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

From the Studio #32 – The Love I Have for You – In later years, the versatile and charismatic singer Alberta Hunter made a fine recording of this, her own composition. I managed to convince Kiki to put it in her repertoire, and we often play it with her singing (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #260 – St. Louis Blues – Elderly gentlemen playing like young guys, but I wonder if they felt that they had to use as much energy as here, back in the days when Oscar “Papa” Celestin on cornet and maybe some of the others on the LP played in (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #259 – You’re Lucky to Me – Louis Armstrong on record! We hear him breaking out of Oliver’s Creole Jazzband, either as a soloist with Fletcher Henderson or accompanying Bessie Smith and other great singers. We hear him dominating his (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #258 – Clarinet Blues – There is no information on personnel or recording dates on this LP, so I have to consult other sources that tell me that the impressive clarinet solo by Eugene Cedric was recorded in Paris in 1953. Kansas Fields played drums (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Studio #31 – It’s the Talk of the Town – Many have sung this: Bing Crosby, Red Mc Kenzie, and Annette Hanshaw, to mention a few, who made their interpretations when the song was new in 1933. There is also a very good instrumental one from the same year by (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #257 – Everybody Loves My Baby – I may be wrong, but I have the impression that the early recordings of the Clarence Williams Blue Five featuring Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet have always been a bit hard to find, especially since I started to (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #256 – Let’s Misbehave – This was the first of the “year” records that came out in the Vintage Series. I think that the year was 1967, at least that was the year I bought my copy. For me, it was an introduction to several fine dance orchestras. (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Studio #30 – Someday Sweetheart – I don’t think that there is an end to the discussions about whether the Spike Brothers or Jelly Roll Morton are the composers of this beautiful tune. Morton and King Oliver made classic versions in the 1920’s, and we can also dream (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #255 – Whispering – Paul Whiteman had a smash hit with whispering in 1920. The record features an element of novelty effect, which is a chorus of slide whistle. By 1928, it was time for a revival of the song and a modernized version. Typically (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #254 – Under a Blanket of Blue – I recently found an LP with Connie Boswell (1907–1976) and the so-called “Original Memphis Five” with Billy Butterfield in place of Phil Napoleon. Connie was still good in the 1950s, but the music didn’t turn me on (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Record Shelves #253 – Get Your Man – The compilation consists of peppy melodious music played by some of the best and most interesting hot dance orchestras that the era produced. Listening through to choose one, I hoped that some tracks would stand out, but (…) read more and listenread more and listen

From the Studio #29 – Just You, Just Me – The tune is from 1929, and its characteristic is that the melody of the chorus starts halfway into the first bar. There are many nice recordings, a dance band recording with Smith Ballew around 1930, and several jazz versions (…) read more and listenread more and listen