Enjoy my new series with Records from the Shelves
I started out in the 1960s buying vinyl records and some 78’s. Most of the records I bought at any price because I just had to have them. My mother could send me out with money to buy new trousers, but I came back with a record. In the beginning it was mostly the milestones of classic jazz and records by blues artists alone with guitar, because that was the music that I wanted to play myself.
When the CD’s came in the 90s I bought many recordings again since they were more practical to work with, and they often contained transfers of better originals. Furthermore, you could sometimes get everything recorded by a special artist in chronological order. Today I’m back to buying vinyl again most often because I find them cheap, and thus I can take a chance to listen to music that I may or may not like.
I have made many discoveries over the years. Things that may not be as important to me as the cornerstones of classic jazz but are still enjoyable and that gives me a wider spectrum.
Now I’m going to play a record every day and present a tune with a short comment. Early jazz, blues, modern jazz, operatic arias maybe and some bygone popular artist’s recordings. Let’s listen together, and we’ll see what comes up!
From the Record Shelves #40 – Blue Blood Blues. Volume 8 in a Jelly Roll Morton series contains what we could name “extra material” with several at the time unissued takes. One of them is this one recorded in 1930 (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #39 – Sensation. Fletcher Henderson had an incredible band in 1927. And it was used in the best possible manner. I can only think of Ellington that had an equally perfect balance between solos and arranged ensembles. In most numbers (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #38 – Many Happy Returns of the Day. The washboard not only became popular but also gave the name to groups in order to attract the record buyers during the depression in the beginning of the 30s. The instrument worked well (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #37 – Stick Out Your Can. If you want to start the day well and come into a good mood this could be the record to put on. Classic sessions with the New Orleans greats recorded in their own town or in San Francisco between 1945-55 (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #36 – China Boy. Frank Trumbauer undoubtedly did his best recordings in company with Bix Beiderbecke and any of his records post that period is bound to be a disappointment, but nothing prevents us (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #35 – Midnight Call Blues. Eddie Lang became one of the most lamented heroes in jazz history when he never woke up after a routine tonsillectomy in 1933. But before that he had made a great impact as a true pioneer of guitar playing which gave the instrument a new role (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #34 – We Were the Best of Friends. The mysterious Blind Blake had a recording career with Paramount Records for six years between 1926 and 1932. “Mysterious” because nothing is known about the dates and places of his birth and death (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #33 – Blind Arthur’s Breakdown. The mysterious Blind Blake had a recording career with Paramount Records for six years between 1926 and 1932. “Mysterious” because nothing is known about the dates and places of his birth and death (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #32 – The Day You Came Along. During the four-year span of this record Bing Crosby’s pursuit of success led him in the direction of becoming one of the greatest stars of all time. His got his ticket to Hollywood (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #31 – Trumpet Tango. Tutti Camarata was a very skilled arranger who began his career as a trumpet player in Jimmy Dorsey’s Orchestra, and it is this instrument that is the subject of the album from 1957 (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #30 – Gee, But It’s Hard. This record has a worn out sleeve. For two reasons. First and foremost because me and a friend as teenagers used to copy and play and sing the tunes on the record and secondly because (…) read more and listenread more and listen
From the Record Shelves #29 – Someday Sweetheart. I found this record not so long ago. Since I collect records with clarinet plus rhythm section, to listen, enjoy and eventually learn something, I was glad to find this one by a man mostly known for his big band work (…) read more and listenread more and listen