Jack McVea & His All Stars - New Deal

We continue our occasional look at the jump blues bands of the 1940s with this Mr R&B LP of tenor sax man and bandleader Jack McVea.

The sleeve notes by Jim Dawson provide an excellent overview of Jack’s career and the background to the tracks on this compilation, which includes the first ever track recorded by the band, backing the sultry Betty Roché on “Rainy Day Blues” in 1944. The tracks are the standard mix of ballads, novelties, blues and boogies, in other words the staple fare of the 1940s jump blues scene. Along with Roy Milton and Joe Liggins, Jack McVea was a pioneer of West Coast jump blues. Like so many of the musicians in these bands he was a veteran of the big band scene, particularly with the Lionel Hampton band between 1940 and 1943. In the interview with Jim Dawson, Jack maintains that it wasn’t just economics that caused the demise of the big bands, it was also down to the more spontaneous nature of the music generated by the small groups who were developing R&B. This collection is a fine insight into a period of rapid change in swing, jazz and R&B.

There is a fair amount of surface noise present on most of the tracks.

Ripped from vinyl at 320kbps.

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New Deal (Mega)

1. My Business Is C.O.D. (v – Estelle Edson)
2. Play It Over
3. Rainy Day Blues (v- Betty Roché)
4. F Minor Boogie
5. It Never Should Have Been This Way (v- Rabon Tarrant)
6. Jack's Boogie
7. Baby Make Up Your Mind (v – Estelle Edson)
8. Butch (v – Arthur Duncan)
9. Two Timin' Baby Boogie
10. Evening (v – Arthur Duncan)
11. Fish For Supper (v – Rabon Tarrant)
12. New Deal
13. Naggin' Woman Blues (v – Rabon Tarrant)
14. You Can Come Back Home (v – Gene Phillips)
15. Tatoe Pie
16. Carlos (v – Rabon Tarrant and Sammy Yates)