Don Byas - Savoy Jam Party (The Savoy Sessions)

Side 1:
01) Riffin' And Jivin'
02) Free And Easy - 1 (alt)
03) Free And Easy - 2
04) Worried And Blue
05) Don's Idea - 1 (alt)
06) Don's Idea - 2
07) Savoy Jam Party Part 2
08) Savoy Jam Party Part 1

Side 2:
01) 1944 Stomp
02) What Do You Want With My Heart
03) Bass C Jam
04) Sweet And Lovely
05) White Rose Kick
06) My Deep Blue Dream
07) Byas'd Opinion
08) Candy

Side 3:
01) How High The Moon
02) Donby
03) Byas A Drink
04) I Don't Know Why
05) Danny Boy
06) Old Folks
07) Cherokee
08) September In The Rain

Side 4:
01) Living My Life
02) To Each His Own
03) They Say It's Wonderful
04) Cynthia's In Love
05) September Song
06) St. Louis Blues
07) I Found A New Baby
08) Marie

Savoy Jam Party (Mega)

Savoy Jam Party (Zippy)

We continue our look at early Savoy sides and the NYC club scene with another 2LP set from the "Savoy Sessions" series, this time devoted to a major figure of jazz tenor sax - Don Byas. As with the recently posted "The Changing Face Of Harlem" collection there are outstanding sleevenotes by Dan Morgenstern which provide an outline of the early career of Don Byas and an in depth commentary on the tracks on this double LP set.

Carlos Wesley Byas came from Muskogee, Oklahoma. His musical career followed a path which will be familiar to readers of this blog - local bands in Oklahoma, bigger outfits in the Midwest, then a jump to California where he settled in LA for a while. In 1937 he arrived in New York, had spells with the Don Redman, Lucky Millinder and Andy Kirk bands and in early 1941 he took over the seat vacated by Lester Young in the Count Basie band, although it should be noted that it wasn't a direct substitution as Paul Bascomb (future R&B hero) had briefly occupied the position. Some of Don's work with Basie can be heard on the previous post of "Count Basie and his Orchestra - One o'Clock Jump."

Don left the Basie Orchestra in November 1943 and began the most interesting club-based part of his career, working with small groups on 52nd Street (especially with Coleman Hawkins and Dizzy Gillespie) and jamming at the Harlem clubs of Minton's and Munroe's.

NYC 1944 - Coleman Hawkins, Benny Harris, Don Byas, Thelonious Monk and Denzil Best

You can find a critical account of the recordings of Don Byas, particularly with Basie and then in small group settings between 1944 and 1946 on the excellent Jazz Archeology website. The document is here: http://www.jazzarcheology.com/artists/don_byas_part_1.pdf

This document provides marvellous detail of Don's recording activity both under his own name and as part of groups led by other musicians. The list includes not only official recordings for release on a multiplicity of labels, but also radio broadcasts and "unofficial" recordings by enthusiasts, all of which gives insight into the working life of a top class musician in 1940s New York.

The July 28th 1944 session featured on Side 1 of this collection was Don's first recording session under his own name. The August 1946 session on Side 4 of this collection turned out to be Don's second last recording date in the USA. The following month he recorded 4 sides for Gotham shortly before departing on a European tour with Don Redman. 

Thereafter Europe became the permanent home of Don Byas, a decision which may have caused his importance to be subsequently underestimated by Stateside jazz fans. Whether playing small group swing or alongside boppers, Don was a formidable but tasteful soloist as you can hear on this fine collection.

All The "Savoy Jam Party" 78rpm Releases ... and more:

Disc 1:

Bass-C-Jam / Free And Easy - Don Byas's Swing Shifters - Savoy 524 - October 1944

What Do You Want With My Heart / Don's Idea - Don Byas - Savoy 552 - April 1945 - released as part of the 78rpm album "Tenor Sax Album" (Savoy A-500)

 

Worried And Blue / Riffin and Jivin - Don Byas - Savoy 582 - January 1946 - released as part of the 78rpm album "Tenor Sax Album No. 2" (Savoy S-502)

Savoy Jam Party Part 1 - released on EP "Jam Session At Savoy Vol. 1" - Savoy XP 8077

Savoy Jam Party Part 2 - released on EP "Jam Session At Savoy Vol. 2" - Savoy XP 8078

Alternate takes of "Free And Easy" and "Don's Idea" first released on this LP

1944 Stomp (Just Can't Make Up My Mind) first released on this LP

Sweet And Lovely / White Rose Kick - The Emmett Berry Five - National 9001 - October 1944

Deep Blue Dream / Byas'd Opinions - The Emmett Berry Five - National 9002 - October 1944

Disc 2:

Candy / Byas-A-Drink - Don Byas Quintette - Savoy 574 - February 1946

How High The Moon - Don Byas Quintette / Ko Ko - Charlie Parker's Ri Bop Boys - Savoy 597 - April 1946

The following 6 tracks were recorded on May 17th, 1946 and not in 1945 as stated on the LP sleeve. Note that "Danny Boy" was released as "London-Donnie".

Donby - released on EP "Don Byas - Tenor Sax Solos Vol. 5" - Savoy XP 8039

I Don't Know Why / Cherokee - Don Byas Quartette - Savoy 609 - probably May / June 1946

Vot's Dot - Allen Eager Quartette / September In The Rain - Don Byas Quartette - Savoy 621 - October 1946 - released as part of the 78rpm album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503)

London-Donnie / Old Folks - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 628 - August 1950

The remaining tracks (Side 4) were recorded on August 21st, 1946 as per LP sleeve:

They Say It's Wonderful / Cynthia's In Love - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 625 - September 1950

September Song / St. Louis Blues - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 626 - September 1950 (?)

I Found A New Baby / Marie - Don Byas Quartet - Savoy 627 - September 1950

To Each His Own / Living My Life - Don Byas Quartette - Savoy 640 - September 1946

With thanks to The Internet Archive, The Jazz Disography Project, Bruyninckx, and Billboard. Keep swingin' y'all!

Count Basie and his Orchestra - One o'Clock Jump

Side 1:
01) Going To Chicago Blues
02) You Betcha My Life
03) Down, Down, Down
04) Tune Town Shuffle
05) I'm Tired Of Waiting For You
06) One-Two-Three-O'Lairy
07) Basie Boogie
08) Fancy Meeting You

Side 2:
01) Digging For Dex
02) My Old Flame
03) Fiesta In Blue
04) Tom Thumb
05) Take Me Back, Baby
06) King Joe (Part I)
07) King Joe (Part II)

Side 3:
01) Moon Nocturne
02) Something New
03) I Struck A Match In The Dark
04) Platterbrains
05) All Of Me
06) Feather Merchant
07) Down For Double

Side 4:
01) More Than You Know
02) Harvard Blues
03) Coming-Out Party
04) One O'Clock Jump
05) Blue Shadows And White Gardenias
06) 'Ay Now
07) Basie Blues

One o'Clock Jump (Mega)

One o'Clock Jump (Zippy)

We step back a couple of years from the previous post of early Savoy sides which were mainly recorded in 1944. This time we're having a look at the Count Basie recordings for Columbia / Okeh in 1941-1942. For a selection of 1930s Basie recordings for Decca, see this post -

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2019/01/count-basie-and-his-orchestra-swingin.html

By the time of the recordings on this 2LP set, the Basie band could no longer boast the twin tenor sax threat of Herschel Evans and Lester Young, but their replacements, Buddy Tate and Don Byas, grace the set with numerous excellent solos. The gatefold cover on this set not only has recording and release details, but also lists the solos on each track, so you can follow who exactly is playing what.

Like most of the big swing bands of the time, whether in a dance hall or a theatre, the Basie band would play a set which called for some romantic (or soppy) balladeering which perhaps hasn't worn well with age. Alto sax man Earl Warren warbles in the style of the day on numbers like "Fancy Meeting You" and "I Struck A Match In The Dark" while by way of contrast Jimmy Rushing's timeless blues shouting on numbers such as "Going To Chicago Blues" and "Take Me Back, Baby" has worn much better.

Albert McCarthy's book "Big Band Jazz" has an amusing story about "I Struck A Match In The Dark" which was something of a hit for the band and was a big set piece in their live performances. The lights would be turned down, Earl Warren would step forward to the microphone, sing the opening line, and strike a match. One time at the Apollo, drummer Jo Jones, fed up with the whole farago, soaked the matches in water and the audience in the darkened theatre was treated to the frantic sound of match after match being struck in vain.

A noted feature of this collection is the guest appearance by Paul Robeson on the two part tribute to heavyweight champ Joe Louis, "King Joe." His operatic style is an unusual addition to big band swing.

The big bands were the "nurseries" for a generation of musicians who would go on to feature in small group jazz, bebop, and rhythm and blues through the late 1940s and 1950s. In the Basie group we have Buddy Tate, Don Byas, Tab Smith, Earl Warren and Jimmy Rushing, all of whom would remain substantial names after big band swing ceased to be the most popular style of music. Don Byas in particular was an important participant in the New York club scene from 1943 to 1946 and went on to record some excellent small group sides for the Savoy label. That could be our next post!

Elsewhere On The Blog:

Swingin' The Blues - 1930's Decca sides

The Changing Face Of Harlem (The Savoy Sessions)

Side 1:
01) Twilight In Teheran - Buck Ram All-Stars
02) Morning Mist - Buck Ram All-Stars
03) Swing Street - Buck Ram All-Stars
04) Ram Session - Buck Ram All-Stars
05) Ooh-Wee - Pete Brown Quintette
06) Bellevue For You - Pete Brown Quintette
07) Pete Brown's Boogie - Pete Brown Quintette
08) Moppin' The Blues - Pete Brown Quintette

Side 2:
01) Dance Of The Tambourine - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
02) Uncle Sam's Blues - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
03) Pagin' Mr Page - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
04) I Keep Rollin' On - Hot Lips Page & His Hot Seven
05) I Got What It Takes - Hot Lips Page Band
06) Good For Stompin' - Hot Lips Page Band
07) Lip's Blues - Hot Lips Page Band
08) Blooey - Hot Lips Page Band

Side 3:
01) Honeysuckle Rose - Ben Webster
02) I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster
03) Blue Skies - Ben Webster
04) Run Down - Herbie Fields
05) Nuts To Notes - Herbie Fields
06) Groovin' With Grimes - Tiny Grimes
07) I'll Always Love You Just The Same - Tiny Grimes
08) Romance Without Finance - Tiny Grimes

Side 4:
01) Bye Bye - Miss Rhapsody
02) My Lucky Day - Miss Rhapsody
03) Hey Lawdy Mama - Miss Rhapsody
04) Groovin' The Blues - Miss Rhapsody
05) Smack That Mess - Joe Gregory
06) Dee Dee's Dance - Clyde Hart
07) Little Benny - Clyde Hart
08) Shoot The Arrow To Me Cupid - Joe Gregory

The Changing Face Of Harlem (Mega)

The Changing Face Of Harlem (Zippy)

Founded by local entrepreneur Herman Lubinsky in Newark, New Jersey, in 1942, Savoy Records went on to become one of the USA's most important labels in jazz and R&B. The label didn't really take off until mid 1944 when it started recording musicians from the vibrant club scene in NYC, both from Harlem and 52nd Street. Savoy was one of a number of small labels in the New York area which picked up on the changes taking place in jazz at that time with other examples being Keynote, Blue Note, Beacon, Manor and National.

This two LP set compiles sides mostly recorded in 1944 with the exception of some Herbie Fields sides from May 1945. The dominant style is small group swing with only the faintest hint of the be bop to come with Charlie Parker's appearance on a couple of the Tiny Grimes tracks.

The full line ups on these tracks can be found in the session details on the back cover of this set and fans of R&B or to be more precise, the area where jazz and R&B intersect will be familiar with quite a few of the names including Tiny Grimes, Earl Bostic, Ike Quebec, Ben Webster, Slam Stewart, Hot Lips Page, Don Byas, Jack "The Bear" Parker, heck just read it for yourselves.

Dan Morgenstern's terrific notes both set the scene and provide a running commentary on the tracks and are a model for what such an essay should be. He calls the music here "Harlem jump" which sums it up admirably. These tracks are contemporaneous with the rise to immense popularity of Louis Jordan's brand of jump blues and while they differ slightly from Jordan's style they encapsulate the music scene which would soon give rise to be bop, dynamic small group swing based jazz, and eventually to rhythm and blues.

I've been fascinated for many years by the Savoy Record label, ever since I acquired the cassette "Jumpin' at The Savoy" from the New Musical Express back in the early 1980s. Indeed that cassette was the first music I posted on Be Bop Wino back in September 2007. Follow the trail - there's a working Megaupload link on the post!

Over the years Savoy has featured on numerous posts on the blog, with the most recent example perhaps being a cross-blog collaboration on posting the complete "Savoy Roots Of Rock'n Roll" series. I have a few sets from the "Savoy Sessions" series which concentrates on the jazz side of the label, so you can expect more of these to appear on the blog along with other material from the New York scene of the 1940s.

Billboard, 19th August 1944

Original Issues:

Buck Ram's All Stars:

Swing Street / Twilight In Teheran - Buck Ram's All Stars - Savoy 572 - February 1946

Morning Mist first released on this LP. 

Ram Session first released on LP Savoy MG 9030 "Jam Session At Savoy" in 1953.

Pete Brown Quintette:

Pete Brown's Boogie / Bellevue For You - Pete Brown Quintette - Savoy 522 - August 1944

Ooh-Wee / Moppin' The Blues - Pete Brown Quintette - Savoy 523 - November 1944

Hot Lips Page: 

Uncle Sam Blues / Paging Mr. Page - "Hot Lips" Page's Swing Seven - Savoy 520 - August 1944

Dance Of The Tambourine / I Keep Rollin' On - "Hot Lips" Page's Hot Seven - Savoy 521 - August 1944

Lips Blues / I Got What It Takes - Hot Lips Page and Orchestra (?) - Savoy 529 - (?) 1944 (?)

"Lips Blues" rereleased as "Double-Trouble Blues" on Savoy 700

"Blooey"; "Good For Stompin'" - first released on this LP.

Ben Webster

"Honeysuckle Rose"; "I Surrender Dear"; "Blues Skies" are unissued alternate takes.

I Surrender Dear / Blues Skies - Ben Webster Quartet - Savoy 505 - (?) 1944.

Honeysuckle Rose / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster Quartet - Savoy 506 - (?) 1944

The released versions are on the Savoy 2LP set "The Tenor Sax Album" which will be posted on the blog.

Herbie Fields

Run Down / Camp Meeting - Herbie Fields Hot Seven - Savoy 591 - February 1946

Nuts To Notes first issued on this LP.

Tiny Grimes

Groovin' With Grimes first released on this LP

I'll Always Love You Just The Same; Romance Without Finance are alternate takes of sides released on Savoy 526 (b/w Tiny's Tempo) and Savoy 532 (b/w Red Cross) respectively.

Miss Rhapsody

Bye Bye Baby / My Lucky Day - Rhapsody with June Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 5510 - August 1944

Hey Lawdy Mama / Groovin The Blues - Rhapsody with June Cole's Orchestra - Savoy 5511 - November 1944

Clyde Hart

Smack That Mess / Shoot The Arrow To Me Cupid - Joe Gregory - Savoy 542 - possibly unreleased?

Dee Dee's Dance / Little Benny - Clyde Hart's Hot Seven - Savoy 598 -  May 1946

Elsewhere On The Web

Small Independent Rockin' 45rpm Labels by Apesville has recently completed a project to compile a complete collection of Savoy singles. Start here and work your way through an absolutely gobsmacking series of posts. Sheer heaven for fans of Savoy.