Be Bop Wino Pages

Joan Selects - the complete Joan Selects Collection

Big Ten Inchers - 78rpm rips by El Enmascarado


Attention Mac Users!

Mac users have been experiencing problems in unpacking the WinRAR archives used on this blog. Two solutions have been suggested.

1. Use The Unarchiver - www.theunarchiver.com - see comments on Little Esther Bad Baad Girl post for details.

2. Use Keka - http://www.kekaosx.com/en/ - see comments on Johnny Otis Presents post.

Saturday 25 March 2017

Wild Bill Moore - Swingin' For Pappy























Side 1:
01. Swingin' For Pappy
02. Bubbles
03. Harlem On Parade
04. We're Gonna Rock

Side 2:
01. Bongo Bounce
02. South Parkway Hop
03. Top And Bottom
04. Rocking With Leroy

Download from:

http://www47.zippyshare.com/v/3X0xjjIG/file.html

Notes on the tracks:

"Swingin' For Pappy," "Bubbles," and "Harlem On Parade" were recorded in Detroit on the 21st November 1947. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Wild Bill Moore (tenor sax); Paul Williams (baritone, alto sax); Floyd Taylor (piano); Herman Hopkins (bass); Reetham Mallett (drums).

"We're Gonna Rock," "Bongo Bounce," "South Parkway Hop," "Top And Bottom," and "Rocking With Leroy" were recorded in Detroit on the 18th December 1947. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Wild Bill Moore (tenor sax); Paul Williams (baritone, alto sax); T.J. Fowler (piano); Herman Hopkins (bass); Reetham Mallett (drums).

These 8 sides were originally issued as follows:

Swingin' For Pappy / Bubbles, released on Savoy 662 in January 1948. "Bill Moore And His Band."

We're Gonna Rock / Harlem On Parade released on Savoy 666 in July 1948. "Bill Moore featuring Paul Williams."

South Parkway Hop / Bongo Bounce released on Savoy 690 in March 1949. "Wild Bill Moore Sextette."

Top And Bottom / Rocking With Leroy released on Savoy 717 in November 1949. "Wild Bill Moore."

Wild Bill Moore goes into the annals of rock and roll for his 1947 Savoy recording of "We're Gonna Rock," featuring honkin' and squealin' sax from the man himself, accompanied by a moronic band chant of "we're gonna rock, we're gonna roll," all underpinned by boogie piano from T.J. Fowler and mo' riffin' sax from Paul Williams.

Released in July 1948 this proto-rocker made it into the Billboard top twenty race records chart briefly, thereby constituting Wild Bill's only entry into the national charts, although his previous single "Bubbles" had good sales in certain locations, e.g. number two in The Cash Box's New Orleans chart in March / April 1948 and number one in Chicago. Savoy also had Paul Williams' "35-30" riding high in the Cash Box New Orleans and Chicago charts at the same time.

The Cash Box July 17th 1948





















This homemade compilation has all of Wild Bill's single releases on Savoy, which amounted to only four discs, recorded at two sessions. The Bill Moore story is rather sketchy in places. Wikipedia claims he was born in Detroit but every other source I've looked at gives his place of birth as Houston, Texas, on June 13, 1918. He did spend prolonged periods working in the Detroit area as well as in Los Angeles. His first recording date was in New York in 1944 as a backing musician on a Christine Chatman session for Decca.

In 1945, 1946 and most of 1947 he was involved in a series of recording sessions in Los Angeles. In August 1945 he was part of the Bill Doggett Octet which backed Helen Humes on Philo / Aladdin, a session which produced the smash hit "Be-Baba-Leba." In September he was on a Slim Gaillard session for Queen and in December 1945 he played on an Apollo recording session for blues shouter Duke Henderson. Three and a half years later two sides from this session were released in March 1949 under Wild Bill's name - "Homecoming Blues" (a Duke Henderson vocal) and the instrumental "Boulevard Boogie." The vocal was dated - referring to a return from World War Two - and the instrumental sounded like an arrangement from 1945 rather than 1949.

Wild Bill continued to record in LA through 1946, starting with a Joe Turner session for National on January 23rd in which the backing group was billed as "Bill Moore's Lucky Seven Band." A week later Bill was once more backing Joe Turner for National as part of a group billed as "Joe Turner's All Stars" which also included Russell Jacquet and Camille Howard. In February he was part of a Jack McVea led group at a session for Black & White and later in the same year he backed Helen Humes in a session for the same label.

On July 6th 1947 Wild Bill Moore took part in the "Hollywood Jazz Concert" at the Elks Auditorium on South Central Avenue. This event was organised by promoter Jack Williams as a concert / dance featuring top beboppers Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Sonny Criss and Howard McGhee. Also on the bill was a band featuring Bill Moore and fellow tenor sax man Gene Montgomery. The entire concert was recorded by Ralph Bass with a view to persuading Herman Lubinsky to release extracts on 78 rpm discs on the Savoy label. Bass was particularly impressed by the tenor sax battles between Gordon and Gray and having failed to secure releases on Savoy, released extracts of what were in fact extended jam sessions on his own Bop label.

Along with the Dexter Gordon / Wardell Gray sides, he released extracts from the Wild Bill Moore / Gene Montgomery "Perdido" jam as "Wild Bill Parts 1 & 2" on Bop 103, a disc which was the first to be released under Bill's name. Savoy eventually acquired the Bass masters and released the Wardell Gray / Dexter Gordon tracks in various formats, culminating in the 2LP set "The Hunt." The Wild Bill Moore / Gene Montgomery jam on "What Is This Thing Called Love" eventually emerged on another Savoy 2LP set, "Black California Vol. 2."

Finally Savoy Jazz released a 3CD set in 2004, "Bopland" which featured the complete Elks Auditorium concert including the full 20 minutes of Wild Bill Moore and Gene Montgomery's "Perdido."


Towards the end of 1947 Wild Bill was in Detroit where he recorded the tracks on our featured compilation for Savoy on November 21st and December 18th. At around the same time (November 20th and December 20th) he was recording tracks with Paul Williams which were released as Paul Williams Sextet records. On December 19th he took part in a King Porter (James A. Pope) recording session for the King label.

Bill was involved in further Paul Williams Savoy sessions in Detroit during March 1948, playing on "Waxie Maxie," "The Twister," and "Spider Sent Me." The next Paul Williams session (at which "The Hucklebuck" was recorded) was in December 1948, by which time Bill had left the band.

Things get a bit vague now regarding Bill's session dates for much  of 1948-49. We have already referred to the March 1949 release of two Apollo sides recorded by Bill in 1945 with Duke Henderson. We know that Bill recorded four sides for Modern in LA, possibly some time in 1948. One of the sides "Rock And Roll" was released in June 1949 (Modern 674) and a follow up, "Dubble Bubble" (Modern 687) was released in July 1949.

A Wild Bill disc "Football Boogie" / "Blue Journey" was released on Sensation in November 1949. Discographies usually list this as being recorded sometime around 1954, but obviously with the disc being reviewed in the 19th November 1949 issue of Billboard, this is impossible. The recording session may have been sometime in 1949 and possibly in Detroit.


An interesting point in the review is that "Football Boogie" is described as having "suspiciously loud crowd noises" - obviously inferring that crowd noise had been dubbed in to give the impression that it was recorded live. The version of "Football Boogie" on the Blue Moon CD "Wild Bill Moore The Complete Recordings Volume 2 1948-1955" does not feature any crowd noises. It does have lots of crackling and hissing.

Bill took part in another King Porter session for King on June 7th 1949 in Cincinnati, with "Come On In" / "Battle Axe" being released in January 1950.

Another release during this period was "Steam Heat" / "Wanda Lee Blues" credited to Wild Bill Moore And His Wild Cats on the obscure Alben label. These sides are thought to have been recorded in Detroit in 1948 or 1949.

Bill's recording career becomes easier to trace from late 1949 onwards with a session for Regal in New York on October 26th of that year. On March 3rd 1950 he recorded four sides for King in New York, the resultant two discs being released in May and August 1950 - "Rock Bottom" / "Neck Bones And Collard Greens" and "Hey-Spo-Dee-O-Dee" / "Balancing With Bill." These are four tremendous sides which I first came across on the old Westside CD "Groove Station" - a comp of King and Federal sax instros including Al Sears, Preston Love and Jesse Powell as well as Wild Bill.


There was one more session for King in Detroit in August 1950 which was followed by a hiatus of around 5 years when Bill recorded two sides for Old Town - "Slow Drag" and "Big Bubble" probably around 1955-56.

Like many of his R&B / jazz sax contemporaries, Bill recorded some soul jazz LPs in the early 1960s - "Wild Bill's Beat" and "Bottom Groove" for Jazzland in 1961. In 2009 Concord Music combined both LPs on one CD called "Bottom Groove." It seems to be out of print but you can hear the music on Spotify or YouTube. I was so impressed that I've ordered a second hand copy of the CD.


Bill remained active in music and featured on Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" in 1971. He moved back to California where he died in 1983. By some strange coincidence while I was writing this blog post the latest issue of Blues and Rhythm magazine arrived. It contains a hitherto unpublished 1974 interview with guitarist Pee Wee Crayton and there, on the final page of the article is a photo of Wild Bill Moore on stage with Pee Wee Crayton and Percy Mayfield at a blues festival in 1982. It looks like Wild Bill was still rockin' almost to the very end.

Further listening - Bill's complete 1940s and 1950s recordings were compiled on two Blue Moon CDs in 2004. They are sadly hard to find nowadays, especially Volume 1. If you find copies, grab 'em!



Monday 20 March 2017

Paul Williams And His Hucklebuckers (Savoy MG-15046)




































































Side A:
01. Jockey Jump
02. Rye Boogie
03. Jeep's Blues
04. Paul's Boogie

Side B:
01. Weasel Swing
02. Juice Bug
03. Camp Meetin' Bounce
04. Blowing The Boogie

Download from here:


10 inch vinyl LP released in 1954. All the above scans from www.45worlds.com.

The LP has been "reconstructed" using rips from various sources.

Recording and original release details of the tracks:

"Jockey Jump" was recorded on March 2nd, 1948 in Detroit. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Wild Bill Moore (tenor sax); Paul Williams (baritone sax); Floyd Taylor (piano); Herman Hopkins (bass); Reetham Mallett (drums).

"Jockey Jump" was originally released as "Waxie Maxie" (b/w "Spider Sent Me") on Savoy 670, August 1948. Reached number 11 in Billboard's best selling race records chart, late September 1948.

"Juice Bug" was recorded on November 2nd, 1949 in New York City. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Fred Jackson, Cranford Wright (tenor saxes); Paul Williams (baritone, alto sax); Lee Anderson (piano); Pete Glover (bass); Bill Benjamin (drums).

Originally released as "Juice Bug Boogie" on Savoy 721 (B-Side of "Cranberries") in January 1950.

Label shot: Discogs.com
"Paul's Boogie" and "Camp Meetin' Bounce" were recorded on December 1st, 1949, in Detroit. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Fred Jackson, Cranford Wright (tenor saxes) Paul Williams (baritone, alto sax); Lee Anderson (piano); John Murphy (bass); William Benjamin (drums).

"Camp Meeting Bounce" was originally released on Savoy 734 (B-Side of "What's Happening") in March 1950.

"Paul's Boogie" was originally released on Savoy 758 (B-Side of "Jeep's Blues") in September 1950.

"Jeep's Blues," "Rye Boogie" and "Weasel Swing" were recorded on May 18th, 1950 in New York City. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Joe Alexander, Miller Sam (tenor saxes); Paul Williams (baritone sax); Lee Anderson (piano); John Murphy (bass); William Benjamin (drums).

"Weasel Swing" and "Rye Boogie" were originally released on Savoy 751 in June 1950.


"Jeep's Blues" was originally released on Savoy 758 (b/w "Paul's Boogie") in September 1950.

"Blowing The Boogie" was recorded on 17th December, 1951, in New York City. Personnel: Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Lee Pope (tenor sax); Ted Butler (baritone sax); Paul Williams (baritone, alto sax); Lee Anderson (piano); Sam Jones (bass); Joe Booker (drums).

"Blowin' The Boogie" was originally released on Savoy 831 (b/w "It's All Over Now") in January 1952.


Our look at releases on the Savoy label continues with this 1954 LP of Paul Williams tracks which were recorded between 1948 and 1951. In the late 1940s Savoy had a series of big R&B hits with saxophone instrumentals such as "Bubbles" by Wild Bill Moore, "The Hucklebuck" and "Thirty-Five Thirty" by Paul Williams, "Corn Bread" by Hal Singer and "Deacon's Hop" by Big Jay McNeely.

See the post "Rhythm and Blues Volume 1" for these hits. We'll be looking at some of these sax players again in upcoming posts, including another look at Paul Williams.

Be Bop Wino - your saxsational R&B blog!

Friday 17 March 2017

Illinois Jacquet Vol. 1 (Savoy XP 8068)

Cover shot: birkajazz.com






















Side A:
01. Don't Blame Me
02. Jumpin' Jacquet

Side B:
01. Blues Mood
02. Jacquet In The Box

Download from:



We continue our look at early Savoy sides with this "reconstruction" of a 1954 Illinois Jacquet EP. As with the Ike Quebec EP in the previous post, I've used vinyl rips from a compilation LP along with a cover scan from the Birka Jazz archive. Also just like the previous post, these sides date from the 1940s, so here's the lowdown on the tunes, who, when and other hitherto lost info on these cool sounds!

All 4 tracks were recorded in New York City on the 7th. January 1946. Personnel:

Emmett Berry (trumpet); Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax); Bill Doggett (piano); Freddie Green (guitar); John Simmons (bass); Shadow Wilson (drums).

Jumpin Jacquet / Blue Mood (note spelling on original record label) released on Savoy 593, February 1946. Credited to "Illinois Jacquet and his Tenor Saxophone."

According to a Billboard advert in February 1946, Savoy had a large number of records on release at this time, mostly classified as "Hot Jazz." Artists in this category included Lester Young, Don Byas, Pete Brown, Slam Stewart, Hot Lips Page, Buck Ram's All Stars, Errol Garner, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Johnny Guarnieri. "Race Series" releases were far fewer with only five discs listed, the only major artist in this category being Helen Humes.

"Don't Blame Me" was released on Savoy 620 in August 1946, credited to the Illinois Jacquet All Stars. The B-Side was "Girl Of My Dreams," by the Ike Quebec All Stars.

"Jacquet In The Box" was released on Savoy 910, November 1947. The B-Side was "Jacquet And Coat" (aka "Minor Romp").























This release was part of the Savoy Bop 900 series. Aimed at fans of Be Bop, the series included discs by Leo Parker, Charlie Parker, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Stan Getz and Dexter Gordon.

The two sessions (January 7th and 8th 1946) Illinois Jacquet recorded for Savoy yielded a total of nine sides. These sessions were his only recordings for Savoy. Through 1945, 1946 and up to November 1947 he label-hopped back and forth between Apollo and Philo / Aladdin. In December 1947 he started recording for Victor, with whom he stayed until mid 1950.

See also:

- the Philo / Aladdin sides:



The Victor sides:


http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/illinois-jacquet-king-jacquet.html

Mo' Savoy jazz and R&B posts are in the pipeline. Cool boppin', hot rockin' and solid swingin'! Stay tuned to Be Bop Wino.

Wednesday 15 March 2017

Ike Quebec - Tenor Sax (Savoy XP 8083)

Cover shot: birkajazz.com























Side A:
1. Girl Of My Dreams
2. Jim Dawgs

Side B:
3. Scufflin'
4. I.Q. Blues

Download from here:



This is another "reconstruction" of an original Savoy release - the 1954 EP "Tenor Sax" by Ike Quebec. I've used vinyl rips plus a cover image downloaded from the Birka Jazz archive of vintage album covers. This is a site I highly recommend for its visual feast of covers from "back in the day."

The tracks were recorded in New York on August 7th, 1945. Personnel: Ike Quebec (tenor sax); Johnny Guarnieri (piano); Bill De Arango (guitar); Milt Hinton (bass); J.C. Heard (drums).

Jim Dawgs / I.Q. Blues was released on Savoy 570 in September or October 1945.


Label shots from ebay

"Girl Of My Dreams" was first released as the B-Side of "Don't Blame Me" by Illinois Jacquet on Savoy 620 in August 1946.

"Scufflin'" was first released on this EP.

Savoy Records was founded in Newark, New Jersey in 1942 by Herman Lubinsky. A succession of first class A&R men / producers, plus the proximity of a thriving jazz club scene on New York's 52nd Street, meant that when recording sessions got properly under way in 1944, Savoy had access to top jazz musicians such as Pete Brown, Hot Lips Page, Don Byas, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Tiny Grimes, Johnny Guarnieri and Ike Quebec. Early sessions were produced by Buck Ram, with Teddy Reig joining the company in 1945 and Fred Mendelsohn and Lee Magid joining later. When Savoy expanded its operations to the West Coast they were able to recruit Ralph Bass as producer / A&R man.

The changes which jazz was undergoing in the mid 1940s were reflected in the music put out by Savoy as small group swing shifted to bebop around 1945, and saxophone driven R&B began to dominate the jukeboxes from 1947 onwards.

Ike Quebec's session for Savoy in August 1945 was a one-off as his other small group sides were recorded for Blue Note from 1944-46. "I.Q. Blues" is something of a rerun of his brilliant "Blue Harlem" which he recorded with Tiny Grimes for Blue Note in 1944.

Drug problems saw Ike's career wind down for much of the 1950s but at the close of the decade he was back with Blue Note for whom he recorded a series of classic albums including "Heavy Soul" (with Freddie Roach on organ) and "Blue And Sentimental" (with guitarist Grant Green). Ike Quebec passed away in January 1963, aged 44.

Recommended listening (if you can find it):


"A Proper Introduction To Ike Quebec - Blue Harlem" (Proper CD 2004). 22 tracks including the Savoy session plus all the Blue Note sides recorded in 1944 - 46. Issued in 2004. I managed to find a cheap copy online a couple of weeks ago.

Saturday 4 March 2017

Rhythm and Blues Volume 1 (Savoy LP MG 15008)














































Side A:
01. The Hucklebuck - Paul Williams
02. The Deacon's Hop - Big Jay McNeeley
03. 35-30 - Paul Williams

Side B:
01. Bubbles - Bill Moore
02. Corn Bread - Hal Singer
03. Lights Out - Milton Buckner

Download from here:

http://www48.zippyshare.com/v/UiU25ocr/file.html

Here's a bit of fun for the weekend! This is a "reconstruction" of the Savoy 10 inch LP MG 15008, issued in 1952, although some sources give 1951 as the year of issue. I've been unable to find any reference to this LP in Billboard or The Cash Box, so the exact year remains in doubt.

The front cover was "borrowed" from Discogs.com, and the label shots are from ebay. According to various websites the back cover of this LP was blank. I have the first five tracks of the compilation on a slightly scratched copy of the classic Savoy 2LP set from the 1970's, "The Roots Of Rock'N Roll," so this download contains that authentic crackly vinyl experience. The Milt Buckner track is from a Chronological Classics download from Uncle Gil.

Track details:

1. The Hucklebuck - Paul Williams. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Miller Sam (tenor sax); Paul Williams (baritone, alto sax); Floyd Taylor (piano); Herman Hopkins (bass); Reetham Mallett (drums). Recorded in Detroit, 15th December, 1948.

Released on Savoy 683 (b/w ""Hoppin' John"), January 1949. "The Huckle-Buck by Paul Williams and his Hucklebuckers."

2. The Deacon's Hop - Big Jay McNeeley. Personnel (possibly - opinion varies!): John Anderson (trumpet); John "Streamline" Ewing (trombone); Big Jay McNeely (tenor sax); Bob McNeely (baritone sax); pbly Jimmy O'Brien (piano); Ted Shirley (bass); Leonard "Tight" Hardiman (drums). Recorded in Los Angeles, December 15th, 1948.

Released on Savoy 685 (b/w "Artie's Jump"), January 1949. "The Deacon's Hop by Deacon McNeeley's Blue Jays."

3. 35-30 - Paul Williams. Personnel: John Lawton (trumpet); Walter Cox (tenor, alto sax); Paul Williams (baritone sax); T.J. Fowler (piano); Hank Ivory (bass); Clarence Stamps (drums). Recorded in Detroit, 6th October, 1947.

Released on Savoy 661 (b/w "Come With Me Baby"), December 1947. "Thirty-Five Thirty by Paul Williams Sextette."

4. Bubbles - Bill Moore. Personnel: Phil Guilbeau (trumpet); Wild Bill Moore (tenor sax); Paul Williams (baritone, alto sax); Floyd Taylor (piano); Herman Hopkins (bass); Reetham Mallett (drums). Recorded in Detroit, 21st November, 1947.

Released on Savoy 662 (B Side of "Swingin' For Pappy"), January 1948. "Bubbles by Bill Moore And His Band."

5. Corn Bread - Hal Singer. Personnel: Milt Larkin (trombone); Hal Singer (tenor sax); Wynton Kelly (piano); Franklin Skeete (bass); Heywood Jackson (drums). Recorded in NYC, circa June 1948.

Released on Savoy 671 (b/w "Plug For Cliff"), August 1948. "Corn Bread by Hal Singer Sextette."

6. Lights Out - Milton Buckner. Personnel: Pazzuza Simon (tenor sax); Milt Buckner (piano); Curly Russell (bass); Arthur Herbert (drums). Recorded in NYC, 28th October, 1946.

Released on Savoy 653 (b/w "Raising The Roof"), July 1947. Credited to "The Beale St. Boys" with no mention of any of the performers on the label. The composer credit "A.M. Brunner" was a pseudonym for Savoy owner Herman Lubinsky. "Lights Out" was subsequently reissued on a 45 rpm disc, Savoy 45-797, still credited to The Beale St. Boys. The reverse side of this release was "Corn Bread" by Hal Singer.

"Lights Out" was first credited to Milt Buckner on this LP, and is a terrific late night slow blues instrumental which is similar to Sonny Thompson's "Long Gone." This track was also released as a single on Savoy 1136 in September 1954 under the title "Blue Nights" (b/w "Blue Dreams"), credited to "The Hot Shots." This time round the composer credit was given to "L. Herman," another pseudonym for Herman Lubinsky.

Label shot from Discogs .com
All of the tracks on this LP also appeared spread across two Savoy EPs confusingly titled "Rhythm and Blues Volume 1" and "Rhythm and Blues Volume 2" with the exact same front cover artwork as the LP. The front cover of the  Volume 1 EP was coloured red and that of the Volume 2 EP was coloured blue (see below).

Sleeve shot from Discogs.com
The Volume 1 EP (XP 8049) had the Paul Williams tracks "The Hucklebuck" and "35-30" plus "Bubbles" by Bill Moore and "Corn Bread" by Hal Singer. Volume 2 (XP 8050) had "The Deacon's Hop" by Big Jay McNeely (note that his surname was now spelled without the extra "E") and "Lights Out" by Milton Buckner. The two additional tracks were "Back Biter" by T.J. Fowler and "Cooking With Cookie" by Sir Charles Thompson with Hal Singer on tenor sax.

We may well be digging out more gems from the 1940s Savoy vaults in upcoming posts. Have a groovy weekend!

Thursday 2 March 2017

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Oil Man Blues

Side 1:
01. Kidney Stew Blues
02. Old Maid Boogie
03. Lazy Gal
04. Bonus Pay
05. King For A Day Blues
06. Oil Man Blues
07. Wandering Mind Blues

Side 2:
01. Some Women Do
02. Alimony Blues
03. High Class Baby
04. When I Get Drunk
05. Have You Ever Missed Your Baby?
06. Ever-Ready Blues
07. Wrong Girl Blues

Download from here:


Another homemade comp under the imaginary "Saxophony" label, a tribute to Saxophonograph. This collection of Eddie "Mr Cleanhead" Vinson small group sides (recorded for Mercury) serves as a companion to the Saxophonograph LP "Mr Cleanhead Steps Out" although I have duplicated two tracks from that album - "Kidney Stew Blues" and "Old Maid Boogie."

If you've been following the recent re-ups (and referring back to the original posts) on Cootie Williams and Eddie Vinson, you'll know that Vinson left the Cootie Williams Orchestra in 1945 to start up his own big band which signed up to the new Mercury label. Around the end of 1946 or beginning of 1947 Eddie started to  record sessions with a slimmed down version of the big band, indeed only one session in 1947 featured the larger aggregation, on April 29th, when "Luxury Tax Blues," "Railroad Porter's Blues," and "Gonna Send You Back Where I Got You From" were recorded.

Full details of the small group sessions are given below, plus the release dates of the sides recorded at these sessions.

Eddie's last recording session for Mercury took place at the end of December 1947, a few days before the start of the American Federation of Musicians recording ban. He would not record again until August 1949 when he started recording a dynamite series of small group sides for King (see the "Cherry Red Blues" post).

These Mercury sides are just as good, if not better, than the King sides. They have a more relaxed, easy swinging vibe to them and despite my decades long love of Eddie's King recordings, I've recently become a convert to the attractions of his Mercury material. Download and judge for yourselves.

And now just for Democratic fellows named Mac, it's time to take you right back to the facts on these tracks, Jack!

The Mercury small group sessions:

New York, November 1946 or January 22nd, 1947 -
Eddie Vinson (alto sax; vocals) with: John Hunt (trumpet); Lee Pope (tenor sax); Greely Walton (baritone sax); Earl Van Riper (piano); Leonard "Heavy" Swain (bass); George "Butch" Ballard (drums):

Kidney Stew Blues (Mercury 8028)
King For A Day (Mercury 8060)
Old Maid Boogie (Mercury 8028)

New York, March 6th, 1947 -
Same personnel as on January 22nd session:

Lazy Gal (Mercury 8039)
Bonus Pay (Mercury 8039)

New York, June 26th, 1947 -
Same personnel as on January 22nd session:

When I Get Drunk (Mercury 8090)
Oil Man Blues (Mercury 8067)
Ever-Ready Blues (Mercury 8138)
Wrong Girl Blues (Mercury 8244)
Wandering Mind Blues (Mercury 8067)
Have You Ever Missed Your Baby? (Mercury 8110)

New York, December 22nd, 1947 -
Same personnel as above:

Some Women Do (Mercury 8076)
Alimony Blues (Mercury 8076)
High Class Baby (Mercury 8090)

The following titles were recorded on December 28th, 1947, in New York by the same personnel as above but are not on this compilation. You can find them on the Saxophonograph LP "Mr Cleanhead Steps Out." -

I Took The Front Door In (Mercury 8138)
Friday Fish Fry (instrumental) (Mercury  8110)
Shavetail (instrumental) (Mercury 8244)

Eddie Vinson's small group sides for Mercury were released as follows:

Kidney Stew Blues / Old Maid Boogie (Mercury 8028) released in January or February 1947

Lazy Gal / Bonus Pay (Mercury 8039) released in May 1947

King For A Day Blues / Railroad Porter's Blues (Mercury 8060) released in November 1947

Oil Man Blues / Wandering Mind Blues (Mercury 8067) released in December 1947

Some Women Do / Alimony Blues (Mercury 8076) released in April 1948

High Class Baby / When I Get Drunk (Mercury 8090) released in July 1948

Friday Fish Fry / Have You Ever Missed Your Baby? (Mercury 8110) released in November 1948

 I Took The Front Door In / Ever-Ready Blues (Mercury 8138) released in May 1949

Wrong Girl Blues / Shavetail (Mercury 8244) released in August 1951