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

Count Basie and his Orchestra - Swingin' The Blues LP

Side 1:
01. Swinging The Blues
02. John's Idea
03. Blue & Sentimental
04. Texas Shuffle
05. Panassie Stomp
06. Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today
07. You Can Depend On Me
08. Every Tub

Side 2:
01. Jumpin' At The Woodside
02. Time Out
03. Jive At Five
04. Oh Lady Be Good
05. Shorty George
06. Out The Window
07. Topsy
08. Doggin' Around

Swingin' The Blues LP (Mega)

Swingin' The Blues LP (Zippy)

I've included "LP" in the title of this post and also in the tagging of this album because, as many of you will be aware, I've previously posted the cassette version of this collection. It was re-upped in March 2015 here:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2015/03/count-basie-his-orchestra-swingin-blues.html

That was in response to a request for a re-up of the album which was originally posted in August 2008 here:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2008/08/count-basie-his-orchestra-swingin-blues_8959.html

Last year I came across this LP while browsing in a local charity shop, so here for your delectation is the vinyl version. The sound on the vinyl rips differs considerably from the cassette rips, being clearer, although there are the inevitable clicks, pops and crackles to remind us that the source is a second hand record.

These are recordings made between July 1937 and February 1939 for Decca in New York (the band having migrated from Kansas City in 1936). The lineup includes tenor sax duo Lester Young and Herschel Evans (replaced by Chu Berry in the final session as Evans was in hospital with the heart condition which would cause his death 6 days later). There is the All-American Rhythm Section of Freddy Green (guitar), Walter Page (bass), Count Basie (piano) and Jo Jones (drums). Earl Warren features on clarinet and alto sax, Buck Clayton on trumpet and, shouting the blues on 2 numbers, Mister Five by Five himself, Jimmy Rushing.

Full band lineups and recording dates are on the back cover along with an essay by jazz critic Stan Britt.

Count Basie & His Orchestra - Swingin' The Blues (re-up)

These classic recordings for Decca were cut between July 1937 and February 1939. The band line-up included the twin tenor sax threat of Lester Young and Herschel Evans, and of course the All American Rhythm Section of Freddy Green (guitar), Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums) and the Count himself on piano. There’s a tremendous blues shouting performance by Jimmy Rushing on the classic “Sent ForYou Yesterday” which is a number I just can’t get out of my head at present.

“Jive at Five” and “Lady Be Good” were recorded on the third of February 1939, just five days before Herschel Evans died of a heart condition. On these tracks Chu Berry deputized for the ailing Herschel. Berry himself was to die in an automobile accident just two years later.

The tracks were ripped from a cassette issued in 1984 by Charly Records. Inlay card with notes is included in the download.

Ripped at 320 kbps

1. Swinging The Blues

2. John's Idea

3. Blue & Sentimental

4. Texas Shuffle

5. Panassie Stomp

6. Sent For You Yesterday

7. You Can Depend On Me

8. Every Tub

9. Jumpin' At The Woodside

10. Time Out

11. Jive At Five

12. Oh Lady Be Good

13. Shorty George

14. Out The Window

15. Topsy

16. Doggin' Around

New download link:

http://www82.zippyshare.com/v/9cCIFLS2/file.html

The original post from 2008 is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/count-basie-his-orchestra-swingin-blues_8959.html

Re-uploaded at the request of a Be Bop Wino fan!

Don't The Moon Look Lonesome?

Detail from "The Trysting Tree" by John Atkinson Grimshaw

One for autumn. "Sent For You Yesterday" recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra in 1938. Vocal by the great Jimmy Rushing.

I Ain't Mad At You - Update

Buddy Johnson - originator of "I Ain't Mad At You?"

Back in March of this year I posted a short 4 track playlist based around the songs "I Ain't Mad At You" and "I Ain't Mad At You Pretty Baby." It kicked off with the 1945 Gatemouth Moore release on National - "I Ain't Mad At You Pretty Baby," and continued with "Jesse Price's "I Ain't Mad At You," released on Capitol in 1946. This track generated a cover version by Count Basie which had a scat style vocal by Taps Miller. The playlist was rounded off by a wild version by the Jones Boys which was recorded for Gotham in the early 1950s but was unreleased at the time.

Move over Buddy Love, here comes Gatemouth!

Comments with more info were kindly sent in by davep369. The Gatemouth Moore track which is from the Savoy Jazz 2LP set "The Shouters" was in fact an alternate take to the released version. There was also a later version by former Cootie Williams Orchestra trumpeter and vocalist Bob Merrill (actual surname Merrell). This version was recorded in New York in 1960 or 1961 and was issued on the Bargain label by Bobby "Mr Blues" Merrell. It's a rough and rowdy piece of rock 'n' roll which I've added to the end of the playlist.

And now davep369 has pointed out a version which was recorded 3 years before the Gatemouth Moore recording. On January 26th 1942, the Buddy Johnson Orchestra recorded "I Ain't Mad With You," with a vocal by trumpeter Chester Boone. It's an obvious influence on Gatemouth's song, but he has added his own lyrics which explore the subject of a two timin' dame in much more depth than the one verse sung by Chester Boone could possibly do.

I found the Buddy Johnson version which was originally released on Decca 8640, lurking deep down in my hard disk, so now it kicks off the extended playlist. Also to note - Gatemouth Moore first recorded "I Ain't Mad At You Pretty Baby" for the small Kansas City label Gilmore's Chez Paree early in 1945. The Jesse Price song differs significantly from Gatemouth's exasperated litany of accusations against the object of his affections. Price's "I Ain't Mad At You" is a gentle, almost wistful plea for his woman to come back. I prefer the Jesse Price approach, sentimentalist that I am.

Here is the extended six track playlist:



You can read the original "I Ain't Mad At You" post here.

You can read more about Bob Merrill and download some of his work with Cootie Williams on the post "Typhoon."

With thanks to davep369.

I Ain’t Mad At You

Gatemouth Moore - before he saw the light

Recently I came across the Jesse Price version of “I Ain’t Mad At You” and it immediately went straight into my all time top ten favourite R&B discs. Well, make that top thirty. It’s a beautifully relaxed and subtle performance of what I thought was the classic song by blues shouter Dwight “Gatemouth” Moore, a track which has been lurking in my collection for about two and a half decades.

After a search through the vinyl cupboard I retrieved Gatemouth’s track on my beat up copy of the double LP “The Shouters,” which was part of the “Roots of Rock ‘N’ Roll” series on Savoy Jazz. The Gatemouth Moore track which dates from 1945 is not the same song which became a modest hit for Jesse Price in 1947. The full title of the Gatemouth song is “I Ain’t Mad at You, Pretty Baby.” However there are similarities between the two, particularly around the shared refrain of “I ain’t mad at you!”

Price’s “I Ain’t Mad At You” was in its turn covered by Count Basie but that version is wildly different from the Price disc as you can now hear by clicking on the playlist. To round off our little wander along the back roads of early rhythm & blues, I’ve added an unreleased version by The Jones Boys which they recorded for Gotham at an unknown date. This frantic version is very different from anything else on the playlist, so despite the shared song title (well, almost) there are four very different performances.

Click on the playlist widget below for some Sunday afternoon rhythm’n’ bluesin’:



Track 1 – “I Ain’t Mad At You, Pretty Baby” (National 6001) by Dwight “Gatemouth” Moore with Dallas Bartley and his Small Town Boys. Recorded in Chicago on May 10th, 1945.

Kill 'em Gatemouth!

Gatemouth Moore is a performer whom we must investigate further here on Be Bop Wino. Like Jesse Price he had deep jazz roots in Memphis and Kansas City. While singing with Walter Barnes and his Royal Creoles he survived the appalling Natchez Rhythm Club inferno of April 23rd, 1940 which killed some 200 dance hall patrons as well as most of Gatemouth’s bandmates. In 1949 he had an onstage religious experience and immediately gave up screechin’ for preachin’.

Track 2 – “I Ain’t Mad at You” (Capitol 348) by Jesse Price. Recorded in Los Angeles on October 17th, 1946.

This is the track that got me searching through the vinyl vault. It's a nicely relaxed performance from a small studio jump group led by drummer and singer Jesse Price who is another performer whom we must revisit on Be Bop Wino. He was part of the booming Kansas City jazz scene of the 1930s – being drummer in the Benny Moten band and, after Moten’s death, in the Count Basie led version of that aggregation.

When Basie and the boys left KC for greater things, Price opted to stay on in the wide open city and ceded the drum chair to his friend Jo Jones. In 1939 the booming KC music scene came to an end with the arrest of mayor Pendergast and Price left with Harlan Leonard’s Rockets, one of the last bands to leave the now cleaned up, reformed and God fearing former Sodom of the plains. A brief spell as drummer in the Ella Fitzgerald led Chick Webb Orchestra (Chick having shuffled off this mortal coil) brought Jesse to Los Angeles, the Gomorrah of the Coast, where he settled down to take part in countless R&B and jazz sessions across the ensuing decades.

Track 3 – “I Ain’t Mad At You” (RCA Victor 20-2314) by Count Basie and his Orchestra. Vocal by Taps Miller. Recorded in New York on May 22nd, 1947.


This is an almost unrecognizable version of the Jesse Price disc. Taps Miller provides a scat vocal over the ensemble vocals and big band arrangement. The band includes Preston Love on alto sax, while the tenor saxes are wielded by Paul Gonsalves and Buddy Tate. A Google image search uncovers an unfortunate run in with the drugs squad for singer / dancer Taps Miller. But he was young and foolish back then. Try it for yourselves. The search, not the drugs.

Track 4 – “I Ain’t Mad At You” (Gotham, unreleased) by The Jones Boys. Unknown date – possibly around 1952 - 1953.

Who let 'em loose on this? It's a howling, blasting deconstruction of the Jesse Price opus, or maybe of the Gatemouth Moore song, it’s hard to tell. I don’t know anything about the Jones Boys. There was a vocal / jive group of the same name in the 1930s and early 1940s. There was also a loose mid 1950s jazz aggregation whose members shared the surname Jones. Quincy Jones, Eddie Jones and Jo Jones were in that group.

I have no idea if either of these groups is related in any way to the performers on this track. All I know is that whoever the Gotham Jones Boys may be, they carried out a similar assault on “Night Train.”

Count Basie & His Orchestra - Swingin' The Blues

There’s a distinct lack of swing on the blog since I removed the Jazz Greats links, so it’s time to start uploading some more and what better band is there to start with than that of Count Basie? These classic recordings for Decca were cut between July 1937 and February 1939. The band line-up included the twin tenor sax threat of Lester Young and Herschel Evans, and of course the All American Rhythm Section of Freddy Green (guitar), Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums) and the Count himself on piano. There’s a tremendous blues shouting performance by Jimmy Rushing on the classic “Sent For You Yesterday” which is a number I just can’t get out of my head at present.

“Jive at Five” and “Lady Be Good” were recorded on the third of February 1939, just five days before Herschel Evans died of a heart condition. On these tracks Chu Berry deputised for the ailing Herschel. Berry himself was to die in an automobile accident just two years later.

These tracks are ripped from a cassette issued in 1984 by Charly Records.

Ripped at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www82.zippyshare.com/v/9cCIFLS2/file.html

1. Swinging The Blues
2. John's Idea
3. Blue & Sentimental
4. Texas Shuffle
5. Panassie Stomp
6. Sent For You Yesterday
7. You Can Depend On Me
8. Every Tub
9. Jumpin' At The Woodside
10. Time Out
11. Jive At Five
12. Oh Lady Be Good
13. Shorty George
14. Out The Window
15. Topsy
16. Doggin' Around