Old Records On Line

My Three Suns

(9 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 22, 2007

As the original trio, The Three Suns were brothers Al Nevins on guitar, Morty Nevins on accordion (and the chimes here) and their cousin Art Dunn on the organ (and vocals). There were several incarnations of this group and its lineup expanded and contracted over the years not unlike the fluctuations of a Red Giant or pulsar. These guys were also Mamie Eisenhower’s favorite group, an interesting choice for the former first lady. She clearly understood that the space-race will need music.

The early use of the Hammond organ; the novel instrumentation; and the spare arrangements show some strong links to Milt Herth’s organ jazz group from the 30’s*. I think there's more than a little of 'jazz' accordionist, Lawrence Welk's, influence here as well. The Three Suns were a popular and long lived ensemble constantly updating their sound with a variety of instrumental configurations well into the 60’s, where we find them having evolved to full on space-age bachelor pad fare. They recorded dozens of albums over this long stretch, but their 1944 single “Twilight Time” was their first major success.

This number, “How Many Hearts Have You Broken?” was the B-side to “Twilight Time” and actually rose higher on the charts that year. It was written in 1943 by Marty Symes (lyrics) and Al Kaufman (music). Stan Kenton also got on the charts in 1944 with a version of this tune.

Here’s a pretty cool website dedicated to the Three Suns:
http://www.tothcorp.com/threesuns/HomeNav.html

Hit 7092, 1944

*http://oldrecordsonline.mypodcast.com/2007/12/The_Original_Hammond_Eggs_Milt_Herth-65314.html

Fingers of night will soon surrender...the setting sun

(7 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 22, 2007

In the mind’s ear, it might be a bit hard to separate the lyrics from melody to “Twilight Time” but that’s the way it was until The Platters recorded their version in 1958 with lyrics by their manager and Mercury A&R man and looming figure across the post-War music industry, Buck Ram. The original version was this instrumental penned by brothers Al and Morty Nevins, and their cousin Art Dunn; BKA the Three Suns. And it was their first big hit fourteen years earlier in 1944.

Buck Ram was responsible for composing the lyrics, and often the music too, for several of the Platters hits including “Only You”, “The Great Pretender” and “Magic Touch” He supposedly wrote the lyrics to “Great Pretender” in the men’s room at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. He is also alleged to have pushed Mercury Records into releasing the Platters’ first hit single, “Only You”, on their standard pop label, as opposed to the purple colored “race music” label back in 1953. “Only You” first topped the R&B chart, then crossed over to the Pop Chart and hit number five. They followed up almost immediately with “Great Pretender” which went straight to number one on the Pop Chart. They were perhaps the most successful black vocal act since Louis Jordan and remain more familiar to this day.

The Three Suns’ name has definitely faded a bit since their own heyday. Though once upon a time their decidedly sparse, ‘modern’ styled arrangements gave their music a cutting edge sound (in the world of 40’s pop), which suggests to me that they were pretty much about as cool as accordion music ever got. Which is pretty cool in its own right...don’t get me wrong.

More on the Three Suns with side B.

Hit 7092, 1944

“Oh...she's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds”

(8 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 22, 2007

“Pal of My Cradle Days”…Those of you who are interested in pondering the psychology of a momma’s boy, listen to this three minute guilt trip; the soundtrack to extended family situations across the Western Hemisphere. I know I might hear it for all this somewhere along the line, but this song displays all the traits of a healthy mother-child relationship that we find in the ‘Manchurian Candidate’ or the first few seasons of the ‘Sopranos’. That said, this tune definitely had more staying power than its flip side, “Who’s Taking Care of the Caretaker’s Daughter?” performed by Earl and Bell, as it has maintained its currency with the likes of Jimmy Roselli and Ann Breen and the contemporary Irish folk circuit. I suspect this tune has turned up a lot at weddings and funerals too.

Speaking of longevity and funerals, the vocalist on this cut, Irving Kaufman’s career spanned over 60 years from 1914 until his death in the mid-70's. He was contemporary with the likes of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor yet managed to perform much later on with Tiny Tim. Dan Lieberfeld performs the piano accompaniment on this record.

“Pal of My Cradle Days” was written by Marshall Montgomery (words) and Al Piantadosi (music) in 1925 and was first performed Franklyn Baur.

Vocalion 15041, 1925

TCOB

(7 downloads)

Friday, Dec 21, 2007

Earl and Bell seem to have been popular enough to have made a handful of film appearances. I think they recorded an early version of “I’m Looking over a Four Leaf Clover” (if not the first). Unfortunately, I’m having trouble digging up much info on these guys. They were a vocal duo that used a lot of Hawaiian style guitar for accompaniment, or ukulele on a few recordings. Cool sounding old novelty pop with a tendency toward the exotic. But sorry, I don’t have much else to report on Earl and Bell.

For this song, “Who Takes Care of the Caretaker's Daughter?” on the other hand, I can provide a couple more notes. This was a number that was included in the George and Ira Gershwin musical comedy, “Lady Be Good” from 1923, but the song was written by Chick Endor and Paul Specht. The Gershwins probably hired or licensed this song from Endor and Specht as an expedient for its situation in the drama (or maybe somebody just liked it), this isn't unusual for musicals from this era. "Lady Be Good" also featured the popular Gershwin brothers originals: title song “Lady Be Good”, and “Fascinating Rhythm”. Not to mention, the original cast starred brother and sister, Fred and Adele Astaire. Besides this 1925 recording from Earl and Bell, popular versions of this song were also performed by Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards (also in 1925) and Bobby Darrin.

Ukulele Ike (1895-1971) is known for developing the vocal technique of “effin” in which the performer imitates the sound of a kazoo (or muted trumpet) with his voice. This is considered by some to be an early relative to ‘scat’ singing. In 1940 Ike was also the voice for Jiminy Cricket in the Disney animated feature “Pinocchio” for which he won an Oscar for his performance of “When You Wish upon a Star”.

Check out a great early jazz website for more on Ukulele Ike including sound files:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/cliffedwards.html

Vocalion 15041, 1925

The Lion of Judah and the Queen of Denial

(12 downloads)

Friday, Dec 21, 2007

Egyptian Ella was written in 1931 by Walter Doyle and first performed by Ted Weems and his Orchestra. Milt Herth obviously saw this novelty song as a nice venue to show off two of his trademarks: the exotic new sounds of the Hammond organ (introduced in 1934- this recording is from 1938), and his flair for writing novel arrangements for his small combo of organ, piano, drums and sometimes, as we have here, guitar.

The other really nice thing here is the piano break by the legendary stride player Willie “The Lion” Smith. Really, there’s great piano playing throughout as Smith and Herth trade off each other nicely. And on guitar we have Teddy Bunn, one of the important early single note style acoustic players. He gets a solo after the piano break. The drummer is O’Neill Spencer who played with the John Kirby Sextet and later with Louis Armstrong’s Orchestra. Spencer died in 1944 at the age of 33 of tuberculosis.

The song is about a dancing girl who gets too fat and gets fired from her dancing gig. In order to take her mind off losing her job (and her boyfriend) she plans a vacation to Egypt unaware that they love their women big over there. Now, gaining a new perspective on life and couple more pounds, she’s in no hurry to come home. I’m giving this synopsis because the Herth recording drops the first few verses that explain this “back story”.

Now, how about a few words on the biography of Willie “The Lion” Smith.

Willie the Lion was born in 1894 in Goshen NY and his family moved to Newark NJ in 1901. His parents were mixed, his father being light skinned black man who was half Jewish and his mother being Spanish, Mohawk and black. His parents split up when he was very young and when they moved to Newark, his mother remarried changing his name from William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff to William H. Smith. Early on Willie seems to embrace his Jewish ancestry, he learns Hebrew from a local Rabbi and has his Bar Mitzvah in 1907. He plays around the area: Newark, New York City, Atlantic City; until the mid-teens when he enlists in the army. In Atlantic City he replaces Eubie Blake as the house pianist at Kelly’s Lounge. In 1916 he marries Blanche Merrill (nee Howard) a white woman who was also a musician and song writer. They separate within the year, though never actually getting a divorce. During their marriage, Smith was the only black man living in their Newark apartment building.

Also in 1916, Willie enlists in the US Army, 92nd Division, 153rd Negro Brigade, 350th Field Artillery ("the Black Devils"). The US declared war on Germany in 1917 and he apparently earned his nickname “The Lion” for the exceptional valor that he displayed on the battlefield. After the armistice, he stays on in France for about a year playing piano in dancehalls. When he returns to New York, a decorated veteran, his career takes off as he and James P. Johnson and Fats Waller become known as the “Big 3”, the hottest pianists in the city and Princes of Jazz Age New York. They are admired by and influential on such important young artists as Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, and George Gershwin and are frequent guests at white society engagements throughout the 20’s. Smith performs with some of the earliest integrated groups during the early 30's.

A big part of the reason Willie the Lion didn’t achieve the same lasting recognition as his contemporaries, (Blake, Johnson and, Waller), was because he made relatively few solo recordings and likewise, was rarely the front man in any of his ensemble projects. And it seems like he preferred it this way, through the 30’s and 40’s he followed the path of a formidably talented sideman, highly regarded among his peers, but not making many inroads with the public at large. In 1944, he is said to have become Cantor for an African-American synagogue in Harlem, which may suggest where his priorities lay. Willie the Lion died in 1973. An interesting life for an interesting and important figure in the jazz world highlighting the variables of race and racial identity which cannot be avoided when you talk about jazz, or any other form of American music.

Take the information in Willie's bio with a grain of salt because he is the source for most of it and one of the things stride pianists have in common is a predilection for "Tall Tales" (the others are smoking fat cigars, and sporting bowler derbies).

Here’s a guy doing a pretty wicked version of this song on the ukulele:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Jt25_Na3k

Decca 1868, 1938

The Original Hammond Eggs: Milt Herth

(15 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 15, 2007

Milt Herth (1902-1989) was perhaps the first significant artist to specialize on the Hammond organ, an instrument that he picked up on and has been associated with almost from the time of its introduction in 1934. The Hammond was originally marketed as a cheap alternative to pipe organs for churches on a budget. It's legacy across such genres as gospel, jazz, R&B, pop, rock and blues, to name a few, has turned out to be a lot broader than that. One of those truly iconic instrument models like the "Fender Bass".

This number, “Shoot the Likker to Me John Boy” is an Artie Shaw tune jived up here by the Milt Herth Quartet.

Among the members of the Herth’s quartet was William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith better known as Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith on piano. Which brings to mind the novel instrumentation of this group: Hammond organ, piano, drums and guitar (organ, piano and drums for the Milt Herth Trio); an uncommon configuration even by today’s standards. Back to Willie ‘The Lion’, he was an important stride pianist from the early days of jazz, who got his nickname from apparently being exceptionally brave during his WWI service. It has also been said that he was a notorious self-aggrandizer.

Decca 1868, 1938

And this year's Slammy goes to...

(9 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 15, 2007

"Slamboree” is the flipside to the Don Byas Quartet’s rendition of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and a showcase vehicle for bassist Slam Stewart’s unique style of arco (bowed) playing and singing in octave over his solos. Stewart played bass in the Benny Goodman Sextet and also appears on early bebop recordings with Dizzy Gillespie’s band, though his style is thoroughly more in line with that of traditional swing.

Arista 5001

Middle Man: Don Byas

(6 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 15, 2007

After Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, Don Byas was perhaps the main transitional figure in tenor sax playing when the swing and big band era was waning and Bebop was emerging as the dominant style. Byas, who was very much a stylistic protégée of Coleman Hawkins, was born in Muskogee, OK and came to New York in 1937 at the age of 24 after spending some time playing on the West Coast. He got his big break in 1941 when he was asked to succeed Lester Young in Count Basie’s orchestra. He played with Basie until 1943, after that stint we see him becoming involved with the young up and coming Bebop artists and he is found on some of the earliest recordings of Bebop as a discernible style. In spite of his contributions to Bebop’s genesis, Byas always kept a foot planted solidly in the swing form and its more traditional stylistic parameters. This 1945 recording of ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ well illustrates this aspect of his playing. Here, Byas is backed by an impressive lineup of Slam Stewart on bass, Errol Garner, piano and Harold ‘Doc’ West on the drums.

In 1946 he went to Europe to tour with Don Redman’s Orchestra and decided not to come back. He relocated first in Paris and then ultimately he moved to Holland, got married and stayed there until his death in 1972. He remained active on the European circuit but his name recognition faded quickly back home in the US.

This recording is a nice example of what was brewing during one of Western music’s significant intermediary periods. Kind of like what the early 70’s were for movies. See the Tony Mottola stuff a couple posts back for some more.

Arista 5001, 1945

Jive Alive: Louis Jordan and the Tympani Five

(7 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 15, 2007

Throughout the 40’s, bandleader and alto saxophonist Louis Jordan had countless number one R&B hits with Decca records and he was a familiar face on the national charts too. In 1944, “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby” actually hit number two on the US charts while only making it to number three on the R&B. That same year “GI Jive” hit number one for both.

This cut, "The Chicks I Pick Are Slender and Tender and Tall", peaked at number ten on the R&B charts in 1942. Though, this was the B-side to “What’s the Use of Getting Sober” which hit number one, naturally.

Decca 8645, 1942

The One That Got Away: Louis Jordan vs. the White Devils

(9 downloads)

Friday, Dec 14, 2007

Father of R&B and all around nutcase Louis Jordan, believe it or not, was one of the most successful black recording artists of the 20th century. Perhaps no longer a household name, he and his Tympani Five rivaled Basie and Ellington in popularity on the band circuit and they sold Brazilians, perhaps Godzillians, of records. Records like this one, “What’s the Use of Getting Sober”, re-popularized by Joe Jackson, which are artifacts from his reign as Prince of the cross-over market; infiltrating the living rooms and dance halls of otherwise respectable folks across the nation.

‘King of the Jukebox’ was another of the many epithets dubbed on Jordan over his career. And he was a major influence on the Bill Haley and the Comets act who, to a degree, were putting white faces on a style of music and showmanship that was largely developed by Jordan in the 30's and 40's. Matter of fact, he worked with Bill Haley on the production of “Rock Around the Clock” so it might be said that he was complicit in his own counterfeit (Haley openly admitted his debt to Jordan). Anyway, this is one of the reasons those who remember who he was, largely acknowledge Jordan as not just the Father of R&B but also of Rock n’ Roll. Of course it’s far more complicated than that but at the end of the day he was really important, and he was also really famous and got plenty of recognition for his efforts, and if he was getting ripped off by the white owned record companies, he still had cash to spare and some modicum of control over his destiny. So, fortunately, at least this isn’t one of those pitiful stories of a talented black artist being manipulated and then discarded, penniless, by the white power structure and the institutionalized racism that serves as its foundation.

If you’re white and reading this, you should be ashamed of yourself!

Decca 8645, 1942

For All You Pleasure Seekers: King Pleasure side B

(13 downloads)

Thursday, Dec 13, 2007

Eddie Jefferson may have invented the vocalese form but its biggest name was King Pleasure. If jazz vocals have any currency these days, it is largely due to the efforts of these artists whose heydays came and went over a short period of time some fifty years ago. King Pleasure’s rise started at amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo Club in 1951 with his performance of “Moody’s Mood for Love”. This debut smash landed him a recording contract with the Prestige record label a few months later and notoriety that would last for about a decade. His initial session with Prestige produced the first recording of “Moody’s Mood” (this vocalese treatment to James Moody’s solo over “I’m in the Mood for Love” was originally composed by Eddie Jefferson a few years earlier but he never recorded it) and this, the B-side to that cut, “Exclamation Blues” a King Pleasure original which is not a vocalese number. This exuberant romp has a jumping R&B beat and makes a nice contrast to the A-side that was talked about plenty enough in the last post.

Featured on this recording is the Teacho Wiltshire Band featuring George ‘Teacho’ Wiltshire on piano. Wiltshire is best known as the session leader for the Tin Pan Alley (the record label) recordings. He was also one of Louis Jordan’s Tympani Five and appears on numerous other well known recordings for such artists as Solomon Burke, The Drifters, Gene Pitney, The Jive Five, Wilson Pickett etc.

The full line up on this session was Merrill Stepter (trumpet) Lem Davis (alto) Ray Abrams (tenor) Cecil Payne (bari) Teacho Wiltshire (piano) Leonard Gaskin (bass) Teddy Lee (drums).

Eddie Jefferson was gunned down in Chicago in 1979, the object of a drive by shooting. He was 60 years old.

Prestige 924; 1952

In the Mood for Pleasure

(9 downloads)

Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007

Clarence Beeks (1922-1982), AKA King Pleasure, was a pioneer of the vocalese style of jazz singing in which the vocalist performs vocal renditions of instrumental compositions or solos with lyrics, as opposed to a scat style which involves a freer improvisation, mostly utilizing gibberish syllabications. This one, “Moody’s Mood for Love”, is based on a solo by tenor saxophonist James Moody over the chord changes to the standard tune, “I’m in the Mood for Love”. Though this rendition was the vehicle which delivered King Pleasure to some commercial success, it was written and first performed by the originator of the vocalese style, Eddie Jefferson.

This recording also features performances by Tin Pan Alley records operator, George 'Teacho' Wiltshire, and square-jazz muse, Blossom Dearie.

Pleasure’s success didn’t last much past the early 60s when his recording and live engagements pretty much dried up. He died at the age of 59 in 1982.

Also, while we're at it, RIP Ike Turner.

Prestige 924; 1952

Guitar for hire: Tony Mottola

(8 downloads)

Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007

Tony’s Touch laid down by the Tony Mottola Quartet: Tony Mottola, guitar; Johnnie Guarneri, piano; Trigger Alpert, bass; and Morey Feld, drums. Tony Mottola was one of the most recorded guitarists of the 20th century whose studio career included collaborations with bandleader Enoch Light and frequent appearances backing up such personalities as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Johnny Mathis. He was also much recorded as a front man for his various bands and alongside fellow guitarists (and pal from Jersey City) Al Caiola and Al Viola. In the 1950s Tony was hired by Skitch Henderson to become one of the original members of the Tonight Show band where he remained until the late 60’s.

Majestic 1125, 1946

Jersey Boy: Tony Mottola

(12 downloads)

Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007

Kearny, NJ’s own Tony Mottola (1918-2004) with his quartet performing Coquette, a song penned by Guy Lombardo’s younger brother Carmen Lombardo, Gus Kahn and Johnny Green. I am finding out that this tune was also recorded by Fats Domino and more recently by SIR Paul. Here are the words that Mr. Kahn came up with:



Coquette

Tell me why you keep foolin' little Coquette
Makin' fun of the one who love you
Breakin' heart you're rulin' little Coquette
True hearts tenderly dreamin' of you
Ooh...
Oh someday you fall in love
As I fell in love with you
Baby the one you love will just be foolin'
And when you are alone with only regrets
you know little Coquette I love you
Ooh...

Oh someday you fall in love
As I fell in love with you
Doo doo..
Baby the one you love will just be foolin'
And when you are alone with only regret
You know little Coquette I love you

Majestic 1125, 1946

Fly Dragon Fly

(12 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 08, 2007

The Ellery Band performing “The Dragon Fly” by Johann Strauss, a nice rolling waltz-like tune, referred to on the record as a Mazurka. Some of you may ask, what’s a Mazurka? It’s a type of Polish folk dance in triple meter with an upbeat tempo which evolved into one of the grand ballroom styles of the 19th century. The name refers to Masuria, a woodland region in Northeastern Poland, which was once part of Prussia and then Germany until the Nazi’s defeat in 1945. Waltz and Mazurka could be interchangeable terms in many cases but a Mazurka is generally faster and has a somewhat different (or more specific) rhythmic emphasis.

This disarming musical impression captures the carelessly meandering trajectory of a dragonfly in flight. Still visually palpable across almost one hundred years of accumulated dirt and scratches.

Taddeo di Girolamo leads the Ellery Band on this recording. There’s some more info about the Ellery Band in my previous post concerning the flip side to this record.

Columbia 1388, 1913

Music for Concussions

(13 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 08, 2007

The Ellery Band was apparently a very popular performing group from the turn of the century. They were named for their proprietor (and founder?) Channing Ellery. This group was also known as the Royal Italian Band and Ellery’s Royal Italian Band. Technically, they were a ‘military band’ which is a band that incorporated woodwinds along with brass instruments and does not necessarily imply any military affiliation. The most popular bands of this time were the Marine Band and Sousa’s Band (after he left the Marine Band). I think the Ellery Band was based in Seattle. They performed at the Saint Louis World Fair in 1904.

Here we have Mendelssohn’s “Spring Song” (Fruhlingslied) Op.62, No.6, from the composer’s “Songs without Words” collection of short piano pieces. In fact, this is perhaps the most famous piece from this collection thanks in part to its being appropriated by the Warner Brothers organization to depict cartoon characters getting clobbered on the head. Use your imagination to pretend that the deafening surface noise is the twittering birds that circle your head after the hammer falls.

This music is also sometimes used to depict a hippopotamus wearing a tutu and carrying a parasol while pedaling on a unicycle. Ballerina elephants scattering flower petals are normally treated with a selection from "Swan Lake".

This performance is led by Ellery Band Music Director, Taddeo di Girolamo and, interestingly enough, a solo saxophone performs the melody. Remember, this is 1913.

Columbia A1388, 1913

Hey, bonus! My tireless research has unearthed the following recipe contributed by the one and only Signore Channing Ellery to the “Mendelssohn Club Cook Book” (Mendelssohn Club, Rockford Ill 1909). They weren't big on punctuation back in the pre-teens. Enjoy!

SPAGHETTI A LA ELLERY BAND

Use 1 quart can tomatoes strain contents through a sieve To this liquid add 3 tablespoons olive oil piece of butter size of egg a teaspoon sugar small bunch parsley 3 small cloves of garlic or onion if you prefer salt and pepper to taste and some sweet green pepper chopped Boil all this down over slow fire to thickness of cream If possible obtain imported Italian spaghetti this is distinctly superior to domestic Boil spaghetti 2 pounds for above amount of sauce in plenty of water in which you have put a generous amount of salt Above all things do not put spaghetti into water until it boils and do not cut it up into little snippy pieces as that is un-Italian and utterly inadmissable (sic) Last but not least do not cook your spaghetti to a pasty mass but remove it and drain through a colander when it is just right Pour sauce over and serve on large platter Grated cheese Parmesan preferred should be served separately for those who desire it.

Channing Ellery

Sonny and Cher’s Pedigree: Louie Prima (side B)

(8 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 08, 2007

Speaking of extra cheesy Italian novelty pop, here’s Louis Prima doing “Angelina”. Maybe it’s not that bad...and the recording, again, is a standout. Goofy sh*t, that’s all.

Louis Prima was born in New Orleans in 1910 (by coincidence, his birthday was today, December 7, more famous for another historic event). He started out in the 20’s as a New Orleans style jazz performer (and bandleader) playing trumpet and singing. In the late 30’s he is quickly making the shift to swing and by the 40’s he seems to have also made the transition to doing corny Italian novelty cuts (Prima’s parents were immigrants from Sicily). By the 50's his sound was taking on elements of Rock n' Roll. Around the late 50's he and Sam Butera and the rest of the crew shipped off to Vegas taking on a long lasting stint at The Sahara. Definitely knew how to stay current.

As a jazz singing, horn playing, band leader from New Orleans, Prima was clearly influenced by Louis Armstrong. The Armstrong influence on both his vocalizing and horn playing is unmistakable on many of his recordings, sometimes approaching the threshold of artistic plagiarism. Then again, he has an interesting legacy of his own according to this excerpt from a Wikipedia article regarding him and his wife, singer Keely Smith:

"...On stage, Prima insisted that Smith would adopt a humorless, poker-faced character that would play straight to Prima's zany ad libs. Smith actually had a fine sense of comedy that is often audible on the team's recordings; no matter how much the incorrigible Prima tried to disrupt her vocals, Smith would often come back with a funny remark of her own.

Louis Prima and Keely Smith were very much the model for Sonny and Cher: the exuberant Italian musician and the serious, exotic female singer, Smith and Cher both being of Cherokee descent (although Cher's heritage is primarily Armenian)."

Check them out in this video (there are plenty of vids of these two on you tube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC-4dF2UFnI

FYI: Prima did the voice for the oragutan King Louie in the Disney animated feature movie "Jungle Book"

Hit 7106, 1944

Oh Marie!: Louie Prima (side A)

(14 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 08, 2007

This is great. Just set up the turntable with a new 78 stylus and it makes a big difference. Also, this record cleaned up real nice. Check out the clarity on this disc, it’s in beautiful condition.

And the recording itself “Oh Marie”: a swinging tune; with a nice driving drum beat; sultry Eartha Kitt-like vocals by Lily Ann Carol; punchy trumpet accents; and so on. A nice Louis Prima swing cut, as opposed to his cheesy Italian-American novelty-pop junk. This was a big hit for him. I know I’ve heard it a million times before (mainly in the homes of older Italian folks from say the 80’s, with finished basements decorated with wood paneling and hammered ornaments depicting conquistadors). Or was that the Dean Martin version? Hey, I’m no Louis Prima expert or nothing. Didn’t know that he wrote the huge swing hit “Sing Sing Sing”. Always thought that was Benny Goodman, but it makes sense, a big part of his swing sound seems to revolve around that heavy Gene Krupa style drum beat (Jimmy Vincent was his long-time drummer).

The "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley was another big Prima hit. Timeless.

Hit 7106, 1944

God Save Your Mad Parade: Royalist Pep Talk

(11 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

I think Empire Day commemorates either Queen Victoria's birthday or during certain reigns it could move to the current monarch's birthday, if he or she so desires, or their official birthday which is different from their real birthday, just like they don't use their real names. All a lot of hogwash cooked up in order make sure the commoners and golliwogs stay confused when they're sober. This holiday corresponds with Canada's Victoria Day which seems to stay in one place. Empire Day festivities include such activities as marching, speeches and flag waving.

Children throughout the British Commonwealth seem to be a major focus in the observance of Empire Day (I think it's called Commonwealth Day now). Hence we have a personal address from George V and Queen Mary to the children in this "Message to the Boys and Girls of the British Empire" from 1923.

Following the message a military band performs "God Save the King" and "Home Sweet Home". This is from side B but I combined the two sides into one file. The band, by the way, is the Band of the Colstream Guards under the direction of Lieutenant R. G. Evans.

I think Empire Day was on May 24 in 1923. I guess I could check...

Victor 19072, 1923

Little Miss Rhythm: Ruth Brown

(8 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

The Queen of R&B's "Have a Good Time" was the B-side to "Daddy Daddy" and a great tune in its own right. Cool instrumentation with the tremolo guitar, tenor sax and chimes.

Guess what? Ruth Brown played Motormouth Maybelle in John Waters' Hairspray.

She also won a Tony for something back in the 80s or 90s.

Atlantic 973, 1952

Ruth Brown: early R&B great

(10 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

Ruth Brown passed away a little more than a year ago at 78. This cut, "Daddy Daddy", hit #3 on the US R&B chart in 1952 and was written by Rudy Toombs who composed her big hit "Teardrops in My Eyes".

Ruth Brown was born in Portland, OR and ran away to Washington DC as a teenager. After being laid up for close to a year from a near fatal car accident, she was signed on by Atlantic's Ahmet Ertegun in the late 40s after seeing her perform in a DC club.

Atlantic 973

Is Nipsey Russell not funny?

(8 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

Nope. Never was.

The only thing this one has going for it is that it IS mildly racist. Maybe the 'My Little Peter' routine wasn't all that funny either.

Anyway, of course he isn't funny, too much talent is a proven liability for anyone with aspirations for a career in game shows and sitcom cameos among other things (like hosting a light night talk show).

Had to go and check to see if he was still alive...

Chinese Perspective
Borderline 101; 195?

Is Nipsey Russell funny?

(11 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

He is!

Julius "Nipsey" Russell comedy routine "My Little Peter". Ha ha ha, I don't get it! Also, I can't figure out when this is from but mid-50s is a pretty safe bet.

Borderline Records 101

Morgan and Stanley

(10 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

Vaudeville act turned financial advisors, Miss Corinne Morgan and Mister Frank Stanley recorded several popular contralto & baritone duets around the turn of the century. This cut, "Nobody's Lookin' But de Owl and de Moon" is the B-side to the Len Spencer "Hickory Bill" number discussed in the previous posting.

Another hit by Miss Morgan was "How'd You Like to Spoon with Me?" from 1906. Racy!

This title was composed by the Harlem renaissance composer J. Rosamond Johnson, who incidentally was brother to the famous poet James Wendell Johnson. Mr. Johnson's best known composition is "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (AKA "The Negro National Anthem"), lyrics by brother James Wendell.

I know it's a little hard to make out the lyric on this so:

NOBODY'S LOOKIN' BUT DE OWL AND DE MOON
(A Negro Serenade)

De river is a-glistenin' in de moonlight,
De owl is set'n high up in de tree;
De little stars am twinklin' wid a sof' light,
De night seems only jes fu' you an' me.
Thoo de trees de breezes am a-sighin',
Breathin' out a sort o' lover's croon,
Der's nobody lookin' or a-spyin',
Nobody but de owl an' de moon.

Nobody's lookin' but de owl an' de moon,
An' de night is balmy; fu' de month is June;
Come den, Honey, won't you? Come to meet me soon,
Wile nobody's lookin' but de owl an' de moon.

I feel so kinder lonely all de daytime,
It seems I raly don't know what to do;
I jes keep sort a-longin' fu' de night-time,
'Cause den I know dat I can be wid you.
An' de thought jes sets my brain a-swayin',
An' my heart a-beatin' to a tune;
Come, de owl won't tell w'at we's a-sayin',
An' cose you know we kin trus' de moon.

Columbia A394, 1904?

Working the Hick Schtick: Hickory Bill

(11 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

"Hickory Bill" from back in the day when a home entertaiment center was a piano, a bookshelf, and a Victrola. High def meant that your piano took player rolls. This ancient disc is a turn of the century version of the variety show, which is a fairly dated concept itself. This recording is apparently from 1904 but it's hard to tell, it's from no later than 1908. Len Spencer (1867-1914) was a popular early American recording artist and from the looks of things, most of his fare was along the lines of this kind of Hillbilly humor which was popular at the time.

His partner is Parke Hunter (1876-1912) who plays banjo accompaniments along with filling in half of the banter. Parke Hunter was one of the earliest banjo recording artists.

There's a crack on this disc that ends by the time he gets to "Old Black Joe". I won't spoil the ending by telling you the true identity of this banjo playing stranger.

Too bad these shellac discs are so fragile, or they could have got the Netflix thing going 100 years ago.

Here's the Project Gutenberg site that has more Len Spencer material:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/s#a3364


Columbia A394, 1904?

Waxing Ecstatic

(7 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

First Recording of Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin's 4th Symphony titled Poem of Ecstasy 1905 opus 54. Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Same guy from Fantasia. This premier recording is from 1932.

More a tone poem than a symphony, as are most of Scriabin's orchestral pieces (who is primarily known for his piano compositions). The style of his orchestral writing might be described as part Strauss, part Debussy and part Charles Baudelaire. However, drawing such comparisons undercuts the credibility of a truly unique genius who, though he is fairly well known, should really be considered one of the giants of early modern concert music along with the likes of Strauss and Debussy (and Mahler and Ravel and Ives).

There is a long poem that is intended to accompany this as a sort of program. If I could find it, I would publish the poem with this posting. I'm going to put up some more historic Scriabin recordings soon because his stuff is truly amazing.

This is from a set of 4 twelve inch 78 rpm discs. I tried my best to smooth out the transitions. The flip side to these is another symphonic poem "Prometheus: The Poem of Fire" (his third "symphony") which includes a part for a Tastiera per Luce (keyboard of lights-an organ type instrument which instead of producing sounds, would produce a colored light show), and will probably be my next Scriabin posting.

RCA Victor Red Seal 7519-7522

Moonshine Blues: Georgia White part 2

(6 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

This is the flip side of "Biscuit Roller" from the previous post. "Moonshine Blues" Georgia White with Lonnie Johnson and Richard Jones.

Lonnie Johnson is credited as being the first to develop the single note lead style of solo guitar playing. He is noted as an important direct influence on such seminal artists as Robert Johnson, Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt (I think you could add Les Paul, Chuck Berry and a whole bunch of other people to that list while you're at it).

Following her stint with Decca, Georgia White went to form an all female blues band.

Decca 7357; 1937

What is a Biscuit Roller? Georgia White pt 1

(10 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

"Biscuit Roller" by Chicago blues singer Georgia White (1903-1980) accompanied by the vastly influential guitarist Lonnie Johnson and Richard Jones on the piano. This 1937 recording is one of many that she recorded for Decca records which included the Johnson-Jones lineup.

As for the Biscuit Roller reference, according to Harry's Blues Lyrics Online: "Among metaphors themes used in blues music, culinary themes are especially common. A desirable young girl was called a biscuit and a good lover was called a biscuit roller."

Check this out and a bunch of other stuff at: http://blueslyrics.tripod.com/index.htm#top

Decca 7357; 1937

South America Take It Away

(6 downloads)

Sunday, Dec 02, 2007

Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters-South America Take It Away. The A side to the Route 66 posted a few days ago. This is one of those numbers that seems to be pretty much all over the place. Basically, it's a lame novelty vehicle for a Latin orchestra number. Conga drums and all that stuff, exotic...

Decca 23569; 1946

A Little Race Humor

(12 downloads)

Saturday, Dec 01, 2007

This is kind of strange, kind of funny, kind of cool. Two Black Crows was a popular vaudeville black-face routine by the Moran and Mack team. Charles Mack (1888–1934) played the relatively sensible straight man role while George Moran (1881–1949) is the drawly, effeminate (that means he's lazy) sounding character with the Yogi Berra logic. Part of the reason that I don't find this particularly offensive is that it's pretty tripped out. Also, it really isn't, people are way too thin skinned these days. The kazoo thing is out of the blue and the worm gag is pretty nuts too and I really dig that nice piano running through the background. It sounds like one of the crows is named Amos. Is the other one Andy? Is this stuff related?

Kind of out there for 1927 or maybe we're just rediscovering how crazy people were back then (then the depression came along and stomped it out of them).

I spliced both sides of the record together to put this up as on episode.

Columbia 935-D; 1927 Don't let this fall into Bill Cosby's hands!