Louis Armstrong: The Great Chicago Concert 1956

Originally out on a double LP, this is a definitive set of the Louis Armstrong All-Stars of 1956. The music and many of the solos will be familiar to longtime Armstrong fans, but whether it be "Struttin' with Some Barbecue," "Basin Street," or his then-new hit, "Mack the Knife," the spirit and enthusiasm of this music is irresistible. This is his best live set in the '50s. The CD reissue, a two-CD set, is slightly more complete than the two-fer LP in that it adds a version of Armstrong's theme song, "When It's Sleepy Time Down South," a closing "Saints" that allows Satch to introduce his band, and a straightforward rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner."

Disc 1:

01. Medley: Flee As A Bird To The Mountain / Oh, Didn’t He Ramble
02. Medley: Memphis Blues / Frankie And Johnny / Tiger Rag
03. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
04. Basin Street Blues
05. Black And Blue
06. West End Blues
07. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
08. Struttin’ With Some Barbecue
09. When It’s Sleepy Time Sown South
10. Medley: Manhattan / When It’s Sleepy Time Down South
11. Indiana
12. The Gypsy
13. The Faithful Hussar

Disc 2:

01. Rockin’ Chair
02. Bucket’s Got A Hole In It
03. Perdido
04. Clarinet Marmalade
05. Mack The Knife
06. Medley: Tenderly / You’ll Never Walk Alone
07. Stompin’ At The Savoy 08. Margie
09. Big Mama’s Back In Town
10. That’s My Desire
11. Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)
12. When The Saints Go Marching In
13. The Star Spangled Banner

hotjazzandcoolblues

.....................................

Leroy Carr - Hurry Down Sunshine

Las recopilaciones del sello británico Indigo, correspondientes en su mayor parte a la segunda mitad de los años 90, tienen, al menos exteriormente, un cierto tufillo a edición irregular -digamos-, pero no conviene confundirse, porque se trata en general de colecciones de blues de pre-guerra bastante recomendables, aunque sólo sea por el magnífico sonido y la información discográfica (que suelen incluir). Le concedemos el turno ahora a Leroy Carr (1902-1935), pianista, cantante y compositor esencial en la historia del Blues, fallecido prematuramente debido a los excesos con el alcohol. Gracias a clásicos como "How Long Blues", "Blues Before Sunrise" o "Midnight Hour Blues", Carr estableció junto al guitarrista Scrapper Blackwell el estándar del sonido urbano de los años 30, con una influencia decisiva sobre artistas tan diferentes como Robert Johnson, Champion Jack Dupree o el propio Muddy Waters, por citar sólo tres ejemplo rápidos.
Esta colección incluye grabaciones de 1928 a 1935 y un buen puñado de sus temas más apreciados, en excelentes condiciones acústicas teniendo en cuenta su antigüedad.

-Jay Bee Rodriguez

01. Papa Wants A Cookie
02. How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone
03. Midnight Hour Blues
04. Mean Mistreater Mama
05. Blues Before Sunrise
06. Barrelhouse Woman No. 2
07. Prison Bound Blues
08. Good Woman Blues
09. When The Sun Goes Down
10. Rocks In My Bed
11. Tight Time Blues
12. Low Down Dog Blues
13. Sloppy Drunk Blues
14. Hurry Down Sunshine
15. Carried Water For The Elephant
16. Straight Alky Blues
17. Straight Alky Blues
18. Just A Rag
19. Tired Of Your Low Down Ways
20. How Long How Long Blues
21. Going Back Home
22. Sick Cold Feet In The Ground

hotjazzandcoolblues

..................................

New Orleans Rhythm Kings 1922-1935

Here, as stated in the title, is an introductory taste of classic jazz recorded during the years 1922-1925 and 1934-1935 by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, a group that played a crucial role in the early development of the art of making jazz records. Key participants were cornetist Paul Mares, trombonist George Brunies, clarinetist Leon Roppolo, saxophonist Jack Pettis, and pianist Elmer Schoebel, who directed the ensemble from the piano until being replaced, in 1923, by Mel Stitzel. Other important members were drummer Ben Pollack, trombonist Santo Pecora, and New Orleans pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton, whose July 1923 collaborations with this group constituted the first racially mixed jazz recordings ever made for a nationally distributed label. By the mid-'30s the personnel had changed dramatically to include trumpeter Wingy Manone, clarinetist Eddie Miller, drummer Gene Krupa, and chortling vocalist Red McKenzie. Jelly Roll Morton is heard on "Clarinet Marmalade," "Mr. Jelly Lord," and "London Blues." A pity they didn't squeeze in the fourth Morton/NORK title, "Milenberg Joys." This is an excellent way to meet and get to know the NORK. The sound quality is quite good. Other historical reissue labels (Milestone and Challenge) have done a good job of presenting this group's recordings on compact disc; two volumes on Classics are occasionally marred by excessively scratchy surface noise. The 48-track Complete Set on Challenge Records is by far the best bet; if all you want is a little taste from the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, why then here it is, an introduction, as stated. ~ arwulf arwulf


1. Eccentric
2. Farewell Blues
3. Bugle Call Blues
4. Panama
5. Tiger Rag
6. Sweet Lovin' Man
7. That's a Plenty
8. Shimmeshawabble
9. Weary Blues
10. Maple Leaf Rag
11. Tin Roof Blues
12. Clarinet Marmalade
13. Mr. Jelly Lord
14. London Blues
15. She's Crying For Me Blues
16. Gold Leaf Strut
17. She's Crying For Me
18. San Antonio Shout
19. Tin Roof Blues
20. Original Dixieland One-Step
21. Sensation
22. Dust Off That Old Pianna, (Oh! Susanna)

hotjazzandcoolblues

...............................

Louis Armstrong: The Complete Town Hall Concert 1947

This 21-song, 2-CD set recorded in New York in 1947 finds Satchmo in excellent fettle. Marking his return to the smaller combo (after work with big bands throughout the '30s and '40s), the Town Hall discs not only capture an evening of outstanding and exuberant musicianship, they act as a sampler of Armstrong's dynamic career up to the late '40s. Tunes from the popular Hollywood phase (like "Pennies from Heaven" and "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans") are interspersed with spectacular gems retrieved from the golden Okeh catalogue. The loose, rag-timey, sometime frenetic feel of tracks like "Muskrat Ramble," "Royal Garden Blues," and "Tiger Rag" makes these songs the album's highlights.

The recording is long on charm--thanks to Armstrong's instantly recognizable gravelly vocals and off-the-cuff, tongue-in-cheek song patter, but it's Satch's revolutionary trumpet playing that really stands out. From the fat, mournful tone that introduces "Dear Old Southland" to the melodically daring improvisations that characterize classics like "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" and WC Handy's "Saint Louis Blues," there is evidence aplenty to make the case for Armstrong as the most influential instrumentalist of the 20th century.

Recorded live at Town Hall, New York on May 17, 1947. Includes liner notes by Daniel Nevers and Iraskli De Davrichewi.

Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Michael A. "Peanuts" Hucko (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Jack Teagarden (trumpet, vocals); Robert L. "Bobby" Hackett (trumpet); Richard "Dick" Cary (piano); Bob Haggart (bass); Sidney "Big Sid" Catlett, George Wettling (drums).

Disc: 1
1. Introduction by Fred Robbins
2. Cornet Chop Suey
3. Our Monday Date
4. Dear Old Southland
5. Big Butter and Egg Man
6. Tiger Rag
7. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
8. Sweethearts on Parade
9. St. Louis Blues
10. Pennies from Heaven
11. On the Sunny Side of the Street

Disc: 2
1. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
2. Back O' Town Blues
3. Ain't Misbehavin'
4. Rockin' Chair
5. Muskrat Ramble
6. Save It, Pretty Mama
7. St. James Infirmary
8. Royal Garden Blues
9. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?
10. Jack Armstrong Blues

hotjazzandcoolblues
............................

The Piano Blues Vol. 6: Walter Roland 1933-35

The Piano Blues Vol. 6:
Walter Roland 1933-1935
'take your big legs off' (PY 4406)

Jolly Jives
- Piano Stomp
- Jookit Jookit
- Watcha Gonna Do
- Hungry Man's Scuffle
Walter Roland
- Early This Morning
- Back Door
- Big Mama
- Red Cross Blues
- House Lady
- Every Morning
- Collector Man
- Bad Dream
Lucille Bogan
- Changed Way
- B.D. Woman's Blues
- Down In Bougie Alley
- Stew Meat Blues

hotjazzandcoolblues
.............................

The Piano Blues Vol. 5: Postscript 1927-1935

The Piano Blues Vol. 5:
Postscript 1927-1935
'hot box is on my mind' (PY 4405)


Little Brother Montgomery
- Frisco Hi-Ball
Turner Parrish
- Trenches
Roosevelt Sykes
- 44 Blues
Mozelle Alderson
- Tight Whoopee
Sammy Brown
- Jockey Blues
Speckled Red
- Wilkins Street Stomp
James Robinson
- Humming Blues
Rufus & Ben Quillian
- Holy Roll
Cow Cow Davenport
- Atlanta Rag
Pinetop & Lindberg
- 4-11-44
Lonnie Clark
- Down In Tennessee
Skip James
- If You Haven't Any Hay
Charlie Spand
- Soon This Morning No 2
Herve Duerson
- Avenue Strut
Stump Johnson
- Bound To Be A Monkey
Kingfish Bill Tomlin
- Hot Box

hotjazzandcoolblues
............................

The Piano Blues Vol. 4: The Thomas Family 1925-29

The Piano Blues Vol. 4
The Thomas Family 1925-1929
'Give it to me good, Mr. Hersal'
(Magpie PY 4404)

Hociel Thomas
- Worried Down With The Blues
- Fish Tail Dance
Sippie Wallace
- Murder's Gonna Be My Crime
George Thomas
- Fast Stuff Blues
- Don't Kill Him In Here
Moanin' Bernice Edwards
- High Powered Mama
- Born To Die
- South Bound Blues
- Long Tall Mama
- Mean Man Blues
- Jack Of All Trades
- Moaning Blues
- Hard Hustling
- Low Down Dirty Shame
Hersal Thomas
- Suitcase Blues
- Hersal Blues

hotjazzandcoolblues

............................