Harlem stride pianists

[mjzee]

Speaking of stride albums with clarinet, I love Eubie's "The Marches I Played on My Ragtime Piano" (20th Century Fox), with Buster Bailey, bass, drums, and Kenny Burrell playing rhythm guitar!

That sounds amazing!

[jeffcrom]

not too good, if it's the one I remember, though it does have what's-his-name on clarinet (drawing a blank, wrote an excellent autobiography and also played bassoon) - for good Lucky, get the session from the late '30s early 40s (jazz-ology?) and the half LP with Willie the Lion.

the original Lambert LPs, by the way, have great, great liner notes by Mike Wellstood. Those notes are a must.

Just listened to the session Allen is talking about - on a CD called Luckey Roberts & Ralph Sutton: The Circle Recordings on Solo Art (a Jazzology label, as Allen thought). It's very good, but I do think that the 1958 Harlem Piano album with Willie the Lion Smith on the other side is even better.

And among the interesting 78s I brought home from my recent Washington vacation is a 12" Victor record by the Victor Military Band playing Luckey's "Music box Rag" from 1915 - very cool.

[Larry Kart]

Speaking of stride albums with clarinet, I love Eubie's "The Marches I Played on My Ragtime Piano" (20th Century Fox), with Buster Bailey, bass, drums, and Kenny Burrell playing rhythm guitar!

That sounds amazing!

Bassist is Milt Hinton, drummer is Panama Francis. Recorded 1959, probably produced by George Avakian. May be available as a download somewhere. Eubie is in great form, as is the whole band. As the title suggests, the material is marches (Sousa, etc.) played in ragtime, which was commonly done back in the day.

[brownie]

Any thoughts on this?

eMusic

It's OK but frankly I was expecting more from a Luckey Roberts session after having enjoyed the 'Luckey and the Lion' album on GoodTimeJazz.

[AllenLowe]

"The reed player would be Garvin Bushell. And Mike Wellstood is a slip for Dick W. "

that's it - I shoulda wrote what I meant not what I thought.

apparently Roberts recorded very little because he was making enough money on songwriting royalties and didn't like the record business. For those Lucky Roberts completists, he also accompanied an old vaudeville team called the Two Black Crows (mighta been white guys). One of those is on some old Folkways thing (and may also be on American Pop, but obviously I cannot remember anything anymore) and his accompaniment sounds like nothing so much as Fats Waller, interstingly enough, though this was before Fats really made a break through so it was probably more the other way around, influence-wise.

Edited July 15, 2010 by AllenLowe

[Christiern]

Check out this young lady.

[flat5]

I like her playing. Her time is not always spot on and sometimes she keeps the pedal down too long making the left hand muddy.

[EKE BBB]

Stride piano master Mike Lipskin's new CD, "Stride Jazz Solos" (Buskirk Productions) is now available directly from Mike's website ( link to ML website ) or from CD Baby ( link to CD Baby ).

Here's the track list (piano solos unless otherwise indicated):

1. Yesterday (John Lennon – Paul McCartney) 4:15

2. Where Are You? (Harold Adamson – Jimmy McHugh) 5:00

3. Sweetie Dear (Joe Jordan) 4:20

4. Snowy Morning Blues (James P. Johnson) 5:14

5. When Sunny Gets Blue (Jack Segal – Marvin Fisher) 4:46

6. Blue Room (Richard Rodgers – Lorenz Hart ) 3:37

7. It Takes a Little More to Score (Mike Lipskin) 2:29.

8. Lover (Richard Rodgers – Lorenz Hart) 3:36

9. Isn't It a Lovely Day (Irving Berlin) 3:37

10. Keep Smoking That Cigar (Mike Lipskin) 3:20

11. Willow Weep for Me (Ann Ronell) 3:07

with Ruby Braff, cornet; George Barnes, Wayne Wright, guitars:

12. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (Ted Koehler – Billy Moll) 2:50

13. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight (Johnson – Creamer) 4:17

14. S'Wonderful (George and Ira Gershwin ) 3:39

Best regards,

Agustín Pérez

Madrid

[EKE BBB]

Here is a copy of an e-mail from Scott E. Brown, the biographer of James P. Johnson.

He seeks information from fans or musicians who saw JPJ in live performance and would like to include personal anecdotes of those performances in his 2nd edition:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am the biographer of James P. Johnson (A Case Of Mistaken Identity- The life and Music of James P. Johnson, Scarecrow press and Rutgers Inst. Of Jazz Studies, 1987). I am wondering if you ever saw James P. in your travels. I am working on a second edition of my biography and making one more effort to find people who saw him play, especially musicians. Thanks so much.

Scott E Brown

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Not sure, but perhaps some of the older forum members may be able to help, even if coming from second-hand sources.

Please, do post your replies here or send me an email to ekebbbapg@yahoo.es

Best regards,

Agustín Pérez

Madrid

[Harold_Z]

Here is a copy of an e-mail from Scott E. Brown, the biographer of James P. Johnson.

He seeks information from fans or musicians who saw JPJ in live performance and would like to include personal anecdotes of those performances in his 2nd edition:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I am the biographer of James P. Johnson (A Case Of Mistaken Identity- The life and Music of James P. Johnson, Scarecrow press and Rutgers Inst. Of Jazz Studies, 1987). I am wondering if you ever saw James P. in your travels. I am working on a second edition of my biography and making one more effort to find people who saw him play, especially musicians. Thanks so much.

Scott E Brown

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Not sure, but perhaps some of the older forum members may be able to help, even if coming from second-hand sources.

Please, do post your replies here or send me an email to ekebbbapg@yahoo.es

Best regards,

Agustín Pérez

Madrid

He may have seen this already but just in case he hasn't - there's a fair amount of JPJ talked about in Max Kaminsky's "My Life In Jazz."

[EKE BBB]

Check out this young lady.

Just received this email from Stephanie Trick. New CD coming, a duo with Paolo Alderighi:

Release of Two for One CD

I'm very excited to announce that the CD I recorded with fellow pianist Paolo Alderighi in March 2012 has finished production and will soon be available! CD Baby has copies and it will soon be available there, plus an order form will shortly be on the CDs page of my website. It can also be purchased at all of my concerts. This is my first four-hands piano album, and both Paolo and I hope you like it! We've created a website for our duo, which you can find at www.paoloandstephanie.com.

Something More, released on October 2011, was excellent!

1. Rosetta (Hines) - 4:32 *

2. Jubilee Stomp (Ellington, arr. Hyman) - 2:37

3. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (Ahlert, Young) - 4:06 *

4. Look Out, Lion, I've Got You! (Mazetier) - 3:46 **

5. You Took Advantage of Me (Rogers, Hart)/Takin' a Chance on Love (Duke, Latouche, Fetter) - 7:11 *

6. Honky Tonk Train Blues (Lewis) - 3:26 *

7. In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (Van Alstyne, Williams) - 5:10

8. The Minor Drag (Waller, arr. Hyman) - 2:57 *

9. These Foolish Things (Strachey, Maschwitz) - 5:44 *

10. Valentine Stomp (Waller) - 3:36

11. Tango Seville (Mazetier) - 3:32 **

12. Passionette (Smith) - 2:54

13. Two Sleepy People (Carmichael, Loesser) - 3:51 *

14. Black Beauty (Ellington) - 3:22 *

15. Keep Your Temper (Smith, arr. Lambert and Mazetier) - 4:04

* Trio with Danny Coots (drums) and Jay Hungerford (bass)

** Duo with Danny Coots

[EKE BBB]

As stated in Jan Evensmo's 'Donald Lambert Solography', it could be Donald Lambert backing Mabel Garrett on the film 'Veiled Aristocrats' from 1932:

It is true that most of the surviving pictures of Donald Lambert are from years later than 1932 (and I am not a good physiognomist either), but I would not say it’s The Lamb playing piano on screen.

 

 

[EKE BBB]

The Lion in Paris on 29 November 1965 at the L'Ecole Normale de Musique, playing Relaxin', Tea For Two and Carolina Shout.

Broadcast on French TV on 13 March 1966.

Courtesy of Stephen Taylor; uploaded just a few days ago.

 

[Ken Dryden]

I asked the producer of the Willie The Lion Smith documentary why there weren't more complete performances in the film and he told me that after Ken Burns' Jazz the asking price for the use of jazz videos skyrocketed.

[Ted O'Reilly]

Has anyone mentioned "Grand Piano" by Willie 'The Lion' Smith with Don Ewell? I was at the session in Toronto, back in 1967.  It was produced by a jazz fan/critic, Patrick Scott and first issued on LP as Exclusive 501.  John Norris re-issued it as Sackville LP2004.

It found light as a CD as part of a 2-disc set of 3 LPs by Claude Hopkins ("Soliloquy" Sackville LP3004) and Sir Charles Thompson ("Portrait Of A Piano" Sackville LP3037).  That issue was Sackville SK2CD-5011.  Sackville was sold to Delmark, but I have no idea of its current availability.  Both the Hopkins and Thompson efforts are good, but the Smith/Ewell is really fine!

[medjuck]

IIRC  at the same time as the Smith/Ewell cd was made there was a CBC TV program made with them performing.  I interviewed The Lion  at that time (I'm embarrassed to say I didn't really understand his significance at the time).  That program may still be in the CBC archives.  

[Ted O'Reilly]

3 hours ago, medjuck said:

IIRC  at the same time as the Smith/Ewell cd was made there was a CBC TV program made with them performing.  I interviewed The Lion  at that time (I'm embarrassed to say I didn't really understand his significance at the time).  That program may still be in the CBC archives.  

You're right.  Don Ewell was spending 7 months playing solo at a Toronto club, the Golden Nugget, and a regular listener was one David Gillman, who had produced jazz concert in the mid-1940s, including some with The Lion, according to the liner notes by the original LP producer, Patrick Scott.

He wrote  "Thus it came to pass, in the summer of '66, that The Lion and Ewell came face to face, over a couple of grand pianos in a Toronto TV studio, to join hands and minds and spirits in a recital of duets that Gillman packaged for subsequent showing by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation."

That adds some confusion, as it would seem that Gillman might own the rights rather than CBC.  Besides, let me tell you it's almost impossible to get anything out of the CBC archives.  They follow original contracts to the letter, and one would almost need clearances from The Lion and Ewell themselves...

[EKE BBB]

This 2016 CD, produced by his mate and stride master Louis Mazetier and issued by French label Black&Blue, is a very relevant addition to François Rilhac's very reduced output as a leader: only four commercial albums released under his name.

On top of that, we have his contribution to discs by clarinetist Maxime Saury, Joel Lacroix Jazz Orch, Jean Loup Longnon Big Band, Marcel Zanini's groups, Buster Benton, Bert De Kort & his Dutch Dixieland Pipers and Gilbert Leroux Washboard groups, with some piano solo features.

Edited October 20, 2020 by EKE BBB

[EKE BBB]

No more and no less than 5 hours of unissued Lamb. Taped by Mike Lipskin in 1960 and digitalised by our own Jordi Suñol:

 

[jazz man]

On 10/10/2003 at 7:14 AM, EKE BBB said:

Re: Willie The Lion Smith

 

Is there any way - apart from Classics 1938/40 - to get his famous Commodore 1939 solos on CD?

 

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre600/e606/e60626d9ma2.jpg

I'm currently looking for a good cd of his Commodore recordings. Does anyone know how the sound quality is on this one?