Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra - Leapin' With Lionel

I posted "Leapin' With Lionel" on the very earliest incarnation of Be Bop Wino, but an exploding hard drive, the end of upload sites like rapidshare and megaupload, and the takedown of Be Bop Wino Version 1 caused this fine LP to be absent from the blog for about 7 years. It would be impossible to have a vintage R&B blog without Hamp, so here he is again after a long exile. I've re-ripped the LP and re-scanned the cover and labels, so even if you downloaded the tracks first time round, it would still be worth your while to download the new, improved version.

And what an LP this is! It's loaded with tracks from the 1940's when Hamp's big band was a major player in the rise of R&B. A look at the players who passed through the sax section is like reading a who's who of wild R&B honkers with a goodly selection of red hot jazzers thrown into the mix: Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet, Jack McVea, Arnett Cobb, Al Sears, Johnny Griffin, Jackie Kelso, Morris Lane, Johnny Sparrow, Johnny Board, Gene Morris, and Curtis Lowe. Also aboard are Joe Morris, Irving Ashby, Joe Comfort, Charles Mingus, Albert Ammons and Wes Montgomery. If that doesn't float yer boat then I don't know what will.

Full band line ups are detailed at the end of Fred Dellar's sleevenotes. The sides were recorded between May 1942 and December 1949. The selection kicks off with the band's first big hit "Flying Home" which Hamp had written with Benny Goodman (and Charlie Christian?) when he was with Goodman's sextet in 1939. The 1942 version features the famous sax solo by Illinois Jacquet which is often credited with kicking off the trend towards the honking and screeching tenor sax playing which became such an integral part of the R&B of the 1940s and 50s. I tend to go with his maniac performance on "Blues" in the first Jazz At The Philharmonic concert a couple of years later as being the real birth of honk.

There are more big hits in the tracklist including "Hamp's Boogie Woogie", Beulah's Boogie", "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" and "Rag Mop." See accompanying notes below for what was hot and what was not.

The biggest seller was "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop." For an alternative account of the origins of this number see the post on Big Jim Wynn.  Let's just say that "Be Baba Leba" by Helen Humes had been recorded and hit the charts months before Hamp and Curley Hamner came up with the very similar "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop." Just as an aside Tina Dixon claimed the copyright on "Be Baba Leba" as she had been performing it live before Helen Humes recorded it. In January 1946 Dixon's agent sold the copyright to Charlie Barnet, just as Hamp's "Hey! Ba-Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" came out. I have no idea what Barnet's thoughts were as the Hamp opus eclipsed all other versions. That's showbiz.

Side 1:
1 - Flying Home No 1
2 - Flying Home No 2
3 - Hamp's Boogie-Woogie, No 1
4 - Tempo's Boogie
5 - Beulah's Boogie
6 - Slide, Hamp, Slide
7 - Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop
8 - Rockin' In Rhythm Parts 1 and 2

Side 2:
1 - Air Mail Special Parts 1 and 2
2 - Cobb's Idea
3 - Hamp's Walkin' Boogie
4 - Red Top
5 - Midnight Sun
6 - Hamp's Boogie-Woogie No 2
7 - Beulah's Sister's Boogie
8 - Rag Mop

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Here are the facts, Jack, on every track!

Side 1
1 - Flying Home No 1 - recorded May 26th 1942. Released on Decca 18394
Number 3 on Billboard's Harlem Hit Parade, May 15th, 1943.

2 - Flying Home No 2 - recorded March 2nd 1944. Released on Decca 23639
Billboard, September 21st 1946: "... band packs a powerhouse into the side, with Alvin (sic) Cobb's tenor sax solo keeping pace with the standard set by Illinois Jacquet in the original cutting. No mistaking the Hampton jump designs here, and spinning is on the terrific side for the jump set."

3 - Hamp's Boogie-Woogie, No 1 - recorded March 2nd 1944. Released on Decca 18613, July 1944.
Number 1 in the Harlem Hit Parade, September 9th, 1944. Louis Jordan's "G.I. Jive" was number 2.

4 - Tempo's Boogie - recorded October 16th 1944. Released on Decca 18910, July 1946.
Billboard tip, August 3rd, 1946 - "With beaucoup vibe work, phono fans will take some to 'Tempo's Boogie.'"

5 - Beulah's Boogie - recorded May 21st 1945. Released on Decca 18719
Billboard November 8th 1945: "unlike most originals this Hampton by Hampton is really swell stuff. It's something to write home about in ledger black ink. Beulah and Hampton are both okay, even in conservative spots." Number 2 on Billboard's Most Played Juke Box Race Records chart, December 22nd, 1945. Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" was number 1. Number 3 on February 9th, 1946. Louis Jordan's "Buzz Me" was number 1.

6 - Slide, Hamp, Slide
7 - Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop - tracks 6 and 7 recorded December 1st 1945. Both issued on Decca 18754, January 1946. "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" became a huge seller, reaching number 9 in the pop charts and dominating the race charts for over half a year. Billboard review of "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" on February 9th, 1946:
"Chalk this one up as no.1 played (best seller) race disk right now, and it should also prove big with Hamp's fans in any kind of nabe in retail sales, or any location. Tune, penned by Hamp and Curly Hamner, is a jive natch, and the Hampton band, plus a vocal by the maestro, sell it right up to the hilt. You'll be hearing plenty of cats yelling 'Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop.'"

8 - Rockin' In Rhythm Parts 1 and 2 - recorded January 29th, 1946. Released on Decca 24415, April 1948. Billboard review, May 8th 1948: "Hamp takes the Ellington oldie over the coals for two sides, with Part 1 stacking up as the juke bet with its Hamp and wild sax solos, raucous band and heavy handed rhythm."

Side 2
1 - Air Mail Special Parts 1 and 2 - recorded January 31st, 1946. Released on Decca 18880, June 1946. Billboard, June 29th, 1946: "It's a field day for the hot horns in the Hampton household. But instead of re-bopy, it's a speed jam special for Benny Goodman's familiar 'Air Mail Special' stomper. Instrumental stars play it hot and heavy for both sides with the maestro's own vibe hammerings stealing the solo spotlight. The B-side, with beaucoup vibes and hot tenoring, provides more steam for the phono spin."

2 - Cobb's Idea - recorded January 31st, 1946. Unissued on Decca. Arnett Cobb recorded a different version with a small group for Apollo Records on May 13th, 1947, which was released on Apollo 772, September 1947.

3 - Hamp's Walkin' Boogie - recorded September 17th, 1946. Released on Decca 23839, along with "Ridin' On The L & N" and released February 1947.

4 - Red Top - recorded November 7th, 1947. Released on Decca 24281 in January 1948. Billboard, 17th January 1948:"Tastiest, cleanest Hamp instrumental in some time. Good riff, solos, cleffing." B-side was "Giddy-Up."

5 - Midnight Sun - recorded November 10th, 1947. Released on Decca 24429  and also as part of the May 1948 Decca album "New Movements In Be-Bop" which consisted of 4 Hampton 78 rpm singles.

6 - Hamp's Boogie-Woogie No 2 - recorded January 28th, 1949. Released on Decca 24607 with "New Central Avenue Breakdown" on other side.

7 - Beulah's Sister's Boogie - recorded January 28th, 1949. Released on Decca 24699 in August 1949. Other side was "Wee Albert." Both sides feature Albert Ammons on piano.

8 - Rag Mop - recorded December 29, 1949. Released on Decca 24855 in January 1950. Other side was "For You My Love." Billboard February 15th, 1950 - disc is number 12 in the best selling Rhythm and Blues chart and number 5 in most juke box plays for R&B records. On May 20th disk is still in juke box chart at number 4.

Recommended purchase:

Properbox 12 - "The Lionel Hampton Story". A 4 CD set covering his small group sides recorded for Victor 1937 - 1940 (CD1) plus 3 CDs covering the Decca big band sides from 1942 - 1949. Includes terrific booklet by Joop Visser. Might be getting hard to get, so hurry, hurry!

Dance The Rock & Roll (Atlantic LP 8013)

Side 1

1. Willis Jackson - Gator's Groove

2. Chuck Calhoun - Hey Tiger

3. Tommy Ridgley - Jam Up

4. Arnett Cobb - Flying Home Mambo

5. Joe Morris - Wow!

6. Arnett Cobb - Mr Pogo

7. Frank Culley - Gone After Hours

Side 2

1. Arnett Cobb - Light Like That

2. Joe Morris - Weasel Walk

3. Frank Culley - Culley Flower

4. Willis Jackson - Rock! Rock! Rock!

5. Frank Culley - Hop 'N' Twist

6. Chuck Calhoun - Barrel House

7. Tiny Grimes - Midnight Special

LP cover from the PopBopRockTilUDrop blog.

LP originally released in 1958

Download from:

Dance The Rock & Roll (Mega)

Ah yes, there's nothing like a bit of rock 'n' roll exploitation to bring in the money, and here's as fine an example as any, although with a lot more class than budget label "Hen Gates" albums. Atlantic Records, despite being the premier R&B label in the land, wasn't above recycling its back catalogue under a slightly misleading cover. They even had a Ray Charles twist album, and to describe the tracks on "Dance The Rock & Roll" as, well, rock 'n' roll, was surely stretching things a bit.

That said, from a 21st century perspective this is a fine collection of R&B sax tracks. They date from 1948 through to 1955. No doubt some of them could be considered to be genuine rock 'n' roll or as near as dammit, but Tiny Grimes, Joe Morris and Frank Culley surely don't come under that description. Fifty six years later, however, arguing over which tracks can be described as R&B, rock 'n' roll, or even jazz just doesn't seem to matter any more. It's a cracking collection of New York Big Beat Honk with, as well as the credited artists, Hal Singer, Sam "The Man" Taylor, Red Prysock, Lee Allen (on temporary transfer from New Orleans) and Johnny Griffin on board. "Chuck Calhoun" is the pseudonym of Jesse Stone who was very much the creator of the backbeat based Atlantic sound of the 1950s.

This is a reconstruction of the original LP. Twelve of the fourteen tracks are from the "Atlantic Honkers" double LP set. The exceptions are the Tiny Grimes and Tommy Ridgley tracks which are from the first two volumes of the double LP series "Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947 - 1974." The cover is from the admirable PopBopRockTilUDrop blog. It is probably the worst designed LP cover in the entire history of recorded music, but don't let that put you off. Download this latest episode of the Big Beat Honkfest and play loud, loud, loud!

The tracks:

1. Willis Jackson - Gator's Groove

2. Chuck Calhoun - Hey Tiger

3. Tommy Ridgley - Jam Up

4. Arnett Cobb - Flying Home Mambo

5. Joe Morris - Wow!

6. Arnett Cobb - Mr Pogo

7. Frank Culley - Gone After Hours

8. Arnett Cobb - Light Like That

9. Joe Morris - Weasel Walk

10. Frank Culley - Culley Flower

11. Willis Jackson - Rock! Rock! Rock!

12. Frank Culley - Hop 'N' Twist

13. Chuck Calhoun - Barrel House

14. Tiny Grimes - Midnight Special

Recording details:

Willis Jackson (tenor sax) - "Gator's Groove" and "Rock! Rock! Rock!" recorded in NYC on May 23rd, 1952. Rest of personnel unknown. "Rock! Rock! Rock!" originally released on Atlantic 976. "Gator's Groove" originally issued on Atlantic 975.

Chuck Calhoun and his Atlantic All-Stars - "Hey Tiger" and "Barrel House" recorded in NYC on 24th June, 1955. Personnel: Jesse Stone, aka "Chuck Calhoun" (leader, arranger); Hal Singer, Sam "The Man" Taylor (tenor saxes); Mickey Baker (guitar), rest unknown. Both sides originally released on Atlantic 1120.

Tommy Ridgley - "Jam Up" recorded in NYC, August 8th 1954. Personnel: Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); rest unknown. Originally released on Atlantic 1039.

Arnett Cobb - "Mr Pogo" recorded NYC, 19th April, 1954. Personnel: Ed Lewis (trumpet); Al Grey (trombone); Arnett Cobb (tenor sax); Charlie Ferguson (tenor and baritone saxes); George Rhodes (piano); Walter Buchanan (bass); Al Walker (drums); Bill Sanford (arranger). Originally released on Atlantic 1042.

"Light Like That" and "Flying Home Mambo" recorded in NYC on January 19th, 1955. Personnel same as for "Mr Pogo". Both sides originally released on Atlantic 1056.

Joe Morris - "Wow!" recorded in NYC on September 19th, 1948. "Weasel Walk" recorded in NYC on December 22nd, 1948. Personnel on both tracks:  Joe Morris (trumpet); Matthew Gee (trombone); Johnny Griffin (tenor sax); Bill McLemore (baritone sax); Elmo Hope (piano); Percy Heath (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums). Both sides originally released on Atlantic 870.

Frank Culley - "Hop 'n' Twist" (aka "Fish Tail") recorded in NYC, September 1949. Personnel: Frank Culley (tenor sax); Harry Van Walls (piano); rest unknown. Originally released on Atlantic 902.

"Gone After Hours" recorded in NYC, August 12th, 1950. Personnel as for "Hop 'n' Twist." Originally released on Atlantic 922.

"Culley Flower" recorded in NYC on 27th February, 1951. Personnel: Wallace Wilson (trumpet); Walter "Phatz" Morris (trombone); Frank Culley (tenor sax); Randy Weston (piano); Count Edmondson (bass); Connie Kay (drums). Originally released on Atlantic 935.

Tiny Grimes - "Midnight Special" (aka "See See Rider") recorded in Cleveland on May 1st, 1948. Personnel: The Tiny Grimes Quintet -  Red Prysock (tenor sax); Jimmy Saunders (piano); Tiny Grimes (guitar), Ike Isaacs (bass); Jerry Potter (drums). Originally released on Atlantic 865 (B side of "Annie Laurie"). 

Cocktails For Two / Walkin' Home - Arnett Cobb (Okeh 6823)

Personnel: Willie Moore (trumpet); Dickie Harris (trombone); Arnett Cobb (tenor sax); Johnny Griffin (baritone sax); George Rhodes (piano); Walter Buchanan (bass); Al Walker (drums).
Recorded in New York, August 7th, 1951. Released in early October 1951.

Listen to "Cocktails For Two"

Listen to "Walkin' Home"

Billboard review from 6th October, 1951:

"Walkin' Home" - "Cobb's sharp combo drives fluidly through an easy riffer akin to "Smooth Sailing." The leader blows up a mess of tenor. There's as much jazz appeal here as there is danceability for juke players."

"Cocktails For Two" - "Group opens and closes with a pulsing Latin beat and swings out in between with Cobb's tenor pulsing all the way. A fine disking, well recorded, which could stimulate action."

Arnett Cobb belongs to the legion of legendary Texas tenormen. Born in Houston in 1918, Cobb started out in the local bands of Frank Davis and Chester Boone from where he was recruited in 1936 by Milt Larkin who led an aggregation which soon achieved a formidable reputation throughout the Southwest territory and beyond. Larkin's reed section featured Cobb and Tom Archia on tenor sax and Illinois Jacquet and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson on alto. Jacquet left in 1939, moving to California where he eventually joined the new Lionel Hampton big band on tenor sax. Vinson left at the turn of 1941/42 to join the Cootie Williams Orchestra after Cootie had attempted to lure Arnett Cobb away from Larkin.

Count Basie also tried to sign Cobb who remained with the Larkin outfit until 1942 when he replaced Illinois Jacquet (who had joined the Cab Calloway Orchestra) in Lionel Hampton's band. Cobb's big, big toned tenor was heard to brilliant effect in Hamp's 1944 version of "Flying Home", known as "Flying Home No. 2." Other showcases for Cobb included "Cobb's Idea" and "Adam Blew His Hat."

In early 1947 Arnett Cobb left the Hampton orchestra, formed his own small combo and signed for Apollo Records. His best selling disc for that label was a two part version of "When I Grow Too Old To Dream," the first part being an affecting instrumental while the second part featured exaggeratedly hep vocals. Arnett's career came to a temporary halt in early 1948 due to a failed spinal operation. He didn't start recording again until September 1950 when he began a two year stint with Columbia and its Okeh subsidiary. His most successful release at this time was "Smooth Sailing" from his first Columbia session. In 1953 he moved to Mercury Records, in 1954 - 55 he had three releases on Atlantic and in early 1956 he cut "No Dues" / "Slats" for Vee-Jay.

Swingin' Cobb - William Gottlieb collection

His name misspelled in lights - William Gottlieb collection

Misfortune intervened again, this time in the shape of a crash while driving the band bus. Arnett's injuries kept him from recording for three years and forced him to use crutches for the rest of his life. However in 1959 he resumed his recording career with jazz label Prestige,  recording a series of albums (1959 - 60) which included a powerhouse set with Lockjaw Davis. He continued to record until the year before his death in 1988.

With thanks as ever to El Enmascarado for his sterling work in reviving this 78 rpm disc.

Recommended listening for Arnett's early small group sides - "A Proper Introduction To Arnett Cobb - The Wild Man From Texas" (Proper Intro CD 2070).

Swingin' Saxophones Volume 2

Side One
1. Breaking The Blues - James Moody
2. No Dues - Arnett Cobb
3. Cozy's Beat - Cozy Eggleston
4. Red Top - Gene Ammons
5. Serenade - Earl Bostic
6. Harlem Nocturne - Willis Jackson

Side Two
1. A La Carte - Roland Kirk
2. Groovin' - Illinois Jacquet
3. Fuzzy - Gene Ammons
4. Weary Blues - Illinois Jacquet
5. The Way You Look Tonight - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
6. Triple Threat - Roland Kirk

At last, a follow-up to “Swingin’ Saxophones” on the mysterious Saarland based “Bop und Rhythm” label has arrived in my inbox. There was obviously a gap of a few years between the issues, with the second volume covering tracks recorded between 1950 and 1956, a period when the swing era was receding into the past, thus perhaps rendering the title of the LP somewhat anachronistic (translation – outta time).

Our compiler was obviously a fan of the “big hitters” of the saxophone and wasn’t too concerned about any differentiation between jazz and r&b. In fact you can dance to most of the tracks on here. Let’s call it juke box jazz. Not so much an album, more a state of mind.

There are no discographical details on the cover, but I’ve done a bit of research and listed the date of recording, personnel and original release of each track below. It’s obviously a bootleg, judging by the background noise on most tracks, but sound quality is good. Download and groove to these hiptastic vibes. Or just click your fingers by the virtual juke box.

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Swingin' Saxophones Volume Two (Mega)

1. Breaking The Blues by James Moody was recorded in Chicago in November 1956. Personnel: Johnny Coles (tp); William Shepherd (tb); James Moody (ts); Numa "Pee Wee" Moore (bar); Jimmy Boyd (p); John Lathan (b); Clarence Johnson (d)
Originally released on Argo LP 603, “Flute ‘n’ the Blues.”

2. No Dues by Arnett Cobb was recorded in Chicago on February 17th 1956. Personnel: Ed Lewis (tp); Al Grey (tb); Arnett Cobb (ts); Harold Cumberbatch (bar,as); Lloyd Mayers (p); Jimmy Mobley (b); Al Jones (d)
Originally released on Vee-Jay 190.

3. Cozy's Beat by Cozy Eggleston was recorded in Chicago on August 23rd, 1952.
Personnel: Marie Eggleston (as); Cozy Eggleston (ts); Jimmy Boyd (p); Ellis Hunter (g); Curtis Ferguson (b) Chuck Williams (d)
Originally released on States 133.

4. Red Top by Gene Ammons was recorded in Chicago on April 15th, 1953.
Personnel: John Coles (tp); Lino Murray (tb); Gene Ammons (ts); Mack Easton (ts,bar); John Houston (p) unknown (g); Benny Stuberville (b); George Brown (d)
Originally released on United 149.

5. Serenade by Earl Bostic was recorded in New York on March 23rd, 1950.
Personnel: Earl Bostic (as); Count Hastings (ts); Gene Redd (vib); Clifton Smalls (p); Al Casey (g); Kester Betts (b); Joe Marshall (d)
Originally released on King 4369.

6. Harlem Nocturne by Willis Jackson was recorded in New York on July 9th, 1951.
Personnel: John H Russell (tp); Walter “Phatz” Morris (tb); Otis Sutton (as, bar); Willis Jackson (ts); Jimmy Evans (p); Leonard Swain (b); Emmanuel Sims (d)
Originally released on Atlantic 946.

7. A La Carte by Roland Kirk was recorded in New York on November 9th, 1956.
Personnel: Roland Kirk (ts); James Madison (p); Carl Pruitt (b); Henry Duncan (d)
Originally released on the King LP “Triple Threat”, King LP539

8. Groovin' by Illinois Jacquet was recorded in New York on May 24th, 1951.
Personnel: Illinois Jacquet (ts); Hank Jones (p); John Collins (g); Gene Ramey (b); Art Blakey (d)
Originally released on Clef 8968.

9. Fuzzy by Gene Ammons was recorded in Chicago on April 15th, 1953.
Personnel: John Coles (tp); Lino Murray (tb); Gene Ammons (ts); Mack Easton (ts,bar); John Houston (p) unknown (g); Benny Stuberville (b); George Brown (d)
Originally released on United 185.

10. Weary Blues by Illinois Jacquet was recorded in New York on May 24th, 1951.
Personnel: Illinois Jacquet (ts); Hank Jones (p); John Collins (g); Gene Ramey (b); Art Blakey (d)
Originally released on Clef 8968

11. The Way You Look Tonight by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis was recorded in Cincinnati on August 16th, 1955.
Personnel: Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (ts); Doc Bagby (org); Charlie Rice (d)
Originally released on King 4904.

12. Triple Threat by Roland Kirk was recorded in New York on November 9th, 1956.
Personnel: Roland Kirk (ts); James Madison (p); Carl Pruitt (b); Henry Duncan (d)
Originally released on the King LP “Triple Threat”, King LP539

Swingin' Saxophones

Side One
1. Cotton Tail - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
2. Flying Home No 2 - Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra
3. Honeysuckle Rose - Ben Webster
4. Blowing The Blues Away - Billy Eckstine & His Orchestra
5. Lunatic - John Hardee
6. IQ Blues - Ike Quebec

Side Two
1. Riffin' At 24th Street - Illinois Jacquet
2. I'm Confessin' - Lester Young
3. The Spider - Joe Morris
4. Long Tall Dexter - Dexter Gordon
5. Hot In Harlem - Tiny Grimes
6. Cole Slaw - Frank Culley

My thanks to the anonymous donor who sent in this comp. It’s a good collection of 1940s tenor sax sides, beginning with some big band swing, and ending with some jazzy R&B combos via detours into boppish small group jazz. However you want to label it, it makes for some mighty fine listening. In fact never mind the label thing, just call it good music.

The sleeve notes are pretty uninformative as you would expect from a bootleg. I’ve looked up the recording details of all the tracks on the LP and listed them at the end of the post. Ben Webster is the soloist on “Cottontail,” Arnett Cobb is on “Flying Home No. 2” and Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons serve up an early example of a tenor sax “chase” on “Blowing The Blues Away.”

On Side Two, Johnny Griffin delivers the most frantic performance of the set on “The Spider” while Red Prysock is the tenor man on “Hot in Harlem.” Ike Quebec’s “I.Q. Blues” on Savoy is really just another version of “Blue Harlem” which he had previously recorded for Blue Note in July 1944. I think I actually prefer the Savoy version for its gorgeous piano break by Johnny Guarnieri. The Blue Note original does have some nice guitar from Tiny Grimes, though.

As for the origins of this comp – there is no label number on the front or back cover, although the back cover does bear the legend “Bop u Rhythm Schallplatten, Saarland.” The sleeve notes are written pseudonymously and claim to date from 1952. I think this is probably a bootleg of a bootleg, or a reissue of an album which originally appeared in the mid to late 1950s on the legendary Bop-Rhythm label. I’m sure that the original release would have had a different front cover from the one which was sent to me. It doesn’t look like a 1950s style cover at all.

Bop-Rhythm was a strictly “underground” label whose issues of jazz, R&B and even some early rock and roll were much coveted by hopheads and beatniks around Europe. Their operation was based in the Saarland which for much of the 1950s was detached from the German Federal Republic and thus provided a haven for a motley group of jazz fanatics and dope fiends who were zealous spreaders of the gospel of groove. They took advantage of the Saarland’s unique status of being beyond the reach of German civil law and set up a record pressing plant from which they distributed all kinds of bopmungous vinyl goodies to adjacent countries. The music was sourced from records provided by American service personnel based in West Germany.

When the Saarland was incorporated into West Germany in 1957, Bop-Rhythm Records was doomed, although they managed to keep going until 1960 when their pressing plant (situated in the basement of a house of ill repute in Fraulautern, Saarlouis) was raided by an Interpol organised task force of police from three different countries – France, Germany and Belgium – plus a contingent of US Military Police. I hope that at the last, the stoned jazzers of Bop-Rhythm went down swinging as the forces of law and order stormed into their HQ.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

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Recording Details:

1. Cotton Tail - Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra

Recorded in Hollywood CA, 4th May, 1940. Released on Victor 26610
Personnel: Rex Stewart (cnt) Cootie Williams, Wallace Jones (tp) Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown (tb) Barney Bigard (cl,ts) Johnny Hodges (as,sop) Otto Hardwick (as, bassax) Ben Webster (ts) Harry Carney (bar,as,cl) Duke Ellington (p) Fred Guy (g) Jimmy Blanton (b) Sonny Greer (d )

2. Flying Home No 2 - Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra

Recorded in New York City, 2nd March, 1944. Released on Decca.
Personnel: Cat Anderson, Lamar Wright Jr., Roy McCoy (tp) Joe Morris (tp,arr) Al Hayse, Michael "Booty" Wood, Fred Beckett (tb) Earl Bostic, Gus Evans (as) Al Sears, Arnett Cobb (ts) Charlie Fowlkes (bar) Lionel Hampton (vib,p) Milt Buckner (p) Eric Miller (g) Vernon King (b) Fred Radcliffe (d)

3. Honeysuckle Rose – The Ben Webster Quartet

Recorded in New York City, 17th April, 1944. Released on Savoy 506.
Personnel: Ben Webster (ts) Johnny Guarnieri (p) Oscar Pettiford (b) David Booth (d)

4. Blowing The Blues Away - Billy Eckstine & His Orchestra

Recorded in New York City, 5th September, 1944. Released on Audiolab.
Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie, Shorty McConnell, Gail Brockman, Boonie Hazel (tp) Gerald Valentine, Taswell Baird, Howard Scott, Chips Outcalt (tb) John Jackson, Bill Frazier (as) Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons (ts) Leo Parker (bar) John Malachi (p) Connie Wainwright (g) Tommy Potter (b) Art Blakey (d) Billy Eckstine (vcl)

5. Lunatic – The John Hardee Quintet

Recorded in New York City, November, 1947. Released on Savoy 703.
Personnel: Joe Jordan (tp) John Hardee (ts) Billy Kyle (p) John Simmons (b) Cozy Cole (d)

6. I.Q. Blues – The Ike Quebec All Stars

Recorded in New York City, 7th August, 1945. Released on Savoy 570.
Personnel: Ike Quebec (ts) Johnny Guarnieri (p) Bill De Arango (g) Milt Hinton (b) J.C. Heard (d)

7. Riffin' At 24th Street - Illinois Jacquet & His Orchestra

Recorded in New York City, 18th December, 1947. Released on Victor 20-2702.
Personnel: Joe Newman (tp) Russell Jacquet (tp) Jay Jay Johnson (tb) Illinois Jacquet (ts) Leo Parker (bar) Sir Charles Thompson (p) John Collins (g) Al Lucas (b) Shadow Wilson (d)

8. I'm Confessin' - Lester Young & His Band

Recorded in New York City, 2nd April, 1947. Released on Aladdin 212.
Personnel: Shorty McConnell (tp-1) Lester Young (ts) Argonne Thornton (p) Nasir Barakaat (g) Rodney Richardson (b) Lyndell Marshall (d)

9. The Spider - Joe Morris & His Orchestra

Recorded in New York City, 23rd December, 1947. Released on Atlantic 859.
Personnel: Joe Morris (tp) Johnny Griffin (ts) Bill McLemore (bar) Wilmus Reeves (p) George Freeman (g) Emmett Dailey (b) Leroy Jackson (d)

10. Long Tall Dexter – The Dexter Gordon Quintet

Recorded in New York City, 29th January, 1946. Released on Savoy 603.
Personnel: Leonard Hawkins (tp) Dexter Gordon (ts) Bud Powell (p) Curly Russell (b) Max Roach (d)

11. Hot In Harlem – The Tiny Grimes Quintet

Recorded in Cleveland, 1st May, 1948. Released on Atlantic 869.
Personnel: Red Prysock (ts) Jimmy Saunders (p) Tiny Grimes (g) Ike Isaacs (b) Jerry Potter (d)

12. Cole Slaw - Frank “Floorshow” Culley

Recorded in New York City, 17th January, 1949. Released on Atlantic 874.
Personnel: Frank Culley (ts) Harry Van Walls (p) Tiny Grimes (g) unknown b and d.