Look Out! It’s Louis Jordan And The Tympany Five

Side 1

1. Keep A Knockin'
2. Sam Jones Done Snagged His Britches
3. You Run Your Mouth And I'll Run My Business
4. Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
5. Boogie Woogie Came To Town
6. Saxa-Woogie
7. I Like 'Em Fat Like That
8. They Raided The House

Side 2

1. Ain't That Just Like A Woman
2. Jack, You're Dead
3. Boogie Woogie Blue Plate
4. Look Out
5. Pettin' And Pokin'
6. Junco Partner
7. House Party
8. I Want You To Be My Baby

Here’s a second helping of Louis and like the first it’s a collection which deliberately avoids the biggest hits and serves up a gumbo of not so well known sides.

If you’re a newbie to this kind of jumpin’ jive then that means that there’s no “Caldonia” or “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens” or “Let The Good Times Roll” or “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby” or “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” or “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” or any of the other dozen or so monster smashes which have been well covered by numerous greatest hits compilations during the thirty five years in which I’ve been listening to this kind of music. You’re gonna have to go out and buy that stuff for yourself, but in the meantime enjoy this compilation of obscurer hepcat musings by the great Louis Jordan.

In contrast to our previous post which looked at Louis’ output from 1940 to 1942, this 1983 Charly LP is a career spanning survey of sides he recorded for Decca, kicking off with the old blues “Keep A Knockin’” which he recorded in 1939, and finishing in 1953 with “I Want You To Be My Baby.” Yes, it’s the same “Keep a Knockin’” which Little Richard revived in a particularly manic recording, and you can also get a whiff of Chuck Berry by listening to guitarist Carl Hogan’s intro to “Ain’t That Just Like A Woman” recorded in 1946.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps. Download from here (no password):

http://rapidshare.com/files/1237187426/Look%20Out!%20It's%20Louis%20Jordan.rar

Or here (still no password):

http://www37.zippyshare.com/v/60028876/file.html

 

Check it out:

This 5 CD set on JSP has all the Louis you’ll ever need!

Absolutely vital reading – “Let The Good Times Roll” by John Chilton:

This post on Big Road Blues has interesting stuff on the origins of “Keep A Knockin’”:

http://sundayblues.org/archives/6305

 

And of course here’s a playlist – listen to the transformation from small group swing to jumpin' R&B!

 

Knock Me Out – Louis Jordan

 

 

 

 

Side One

1. A Chicken Ain't Nothing But A Bird
2. Do You Call That A Buddy?
3. I Know You
4. The Two Little Squirrels
5. Pan-Pan
6. St Vitus Dance
7. Brotherly Love
8. How 'Bout That?

Side Two

1. Mama Mama Blues
2. The Green Grass Grows All Around
3. Small Town Boy
4. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
5. The Chicks I Pick Are Slender, Tender And Tall
6. That'll Just 'Bout Knock Me Out
7. It's A Low-Down Dirty Shame
8. Ration Blues

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps. No password.

Download from here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/1018000670/Knock%20Me%20Out.rar

or from here:

http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/22363941/file.html

We continue our jump blues theme with the originator, the pioneer of jump and R&B, the man himself - Louis Jordan. I've always felt a little guilty that Louis hasn't been properly represented on Be Bop Wino apart from a couple of posts in the earliest days of the blog, and these vanished long ago. This 1986 LP features sides recorded by Louis and his backing group, The Tympany Five, between September 1940 and October 1942. Louis had left the Chick Webb Orchestra back in 1938 to strike out on his own, forsaking the big band scene for small group swing which was popular in the clubs of Harlem.

The recordings on this LP are from the period when Louis' band started to break big, graduating from clubs to ball rooms and theatres and enjoying ever increasing record sales on the major label Decca. "I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town" was the B-side of "Knock Me a Kiss" but it was such a big seller that it was promoted to double A-side, and the disc became one of the major hits of 1942. "The Chicks I Pick" and "That'll Just About Knock Me Out" were two more wildly popular releases with jivey vocals and raucous sax breaks that set the pattern for a series of hits which lasted up until the end of the 1940s.

Here's some Louis to listen to - with the emphasis on his blues singing, rather on the light hearted novelties for which he is mostly remembered:

King Perry

 

 

 

 

 

Side One
1 Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket
2 Rocks In My Bed
3 Perry's Wiggle Boogie
4 Hold Your Gold
5 I Am The Blues – Duke Henderson
6 San Quentin Quail – Duke Henderson
7 18th & Vine Street Blues – Duke Henderson
8 Leona's Boogie – Duke Henderson

Side Two

1 Fat Mama
2 Pitching A Party
3 Wait Now
4 Going To California Blues
5 Christopher Columbus
6 Kilroy Was Here
7 Back To Kansas City
8 Things Ain't What They Used To Be

Be Bop Wino returns after a 3 month break. My apologies to those of you who kept visiting the blog in the hope of finding new posts only to find that updating had stopped in mid-May. Unfortunately real life prevented me from keeping the blog going but I’m now able to start posting again.

The next series of LP posts will be on the theme of 1940s / early 1950s jump blues bands. Jump blues is my favourite kind of R&B. Its origins lie in small group swing and the boogie woogie craze of the late 1930s. It forms a link between jazz, swing, and rhythm and blues, and was a big influence on early rock and roll.

We start our jumpin’ and jivin’ LP series with a disc I recently bought second hand over in the West End of Glasgow – a 1986 Krazy Kat LP of sides by Los Angeles based King Perry. This collection is drawn mainly from his period with Excelsior but it should be noted that he also recorded for Specialty, RPM and Dot. Included on the LP are four sides by blues shouter Duke Henderson with King Perry’s band providing backing.

King Perry was a fine vocalist in his own right with a style somewhat similar to that of Tiny Bradshaw. His bands were right, tight and outa sight and although they didn’t have big hits they’re well worth a listen. The sound quality is variable – the disc was scratched and required a bit of TLC. There are good sleeve notes by Australian DJ Professor Hi-Jinx, so there’s no need for me to write any more background info.

 

Here are the download links, no password required:

http://rapidshare.com/files/1518142792/King%20Perry.rar

or

 

http://www15.zippyshare.com/v/95421701/file.html

 

Listen Up!!
 

 

 

1 Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket (Los Angeles, 1948 - Excelsior 522)

2 Rocks In My Bed (Los Angeles, 1948 - Excelsior 522)

3 Perry's Wiggle Boogie (Los Angeles, 1948 - Excelsior 532)

4 Hold Your Gold (Los Angeles, 1948 - Excelsior 532)

5 I Am The Blues (Los Angeles 1947 - Excelsior 505)*

6 San Quentin Quail (Los Angeles 1947 - Excelsior 505)*

7 18th & Vine Street Blues (Los Angeles 1947 - Excelsior 507)*

8 Leona's Boogie (Los Angeles 1947 - Excelsior 507)*

9 Fat Mama (Los Angeles, 1948? - Excelsior 600)

10 Pitching A Party (Los Angeles 1954 - Hollywood 1030)

11 Wait Now (Los Angeles, 1948? - Excelsior 600, vocal - Chuck Norris)

12 Going To California Blues (Los Angeles 1949 - DeLuxe 3126)

13 Christopher Columbus (Los Angeles 1954 - Lucky 45-003)

14 Kilroy Was Here (Los Angeles 1947 - Excelsior 506)

15 Back To Kansas City (Los Angeles 1954 - Hollywood 1030)

16 Things Ain't What They Used To Be (Los Angeles 1954 - Lucky 45-003)

* Duke Henderson