Take It from Me
World Records Retrospective Series SH 428
This must be one of the records that I found when I was on tour in England in the beginning of the 80s. I brought back a big pile even if I already was loaded with a lot of things. As I remember it I started out early in Birmingham with the others in the band still sleeping. I had the address of a record shop that had announcements in Storyville Magazine. When I finally spotted it I had to somehow pass a big motorway crossing, but it was worth the trouble.
Ben Selvin is a favorite when it comes to American dance bands. Brian Rust comments the recordings and says it well: “…they are technically some of the most brilliantly natural examples of the engineer’s art, and they feature outstanding jazz musicians playing “hot” solos”.
Rust’s work must not have been easy when it came to establish a personnel. Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey or Benny Goodman or more difficult Mannie Klein, Tommy Gott or Leo Mc Conville? Except just enjoying the melodies and the arrangements those are interesting things to delve into in order to fine tune your ear and judgement.
On this tune by Fats Waller I hear, after one of the highly frequent vocals by Dick Robertson, Mannie Klein on muted trumpet and Benny Goodman on clarinet. The arrangement favors the brass section to good advantage.