He Wouldn’t Stop Doing It
LP Document DLP 50
Ikey Robinson was born in Dublin, Virginia in 1904 and became a professional musician at 14. He is worth an LP under his own name and here he’s got one. But five of the eighteen number could have been left out because the sound quality is very bad and Ikey is probably not there.
His best banjo playing is still to be heard on sessions with Jabbo Smith and Clarence Williams, but the good thing about this LP release is that we hear him sing some numbers in a very pleasant voice. Ikey was equally at home within the blues or jazz idiom and his rhythm and single string playing on banjo was at the very top among the early jazzmen.
On this date in New York from May 1, 1930, where we can follow the sad fate of the “neighbors rooster”, it is Alex Hill who does the lead vocal and plays piano. Cecil Scott playing “blue” clarinet completes the “Hokum Trio”. Scott and Robinson recorded the tune again later in the month with Clarence Williams (with Ikey changing to tenor guitar).