Manhattan
LP Riverside RLP 12-801
I have always aimed at the strategy of turning defeat into victory. For example already as a teenager in school I had the following method. When I was feeling sick and felt that the flu was coming, I went home and took my temperature. If it was high, I quickly took my bike and went and bought a new record because I knew that I would be in bed for one week and would have a chance to listen many times. This record with the cigarette cases was one of them and how I enjoyed it!
We hear the California Ramblers around 1925. There was a lot to listen to, great tunes, funny vocals, joyful solos, energetic rhythm from the banjo, bass sax and drums. I didn’t know that Adrian Rollini on the big saxophone was their star, and it may not be so evident on this selection, and furthermore as you can see the names that are mentioned on the cover are the more well known ones, at least in the 60s.
At once I fell in love with Manhattan with its melody, the incorporation of The Sidewalks of New York, the strutting sax solo, the strong banjo playing and then the beautiful singing trumpet or cornet, followed by a hot chorus. In the liner notes they want it to be Red Nichols, but I’m not convinced since the discographies say Roy Johnston or Frank Cush.
Anyway, this is a classic Riverside record.