Firebird
LP Decca/Ace of Clubs ACL 1153
Distinguishing the sound of the master and his disciple can be difficult. There are the cases of King Oliver and Dave Nelson (Sweet Like This), Bix Beiderbecke and Andy Secrest (Raisin’ the Roof), and Louis Armstrong and Red Allen (St. Louis Blues). Here is another one that is a bit tricky when saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Chu Berry appear on the same recordings. The difference in sound and style is described thusly: Hawkins-softer tone and more elastic and imaginative ideas. Berry-more turbulence, his attacking phrases firmly poised on the beat.
On this track, Berry takes the first and Hawkins the following of the tenor sax solos.
There is, of course, a lot more than that in the music on this LP. Spike Hughes is the protagonist, a British arranger who crossed the pond in 1933 with a recording contract for Decca. John Hammond brought him to Harlem to choose musicians suitable for the project.
Benny Carter’s orchestra became the backbone of the studio group, reinforced with musicians like the two mentioned tenor sax players, Red Allen on trumpet and Dickie Wells on trombone. The latter is probably doing his best playing ever on those tracks.
I read about the session on the sleeve. For this arrangement of his own composition, Hughes had written a part for soprano saxophone, having Benny Carter in mind to perform it. But Benny had just pawned his soprano, lost the receipt, and forgotten which shop had it. A band boy was sent out and managed to locate it and convince the shop manager to lend it out just for the session. And Benny Carter managed well with the tricky score.