Stuff Smith & Robert Crum - 1944

[The Mule]

Literally just picked this up in the used bins and it is an oddity--a series of improvised duets between jazz violinist Stuff Smith and 20th Century classical pianist/composer Robert Crum. Subtitled "The Complete 1944 Rosenkrantz Apartment Transcription Duets," this is part of a series of private recordings of Smith issued by the AB Fable label.

The sound, while a little rough, is surprisingly good for this sort of thing. Much better than most of the privately recorded Tristano sessions available.

The music is fascinating part-swing, part classical, and part Third Stream-ish at times. Crum even does a little boogie-woogie if you can believe that!

The liners have an intriguing photo of a jam session in Chicago from 1943 with Crum, Smith, and Bud Freeman among the band...

Anybody else know about these recordings?

[DrJ]

Whoah! I know NOTHING of these but they sound really interesting! Hope others will chime in.

[The Mule]

Evidently, Crum is a somewhat obscure figure born in Pittsburgh in 1915. Conservatory-educated in Paris, he tried to get work scoring motion pictures (the liners mention some "dispute" with Max Steiner over the theme to the film GARDEN OF ALLAH). Seems he had a "classical take on boogie woogie" (according to the liner notes) and played jazz clubs in Chicago. He took lessons with Meade Lux Lewis and worshipped Art Tatum.

Crum met Smith in Chicago through Dorothy Farrell, Smith's companion, and followed him to New York where these sessions took place.

I've also found a few interesting quotes from Billy Taylor who witnessed these guys play together and remarked how ahead of their time they were.

Other than what's in the liners, I can't find much else on Crum...

Found a brief review here in "Strings" magazine: Smith & Crum

And here's the record label web-site: AB Fable (scroll down for the description of the cd)

Edited July 14, 2003 by The Mule

[jazzbo]

Great find!