sides of the record seems obvious to us now, but it's like anything else - somebody had to think of it. Columbia revolutionized the record business when they introduced the double-sided record in 1908. Victor followed suit a month later, but stubbornly refused to convert their Red Seal classical series to double-sided records. I guess that also applied to HMV in the UK. The Red Seals were prestige/luxury items, and Victor apparently thought that keeping them single-sided contributed to their snob appeal. They held out until 1923, when dwindling sales forced them to go double-sided with their classical records as well.

[jeffcrom]

Early klezmer, cantors, Yiddish folk & theater songs:

Jewish-Russian Orchestra (actually the great Abe Schwartz Orchestra) - Tantzt, Tantzt, Yiddelach/Wedding Dance (Columbia, 1917)

Naftule Brandwein - Bulgar ala Naftule/A Hore mit Tzibeles (Columbia, early 40s pressing of a 1925 recording). A Dance with Onions?

Cantor Berele Chagy - Mai Ko Mashma Lon/Kum Zu Mire In Cheder'l (Columbia, 1919)

Cantor Josef Rosenblatt - Tka B'Shofar/Uwyom Simchaschem (Columbia, 1915)

Cantor Josef Rosenblatt - Es Zemach Dovid/Rezeh Asirosom (Columbia, 1917)

Morris Goldstein - Der Yold is Mich Mekane/S'is Shoin Ferfallen (Columbia, 1920)

Abraham Moskowitz - Die Greene Cousine/Nit Die Hagede, More die Kneidlech (Columbia, 1922). With Abe Schwartz on violin and some excellent clarinetist.

Joseph Feldman - Mein Mames Liedele/A Yiddishe Chasene (Okeh, 1923)

Naum Coster - A Mame's Laide/Die Alte Kashe (Victor, 1920)

Edited June 7, 2013 by jeffcrom

[Clunky]

Early klezmer, cantors, Yiddish folk & theater songs:

Jewish-Russian Orchestra (actually the great Abe Schwartz Orchestra) - Tantzt, Tantzl, Yiddelach/Wedding Dance (Columbia, 1917)

Naftule Brandwein - Bulgar ala Naftule/A Hore mit Tzibeles (Columbia, early 40s pressing of a 1925 recording). A Dance with Onions?

Cantor Berele Chagy - Mai Ko Mashma Lon/Kum Zu Mire In Cheder'l (Columbia, 1919)

Cantor Josef Rosenblatt - Tka B'Shofar/Uwyom Simchaschem (Columbia, 1915)

Cantor Josef Rosenblatt - Es Zemach Dovid/Rezeh Asirosom (Columbia, 1917)

Morris Goldstein - Der Yold is Mich Mekane/S'is Shoin Ferfallen (Columbia, 1920)

Abraham Moskowitz - Die Greene Cousine/Nit Die Hagede, More die Kneidlech (Columbia, 1922). With Abe Schwartz on violin and some excellent clarinetist.

Joseph Feldman - Mein Mames Liedele/A Yiddishe Chasene (Okeh, 1923)

Naum Coster - A Mame's Laide/Die Alte Kashe (Victor, 1920)

This list doesn't mean much to me but it must be fascinating listening to what else was being recorded in NY nearly a century ago. I've kept my eyes peeled for klezmer discs but haven't come across any yet. Also I've not seen that green Columbia label, was that a "folk" equivalent of the blue label used around 1920?

[jeffcrom]

This list doesn't mean much to me but it must be fascinating listening to what else was being recorded in NY nearly a century ago. I've kept my eyes peeled for klezmer discs but haven't come across any yet. Also I've not seen that green Columbia label, was that a "folk" equivalent of the blue label used around 1920?

Columbia used a green label (and occasionally a shade of blue) for their "E" series. "E" stood for "ethnic;" that series was replaced by the "F" ("foreign") series around 1923. Whenever I find a green-label "E" or "F" series Columbia, I buy it, even if I've got no idea what it's going to sound like. I've discovered some amazing world music that way, such as a Hungarian taragoto record, and a fabulous little rustic Ukranian band consisting of bass, two violins, and a clarinet.

[jeffcrom]

And here's a bit of annotation for my listening list:

Abe Schwartz was the Quincy Jones of early 20th-century New York klezmer - bandleader, instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and arranger. His band recorded scores of great records, often under pseudonyms. Anybody who was anybody played with Schwartz.

Naftule Brandwein was the wild genius of early klez clarinet - an unpredictable, hard-drinking character who knew how good he was. He managed to work his name into his record titles as much as Dexter Gordon did on his early sides.

Josef Rosenblatt was the Caruso of cantors - just an amazing tenor. The Met reportedly offered him a contract to sing opera, which he turned down.

Morris Goldstein's "Die Greene Cousine" is an excellent, very interesting record. The song, about a visit from a country cousin, was a hit, and was a hit again 20 years later for Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman as "My Little Cousin," still with plenty of klezmer flavor.

[paul secor]

And here's a bit of annotation for my listening list:

Abe Schwartz was the Quincy Jones of early 20th-century New York klezmer - bandleader, instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and arranger. His band recorded scores of great records, often under pseudonyms. Anybody who was anybody played with Schwartz.

Naftule Brandwein was the wild genius of early klez clarinet - an unpredictable, hard-drinking character who knew how good he was. He managed to work his name into his record titles as much as Dexter Gordon did on his early sides.

Josef Rosenblatt was the Caruso of cantors - just an amazing tenor. The Met reportedly offered him a contract to sing opera, which he turned down.

Morris Goldstein's "Die Greene Cousine" is an excellent, very interesting record. The song, about a visit from a country cousin, was a hit, and was a hit again 20 years later for Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman as "My Little Cousin," still with plenty of klezmer flavor.

Fascinating information, Jeff. Thanks.

[jeffcrom]

I got home from a trip to the midwest last night with a stack of over 20 78s in my suitcase, including some really cool ones. I've cleaned and played the first batch, and I'll post about some of them tomorrow. Only one didn't survive the trip, and it turns out that I already had that Fletcher Henderson side on another label, so I'm not heartbroken.

And when you have a carefully wrapped stack of 78s in your carry-on luggage, you attract a good bit of attention from the TSA security agents. In the X-ray machine, it looks like a large, solid cylinder designed for nefarious purposes.

In the meantime, here's a 1945 session that I "completed" just before my trip. I've had the first of these excellent records for several years; the mailman brought the other one (won in an auction) the day before I left:

Bob Mosely & All Stars - Stormy Mood/Bee Boogie Boo (Bel-Tone)

Bob Mosely & All Stars - Voot Rhythm/Baggin' the Boogie (Bel-Tone)

The first record looks like the picture; the second has the colors reversed: black on gold.

Besides pianist/leader Mosely, Marshall Royal, Lucky Thompson, Charles Mingus, Lee Young, and trumpeter Karl George are on hand. The music has elements of swing, bop, and jump blues. These sides are really enjoyable. Lucky plays some nice solos, and Mingus has one great Blantonish solo.

Edited June 13, 2013 by jeffcrom

[Clunky]

Nothing like a date with Lucky Thompson to remind me how great life is.

Recently I picked several Parlophone 78s of " Mills Blue Rhythm Band" from 1947 which feature some nice solos from Lucky. One of the sides even has a Stan Getz alto solo! Despite the provenance the band sound pretty good across the 6 sides I found. All are titled beginning "Blue" so we have " Blue swing"' "Blue blues" etc. There's no massive stylistic shift between the tunes but the arrangements have a good swing to bop feel. Good sound too on the Parlophones which were whilst grubby in very decent condition. I love it Mosiac pulled together all these 40s sides featuring LT rather than the box they were planning of material that's widely available.

Mills Blue Rhythm Band

May 20, 1947: LA, Royale

Mills Blue Rhythm Band (ldr), Frank Beach, Chuck Peterson, Charlie Shavers (t), Sidney Harris, Charles Maxon, Si Zentner (tb), Stan Getz (as, ts), Clint Neagley, Edward Rosa (as, cl), Lucky Thompson (ts), Butch Stone (bar), Tony Rizzi (g), Jimmy Rowles (p), Arnold Fishkind (b), Don Lamond (d), Van Alexander (Al Feldman) (dir)

[jeffcrom]

I got home from a trip to the midwest last night with a stack of over 20 78s in my suitcase, including some really cool ones.

Okay here's the first bunch, starting with some bebop on Dial, all in really nice shape:

Howard McGhee - Thermodynamics/Sonny Berman - Nocturne (Dial, 1946)

Don Byas - Humoresque/Stormy Weather (Dial, 1947). Recorded in France and leased from Blue Star.

Bill Harris - Woodchopper's Holiday/Somebody Loves Me (Dial, 1946). I was hoping that this was a different take of "Woodchopper's Holiday" than the one I have on CD, but no such luck - it's the same.

and an odd one:

Hank Jones - Night Music: Fantasy for Piano and Jazz Band/Jean Germain - The Chase (Bartok) (Dial, 1947). "Night Music" is actually from a Howard McGhee date; I guess Ross Russell thought it was "modern" enough to be paired with a Bartok piece.

Then some very cool blues from the 1920s. All of these are worn, but sound surprisingly good, even the Paramount.

Priscilla Stewart - You Ain't Foolin' Me/True Blues (Paramount, 1924). With Jimmy Blythe on piano.

Clara Smith - I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down/You Don't Know My Mind (Columbia, 1924). During "You Don't Know My Mind," I was struck with how amazing it is that music recorded 90 years ago can move me so much.

Memphis Mose (actually Georgia Tom Dorsey with Tampa Red) - Hear Me Beefin' At You/Pig Meat Papa (Brunswick, 1929). In a very nice original Brunswick sleeve.

Some 1950s blues/R & B:

Jay McShann - Hands Off/Another Night (Vee-Jay, 1955). Strongly in an R & B, rather than jazz style.

Kid King's Combo - Banana Split/Skip's Boogie (Excello, 1952 or so)

Roy Brown - Everybody/Saturday Night (Imperial, 1956). Some nice tenor by Mr. Lee.

Little Walter - You're So Fine/Lights Out (Checker, 1953). I had been wanting at least one 78 by the great Walter Jacobs. I come across them occasionally, but they're usually pretty chewed up. This one has the type of even wear typical of a jukebox record. "You're So Fine" was apparently pretty popular in the bar - it's pretty noisy - but the side I like, the slow chromatic harp instrumental "Lights Out," sounds pretty good.

One one early jazz record to end with:

New Orleans Rhythm Kings - Sobbin' Blues/Angry (Gennett, 1923). The side with Jelly Roll, "Sobbin' Blues," has a chip which affects the first three seconds or so; otherwise this one sounds good.

This group contains most of the best of my midwestern finds, but there are more to come.