King Oliver (1923) - Noise Reduction at 128

Lo que posteamos a continuación no pretende otra cosa que compartir con todos ustedes mi particular solución (provisional quizás, pero para mí, aceptable) a un problema que hemos de padecer los aficionados al mejor jazz y blues tradicional: ¡esa condenada freiduría de fondo en los discos de los años 20! Después de más de diez años rodeado de mp3s (con los LPs y cassettes durmiendo el sueño de los justos hace ya tiempo), algunos seguimos resistiéndonos a sepultar estas joyas musicales en la vitrina del museo, o sea, a decir que muy bien, muy grandes y muy clásicos y tal, pero, en el fondo, no escucharlos casi nunca porque, bueno ¡no hay quien aguante esa ruidera de fondo hasta en los mejores remasterizados! Pues no, señor: se puede disfrutar de estas vetustas gemas aún en pleno siglo XXI. Y se debe, además.

En el blog Blues Express (http://bluesexpress.blogspot.com.es/2011/04/blind-lemon-y-otros-maestros-en-sonido.html) reseñamos, en su día, el trabajo encomiable de los monsieurs de Pristine Audio, ingenieros dedicados a limpiar, fijar y dar esplendor a los maestros jazzeros y blueseros de los años 20 y 30. Como ya dijimos allí, como se dice siempre, el asunto acaba siendo a menudo una solución de compromiso: cuánto ruido le quitamos y cuántos matices pierden (o no) los instrumentos con ello. Animado por los resultados que estos señores obtuvieron con los discos de Blind Lemon o Mississippi John Hurt, y a pesar de que en su día no cursé los estudios de ingeniero de sonido ni nada similar, me decidí a intentarlo con uno de mis favoritos entre los "clásicos insufribles": la banda de King Oliver en 1923.

Después de meses de disfrutar casi a diario numerosas versiones modernas de ese singular sonido (los Creole Jazz Serenaders de Don Vappie, la King Oliver Heritage Jazz Band, la Peruna Jazz Band, la Dutch Swing College Jazz Band, algunos grupos de Jim Cullum o Vince Giordano, la Bourbon Street Jazz Band, los John Gill's Jazz Kings, etc. etc.) me dije que ya iba siendo hora de volver a los originales como Dios manda, simplemente, cogiendo la mejor versión disponible (el indispensable doble "Off The Record", que todo aficionado que se tenga por tal debería poseer) y limpiándola un poquillo "a ver qué tal". Bueno, pues aquí está: una selección de 18 de esos incunables (a 128 kbps) pero sin freiduría de gallinejas, de manera que Mr Oliver, también en la era de la "nube digital", pueda sentarse tranquilamente en su trono, del que nunca debió bajar. A ver qué les parece. A mí me suena a gloria bendita.

-Jay Bee Rodríguez

King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (1923)
With Noise Reduction at 128kbps

01. Canal Street Blues
02. Chimes Blues
03. Dipper Mouth Blues (a)
04. Weather Bird Rag
05. Sobbin' Blues
06. Tears
07. Mabel's Dream (tk 1)
08. Riverside Blues (a)
09. Just Gone
10. Mandy Lee Blues
11. High Society Rag
12. London Cafe Blues
13. New Orleans Stomp
14. Snake Rag
15. Buddy's Habit
16. Dipper Mouth Blues (b)
17. Mabel's Dream (tk 2)
18. Riverside Blues (b)

hotjazzandcoolblues

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Footage of Louis Armstrong in Denmark (1933)

Incomparable documento gráfico y sonoro: el maestro en vivo en Copenhague a comienzos de los 30, interpretando con su orquesta "I Cover The Waterfront", "Dinah" y "Tiger Rag". Qué podemos decir, excepto... ¡bendito Youtube y bendita Internet, por permitirnos disfrutar y compartir cosas como ésta!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZvqvNYJmC4

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Louis Armstrong in digital stereo, Great Original Performances 1923-1931

Editado originalmente en formato LP en 1985 por cuenta de BBC Records (pero sólo con 16 temas) ésta es la edición digital de 1997 de la que resulta ser, para mucha gente, la mejor restauración sonora de las fundamentales grabaciones de Louis con sus Hot Five, Hot Seven y demás formaciones a finales de los años 20.
O quizás, simplemente, la más asequible a oídos "modernos". En realidad, de ninguna manera cambiaría, personalmente, esta recopilación por la integral de cuatro CDs de JSP, pero el caso es que nada nos impide disfrutar también de los controvertidos experimentos sonoros del ingeniero Robert Parker (y su "estéreo virtual"), habida cuenta de que los resultados son en algunos de los casos sinceramente espectaculares ("Willie The Weaper", "Potato Head Blues", "S.O.L. Blues", "Hotter Than That", "West End Blues"). Como lo es la propia música también, evidentemente. En realidad, y salvando solamente la ausencia de tres o cuatro temas que deberían ser inevitables en cualquier recopilación de este período ("Big Butter and Egg Man", "Cornet Chop Suey", "Weather Bird", "Beau Koo Jack"), yo diría que está muy cerca de ser la perfecta antología/introducción, en un sólo disco, del Evangelio del Jazz.

-Jay Bee Rodríguez

01. Wild Man Blues
02. Snake Rag
03. Muskrat Ramble
04. Willie the Weeper
05. Alligator Crawl
06. Potato Head Blues
07. Melancholy Blues
08. Weary Blues
09. Twelfth Street Rag
10. Keyhole Blues
11. S.O.L. Blues
12. Gully Low Blues
13. That's When I'll Come Back to You
14. Ory's Creole Trombone
15. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
16. Hotter Than That
17. Symphonic Raps
18. West End Blues
19. Muggles
20. Save It, Pretty Mama
21. St. James Infirmary
22. Knockin' a Jug
23. St. Louis Blues
24. Lonesome Road

hotjazzandcoolblues

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Johnny Dodds with Louis Armstrong: New Orleans Stomp, 1926-27

This CD features some less well known recordings by Dodds from 1926-27. Not all are top class performances, but three sessions make this release a must - buy for fans of classic jazz. First, the three performances by "Lil's Hot Shots" (in fact, Louis Armstrong's Hot Five moonlighting for Vocalion rather than Okeh). Second, the April 1927 Black Bottom Stompers session featuring Armstrong, Earl Hines and Roy Palmer. Armstrong was again operating extra-contractually, and the contrast between these restrained performances and the more florid renditions of the same tunes a month later by the Hot Seven is fascinating. Third, the October 1927 Black Bottom Stompers session features a Creole Jazz Band style two trumpet lead with the excellent George Mitchell (of Red Hot Peppers fame) and the more idiosyncratic Natty Dominique. "Come On and Stomp, Stomp, Stomp" is the standout track, a wonderfully driving performance with Dodds in imperious form.

01 - Drop That Sack (Armstrong)
02 - Gatemouth (Armstrong)
03 - Too Tight (Armstrong)
04 - Flat Foot (Armstrong)
05 - I Can't Say (Armstrong)
06 - Idle Hour Special (Blythe)
07 - Someday Sweetheart (Spikes Brothers)
08 - Carpet Alley - Breakdown (Smith-Clifford)
09 - Memphis Shake (Clifford)
10 - New Orleans Stomp (Dodds)
11 - Weary Way Blues (Minor - Blythe)
12 - After You've Gone (Creamer - Layton)
13 - Joe Turner Blues (Handy-Hirsch)
14 - Lady Love (Dominique)
15 - Pencil Papa (Hardin)
16 - Forty And Tight (Melrose)
17 - Indigo Stomp (Dodds)
18 - Meloncholy (Melrose-Bloom)
19 - Red Onion Blues (Williams)
20 - Gravier Street Stomp (Dodds)


Recording information: Chicago, IL (03/11/1926-10/08/1927).

Personnel: Johnny Dodds (clarinet); Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet, cornet); Bud Scott (guitar, banjo); Johnny St. Cyr (banjo); Stump Evans (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Norval Morton, Barney Bigard (tenor saxophone); Natty Dominique (cornet); Roy Palmer, John Thomas , Fayette Williams, Kid Ory (trombone); Charlie Alexander , Lovie Austin & Her Blue Serenaders, Teddy Weatherford, Lil Armstrong, Earl Hines (piano); Jimmy Bertrand (drums, washboard); Baby Dodds (drums).


hotjazzandcoolblues

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Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra, 1924-25

Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra, 1924-1925
(The Chronological Classics, 633)

Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952) was very important to early jazz as leader of the first great jazz big band, as an arranger and composer in the 1930s, and as a masterful talent scout. Between 1923-1939, quite an all-star cast of top young black jazz musicians passed through his orchestra, including trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Joe Smith, Tommy Ladnier, Rex Stewart, Bobby Stark, Cootie Williams, Red Allen, and Roy Eldridge; trombonists Charlie Green, Benny Morton, Jimmy Harrison, Sandy Williams, J.C. Higginbottham, and Dickie Wells; clarinetist Buster Bailey; tenors Coleman Hawkins (1924-1934), Ben Webster, Lester Young (whose brief stint was not recorded), and Chu Berry; altoists Benny Carter, Russell Procope, and Hilton Jefferson; bassists John Kirby and Israel Crosby; drummers Kaiser Marshall, Walter Johnson, and Sid Catlett; guest pianist Fats Waller; and such arrangers as Don Redman, Benny Carter, Edgar Sampson, and Fletcher's younger brother Horace Henderson. And yet, at the height of the swing era, Henderson's band was little-known.


Fletcher Henderson had a degree in chemistry and mathematics, but when he came to New York in 1920 with hopes of becoming a chemist, the only job he could find (due to the racism of the times) was as a song demonstrator with the Pace-Handy music company. Harry Pace soon founded the Black Swan label, and Henderson, a versatile but fairly basic pianist, became an important contributor behind the scenes, organizing bands and backing blues vocalists. Although he started recording as a leader in 1921, it was not until January 1924 that he put together his first permanent big band. Using Don Redman's innovative arrangements, he was soon at the top of his field. His early recordings (Henderson made many records during 1923-1924) tend to be both futuristic and awkward, with strong musicianship but staccato phrasing. However, after Louis Armstrong joined up in late 1924 and Don Redman started contributing more swinging arrangements, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra had no close competitors artistically until the rise of Duke Ellington in 1927.

-Scott Yanow

01 - Prince of Wails (Schoebel)
02 - Mandy, Make up Your Mind (Clarke, Johnston, Meyer)
03 - I'll See You in My Dreams (Jones, Kahn)
04 - Why Couldn't It Be Poor Little Me? (Jones, Kahn)
05 - Bye and Bye (Nelson, Pease, Vincent)
06 - Play Me Slow (Hagen, O'Flynn, Oflynn)
07 - Alabamy Bound (DeSylva, Green, Henderson)
08 - Swanee Butterfly (Donaldson, Rose)
09 - Poplar Street Blues (Mont, Short)
10 - 12th Street Blues (Heagney)
11 - Me Neenyah (My Little One) (Brown, Spencer)
12 - Memphis Bound (Banta, De Rose)
13 - When You Do What You Do (Johnson, Parish)
14 - I'll Take Her Back If She Wants to Come Back (Leslie, Monaco)
15 - Money Blues (Coleman, Eller, Leader)
16 - Sugar Foot Stomp (Armstrong, King Oliver)
17 - What-Cha-Call-'Em Blues (Roberts)
18 - I Miss My Swiss (Baer, Gilbert)
19 - Alone at Last (Fio Rito, Kahn)
20 - T N T (Schoebel)
21 - Carolina Stomp (Bloom, Costello)
22 - Sleepy Time Gal (Alden, Egan, Lorenzo, Whiting)
23 - Then I'll Be Happy (Brown, Clare, Friend)

hotjazzandcoolblues

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Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra, 1924 vol.3
(The Chronological Classics, 647)

During the autumn of 1924, Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra continued to make hot little records for many different labels. The front line begins to look impressive, with trombonist Big Charlie Green sitting not far from Coleman Hawkins and Don Redman. "Forsaken Blues" has an ooh-wacka-ooh brass line and a big nasty bass sax solo by Hawkins after someone -- probably Redman -- makes a noise like an enraged ferret. On the catchy "Cold Mamas (Burn Me Up)," the bass sax is accompanied by a goofus, or melodica, played by the ever-resourceful Redman. Conventional jazz history states that the addition of Louis Armstrong to the Henderson orchestra in September of 1924 initiated a change in this organization's overall chemistry, which would soon become evident. This particular CD provides audible evidence. The diminutive trumpeter from New Orleans-cum-Chicago really did transform Henderson's band beginning with his participation in the session of October 7, 1924. First heard on "Manda," composed by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, Armstrong stands out as King Oliver's right-hand man. "Go 'Long, Mule" has a bizarre novelty solo by Redman using only the mouthpiece of his horn to generate a sort of Punch & Judy cartoon voice.


Four tunes recorded for Pathe Actuelle on October 13, 1924, are notable for the insistent burping sound of Ralph Escudero's tuba. The exciting "Shanghai Shuffle" comes across in two distinctive interpretations, with an oboe solo by Redman on the first version. "Copenhagen" is real jazz with a hot solo from Armstrong, strong trombone breaks from Charlie Green, and a Redman arrangement to make it cook properly. The first of three versions of "Naughty Man" has a fine solo by Green, while on the second he seems to be getting his licks in quickly, and by version number three he muscles in for two solo breaks. But the real highlight here is definitely Armstrong. Everything he blows is remarkably fine, and it's easy to see why he quickly went from being an object of ridicule to the most imitated musician in all of jazz. The man had a lot of soul, and his solos -- along with Redman's arrangements -- quickly transformed Henderson's records from run-of-the-mill dance music into real jazz. The crowning glory on this CD is "Everybody Loves My Baby," both an instrumental take and Armstrong's very first recorded vocal, consisting of merrily shouted outbursts during the coda. Listening to all of these sides in sequence, it is obvious what a difference Louis Armstrong made in this band, and the chronology spells it out unmistakably.

01. He's The Hottest Man In Town
02. I Never Care 'Bout Tomorrow
03. Forsaken Blues
04. Cold Mamas (Burn Me Up)
05. Manda
06. Go 'Long, Mule
07. Tell Me, Dreamy Eyes
08. My Rose Marie
09. Don't Forget You'll Regret Day By Day
10. Shanghai Shuffle
11. Words
12. Copenhagen
13. Shanghai Shuffle
14. Naughty Man
15. One Of These Days
16. My Dream Man
17. The Meanest Kind Of Blues
18. Naughty Man
19. How Come You Do Me Like You Do?
20. Araby
21. Everybody Loves My Baby (Vocal)
22. Everybody Loves My Baby (Instr.)
23. Naughty Man


hotjazzandcoolblues

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Clarence Williams with Louis Armstrong and Eva Taylor, 1921-1926

Clarence Williams - 1921-24
(The Chronological Classics, 679)

Although this is not the most essential of the Clarence Williams CDs released in the complete Classics series, all of the releases are highly recommended to fans of early jazz. Many of these titles are quite rare and historical. First Williams is heard as a singer on five period numbers from 1921 ("The Dance They Call the Georgia Hunch" is the most memorable) and has a vocal duet with Daisy Martin on "Brown Skin (Who You For)." Williams also takes four piano solos and on most of the other titles features the great soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet (heard in his earliest recordings); "Wild Cat Blues" and "Kansas City Man Blues" are classics. In addition Louis Armstrong joins the group on three numbers, two of which have vocals from Eva Taylor.

-Review by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

01. If You Don't Believe I Love You Look What a Fool I've Been
02. Roumania
03. Dance They Call the Georgia Hunch, The
04. Pullman Porter Blues
05. Decatur Street Blues
06. Brown Skin (Who You For)
07. Mixing the Blues
08. Weary Blues, The
09. Wild Cat Blues
10. Kansas City Man Blues
11. Achin' Hearted Blues
12. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do
13. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues
14. Oh Daddy! (Oh Daddy! You Won't Have No Mama at All)
15. Shreveport Blues
16. Old Fashioned Love
17. House Rent Blues (The Stomp)
18. Mean Blues
19. My Own Blues
20. Gravier Street Blues
21. Texas Moaner Blues
22. Of All the Wrongs You Done to Me
23. Everybody Loves My Baby


Personnel: Clarence Williams (vocals, piano); Erskine Hawkins (trumpet); Daisy Martin (vocals); Buddy Christian (banjo); Chappie's Hot Dogs (violin, alto saxophone, cornet, trombone, tuba, piano); Eva Taylor (violin); Sidney Bechet (clarinet, soprano saxophone); Joseph Samuels (clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Buster Bailey (soprano saxophone); Jules Levy, Jr., Tom Morris , Louis Armstrong, Thomas Morris (cornet); Ephraim Hannaford, Aaron Thompson, John Mayfield, Charlie Irvis (tuba); Larry Briers (piano, drums).
Recording information: New York, NY (10/11/1921-11/06/1924).
Ensembles: Clarence Williams' Blue Five; Chappie's Hot Dogs.

hotjazzandcoolblues

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Clarence Williams - 1924-26 (The Chronological Classics, 695)

The second CD in the Classics label's "complete" Clarence Williams series traces the pianist/bandleader's recordings during a 14-month period. The first six titles feature soprano great Sidney Bechet (who has a unique sarrusophone solo on "Mandy Make up Your Mind") while the first 13 also have Louis Armstrong. The pairing of these two classic and competitive greats is at its zenith on a brilliant version of "Cake Walking Babies from Home"; Satch gets the edge. In addition there are notable contributions on these 23 performances by trombonist Charlie Irvis, tenor-saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, cornetists Joe Smith, Bubber Miley and Ed Allen, clarinetist Buster Bailey and singer Eva Taylor among others. Williams's series of hot performances really epitomized small-group 1920s jazz and every entry in this Classics series is highly recommended. Other highlights include "Coal Cart Blues," "Shake That Thing," "Dinah" (which features Hawkins on baritone), "I've Found a New Baby" and two versions of "Santa Claus Blues."

-Scott Yanow

01. Mandy, Make Up Your Mind
02. I'm a Little Blackbird (Looking for a Bluebird)
03. Cake Walking Babies from Home
04. Pickin' on Your Baby
05. Castaway
06. Papa De-Da-Da
07. Wait Till You See My Baby Do the Charleston
08. Livin' High
09. Coal Cart Blues
10. Santa Claus Blues
11. Santa Claus Blues
12. Squeeze Me
13. You Can't Shush Katie (The Gabbiest Girl in Town)
14. Shake that thing
15. Get It Fixed
16. Spanish Shawl
17. Dinah
18. I've Found A New Baby See All 8
19. I've Found A New Baby See All 8
20. Pile of Logs and Stone (Called Home)
21. Wait Till You See My Baby Do the Charleston
22. Livin' High
23. Wait Till You See My Baby Do the Charleston




Discography:

Clarence Williams' Blue Five:
Louis Armstrong (cnt) Charlie Irvis (tb) Sidney Bechet (sop,sarrusophone-1) Clarence Williams (p) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor (vcl)
New York, December 17, 1924
73026-B Mandy, make your mind (et vcl,1)
73027-B I'm a little blackbird looking for a bluebird (et vcl)

Clarence Williams' Blue Five:
Louis Armstrong (cnt) Charlie Irvis (tb) Sidney Bechet (sop) Clarence Williams (p) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor (vcl)
New York, January 8, 1925
73083-A Cake-walking babies from home (et vcl)
73084-B Pickin' on your baby (et vcl)

Clarence Williams Williams' Blue Five:
Louis Armstrong (cnt) Charlie Irvis (tb) Sidney Bechet (sop) Clarence Williams (p) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor (vcl) Buster Bailey (sop) Don Redman (as)
New York, March 4, 1925
73204-A Cast away (waltz) (et vcl)
73205-A Papa de da da (et vcl)

Clarence Williams' Blue Five:
Louis Armstrong (cnt) Charlie Irvis (tb) Buster Bailey (cl,sop) Don Redman (as,sop) Clarence Williams (p) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor (vcl)
New York, October 6, 1925
73686-B Just wait 'til you see my baby do the charleston (et vcl)
73687-B Livin' high sometimes (et vcl)

Clarence Williams' Blue Five:
Louis Armstrong (cnt) Charlie Irvis (tb) Don Redman (cl) Buster Bailey (sop) Clarence Williams (p) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor (vcl)
New York, October 8, 1925
73694-B Coal cart blues (et vcl)
73695-B Santa Claus blues (et vcl;dr out)

Clarence Williams' Trio:
Louis Armstrong (cnt) Clarence Williams (p,vcl) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor, Clarence Todd (vcl)
New York, October 16, 1925
73721-A Santa Claus blues (et,cw,ct vcl)

Clarence Williams' Blue Five:
Louis Armstrong (cnt) Charlie Irvis (tb) Don Redman (cl-1,as-2) Coleman Hawkins (ts) Clarence Williams (p) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor (vcl)
New York, October 26, 1925
73738-A Squeeze me (et vcl,1)
73739-B You can't shush Katie [The gabbiest gal in town] (et vcl,2)

Clarence Williams
Big Charlie Thomas (cnt) Buster Bailey (cl) unknown (as) Clarence Williams (p) Buddy Christian (bj) Eva Taylor (vcl)
New York, December 15, 1925
73837-B Shake that thing (et vcl)
73838-B Get it fixed (et vcl)

Clarence Williams' Stompers:
poss. Bubber Miley (cnt) Charlie Irvis (tb) Don Redman (sop,as) Coleman Hawkins (ts,cl,bar) Clarence Williams (p) Leroy Harris (bj) or poss. Buddy Christian (bj) Henry "Bass" Edwards (tu)
New York, January 4, 1926
73893-B Spanish shawl
73894-B Dinah

Clarence Williams' Blue Five:
Bubber Miley (cnt) prob. Charlie Irvis (tb) Otto Hardwick (as) or Don Redman (as) Clarence Williams (p) poss. Leroy Harris (bj) poss. Henry "Bass" Edwards (tu) Eva Taylor (vcl)
New York, c. January 22, 1926
73957-A I've found a new baby (et vcl)
73958-B I've found a new baby (et vcl)
73959-B Pile of logs and stones [called home] (et vcl)

Dixie Washboard Band
Ed Allen (cnt) Bennie Moten (cl,as-1) Clarence Williams (p) Jasper Taylor (wbd)
New York, January 25, 1926
141553-1 Wait till you see my baby do the Charleston
141554-1 Livin' high

Dixie Washboard Band (same pers.)
New York, February, 1926
6431-3 Wait till you see my baby do the Charleston
Note: Domino issued as "Louisiana Washboard Band", Oriole as "Dixie Jazz Band" and BRS as "Clarence Williams' Washboard Beaters".

hotjazzandcoolblues

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Jim Cullum Jazz Band: Super Satch

A powerful cornetist inspired by Louis Armstrong, Jim Cullum has led an exciting jazz band in San Antonio since his father's death in the 1970s. A clarinetist, Jim Sr. led the Happy Jazz Band with Jim Jr. on cornet, recording for their own Audiophile and Happy Jazz labels. The younger Cullum, who has recorded a Porgy & Bess jazz set for Sony and tributes to Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael, has made quite a few rewarding albums for Stomp Off and Audiophile, plus a Christmas record for World Jazz. Since the late '80s, Cullum's band has been featured on a highly enjoyable radio series, Riverwalk, Live From the Landing, whose special shows have given the group the opportunity to show its versatility. Among Cullum's most notable sidemen of the 1980s and '90s have been clarenetists Allan Vaché (brother of cornetist Warren) and Brian Ogilvie, trombonist Mike Pittsley, and pianist John Sheridan.

Super Satch! Yes indeed .. this is an ingeniously scored and superbly executed tribute to Louis Armstrong. The Jim Cullum Jazz Band, a premier band held in great esteem by other traditional jazz musicians, here goes to the essence of Satchmo's jazz, concentrating on Hot Five and Hot Seven repertoire with some attention to Armstrong's later periods. British co-author of the book Louis, John Chilton writes in the liner notes, "I feel sure that a look of true pleasure would are so apparent on this album. It will delight lovers of Louis's music by reminding them of his monumental achievements, and it will also win The Jim Cullum Jazz Band many new fans who will be enthralled by the musicianship and feeling that makes this one of the finest tribute recordings in years.

~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

On this tribute to Louis Armstrong, Jim Cullum's Jazz Band at times expands from being a septet to an octet with the addition of trombonist Ed Hubble and (on some selections) the switching of Randy Reinhart from trombone to second cornet behind the leader. Cullum is a spectacular player who was influenced by (but does not copy) Armstrong. The band performs a dozen selections from the 1920s and '30s that were associated with Satch. Cullum showed a lot of courage in remaking such classics as "Potato Head Blues," "West End Blues" and "Weather Bird" but his versions are different enough from the originals so as to avoid close comparison. Other highlights include "Fireworks," the underrated "Hustlin' and Bustlin' for Baby," "Beau Koo Jack" and "Chicago Breakdown." Highly recommended to prebop jazz collectors. ~ Scott Yanow

01. Potato Head Blues [5:15]
02. Yes! I'm In The Barrell [4:00]
03. Fireworks [5:45]
04. Hustlin' & Bustlin' For My Baby [3:50]
05. S.O.L. Blues [7:26]
06. Beau Koo Jack [4:07]
07. He's A Son Of The South [4:30]
08. West End Blues [5:33]
09. Chicago Breakdown [4:45]
10. Weather Bird Rag [5:29]
11. Tight Like This [5:22]
12. Put 'Em Down Blues [5:42]


Line-up:

Jim Cullum Jr (cnt)
Allan Vache (cl)
Ed Hubble (tm)
Randy Reinhart (tm)
John Sheridan (pn)
Howard Elkins (bj,gt,voc)
Jack Wyatt (st bs)
Ed Torres (dm.)
Recorded October 21-22, 1986.

Listen to the Jim Cullum's Jazz Band live weekly at Riverwalk Jazz Radio:

http://www.riverwalkjazz.org/jazznotes-archive/

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Teddy Buckner: A Salute To Louis (1955-59)

Teddy Buckner, a fine technical player who spent his life emulating Louis Armstrong in Dixieland settings, logically pays tribute to Satch on this enjoyable set. Mainly using a sextet that also features trombonist John "Streamling" Ewing and clarinetist Joe Darensbourg, Buckner jams through 18 songs that Armstrong recorded in the 1920s and '30s and generally avoids Armstrong's later hits. Buckner does a fine job of interpreting such tunes as "My Monday Date," "Potato Head Blues," "High Society," and "Big Butter and Egg Man." This album will particularly satisfy Dixieland fans.

~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

01. That's My Home (Leo Robin) - 2:28
02. Oh! Didn't He Ramble (W.C. Handy) - 3:17
03. Struttin' with Some Barbecue (L. Hardin, Don Raye) - 3:28
04. Potato Head Blues (Louis Armstrong) - 3:58
05. My Bucket's Got a Hole in It (Clarence Williams) - 3:27
06. My Monday Date (Earl Hines, Leo Robin) - 2:44
07. Big Butter and Egg Man (L. Armstrong, P. Venable) - 3:28
08. Savoy Blues (Teddy Buckner) - 3:32
09. Someday (Louis Armstrong) - 4:31
10. Squeeze Me (Fats Waller, Clarence Williams) - 4:15
11. High Society (Clarence Williams) - 4:50
12. Black and Blue (Fats Waller, A.Razaf, H.Brooks) - 3:42
13. Save It, Pretty Mama (Fats Waller, Andy Razaf) - 4:57
14. Mahogany Hall Stomp (Spencer Williams) - 2:54
15. St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy) - 6:12
16. Tiger Rag (E.Edwards, H.Ragas, T.Sbarbaro, a.o.) - 3:32
17. Mack the Knife (M.Blitzstein, K.Weill, B.Brecht) - 3:49
18. When the Saints Go Marching In (Trad.) - 2:42

Rec. Feb 6, 1955-Sep 21, 1959

Credits:

Joe Darensbourg (Clarinet), Joe Darensbourg (Sax (Soprano)), Edmond Hall (Clarinet), Mort Herbert (Bass), Trummy Young (Trombone), Danny Barcelona (Drums), Pud Brown (Clarinet), Teddy Buckner (Trumpet), Teddy Buckner (Vocals), Arthur Edwards (Bass), Billy Kyle (Piano), Chester Lane (Piano), Caughey Roberts (Clarinet), Caughey Roberts (Sax (Soprano)), Jesse Sailes (Drums), William B. Woodman, Jr. (Trombone), Jordana VonSpiro (?), Jordana VonSpiro (Creative Director), J.P. Szlachetka (Artwork), William Woodman Jr. (Trombone), Andre Vidal (Concept), Harvey Brooks (Piano), John Ewing (Trombone), Teddy Buckner & His All Stars (Performer), Teddy Buckner & His Dixieland Five (Performer)

hotjazzandcoolblues

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We Love You, Louis!: The New York All Stars Plays the Music of Louis Armstrong

This excellent tribute to the music of Louis Armstrong has arrangements for an octet by Randy Sandke and consistently strong trumpet solos from Sandke and Byron Stripling. With strong assistance from clarinetist Kenny Davern, trombonist Joel Helleny and a four-piece rhythm section headed by pianist Mark Shane, Sandke and Stripling mostly (but not exclusively) explore Satch's music of the 1920s. A special highlight is "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" which not only reproduces the great trumpeter's famous 1927 solo, but also finds Stripling playing Satch's usual solo from the 1950s. Other highlights include "Sugar Foot Stomp," "Cornet Chop Suey," "Potato Head Blues," "Weatherbird" and "Swing That Music." Easily recommended to Louis Armstrong fans.

-Scott Yanow

The New York Allstars: Byron Stripling (vocals, trumpet); Randy Sandke (trumpet); Joel Helleny (trombone); David Ostwald (tuba); Kenny Davern (clarinet); Mark Shane (piano); Greg Cohen (bass); Joe Ascione (drums). Recorded live at The Congress Centre, Hamburg, Germany on November 18, 1995.

01. When It's Sleepy Time Down South 0:36
02. Mabel's Dream 2:24
03. Sugar Foot Stomp 3:04
04. Big Butter And Egg Man 4:45
05. Cornet Chop Suey 3:13
06. Wild Man Blues 4:49
07. Potato Head Blues 3:21
08. Muskrat Ramble 3:31
09. Savoy Blues 4:55
10. Struttin' With Some Barbecue 8:10
11. Basin Street Blues 4:33
12. Weatherbird 2:54
13. Medley: Thanks A Million-Rockin' Chair-
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans 7:35
14. Swing That Music 3:51
15. If I Could Be With You 6:04
16. Mack The Knife / The Faithful Hussar 6:10
17. Ole Miss / Mabel's Dream 4:24
18. When It's Sleepy Time Down South 2:48

hotjazzandcoolblues

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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

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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
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La "Historia del Blues" de Paul Oliver (2)

El especialista británico Paul Oliver también se encargó en los años 60 de la programación de otras antologías para el mismo sello CBS como complemento perfecto de otros tántos libros suyos sobre blues, como "Conversation With The Blues" (centrado en las grabaciones de campo), "Savannah Syncopators" (los orígenes africanos del blues), "Screenin' The Blues", etc. Pero creo que pueden ser los dos dobles álbumes "Story" los más completos y variados, así como las introducciones ideales para empezar a conocer lo mejor que este género puede ofrecer. Los blues de verdad, claro está, no las aproximaciones al género por parte de músicos blancos más o menos célebres.
Editado en España hacia 1977 con las notas e información originales bien traducidas, aunque con un diseño de cubierta tópico y fuera de lugar (las cadenas de la esclavitud), el segundo volúmen viene dividido en cuatro apartados atendiendo a un criterio instrumental: Guitarristas, Pianistas, Cantantes Femeninas y Bandas. Algunos intérpretes casi totalmente desconocidos, pero de primera calidad, junto a otros nombres bien familiares para el aficionado, completan esta excepcional antología, con grabaciones correspondientes a un período muy amplio: 1924 a 1968.

-Jay Bee Rodríguez

Guitar Pickers

01. Curley Weaver - No No Blues (3:07)
02. Little Hat Jones - Hurry Blues (3:09)
03. Emery Glen - Blue Blazes Blues (2:54)
04. 'Mooch' Richardson - Low Down Barrelhouse Blues (3:17)
05. Lonnie Johnson - Broken Levee Blues (3:18)
06. Buddy Moss - Undertaker Blues (3:09)
07. J.B. Lenoir - Mojo Boogie (2:44)
08. Son House - Pearline (4:31)

Piano Players

09. Whistlin' Alex Moore - West Texas Woman (2:55)
10. Sylvester Palmer - Lonesome Man Blues (3:31)
11. George Noble - The Seminole Blues (3:10)
12. Cripple Clarence Lofton - Brown Skin Girls (2:48)
13. Bumble Bee Slim - Ramblin' With That Woman (2:56)
14. Roosevelt Scott - Black Gal Blues (2:52)
15. Roosevelt Sykes - Training Camp Blues (2:51)
16. Champion Jack Dupree - Junker Blues (2:43)

Blues Girls

17. Maggie Jones - Good Time Flat Blues (3:08)
18. Clara Smith - Whip It To A Jelly (3:21)
19. Cleo Gibson - I've Got Ford Movements In My Hips (3:23)
20. Martha Copeland - Desert Blues (3:11)
21. Victoria Spivey - Christmas Morning Blues (3:19)
22. Liza Brown & Ann Johnson - Get On Out Of Here (3:12)
23. The Yas Yas Girl - Good Old Easy Street (2:46)
24. Big Maybelle - Maybelle's Blues (3:12)

Blues Groups

25. Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie - That Will Be Alright (3:08)
26. Mississippi Mud Steppers - Jackson Stomp (3:12)
27. Jazzbo Tommy & His Lowlanders - Blaze Face Cow (2:35)
28. Duskey Dailey & His Band - Miss Georgia Blues (2:35)
29. Willie 'Long Time' Smith - My Buddy Doctor Clayton (2:59)
30. Otis Rush - Love That Woman (2:55)
31. Magic Sam - All Your Love (2:52)
32. John Littlejohn - Been Around The World (5:20)

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hotjazzandcoolblues

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Bessie Smith: Nobody's Blues But Mine

Continuamos con el indispensable songbook de la Emperaora. De nuevo hemos mantenido la programación del LP doble Columbia, y los escaneados interiores y exteriores, pero recurriendo al audio en fuentes digitales mucho más recientes. Se trata ahora de grabaciones correspondientes a los años 1925 a 1927, que nos presentan su magistral voz acompañada por algunos estelares intrumentistas, como el trombonista Charlie Green (el preferido de Bessie), el clarinetista Don Redman, el cornetista Joe Smith y, la crême de la crême: el pianista James P. Johnson (temas 29 y 30, los clásicos Preachin' The Blues y Back Water Blues) y, naturalmente, Louis Armstrong. Incluso tenemos aquí a la única vocalista que llegó a grabar con Bessie, Clara Smith, que hace lo que buenamente puede en My Man Blues frente a su imponente contrincante (sep. 1925).
No hay aquí, lógicamente, nada que desmerezca las espectativas, incluidas esas insuperables versiones de temas no blueseros bien trillados ya a lo largo de los años, como After You've Gone o Alexander's Ragtime Band, que Bessie convierte en blues al ciento por ciento como era de esperar. Pero si he destacar una o dos grabaciones entre tánta maravilla, me quedaría con sus estremecedoras lecturas de Careless Love (con Louis) y I Ain't Got Nobody. Qué pedazo de voz. No podemos decir nada más, sólo (volver a) escucharla.

-Jay Bee Rodríguez

01. Careless Love Blues
02. J.C Holmes Blues
03. I Ain't Goin' To Play No Second Fiddle
04. He's Gone Blues
05. Nobody's Blues But Mine
06. I Ain't Got Nobody
07. My Man Blues
08. New Gulf Coast Blues
09. Florida Bound Blues
10. At The Christmas Ball
11. I've Been Mistreated And I Don't Like It
12. Red Mountain Blues
13. Golden Rule Blues
14. Lonesome Desert Blues
15. Them "Has Been" Blues
16. Squeeze Me
17. What's The Matter Now ?
18. I Don't Like It Second Hand
19. Jazzbo Brown From Memphis Town
20. The Gin House Blues
21. Money Blues
22. Baby Doll
23. Hard Driving Papa
24. Lost Your Head Blues
25. Hard Time Blues
26. Honey Man Blues
27. One And Two Blues
28. Young Woman's Blues
29. Preachin' The Blues
30. Back Water Blues
31. After You've Gone
32. Alexander's Ragtime Band

hotjazzandcoolblues
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King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, 1923

Bueno, si alguna vez hubo unos clásicos del jazz tradicional, ¡aquí están! Remasterizados, por cierto, de forma insuperable, y con una presentación y documentación digna del contenido sonoro.
Joe King Oliver, contemporáneo de Ma Rainey, de Charley Patton, y de algunos otros escogidos padres fundadores, tuvo también un final prematuro y dramático (véase biografía a continuación), pero sus momentos de inspiración y gloria aún dejan sentir su huella, que será ya imperecedera. Canal Street Blues, Dipper Mouth Blues, Mable's Dream o Chimes Blues (y algunas de sus grabaciones posteriores también, por cierto) aseguran la definitiva estatura del maestro de Nueva Orleans. Aunque no hubiera existido Louis Armstrong (Weather Bird Rag, West End Blues).

-Jay Bee Rodríguez

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Joe "King" Oliver was one of the most important figures in jazz. As an influential cornet player and leader of one of the classic early New Orleans jazz bands, Oliver is a link between the earliest New Orleans incarnation of jazz and the achievements of a generation of brass players who developed their style in Chicago in the 1920s, including Oliver's protégé, Louis Armstrong. "By almost any measure," wrote critic Ted Gioia , "he stands out as a seminal figure in the history of the music."


Biography

Joseph Oliver was born on May 11, 1885. Some accounts establish his place of birth as a plantation near Donaldsville, Louisiana, where his mother worked as a cook, while others cite a house on Dryades Street in New Orleans. Little is known of his early years, and of his father. His mother, who may have worked as a servant for various white families, moved her children to several new addresses in New Orleans during Oliver's childhood. His older half-sister, Victoria Davis, took charge of him when their mother died in 1900.

Oliver found employment as butler to a white family in New Orleans when he was about seventeen, a job he kept for the next nine years. He was already active as a musician. Around 1899 he joined a children's brass band, formed by a Walter Kenehan, and performed on the trombone, and later the cornet, at funerals and parades. One of his eyes was damaged during a childhood accident, earning him the early nicknames of "Bad Eye" and "Monocles," and he often played with a hat tilted over the eye to disguise it.
Oliver played in a number of marching bands and, around 1910, started appearing in the nightclubs of New Orleans' red-light district, Storyville, the vibrant heart of the city's musical life. These early years of jazz saw intense competition in the raucous neighborhood's numerous clubs, cabarets and gambling den. As a performer at the Abadie Cabaret, Oliver attracted big audiences, and soon took over the job of his rival, Freddie Keppard, at Pete Lala's saloon club, a notorious meeting place for pimps, prostitutes and musicians. Oliver became leader of the Olympia Band around 1916 and also began playing with acclaimed trombonist and band leader Kid Ory, who claimed to have given Oliver the nickname of "King" as a tribute to his musical prowess.
The young Louis Armstrong was one of Oliver's most avid fans, spending time at Oliver's house and enjoying the cooking of Oliver's wife, Stella. Oliver, known for his good nature and generosity, became a father figure to his young disciple, offering musical advice and professional support, and even giving him one of his old cornets. "I prized that horn and guarded it with my life," said Armstrong, quoted in Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life. Oliver, he said, "was always willing to come to my rescue when I needed someone to tell me about life."

Oliver arrived in Chicago in early 1918, responding to invitations from two bands, Lawrence Duhe's Band at the prestigious Dreamland Café, and Bill Johnson's at the Royal Gardens. In January of 1920 Oliver formed his own band: the initial line-up included pianist Lil Hardin, Louis Armstrong's future wife. They played at the Dreamland Café every night until one a.m., and then at the Pekin Cabaret, a gangster favorite, until dawn. After a year of engagements in California, Oliver returned to Chicago in 1922 to launch King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band at the Lincoln Gardens. He was eager to add a second cornet to his band, so he sent a telegram to New Orleans, summoning his young protégé, Armstrong. Arriving in Chicago, Armstrong went straight from the train station onto the stage of the Lincoln Gardens.

Oliver's new line-up "made momentous musical sense," according to critic Gary Giddons in his book Visions of Jazz. "The band was a sensation, and its most widely noted effects were double-cornet breaks, seemingly improvised on the spot, yet played in perfect unison." Ted Gioia, in The History of Jazz, suggested that the Creole Jazz Band lacked the finesse of some New Orleans-bred, Chicago-based musical ensembles, but "its hot, dirty, swinging sound comes closest to the essence of the jazz experience." Other musicians crowded into Lincoln Gardens to hear them play.

When he invited Armstrong to join his band, Oliver was almost past his prime as a soloist, although his playing was still so powerful he was reputed to blow his horns to pieces every few months. By this time, Oliver's achievements as an individual musician, Giddon contended in Visions of Jazz, were secondary to his great gift as a band leader. Noted for his self-discipline as a player (he claimed to have spent ten years refining his tone) and his tough style of leadership, Oliver made strict demands of professionalism of his band. Driving "an ensemble that specialized in improvised polyphony," wrote Giddons, Oliver "created a music that is at once the apex of traditional New Orleans style and so far beyond its norm that there is little to compare with it."

But there is no doubt that Oliver left an important legacy as a player. Famous for his expressive, blues-inflected style of playing and skill at tonal improvisation, including an innovative use of mutes to create a 'wa-wa' sound and other theatrical effects, Oliver's bold New Orleans sound influenced a whole generation of jazz musicians. "His throaty, vocal sound inspired many imitators," said Gioia, "and represented, both conceptually and historically, a meeting ground of earlier and later jazz styles."


Oliver was slow to embrace the relatively new industry of recorded music. It offered little financial reward for musicians, and the finished product rarely captured the live energy or improvisational fire of its featured performers, because primitive technology meant each song had to be curtailed. On the bandstand, Oliver was wary of the possibilities of artistic theft, removing titles from music to ward off copycat bands attending his shows, and playing with a handkerchief over the valves so other musicians couldn't watch his fingerings. Recordings simply offered more opportunity for rival ensembles to plagiarize his signature sound.But on April 5, 1923, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band made its first recordings in the Gennett recording company's studio in Richmond, Indiana. The band--Oliver and Armstrong on cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Lil Hardin on piano, Bill Johnson on banjo, and Baby Dodds on drums--spent two days in a hot room with poor acoustics, playing into a giant megaphone. These groundbreaking recordings included a show-stealing Armstrong in his first significant recorded solo (on the Oliver composition, "Chimes Blues"). Oliver's own plunger-muted solo in "Dippermouth Blues," was much imitated; under the title "Sugar Foot Stomp," the song became a jazz standard.

Many of Oliver's own compositions made high technical demands on musicians: Walter Allen and Brian Rust, in King Oliver, suggested that it is significant that, except for "Dipper Mouth Blues," "none of his early numbers were ever recorded by his contemporaries." His biggest hit, "Snag It," was written in the mid-1920s, and he co-wrote a number of popular tunes with his nephew, Dave Nelson, later in the decade, many of which were recorded for Victor. Popular versions of some of his songs were recorded by other artists, like Jelly Roll Morton ("Doctor Jazz"), Fletcher Henderson ("Snag It"), and Armstrong ("West End Blues").The Gennett recording sessions helped build the band's profile, and soon they were recording for rival 'race records' label, OKeh, as well as Paramount and Columbia. But internal dissent over Oliver's paternalistic handling of salaries saw the ensemble splinter. Lil Hardin convinced Armstrong that his mentor was holding him back. In a 1950 interview with Downbeat magazine, excerpted in Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life, Hardin remembered Oliver admitting "that Louis could play better than he could. ... He said, 'As long as I keep him with me, he won't be able to get ahead of me, I'll still be the King.'"

At Hardin's urging, Armstrong left Oliver early in 1925, moving to New York at Fletcher Henderson's invitation. When he returned to Chicago, it was to star billing at the Dreamland Café, across the street from Oliver's new theater, the Plantation Café. The two musicians briefly reunited in 1926, after Armstrong separated from Hardin, but they were no longer close friends. Armstrong's fame had eclipsed that of the man he called "Papa Joe."In the early years of the Depression, with clubs closing and many musicians out of work, Oliver realized he needed a new professional strategy. He formed a new band, the Dixie Syncopators, in 1926 and together they made a number of popular dance recordings for the Vocalion 'race' series, as Oliver tried to adapt his performance style to the emerging big band era.

Oliver, already stricken with the severe gum disease that would end his playing life, was forced to delegate many of the cornet solos. In 1927 he moved his band to New York--in Armstrong's opinion, too late in his career. He worked at the Savoy Ballroom and recorded for the Victor Company in 1929 and 1930. But he lost his savings when a Chicago bank failed and made the error of turning down work at the Cotton Club in 1927 (an engagement that made Duke Ellington famous) because he thought the pay too low. In 1931 Victor canceled his recording contract and Oliver made his last known recordings for Brunswick and Vocalion, before forming a new band to take on the road.

Touring in the depressed South was not an easy way to make money, and Oliver suffered a number of setbacks, missing gigs whenever his moribund tour vehicles broke down. By 1935 Oliver had lost all his teeth and found it difficult to perform. He kept touring with a third-rate band, many of whom mutinied over low pay, avoiding the big cities where he had a musical reputation to maintain. Armstrong was shocked to bump into Oliver in Savannah, Georgia, in 1937, stooped and poorly dressed, working as a peddler in the street; Armstrong and his band gave him money to buy new clothes.For the last few years of his life, Oliver lived in a boarding house and worked fifteen hours a day as a janitor at a pool hall in Savannah. He had separated from his wife, Stella, many years earlier. Letters to his sister testify to his demoralization and extreme poverty, as well as his stubborn pride: he refused to appeal for help to the musical community, and kept hoping to save enough money to return to New York.

Discontinuing medical treatment for his high blood pressure because of the cost, Oliver fell into deep decline and died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 8, 1938. He was just 52 years old. His sister used rent money to pay for his body to be shipped to New York for a funeral attended by many musicians, including Clarence Williams and Louis Armstrong, who always maintained that Oliver died of a broken heart. He was buried without a headstone at Woodlawn cemetery in the Bronx. Despite his neglect by the jazz world during the last years of his life, almost all of Oliver's recordings are available on reissues, testimony to his significant musical legacy.

— Paula J.K. Morris

Track list

01. Just Gone
02. Canal Street Blues
03. Mandy Lee Blues
04. I'm Going Away to Wear You Off My Mind
05. Chimes Blues
06. Weather Bird Rag
07. Dipper Mouth Blues
08. Froggie Moore
09. Snake Rag
10. Snake Rag
11. Sweet Lovin' Man
12. High Society Rag
13. Sobbin' Blues
14. Where Did You Stay Last Night
15. Dipper Mouth Blues
16. Jazzin' Babies Blues
17. Alligator Hop
18. Zulu's Ball
19. Workingman Blues
20. Krooked Blues
21. Chattanooga Stomp
22. London (Cafe) Blues
23. Camp Meeting Blues
24. New Orleans Stomp
25. Buddy's Habit
26. Tears
27. I Ain't Gonna Tell Nobody
28. Room Rent Blues
29. Riverside Blues
30. Sweet Baby Doll
31. Working Man Blues
32. Mabel's Dream
33. Mabel's Dream (take 1)
34. Mabel's Dream (take 2)
35. The Southern Stomps (take 1)
36. The Southern Stomps (take 2)
37. Riverside Blues

Just buy it (you won't regret it)!
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Fingerpicking the 1920's: "Mabel's Dream" (You Tube)

Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra 1936-38: Heart Full of Rhythm

Recopilación de algunos de los mejores registros Decca de la segunda mitad de los años 30, incluyendo clásicos como "On The Sunny Side of the Street" y "Struttin' With Some Barbecue", y dos versiones sensacionales de "Swing That Music". El acompañamiento corre a cargo de la Orquesta de Louis Russell y Jimmy Dorsey, entre otros.

Some of Louis Armstrong's better Decca recordings from the 1936-1938 period are reissued on this CD. Inferior to the much more "complete" series undertaken by the European Classics label, this set nevertheless does have some classics from Satchmo including two versions of "Swing That Music," a remake of "Mahogany Hall Stomp," "Once in a While," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Jubilee," and "Struttin' With Some Barbeque." The backup band (the remains of Luis Russell's Orchestra) does not have a great deal to do, although trombonist J.C. Higginbottham gets in a few good solos. But this is largely Armstrong's show (both instrumentally and vocally) and he comes up with some masterful statements. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

01. I Come from a Musical Family
02. Somebody Stole My Heart
03. If We Never Meet Again
04. Lyin' to Myself
05. Ev'ntide
06. Swing That Music
07. Mahogany Hall Stomp
08. Skeleton in the Closet
09. Dippermouth Blues
10. Swing That Music
11. Public Melody Number One
12. Yours and Mine
13. Alexander's Ragtime Band
14. I've Got a Heart Full of Rhythm
15. Sun Showers
16. Once in a While
17. On the Sunny Side of the Street
18. Satchel Mouth Swing
19. Jubilee
20. Struttin' With Some Barbecue

hotjazzandcoolblues

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Jay Bee Rodríguez's
Some Hot Blues Harp:
"Swing That Music"
on You Tube