The Tenor Sax Album (The Savoy Sessions)

Side 1:
01) Honeysuckle Rose - Ben Webster
02) I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster
03) Blue Skies - Ben Webster
04) Kat's Fur - Ben Webster
05) Body And Soul (alt) - Cozy Cole and his Orchestra
06) Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec
07) Jim Dawgs - Ike Quebec

Side 2:
01) Scufflin' - Ike Quebec
02) I.Q. Blues - Ike Quebec
03) Lunatic - John Hardee
04) Can't Help Loving That Man - John Hardee
05) Red Man Bounce - John Hardee
06) Baby Watch That Stuff - John Hardee
07) Misty Blues - Billy Taylor
08) Take The A Train - Billy Taylor

Side 3:
01) Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jacquet
02) Jumpin' Jacquet - Illinois Jacquet
03) Blues Mood - Illinois Jacquet
04) Jacquet In The Box - Illinois Jacquet
05) Savoy Blip - Emmett Berry
06) Doggin' With Doggett (alt) - Emmett Berry
07) Minor Romp - Emmett Berry
08) Berry's Blues - Emmett Berry

Side 4:
01) Last Stop - Coleman Hawkins
02) Should I - Coleman Hawkins
03) Flight Eleven - Coleman Hawkins
04) Modern Fantasy - Coleman Hawkins
05) Confessin' - Coleman Hawkins
06) September Song - Coleman Hawkins
07) They Can't Take That Away From Me - Coleman Hawkins

The Tenor Sax Album (Mega)

The Tenor Sax Album (Zippy)

Back to the 1940s Savoy sessions with another double helping of a treat that's hard to beat. Muscular tenor sax jazz workouts from some of the greatest players around at the time and definitely no over the top honkin' and squealin' on show here as things stay on the right side of tasteful. Heck, even Illinois Jacquet is in restrained mood on his session. In fact this 2LP set came as some relief to me after I'd overindulged in a honk honk honk fest by listening to a Hal Singer collection followed by an Apollo compilation of various R&B sax men, all of which left me rather exhausted and half deaf. This stuff is rather easier on the discerning ear.

Side 4 is the odd one out as it contains a 1954 session recorded by Coleman Hawkins in Chicago, but everything else is from that time and place with which I have a fascination - New York in the 1940s. Some of these tracks have appeared on the blog before as I have occasionally dipped into this set for tracks to post on a homemade comp (John Hardee) and some reconstructions of 1950s Savoy EPs (Ike Quebec and Illinois Jacquet) but these are all new rips for your delectation, and boy was it hard work getting rid of the clicks and pops hence the delay in posting. There is still some surface noise in evidence on a couple of tracks but I'm pretty pleased with the way it all turned out.

The session details are on the LP cover and there is an essay by jazz critic Leonard Feather to fill in the background. As usual I have provided the details of the original release of the tracks. Note that one Ben Webster side is an alternate take of a track originally released under Cozy Cole's name. Two of the John Hardee tracks were originally credited to pianist / organist Billy Taylor and four of Illinois Jacquet's tracks were from a session credited to trumpet player Emmett Berry, although all four of the Berry tracks were eventually released under Jacquet's name.

Original Release of the Tracks:

Ben Webster:

Body And Soul - alternate take of side released on Savoy 501 - Body And Soul / Talk To Me - Cozy Cole and his Orchestra, released May 1944. This take first released on this 2LP set.

Honeysuckle Rose / Blue Skies - Ben Webster - Savoy 553, part of 78 RPM Album "Tenor Sax Album" (Savoy A-500) released April 1945

I Surrender Dear / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster - Savoy 580, part of 78 RPM Album "Tenor Sax Album No. 2" (Savoy 502) released January 1946

jazzdisco.org and 78discography.com list the following 2 releases, both probably 1944 -

Blue Skies / I Surrender Dear - Ben Webster - Savoy 505

Honeysuckle Rose / Kat's Fur - Ben Webster - Savoy 506

I have not come across any reference to these two releases in Billboard or The Cash Box, nor have I come across label shots of the discs.

Ike Quebec:

Jim Dawgs / I Q Blues - Ike Quebec - Savoy 570 - probably September - October 1945

Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jaquet All Stars / Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec All Stars - Savoy 620 - released August 1946. Also released as part of the 78 RPM album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503) in October 1946.

Scufflin' - first released on 1954 EP "Tenor Sax - Ike Quebec" (Savoy XP 8083) in 1954.

John Hardee:

Baby Watch That Stuff / Bad Man's Bounce - John Hardee Quintet - Regent 121 - July 1948

Lunatic / Can't Help Lovin' That Man - John Hardee Quintet - Savoy 703 - August 1949

Misty Blues (aka Misty Morning Blues) and Take The "A" Train first released on Savoy EP XP 8113 "Billy Taylor - John Hardee" and on Savoy LP Savoy MG 9035 "Billy Taylor - Piano" - both released in 1953

Illinois Jacquet:

Don't Blame Me - Illinois Jacquet All Stars / Girl Of My Dreams - Ike Quebec All Stars - Savoy 620 - released August 1946. Also released as part of the 78 RPM album "Tenor Sax Stylists" (Savoy S-503) in October 1946

Jumpin Jacquet / Blue Mood - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 593 - released February 1946

Minor Romp / Berry's Blues - Emmett Berry's Hot Six - Savoy 594 - released February 1946

Jacquet In The Box / Jacquet And Coat - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 910 - released November 1947. "Jacquet And Coat" is Emmett Berry's "Minor Romp" retitled.

Illinois Goes To Chicago / Jacquet And No Vest - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 911 - released late 1947 / early 1948. Both of these tracks are retitled Emmett Berry tracks as follows - "Illinois Goes To Chicago" is "Doggin' With Doggett" and "Jacquet And No Vest" is "Savoy Blip." The version of "Doggin' with Doggett" on this 2LP set is an alternate take of the version released on Savoy 911.

Note - Don't Blame Me / Jacquet Blues - Illinois Jacquet - Savoy 651 - released July 1947. "Jacquet Blues" is a retitled "Berry's Blues"

Coleman Hawkins:

All tracks first released on the LP "The Hawk Returns" (Savoy MG-12013) in 1955.

Elsewhere On The Blog:

John Hardee - Bad Man's Blues

Click on the link for a homemade comp of John Hardee plus an in depth look at his career. New download link on the post if you wish to grab the album.

Ike Quebec - Tenor Sax (Savoy XP 8083)

Click on the link for a short but I like to think informative post on Ike Quebec and Savoy Records. New download link now on the post.

Illinois Jacquet Vol. 1 (Savoy XP 8068)

Again, the link above takes you to a short but worth-a-look post complete with new download link.

Don Byas - Savoy Jam Party (The Savoy Sessions)

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

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

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

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

Savoy Jam Party (Mega)

Savoy Jam Party (Zippy)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disc 1:

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disc 2:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hen Gates, Man Of Mystery or Exploitation A Go Go

In response to a request from BabyHugz we proudly re-present the 3 "Hen Gates" LPs which were donated to the blog 9 years ago. These LPs were released on budget labels to cash in on the rock and roll craze of the 1950s.  Beneath the pseudonym "Hen Gates" lurk recycled R&B / Jazz tracks from the late 1940s and early 1950s, chiefly tracks originally released by Freddie Mitchell on the Derby label. Also in there are some sides recorded by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davies for Lenox around 1947. I suspect there may be other stuff by other artists too (Frank Culley? Morris Lane?) but life is too short to dwell on such esoterica.

The whole saga unfolded across a series of posts back in the spring of 2010 when an anonymous donor sent in "Let's All Dance To Rock And Roll" and followed up with "Rock and Roll". A different anonymous contributor sent in "Rock And Roll No. 2" and much below the line comment contributed towards the attempted identification of the origin of these tracks. The original relevant posts are here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/03/hen-gates-and-his-gaters-lets-all-dance.html

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/03/hen-gates-and-his-gaters-rock-and-roll.html

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/04/eddie-lockjaw-davis-hen-gates-shock.html

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2010/04/hen-gates-and-his-gaters-rock-and-roll.html

Click on the links to follow the whole tawdry and at times hilarious tale. However it should be remembered that behind the exploitation there are a lot of very good tenor sax tracks, and, yes, a few tracks spoiled by the plinky-plonk piano which was an unfortunate feature of some of Freddie Mitchell's Derby discs.

Here's yer link to the world of "Hen Gates" -

Hen Gates 3LPs (Mega)

Warning - 201 MB download!

Lynn Hope - The Maharaja Of The Saxophone (King LP 717)

Side 1:
01. Tenderly
02. Rose Room
03. Body And Soul
04. Sands Of The Sahara
05. Blue And Sentimental
06. Shockin'

Side 2:
01. Oo Wee
02. A Ghost Of A Chance
03. Full Moon
04. Little Landslide
05. Stardust
06. Juicy

Lynn Hope - The Maharaja Of The Saxophone (Mega)

Lynn Hope - The Maharaja Of The Saxophone (Zippy)

This is a "reconstruction" of Lynn Hope's King LP which was released in January 1961. The sides were recorded over two sessions in March 1960. Four singles from the sessions were released during 1960 (details below) and then came this album ... and then Lynn Hope faded from the music scene.

These are Lynn's last recordings and they don't sound all that different from his earlier Premium and Aladdin recordings. There's a re-recording of his big hit "Tenderly" and a tremendous slice of heated exotica in "Sands Of The Sahara." The presence of Earl Bostic's vibes player Gene Redd helps keep that slightly strange and exotic vibe going on certain tracks.

Lynn Hope has long been one of my favourite R&B sax players, always earthy yet with a hint of something strange just behind the curtain. There's a link below to a previous post (2009) I wrote on him which has a brief summary of his career. There is also a post on Crownpropellor's blog which has some fantastic photos of Lynn from a 1953 copy of Ebony magazine. The below-the-line comments are also very interesting as his daughter informed blog readers that her father had passed in February 1993.

Another comment on Crownpropellor's post refers to the short story / reminiscence by Amiri Bakara (LeRoi Jones) based around a gig by Lynn Hope. Titled "The Screamers", the story can be found in the Penguin collection "The Portable Beat Reader" (ed. Ann Charters). I came across a suitably beat up copy a couple of years ago in a local charity shop. So let us bring this part of the post to an end with a suitable quote from the story (imagine Lynn's band bomp, bomp, bomping on an R&B standard such as "Night Train" or "Harlem Nocturne" while dancers grind slowly against each other in a packed and seedy club) -

"He stomped his foot and waved one hand. The other hung loosely on his horn. And their turbans wove in among those shadows. Lynn's tighter, neater and bright gorgeous yellow stuck with a green stone. Also those green sparkling cubes dancing off his pinkies. A-boomp bahba bahba, A-boomp bahba bahba, A-boomp bahba bahba, A-boomp bahba bahba, the turbans sway behind him. And he grins before he lifts the horn ... "

The Trax 'n' The Fax

Cincinnati, 4th March 1960:

Lynn Hope (tenor sax) with - Gene Redd (trumpet, vibes); Jamie Palmer (piano); Fred Jordan (guitar); Clarence Mack (bass); Philip Paul (drums) -

Juicy

Tenderly

Full Moon

Shockin'

A Ghost Of A Chance

Body And Soul

Cincinnati, 28th March 1960:

Personnel as above except Edwyn Conley replaces Clarence Mack on bass -

Blue And Sentimental

Rose Room

Sands Of The Sahara

Little Landslide

Oo Wee

Stardust

Lynn Hope singles on King -

Tenderly / Full Moon - King 5336 - issued April 1960.

Sands Of The Sahara / Body And Soul - King 5352 - issued June 1960.

A Ghost Of A Chance / Little Landslide- King 5378 - issued August 1960.

Shockin' / Blue And Sentimental - King 5431 - issued December 1960.

King LP 717 "Maharaja Of The Saxophone" issued in January 1961.

Also on the blog:

"Lynn Hope And His Tenor Sax" - Aladdin sides. Posted 12th October 2009. I've added a new Mega link to the post as Zippyshare seems to be disappearing from EU countries.

More of the 1953 Ebony article can be read here - Muslims and Jazz in 1953.

My thanks to the original uploaders of the cover and label scans.

Illinois Jacquet & Lester Young - Battle Of The Saxes re-up

Side One:
01. Flying Home - Illinois Jacquet
02. Blow Illinois Blow - Illinois Jacquet
03. Goofin' Off - Illinois Jacquet
04. Illinois Blows The Blues - Illinois Jacquet

Side Two:
01. D.B. Blues - Lester Young
02. Lester Blows Again - Lester Young
03. On The Sunny Side Of The Street - Lester Young
04. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid - Lester Young

Battle Of The Saxes (Mega)

Battle Of The Saxes (Zippy)

A requested re-up of a reconstruction of an early Aladdin LP from 1951 which I originally posted back in April 2009. I used some artwork from Joan plus rips from vinyl LPs to reconstruct this 10 inch LP. The original post with more of Joan's artwork on display is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2009/04/illinois-jacquet-lester-young-battle-of.html

The LP consists of sides recorded by Lester Young and Illinois Jacquet in the 1940s for the then new indy label Aladdin, and its immediate predecessor Philo.

The Illinois Jacquet Sides

Flying Home recorded in July 1945 in Los Angeles. Personnel: Russell Jacquet (trumpet); Henry Coker (trombone); Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax); Arthur Dennis (baritone sax); Sir Charles Thompson (piano); Ulysses Livingston (guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); Johnny Otis (drums). Originally issued as Philo 101.

Blow Illinois Blow and Illinois Blows The Blues recorded on 1st April 1947 in New York. Personnel: Fats Navarro, Joe Newman, Russell Jacquet (trumpets); Jay Jay Johnson (trombone); Jimmy Powell (alto sax); Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax); Leo Parker (baritone sax); Sir Charles Thompson (piano); Freddy Green (guitar); Al Lucas (bass); Shadow Wilson (drums). Both sides originally released on Aladdin 3001.

Goofin' Off  recorded on 10th September 1947 in New York. Personnel: Joe Newman, Russell Jacquet (trumpets); Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax); Leo Parker (baritone sax); Sir Charles Thompson (piano); John Collins (guitar); A1 Lucas (bass); Shadow Wilson (drums). Originally released on Aladdin 3011.

The Lester Young Sides

D.B. Blues and Lester Blows Again recorded on 20th December 1945 in Los Angeles. Personnel: Vic Dickenson (trombone); Lester Young (tenor sax); Dodo Marmarosa (piano); Red Callender (bass); Henry Tucker (drums). Both sides originally released on Aladdin 123.

On The Sunny Side Of The Street and Jumpin' With Symphony Sid recorded in October 1946 in Chicago. Personnel: Lester Young (tenor sax); Argonne Thornton (piano); Fred Lacey (guitar); Rodney Richardson (bass); Lyndell Marshall (drums). Jumpin' With Symphony Sid originally released on Aladdin 162. On The Sunny Side Of The Street released on Aladdin 164.

Below is a short film which frequently appears on YouTube. You can currently find it at  -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88PwJX5gyxU

The film features the contrasting styles of Lester Young and Illinois Jacquet. Directed by Gjon Mili, it is years ahead of its time in look and feel.

The Be Bop Wino summer of rock 'n' roll has come to an unexpected halt as I've broken the stylus on my new turntable! I am currently awaiting the delivery of two new styli, so digitising of vinyl should resume next week! Hang on in there ...

Joe Houston Re-ups

Side 1:
01. Thunder Storm *
02. Trouble, Trouble, Trouble
03. Hurricane **
04. Tough Enough
05. Windy City Hop
06. Earthquake ***

Side 2:
01. Jump The Blues
02. Guided Missile
03. Good-Bye Little Girl
04. Wee, Wee Hours
05. Bobby Sox Ramble

* this is the 78rpm version of "Hurricane."

** this track is not "Hurricane" but is in fact an alternate take of "Bobby Sox Ramble."

*** this track is "Atom Bomb." (Imperial 5213)

The full explanation of the wrong attributions on "Earthquake" is to be found in the cover notes on the Saxophonograph LP "Rockin' 'n' Boppin'."

Joe Houston - Earthquake (Mega)

Joe Houston - Earthquake (Zippy)

In response to a request here is a new link to the Pathe Marconi LP of Joe Houston's Imperial sides - "Earthquake."

The link to the Saxophonograph collection of Joe Houston's sides for various labels had also expired, so here we go - 

Side 1

01. Rockin' 'n' Boppin'

02. Flying Home

03. Walking Home

04. Earthquake

05. Waycross Mama Blues

06. Moody

07. Hurricane

08. Go Joe Go

Side 2

01. Cornbread & Cabbage

02. Jay's Boogie

03. Doin' The Lindy Hop

04. Boogie Woogie Woman

05. Hog Maws Part 2

06. Dig It

07. Shtiggy Boom

08. Joe's Gone

09. The Hully

Joe Houston - Rockin' 'n' Boppin' (Mega)

Joe Houston - Rockin' 'n' Boppin' (Zippy)

There have been a few posts about Joe Houston on Be Bop Wino over the years. Here's a quick guide -

Joe Houston - Earthquake - includes outline of Joe's career and recommended listening.

Joe Houston - Rockin' 'n' Boppin' - scans from Joan K, plus details of original issues of the tracks.

Rock And Roll With Joe Houston And His Rockets - the Tops LP, with reference to the story of that budget label.

Joe Houston - Doin' The Twist - exploitation a go go from the Crown label plus El Enmascarado's set up for ripping vinyl and shellac.

Joe Houston Special! - last year's attempt at keeping the Joe Houston links up to date. Out of date already!

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago I am currently operating without a turntable, but don't worry folks there's still a supply of previously unposted material to keep us going. There's a couple of "new" LP's heading this way soon, so keep tuned to the Be Bop Wino station.

Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball

Side One:
01. Have A Ball - Joe Houston Orchestra
02. Houston's Hot House - Joe Houston Orchestra
03. Leo's Boogie - Leo Parker And His Mad Lads
04. Cool Leo - Leo Parker And His Mad Lads
05. SOS - Charlie Singleton And His Band
06. Please Don't Leave Me Here - Charlie Singleton And His Band
07. Artistry In Mood - Joe Thomas And His Orchestra

Side Two:
01. Tearing Hair - Joe Thomas And His Orchestra
02. Turntable - Morris Lane And His Combo
03. What Did Sam Say - Paul Bascomb And His Orchestra
04. Ain't Nothin' Shakin' - Paul Bascomb And His Orchestra
05. Forty-Nine-Fifty - Bumps Myers Sextet
06. Memphis Hop - Bumps Myers Sextet
07. September Song - Morris Lane And His Combo

Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball (Zippy)

Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball (Mega)

As I'm currently operating without a turntable, the next few posts will consist mainly of revivals of material posted in the earliest days of the blog with upgraded artwork and updated information. In addition I have a few other "projects" in mid development, so Be Bop Wino will keep going despite the (temporary) equipment crisis.

"Screaming Saxophones Have A Ball" was originally posted in August 2008 back when I still hadn't mastered the art of scanning a complete LP cover. This time round you get improved artwork plus additional information on these mainly obscure sides. If ever an LP embodied the ethos of Be Bop Wino it was this one with its mix of jazzers and early R&B tenor sax men all blowing fit to bust.

The notes on the back cover are very readable and I've added some more info below, although details remain somewhat hazy for a few of these sides. Here we go -

Have A Ball / Houston's Hot House by The Joe Houston Orchestra (Modern 850), released in December 1951. Recorded in Baton Rouge in the autumn of 1951. Personnel: Walter Miller (trumpet) ; August "Dimes" Dupont (alto sax); Joe Houston (tenor sax); Marian McKinley (piano); Robert Gray (bass); Robert Byrd (drums); Lois Butler (vocal on "Have A Ball").

Cool Leo / Leo's Boogie by Leo Parker And His Mad Lads (United 141), released in January 1953. Recorded in Chicago on November 15th, 1952. Personnel: Leo Parker (baritone sax); Andy Johnson (piano); Remo Biondi (guitar, violin); Ira Pettiford (bass); Jack Parker (drums).

Please Don't Leave Me Here To Cry / S.O.S. by Charlie Singleton and His Band (Lee 208). Release date unknown. Recorded in New York 1950-51. Personnel: Charlie Singleton (tenor sax); unknown (baritone sax); Gildo Mahones (piano); unknown (guitar); Martin Rivera (bass); John Godfrey (drums); Jake Vaughan (vocal on "Please Don't Leave Me Here To Cry").

Tearing Hair by Joe Thomas, His Sax and His Orchestra (King 4318). Other side was "My Baby Done Left Me." Released in October 1949. Recorded in New York on May 21st, 1949. Personnel: Joe Thomas (tenor sax) with Emmett Berry and John Grimes (trumpets); Dickie Harris (trombone); Ben Kynard (baritone sax); George Rhodes (piano); George Duvivier (bass); Joe Marshall (drums).

Artistry In Moods by Joe Thomas, His Sax and His Orchestra (King 4339). Other side was "Wham-A-Lam." Released in February 1950. Recorded in New York on November 28th, 1949. Personnel: Joe Thomas (tenor sax) with Emmett Berry and John Grimes (trumpets); Dickie Harris (trombone); Ben Kynard (baritone sax); George Rhodes (piano); George Duvivier (bass); Joe Marshall (drums).

September Song / Turntable by Morris Lane and his Combo (Continental 6074), released in August 1948. Reviewed in Billboard, August 28th, 1948. Recording date unknown - thought to be in early 1947. Personnel: Morris Lane (tenor sax) with unknown small combo.

Ain't Nothin' Shakin' / What Did Sam Say? (London 17002) by Paul Bascomb and His Orchestra. Release date unknown, probably in 1949. Recorded in New York, 1949. Personnel: Eddie Lewis (trumpet); Frank Porter, Tommy Waters (alto saxes); Paul Bascomb (tenor sax,vocal); Harold Wallace (baritone sax); Duke Jordan (piano); James McCray (bass); George DeHart (drums).

Memphis Hop / Forty-Nine-Fifty (Selective 106) by the Bumps Myers Sextet. Release date unknown, possibly August 1949. Recorded in Los Angeles in May / June 1949. Personnel: Bumps Myers (tenor sax) with unknown small combo.

Ride that riff, baby!

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Modern Jazz Expressions

Side 1:
01. Dizzy Atmosphere
02. It's The Talk Of The Town
03. Leaping On Lenox
04. This Is Always
05. Bean-O
06. I'll Remember April

Side 2:
01. Moonlight In Vermont
02. Johnny Come Lately
03. You Go To My Head
04. Foggy Day
05. Tenderly
06. The Way You Look Tonight

Download from here:

Modern Jazz Expressions (Mega)

This LP was originally released as King LP 395-506 in 1956:

The LP was re-released in 1960 as "Modern Jazz by Eddie Davis" with a new front cover similar to that used on this 1988 Sing issue.

Original issue on singles of the tracks  from "Modern Jazz Expressions":

Bean-O / This Is Always (King 4801) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - May 1955

Punch / It's The Talk Of The Town (King 4813) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - July 1955

Together / Foggy Day (King 4863) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - December 1955

Scatter / The Way You Look Tonight (King 4904) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - March 1956

Tenderly / Dizzy Atmosphere (King 4928) - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Trio - June 1956

"Leaping On Lenox," "I'll Remember April," "Moonlight In Vermont," "You Go To My Head" and "Johnny Come Lately" first issued on "Modern Jazz Expressions."

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (the nickname came from the way he blew his sax) was born in New York City in 1921. His sax style was what was known as "mainstream", i.e. rooted in the big band swing era yet he played in varied settings, starting with big bands in the early to mid 1940s, especially with Cootie Williams and also in brief stints with Lucky Millinder and Andy Kirk. His first recordings with his own small group were made in May 1946 for Haven. In December 1946 his group recorded with bopper Fats Navarro for Savoy.

Further Eddie Davis small group recordings were made for Apollo in April 1947 and Lenox sometime in 1947 / 48. Somewhat surrealistically some of Eddie's Lenox sides turned up years later under the pseudonym Hen Gates on "rock and roll" compilations issued by the budget Plymouth label.

In 1948 (possibly during the AFM recording ban) Eddie cut four sides for Bob Shad's "Sittin' In With" label. In 1949 Eddie was involved in several R&B leaning sessions: with blues shouter Carl "King Karl" Davis for National; with Jesse Stone ("Cole Slaw") for Victor; with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson for King; and under his own name ("Mountain Oysters") with Bill Doggett also for King.

Eddie's next few recording sessions in 1950-51 were more on the jazz side with live sessions at Birdland being recorded with Gene Parrish, Miles Davis and Slim Gaillard. In October 1951 he was on a session with trombonist Benny Green for Prestige and both artists featured shortly afterwards on a live recording by a group led by Sonny Criss at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

In 1952 Eddie joined the reformed Count Basie big band. A 78 rpm single release of "Paradise Squat" (Mercury 89104) featuring hot soloing by Eddie became a big hit for the Count whose use of the organ rather than the piano pointed the way for future Lockjaw releases.

Eddie's stay with Basie lasted into early 1953 (he would return in 1957) but even before splitting from the Basie outfit Lockjaw started recording with small groups which featured the organ - with Bill Doggett and then with Billy Taylor, both for Roost. Further sessions for Roost in 1953 and 1954 featured Eddie Bonnemere on piano and Charlie Rice on drums with some very tasty sax by Eddie.

In 1954 the Eddie Davis Trio lineup of Eddie on sax, Doc Bagby on organ and Charlie Rice on drums came together, recording "Just Too Marvelous" / "Heartaches" for Roost and sometime in the spring of 1954 the trio plus Sonny Stitt were recorded live at Birdland. Sessions for King commenced on April 11th 1955, with further sessions on April 19th and April 20th. Further King sessions were held in August 1955 and February 1956.

As can be seen from the release details above, these sessions resulted in a string of singles as well as this LP. The singles were reviewed in the R&B section of Billboard, so despite the album title "Modern Jazz Expressions" it is obvious that these sides were aimed at the jukebox crowd who liked to hear some good hot blowing (with the occasional ballad) on mostly easily recognizable standards.

When the next King session was held in July 1956 there was a change in personnel with Shirley Scott replacing Doc Bagby on organ. This was the start of a fruitful collaboration which would last until 1960, but that is a tale for our next post on Be Bop Wino.