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.

Bill Haley And His Comets - Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 2 EP

Side 1:
01. A Rocking Little Tune
02. Hide And Seek

Side 2:
03. Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
04. Blue Comet Blues

Download from here:

http://www93.zippyshare.com/v/H1cQcY8R/file.html

The final EP in our Bill Haley UK EP posts. Brunswick OE 9279 was released in December 1956.

Recording details:

"A Rocking Little Tune" was recorded at The Pythian Temple, NYC on the 30th March 1956. Personnel: Bill Haley (rhythm guitar); Franny Beecher (lead guitar); Billy Williamson (steel guitar); Rudy Pompilli (tenor sax); Johnny Grande (accordion); Al Rex (double bass); Ralph Jones (drums).

"Hide And Seek" was recorded at The Pythian Temple, NYC on the 23rd March 1956. Personnel as above with vocal by Billy Williamson.

"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "Blue Comet Blues" were recorded at The Pythian Temple, NYC on the 27th March 1956. Personnel as above with vocal on "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" by Bill Haley, Johnny Grande plays piano. No vocal on "Blue Comet Blues."

Original release details:

"A Rocking Little Tune" and "Hide And Seek" were first released in August 1956 on US Decca LP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show" Decca DL 8345, and on US Decca EP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 2" Decca ED 2417.

"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" was first released in August 1956 on US Decca LP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show" Decca DL 8345, and on US Decca EP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 2" Decca ED 2417. Subsequently issued in December 1956 on 45 and 78 on US Decca single 30148, B Side of "Don't Knock The Rock." Single failed to chart.

"Blue Comet Blues" was first released in August 1956 on US Decca LP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show" Decca DL 8345, and on US Decca EP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 2" Decca ED 2417. Subsequently issued in October 1956 on 45 and 78 on US Decca single 30085, B Side of "Rudy's Rock." Single reached number 34 in the Billboard pop chart in November 1956.

Discographical information from Chris Gardner's Bill Haley Database.

I cannot recommend the above site too highly for all things concerning Bill Haley. Further information in these posts was gleaned from "Unsung Heroes Of Rock 'n' Roll" by Nick Tosches and "The Billboard Book Of USA Top 40 Hits" by Joel Whitburn.

This copy of "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 2" was one the first vinyl records I digitized back in 2007. It belonged to long time Glasgow friends the Lawson family and somehow I inherited it. The front cover was pretty trashed and torn mainly because as well as housing the EP, an original UK issue of "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" was also crammed inside. See this scan for the cover as it actually is:

I posted the EP on the old Rock Hall forum (Be Bop Wino was but a gleam in my eye back then) and a fellow forum member who wished to remain anonymous kindly produced cleaned up versions of the front and back covers:

For this post I've gone back to the original beat up version of the cover, worked on it a little with Photofiltre, and produced a version which is not quite so pristine looking as the above, but (I like to think) still preserves the "lived in" look of an artifact from the 1950s. I have also cleaned up the back cover, but it didn't require much work as it was in pretty good condition.

All three versions of the front cover are included in the download so you can chose whichever you prefer.

That's me all Bill Haleyed out now, but he may make a reappearance on the blog if and when I get round to restoring the epic post "Rock The Joint!"

Bill Haley And His Comets - Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 1 EP

Side 1:
01. Calling All Comets
02. Rockin' Through The Rye

Side 2:
01. Hook, Line And Sinker
02. Rudy's Rock

Download from:

http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/ZKY9VvNW/file.html

Thanks again to Allan for this original 1950s Bill Haley EP. Brunswick OE 9278 was released in the UK in December 1956. The same EP was released in the US in August 1956. This is the first appearance of this EP on Be Bop Wino, after a delay of 5 years in getting it posted. Never mind, "Rudy's Rock" is worth the wait.

Recording details:

"Rudy's Rock" and "Hook, Line And Sinker" were recorded on March 23rd 1956 at The Pythian Temple, NYC. The personnel were:

Bill Haley (vocal & rhythm guitar) ; Franny Beecher (lead guitar) ; Billy Williamson (steel guitar) ; Rudy Pompilli (tenor sax) ; Johnny Grande (piano) ; Al Rex (double bass) ; Ralph Jones (drums)

"Calling All Comets" was recorded on  March 27th 1956 at The Pythian Temple, NYC. Personnel as above.

"Rockin' Through the Rye" was recorded on March 30th 1956 at The Pythian Temple, NYC. Personnel as above.

Original release details:

"Calling All Comets" was originally released in August 1956 on the US Decca LP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show" (DL 8345) and the US Decca EP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 1" (ED 2416).

"Rockin' Through The Rye" was originally released in June 1956 on 45 and 78 on the US Decca single Decca 29948, B side of "Hot Dog Buddy Buddy." Single did not chart.

"Hook, Line And Sinker" was originally released in August 1956 on the US Decca LP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show" (DL 8345) and the US Decca EP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 1" (ED 2416). It was subsequently released in March 1957 on 45 and 78 on the US Decca single Decca 30214, B side of "Forty Cups Of Coffee." Single did not chart.

"Rudy's Rock" was originally released in August 1956 on the US Decca LP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show" (DL 8345) and the US Decca EP "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 1" (ED 2416). It was subsequently released in October 1956 on 45 and 78 on the US Decca single Decca 30085, b/w "Blue Comet Blues." It reached number 34 on the Billboard pop chart in November 1956.

One more Bill Haley EP to come, and then we'll have something a little more "unusual" courtesy of long time contributor El Enmascarado.

Bill Haley And His Comets - Rock Around The Clock EP (Re-up)

Side 1:

01. (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock

02. Mambo Rock

Side 2:

03. R-O-C-K

04. See You Later, Alligator

Download from:

http://www10.zippyshare.com/v/RQhQygSC/file.html

Re-up of another UK issue Bill Haley EP donated by Allan. As with the previous "Rock'N Roll" EP, "Rock Around The Clock" was issued in June 1956 and contained 2 tracks by what I like to call The Comets Mark 1 on Side 1, backed by 2 tracks from The Comets Mark 2 (the post Jodimars breakaway lineup which featured Rudy Pompilli and Al Rex) on Side 2.

Full details of personnel and recording dates are on the original post (from 20th December 2011) here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/bill-haley-and-his-comets-rock-around.html

The original US single release of these tracks was as follows:

"(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" on Decca 29124, April 1954. Number 1 in the Billboard pop chart, summer 1955

"Mambo Rock" on Decca 29418, January 1955. Number 17 in the Billboard pop chart.

"R-O-C-K" on Decca 29870, March 1956. Number 16 in the Billboard pop chart.

"See You Later, Alligator" on Decca 29791, December 1955. Number 6 in the Billboard pop chart, early 1956.

Bill Haley And His Comets - Rock'N Roll EP (Re-up)

Side 1:
01. Razzle Dazzle
02. Two Hound Dogs

Side 2:
03. Burn That Candle
04. Rock-a-beatin' Boogie

Download from:

http://www37.zippyshare.com/v/qJKeE2xG/file.html

Continuing with the Bill Haley story ... the next 4 posts will be of original 1950s UK issues of Bill Haley And The Comets EPs, commencing with "Rock'N Roll." I must thank generous contributor Allan for 3 of these EPs. He sent in sound files and image files for "Rock'N Roll", "Rock Around The Clock" and "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 1."

Unfortunately I only ever did get round to posting the first two of these EPs. I must have been all Bill Haleyed-out back then in December 2011, so 5 years later here I am trying to make amends by posting all 3 of these EPs plus "Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show Part 2". I have a copy of that last EP which belonged to long time family friends the Lawson family and I originally posted it back in the very earliest days of the blog in 2007. This time round I'll give it the full 2016 style Be Bop Wino treatment.

In 2007 I also posted a copy of "Rock'N Roll" which belonged to the Lawsons but this present post has the sound files plus scans from Allan along with cover scans from that first copy of the EP.

The first Bill Haley EP to be issued in the UK was "Dim, Dim The Lights" (Brunswick OE 9129), in July 1955. The tracks on that EP were: "Shake, Rattle And Roll", "ABC Boogie", "Happy Baby" and "Dim, Dim The Lights."

In June 1956 two more Bill Haley EPs were issued in the UK: "Rock'N Roll" (Brunswick OE 9214) and "Rock around The Clock" (Brunswick OE 9250).

The original post on "Rock'N Roll" (9th December, 2011) can be found here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/bill-haley-and-his-comets-rock-n-roll.html

That post contains full details of recording dates and personnel on the 4 tracks, plus a scan of an original single release of "Rock-a-beatin' Boogie" from Joan.

"Two Hound Dogs" and "Razzle Dazzle" were recorded by the first hit making line up of The Comets. "Burn That Candle" and "Rock-a-beatin' Boogie" were recorded after the departure of Joey D'Ambrosio, Marshall Lytle and Dick Richards to form The Jodimars, and the arrival of Rudy Pompilli, Al Rex and Ralph Jones as replacements. More details of the whys and wherefores of the breakup are in the 2011 post on the huge success of "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/rock-around-clock.html

Here are the original US release details of the tracks on the "Rock'N Roll" EP:

"Razzle Dazzle" / "Two Hound Dogs" was released on Decca  29552 in June 1955, reaching number 15 in the Billboard pop chart.

 "Burn That Candle" / "Rock-a-beatin' Boogie" was released on Decca 29713 in October 1955, reaching number 9 in the Billboard pop chart.

More Bill coming soon!

Rock Around The Clock! Again!

Side One:
01. Around The Clock Part 1 - Wynonie Harris
02. Around The Clock Part 1 - Big Vernon
03. Rock Around The Clock - Sonny Dae & His Knights
04. Move It On Over - Hank Williams
05. (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley And His Comets
06. Thirteen Women And One Man - Dickie Thompson

Side Two:
01. Thirteen Women - Bill Haley And His Comets
02. Shake, Rattle And Roll - Joe Turner and his Blues Kings
03. Shake, Rattle And Roll - Bill Haley And His Comets
04. Later For You Baby - Guitar Slim
05. Later Alligator - Bobby Charles
06. See You Later, Alligator - Bill Haley And His Comets

Download from:

http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/BIPlCjtA/file.html

To paraphrase the great Hank Ballard - "... what is this I see?" An ultra rare rock 'n' roll LP issued on Essex, the tiny label which gave Bill Haley his first big pop hit "Crazy Man, Crazy"? Or is it some dodgy bootleg from the '50s, or 60's or ... ? Nope it's another Be Bop Wino homemade comp which was the best way I could think of to rescue an old post from November 2011 - Rock Around The Clock.

That post used streaming audio to illustrate the origins of Bill Haley's biggest hit (and probably still the top selling 1950's rock and roll single) "(We're Gonna) Rock around The Clock." It was conceived as a follow-up to the original "Destination Rock and Roll!" post which told the story of how Bill Haley and His Comets moved from their country roots to an R&B based sound which became rock and roll. Unfortunately the streaming audio host, Divshare, mysteriously vanished from the web, leaving "Rock Around The Clock" and various other posts soundless and more or less wrecked.

I've decided to restore a couple of the streamed tracks on "Rock Around The Clock" but the story will now be illustrated by providing a downloadable "album" featuring the tracks mentioned in the post. I've added the three tracks used to illustrate the background to another big Bill Haley hit, "See You Later, Alligator" about which I wrote a post back in December 2011.

The story of how "Rock Around The Clock" became a worldwide hit is told in depth in Jim Dawson's marvelous book "Rock Around The Clock: The Record That Started The Rock Revolution!" If you should come across a copy going for a reasonable price, grab it! It's an enthralling read for all fans of rock 'n' roll and r&b.

It's quite a story, so get yourself over to my original "Rock Around The Clock" post to discover the roots of the song, who actually recorded it first, why it was a B Side on Bill Haley's disc, how it bombed, how Big Joe Turner provided Haley with the long awaited follow up hit to "Crazy Man, Crazy" and why "Rock Around The Clock" had a second coming and became a monster hit. Oh yeah, and where did the money go? Not to all The Comets, that's for sure. Find out who left the band and who replaced them. And what about poor Danny Cedrone, the guy who played the world's first rock 'n' roll guitar break? It's all in the post, bud!

And as though that weren't enough excitement for one evening, the story continues in my post on "See You Later, Alligator." From Guitar Slim to Bill Haley And The Comets via a Bobby Charles B Side.  It's crazy man, crazy!

More Bill coming soon. Keep yer peepers on this blog.

Lionel Hampton - In The Bag!

Side 1:

01. In The Bag

02. Dig Those Vibes

03. Jack The Fox Boogie

04. How High The Moon

05. Million Dollar Smile

06. Turkey Hop (Parts 1 & 2)

07. Double Talk

08. Empty Glass (Normania)

Side 2:

01. Hamp's Gumbo No 2

02. Mingus Fingers

03. Three Minutes On 52nd Street

04. Hamp's Got A Duke

05. Dancing On The Ceiling

06. Blues For Little 'T'

07. Memories Of You

08. Silver Slipper

Download from:

http://www58.zippyshare.com/v/DqIFQ5AB/file.html

In response to a re-up request, here is the third album of Lionel Hampton Decca sides to be released by Affinity in the 1980s. This time the rips are from a cassette although there are some clicks and pops just like vinyl. I have no idea how that happened.

Twelve of the tracks are from Hamp's swing and R&B heyday in the 1940s and early 1950s. For me the outstanding track is the two-parter "Turkey Hop." The final four tracks were recorded live at The Silver Slipper Club on the Las Vegas Strip in 1963. It's worth your while googling this establishment as it was one of the earliest joints to open up in Vegas. As you can imagine, the final four tracks differ in style from the rest of the album.

There are recording details on the cassette sleeve, but as they are hard to read, I've included the information plus original release dates in the post. The musicians involved in these recordings include many who have featured in other posts in this blog, e.g. Illinois Jacquet, Jack McVea, Joe Morris, Johnny Griffin, Arnett Cobb and Morris Lane.

Here are links to the posts featuring those other Hamp LP's on Affinity:

Leapin' With Lionel

Ridin' On The L&N

In The Bag! - the facts on the tracks, in order of recording date:

In The Bag! -

Recorded in NYC, May 26th 1942. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra: Eddie Hutchinson, Mannie Klein, Ernie Royal, Jack Trainor (trumpets); Fred Beckett, Sonny Craven, Harry Sloan (trombones); Marshall Royal (clarinet, alto sax); Ray Perry (alto sax); Eddie Barefield, Illinois Jacquet (tenor saxes); Jack McVea (baritone sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes; arranger) Milt Buckner (piano); Irving Ashby (guitar); Vernon Alley (bass); Lee Young (drums).

Released on Decca 18394 (B Side of "Flying Home") in July 1942.

Million Dollar Smile -

Recorded in Los Angeles, October 16th, 1944. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra : Snooky Young, Wendell Culley, Joe Morris, Dave Page, Lamar Wright Jr., (trumpets); Vernon Porter, Fred Beckett, Andrew Penn, Sonny Craven, Allen Durham (trombones ); George Dorsey, Gus Evans (alto saxes); Arnett Cobb, Fred Simon (tenor saxes); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes); Milt Buckner (piano); Billy Mackel (guitar), Charles Harris, Ted Sinclair (bass); Ted Radcliffe (drums).

Released on Decca 18719 (B Side of "Beulah's Boogie") in November 1945.

Empty Glass (Normania) - 

Recorded in Los Angeles, September 9th, 1946. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra: Wendell Culley, Duke Garrette, Jimmy Nottingham, Joe Wilder, Leo Shepherd (trumpets); Jimmy Wormick, Michael "Booty" Wood, A1 Hayse, Andrew Penn (trombones); Bobby Plater, Ben Kynard (alto saxes); Arnett Cobb, Johnny Griffin (tenor saxes); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes); Milt Buckner (piano); Billy Mackel (guitar); Joe Comfort, Charles Harris (bass); Gene "Fats" Heard (drums).

Empty Glass was not released on a single.

Dig Those Vibes -

Recorded in Los Angeles, September 23rd, 1946. Personnel same as above, September 9th 1946 session, but with Jackie Kelson added on clarinet.

Dig Those Vibes was not released on a single.

Empty Glass and Dig Those Vibes were first released on the LP "Lionel Hampton Rarities (Jazz Heritage Series)" MCA 1351 in 1982.

Double Talk and Jack The Fox Boogie were recorded in Los Angeles, on September 23rd, 1946. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Octet: Joe Wilder (trumpet); Jackie Kelson (clarinet); Bobby Plater (alto sax); Arnett Cobb (tenor sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes, piano); Milt Buckner (piano); Billy Mackel (guitar); Joe Comfort (bass); Curley Hamner (drums).

Double Talk and Jack The Fox Boogie were first released on the LP "Lionel Hampton Rarities (Jazz Heritage Series)" MCA 1351 in 1982.

How High The Moon - 

Recorded in New York, April 2nd 1947. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Quintet: Lionel Hampton (vibes); Milt Buckner (piano); Billy Mackel (guitar); Charles Harris (bass); Curley Hamner (drums).

Released on Decca 24513 (b/w "Ribs And Hot Sauce") in November 1948.

Hamp's Got A Duke and Three Minutes On 52nd Street -

Recorded in Los Angeles, 6th August 1947. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra: Wendell Culley, Duke Garrette, Jimmy Nottingham, Kenny Dorham, Leo Shepherd (trumpets); Britt Woodman, Jimmy Wormick, Sonny Craven, Andrew Penn (trombones); Jackie Kelson (clarinet, alto sax); Bobby Plater, Ben Kynard (alto saxes); Morris Lane, Johnny Sparrow (tenor saxes); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes); Milt Buckner (piano); Billy Mackel (guitar); Joe Comfort, Charlie Harris (bass); Earl Walker (drums).

Hamp's Got A Duke was released on Decca 24248 (b/w "Gone Again") in October 1947.

Three Minutes On 52nd Street was released on Decca 24429 (b/w "Midnight Sun") in May 1948. This disc was part of the four disc album "New Movements In Be-Bop" (Decca, A-661).

Mingus Fingers -

Recorded in Los Angeles, 10th November, 1947. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra: Wendell Culley, Duke Garrette, Walter Williams, Teddy Buckner, Leo Shephard (trumpets); James Robinson, Andrew Penn, Jimmy Wormick, Britt Woodman (trombones); Jackie Kelson (clarinet, alto sax); Bobby Plater, Ben Kynard (alto saxes); Morris Lane, John Sparrow (tenor saxes); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes); Milt Buckner (piano); Billy Mackel (guitar); Joe Comfort, Charles Mingus (bass); Earl Walker (drums).

Released on Decca 24428 (b/w "Muchacho Azul") in May 1948. This disc was part of the four disc album "New Movements In Be-Bop" (Decca, A-661).

Hamp's Gumbo -

Recorded in New York,  25th January 1950. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra : Walter Williams, Benny Bailey, Ed Mullens, Duke Garrette, Leo Shepherd(trumpets); A1 Grey, Benny  Powell, Paul Lee, Jimmy Wormick (trombones); Bobby Plater, Jerome Richardson (alto saxes); Curtis Lowe, Johnny Board, Billy "Smallwood" Williams (tenor saxes); Lonnie Shaw (baritone sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes); Doug Duke (piano); Wes Montgomery (guitar); Roy Johnson (bass); Ellis Bartee (drums); Sonny Parker (vocal).

Released on Decca 24946 (b/w "Sad Feeling"), March 1950.

Turkey Hop, Parts 1 and 2 -

Recorded in New York, 23rd March, 1950. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra : Benny Bailey, Duke Garrette, Ed Mullens, Leo Shepherd, Walter Williams (trumpets); A1 Grey, Paul Lee, Benny Powell, Jimmy Wormick (trombones); Bobby Plater, Jerome Richardson (alto saxes); Johnny Board, Lonnie Shaw, Curtis Lowe (tenor saxes); Ben Kynard (baritone sax); Lionel Hampton (vibes); Gus Domerette (piano); Rudy Mason (guitar); Roy Johnson (bass, vocal); Ellis Bartee (drums); Curley Hamner (2nd drums).

Released on Decca 24992, April 1950.

Billboard, 29th April 1950

Dancing On The Ceiling, Blues For Little 'T', Memories Of You, Silver Slipper -

Recorded at the Silver Slipper Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, 20th March, 1963. Personnel: Lionel Hampton and Charlie Teagarden : Charlie Teagarden (trumpet); Bill Harris (trombone); Lionel Hampton (vibes); Ronnie di Fillips (piano); Carson Smith (bass); Tom Montgomery (drums).

Released on Coral LP The Great Hamp And Little 'T', CRL 57438 / CRL 757438(S), August 1963.

Above: The Silver Slipper, 1960. Below: Burlesque and Fight Nights at The Silver Slipper. Just over a year after Hamp recorded there, Gaming Control Board agents raided the joint and closed it when they found that shaved dice were being used. The Silver Slipper re-opened under new management and kept going until the 1980s.

The Nat "King" Cole Trio - Trio Days

Side 1:

01. Honeysuckle Rose

02. Sweet Lorraine 

03. This Side Up

04. Gone With The Draft

05. Call The Police

06. That Ain't Right

07. Are You Fer It?

08. Hit That Jive Jack

Side 2:

01. Early Morning Blues

02. Babs

03. Scotchin' With Soda

04. Slow Down

05. I Like To Riff

06. This Will Make You Laugh

07. Hit The Ramp

08. Stop, The Red Light's On

Download from:

http://www49.zippyshare.com/v/RfuzkA6G/file.html

Personnel on all tracks: Nat "King" Cole (piano, vocal); Oscar Moore (guitar); Wesley Prince (bass).

Group vocals on "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Stop The Red Light's On", "I Like To Riff", "Call The Police", "Hit That Jive Jack", "Are You Fer It".

Nat "King" Cole solo vocal on "Sweet Lorraine", "Gone With The Draft", "Slow Down", "This Will Make You Laugh", "That Ain't Right".

"Honeysuckle Rose", "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up" and "Gone With The Draft" were recorded in Los Angeles on December 6th, 1940. They were released on the following two singles:

Sweet Lorraine / This Side Up (Decca 8520) - March 1941

Honeysuckle Rose / Gone With The Draft (Decca 8535) - April 1941

"Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down" and "Early Morning Blues" were recorded in Chicago on March 14th, 1941, and released on the following two singles:

Babs / Early Morning Blues (Decca 8541) - May 1941

Scotchin' With The Soda / Slow Down (Decca 8556) - June 1941

"This Will Make You Laugh", "Stop The Red Light's On", "Hit The Ramp" and "I Like To Riff" were recorded in New York on July 16th, 1941 and released on the following two singles:

Hit The Ramp / This Will Make You Laugh (Decca 8571) - September 1941

Stop The Red Light's On / I Like To Riff (Decca 8592) - December 1941

"Call The Police", "Are You Fer It", "That Ain't Right" and "Hit That Jive Jack" were recorded in New York on October 22nd, 1941 and released on the following two singles:

Call The Police / Are You Fer It? (Decca 8604) - March 1942

That Ain't Right / Hit That Jive Jack (Decca 8630) - June 1942

Discographical info from:

"Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll" by Nick Tosches

"Nat King Cole: The Man And His Music" by James Haskins with Kathleen Benson

Bruyninckx Discography

My dad was a big Nat King Cole fan. He had LPs with songs like "Ramblin' Rose" and "Roll Out Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer" and he used to love listening to the older hits like "Mona Lisa" and "When I Fall In Love." But deep in a cupboard lay a pile of my dad's old 78s by the likes of Artie Shaw, The Ink Spots and Art Tatum. And in among the slabs of shellac was a a different kind of Nat King Cole record - "It's Only a Paper Moon" by The King Cole Trio. Here was the same velvet smooth voice but without an orchestral backing, just a tight, jazzy combo with piano, guitar and bass. And oh, how cool did they sound?

Over the years I gradually became more aware of the earlier phase of Nat King Cole's career - the 1940's hepcat leader of a jazz trio on the new West Coast label Capitol Records. Cool vocals and immaculate jazz piano by Nat King Cole, smooth guitar by Oscar Moore and solid bass by Johnny Miller. A trio which started off a trend in black music sometimes referred to as "The Cocktail Combos." Perhaps their most well known stylistic offspring (at least to us R&B fans) was the group started by Oscar's brother and fellow guitarist Johnny - Johnny Moore's Three Blazers.

But that it is to anticipate matters by a few years, for The King Cole Trio didn't start recording for Capitol until the end of 1943. The material in this featured LP was recorded by the first iteration of the group, Nat Cole, Oscar Moore and Wesley Prince, for Decca in 1940-1941. Here we find the trio still developing the sound which was to bring them such great success soon afterwards. Quite a few tracks feature unison vocals by the whole group, a style which harks back to the jive groups of the late 1930s such as The Cats And The Fiddle. We also find some tracks such as "Sweet Lorraine" with solo vocals by Nat, an arrangement which would prove to be the way forward for the group.

I ripped this LP way back in the early days of the blog and posted it with incomplete cover scans. I have added new cover and label scans for this post. There is some popping and clicking on some of these tracks. Apologies!

Chick Webb & His Orchestra - In The Groove

Tracklist:

Side 1

1 - Don't Be That Way

2 - What A Shuffle

3 - Blue Lou

4 - Go Harlem

5 - You'll Have To Swing It *

6 - Strictly Jive

7 - Rock It For Me *

8 - Squeeze Me

Side 2

1 - If Dreams Come True *

2 - A-Tisket, A-Tasket *

3 - Azure

4 - Spinnin' The Web

5 - Liza

6 - Undecided *

7 - T'Ain't What You Do *

8 - In The Groove At The Groove

*vocal by Ella Fitzgerald

Download from here:

http://www65.zippyshare.com/v/YOIlZET2/file.html

All sides were recorded for Decca between November 1934 and February 1939. The Chick Webb band had previously recorded for Vocalion and Columbia / Okeh.

I have to own up to being out of my comfort zone with this one. We've stepped back a decade from the normal Bebop Wino era of jump blues and early R&B to the heyday of big band swing. However there are, inevitably, strong connections with the postwar era of rhythm 'n' blues and jazz to be found in the personnel of the Chick Webb Orchestra. Most obviously there is the presence of Ella Fitzgerald who joined the band in early 1935 and whose vocal efforts guaranteed big record sales in the second half of the 1930s.

Ella in front, Chick at the drums

There among the reed players is none other than alto sax man Louis Jordan who became a band member in mid 1936, replacing arranger and alto sax player Edgar Sampson who had decided to strike out on his own. As well as contributing the occasional vocal performance, Jordan played clarinet and soprano saxophone with the band. He had ambitions to form his own band and when he did leave in mid 1938 it was after a blazing row with Chick, who was convinced that Jordan had attempted to lure some of his musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, to the new group. Shortly afterwards Louis formed the Tympany Five which set a whole new trend for blues and boogie based jump bands.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan in the studio

Tenor sax player Teddy McRae was a long standing member of the Chick Webb Orchestra. In the 1950s he recorded humorous R&B records under the pseudonym "Mr. Bear."  His "I'm Gonna Keep My Good Eye On You" is considered by discerning critics (i.e. me) to be a work of genius but it unaccountably remains absent from The Great American Songbook.

Chick employed Bardu Ali as front man for the band. Although a musician (trumpet) and band leader in his own write, his role in the Chick Webb Orchestra was akin to that exemplified by Cab Calloway and Lucky Millinder: hold the whole show together and keep the audience's attention by M.C.-ing, conducting, dancing and even singing the occasional number. After the death of Chick and the breakup of the band, he formed his own group and subsequently headed West to L.A. He entered a business partnership with Johnny Otis and opened the Barrelhouse night club, a venue which played a pivotal role in the rise of West Coast rhythm and blues. His full name was Bahadur Ali and he was the son of a Bengali immigrant, Moksad Ali and his African American wife, Ella Blackman. There is a very interesting article on Bardu Ali on the "Taj Mahal Foxtrot" blog here:

http://www.tajmahalfoxtrot.com/?p=2541#more-2541

A blog with the subtitle of "The Story of Bombay's Jazz Age" is simply irresistible.

Stompin' at The Savoy

The Chick Webb Orchestra reigned supreme at the Savoy Ballroom where they attracted a fanatical following among the dancers. The room was equipped with two stages, making it an ideal venue for big band battles. Among the bands who lost out to Webb were those of Count Basie and Benny Goodman although Chick had to cede victory to Duke Ellington.

As for Chick himself, his life was tragically short. Born in Baltimore in 1909, he was a diminutive hunchback because of tuberculosis of the spine. Despite his physical handicaps he had the drive and determination to become a first class drummer and bandleader. His health, which was never good, deteriorated markedly in 1938-39. In June 1939 he entered hospital in his native Baltimore for an operation but failed to recover from the procedure. The band limped on for another year or so under the leadership of Ella Fitzgerald with Teddy McRae as musical director but without Chick it just wasn't the same and the inevitable breakup came in 1941.

Chick Webb

Buddy Johnson Special!

Be Bop Wino continues its look at big big band rhythm 'n' blues with re-ups of 3 Buddy Johnson LPs. 

First up is the Silver Star Swing Series compilation of Decca sides recorded by Buddy in the 1940s and early 50s.

Tracklist:

Side 1

1 - South Main

2 - Fine Brown Frame

3 - Opus Two

4 - Walk 'em

5 - You'll Get Them Blues

6 - Hey, Sweet Potato

7 - Far Cry

8 - Serves Me Right

Side 2

1 - Li'l Dog

2 - You Can't Tell Who's Lovin' Who

3 - Down Yonder

4 - Shake 'em Up

5 - Dr Jive Jives

6 - I'm Gonna Jump In The River

7 - Baby You're Always On My Mind

8 - Shufflin' And Rollin'

Download link:

http://www118.zippyshare.com/v/8BxLFjy3/file.html

Original post (well worth reading!) from 9th October 2009 is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/buddy-johnson-and-his-orchestra-silver.html

In 1953 Buddy moved to the Mercury label and I've re-upped two Mercury LPs which were originally released in the 1950s. One of them, "Rock 'N Roll," was donated in its 1950s form by a kindly saxophonist, and the other, "Walkin'," is a 1980s re-release on Official. Buddy's band was perhaps the longest surviving of the big swing bands, playing through the swing and r&b years and on into the rock 'n' roll era, so here's the Mercury LP "Rock 'N Roll", with additional artwork from the 1980s re-release on Official:

Tracklist:

Side1

1 - I Don't Want Nobody

2 - Doot Doot Dow

3 - Bring It Home To Me

4 - You Got It Made

5 - A Pretty Girl

6 - Any Day Now

Side 2

1 - It's Obdacious

2 - Crazy 'Bout A Saxophone

3 - Upside Your Head

4 - Ain't But One

5 - A-12

6 - I'm Just Your Fool

Download link:

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

Original post from 26th September 2009 is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/buddy-johnson-his-orchestra-rock-n-roll.html

This post is well worth checking out for insights from our anonymous sax playing donor plus other commentators, and my take on the role of Buddy's band in the early rock 'n' roll era.

On the 27th September 2009 I posted an Official re-release of another Buddy Johnson LP on Mercury, "Walkin'."

Tracklist:

Side 1

1 - Rockin' Time

2 - They Don't Want Me To Rock No More

3 - There's No One Like You

4 - Rock On!

5 - Ain't Cha Got Me (Where You Want Me)

6 - Buddy's Boogie

Side 2

1 - Oh! Baby Don't You Know

2 - You'd Better Believe Me

3 - You're Everything My Heart Desires

4 - So Good

5 - Bitter Sweet

6 - Gone Walkin'

New download link:

http://www118.zippyshare.com/v/uk1EfX7I/file.html

Original post from 27th September 2009 is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/buddy-johnson-his-orchestra-walkin.html

Once again, please read the wise words, especially if you're just discovering Buddy Johnson.

In the original posts I recommended 2 CDs for purchasing:

"Walk 'Em: The Decca Sessions" (Ace CDCHD 623) is still available. A superb collection which is one of my all time favourite Ace CDs and you can't get any higher praise than that!

For the Mercury sides I recommended a Rev-Ola compilation, "Gotta Go Upside Your Head" (CR Band 6) which at that time was an easily available mid-price CD. A search through Amazon and a few other sites has revealed that it is now a rarity and dealers are asking big bucks for it. If you come across a reasonably priced copy, snap it up. Otherwise, there is a 28 track CD on Hoodoo Records called "Rock On! The 1956-62 Recordings" or there is a 2CD compilation on Jasmine Records called "Rock On! The 100th Anniversary Collection - Twenty Years of Blues, Boogie and Ballads 1941-1961" which may be worth investigating.