March 2024 - Page 2 of 3 - Paul – and some of that Jazz

From the Studio #6 – C’est si bon – C’est si bon was recorded by Yves Montand and had, as far as I know, a moderate success in France, but when Louis Armstrong did his version, “C’est si bon, people say that in France,” (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #195 – Honey That Reminds Me – There is a lot of hot swinging stuff on this LP, most of it rather well known, but today this medium recording caught my attention. There is no composer listed on the LP, but I’ve learned from another source (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #194 – After Tonight – Clarence Williams’ vast output on records can roughly be divided into three periods. First, we have the acoustic ones, with great participation by Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong and banjo player Buddy Christian (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #193 – Gypsy – There was a time—it seems long ago now—when all the early recordings of jazz were not available. Originals were hard to come by, and the reissues were not plentiful. It was an exciting age in which (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Studio #5 – Here Comes the Sun – This song has such a positive title that it has been used for several ones. It’s not the one by George Harrison, but he might have heard and liked it since he played the ukulele and was a fan of 1920s songs (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #192 – Mamie’s Blues – Sometime last year, I came into a second-hand record shop and heard this. I’ve heard it many times before, but it was still magic, especially among young people in the present world we live in. I had to have it! (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #191 – Alligator Blues – Today I listen to a 78 rpm record with material from a classic session. Between May 7th and 14th, 1927 Louis Armstrong recorded one masterpiece after another when his studio group had been augmented from (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Studio #4 – Alexander’s Ragtime Band – I don’t know if it is this, White Christmas, or maybe another tune that was the most successful in the eyes of their composer, Irving Berlin (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #190 – Strut Miss Lizzie – On the back of the sleeve of this LP that I bought secondhand there are the autographs of Tony Parenti and Max Kaminsky, and they also wrote the date, October 20, 1968. I have no idea where they played that day (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #189 – I Wonder What’s Become of Joe? – This is happy music. First of all, the aim is to entertain and make people dance. Secondly, it’s made during the Roaring Twenties (1926) when many young people in the US had a good time. Then, thirdly (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #188 – Beedle Um Bum – This is one of the first LPs that I bought in my life, and it is still one of the best. I had seen it in a shop, and when I had saved up the money I went back. This was in the 1960s, and I was naive when I was shocked because (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Studio #3 – Squeeze Me – When I have the time and energy, it’s fun and instructive to attempt to record a big band arrangement. In the 1920s, ten or nine, even 8 piece orchestras were considered big bands, normally consisting of three saxes and a brass section (…) read more and listenread more and listen