A Bag O’ Blues
LP Retrieval FJ-129
Jack Pettis Orchestra was really something! It was drawn as a smaller unit out of Ben Bernie’s dance orchestra with the purpose of recording more hot numbers. The musicians were top class. Normally I prefer a session that includes this number when Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden were present, but this version for Victor from July 1928 is faster and more wild. Don Murray is the clarinet player, and his solo is impressive with his control over the altissimo register, and his drive playing eight notes has not been surpassed.
There are two trumpet players, and I suppose that they take one solo each and that Don Bryan plays the first and Bill Moore the second. Eddie Lang’s guitar is important in the rhythm section, and violin is played by Nicky Gerfach. The player of the bassax, with inspiration from Adrian Rollini, is unknown.
Besides the good assembly of musicians, they also had the asset of saxophonist Jack Pettis’ and pianist Al Goering’s compositions and their arranging skills. Some of the leading 1920s bands recorded versions of their tunes, such as St. Louis Shuffle and Stockholm Stomp (Fletcher Henderson).