Swing Music

I first found Dickie Wells in the wondeful Count Basie stuff of the Old Testament band of the late 30's. "Dickies Dream" fascinated me-it seemed like it came from another place than the old sometimes-boring "shout and response" type of blues. For years I looked for records by Dickie Wells and found nothing. Then-voila!-this French CD appeared.

These recordings were made in Paris and NYC from 1927 through 1943. The "good stuff"-when Dickie and his friends hit their stride, IMHO, start in 1937 with a group picking up luninaries such as Bill Coleman (t), Django Reinhart(g) and Shad Collins (t). Try "Sweet Sue" and "I've Found a New Baby" to get a feel for what life in the City of Light must have been like in the late 30's, with the silent war underway and the tension of the storm clouds in Europe making the jazz so much sweeter.

Great Record!

Just heard 'Be Baba Le Ba' on KFJC 87.9FM Los Altos Hills CA. Blew me away! her strident, supple vocal style is remnescent of Esther Philips,Billie Holliday,and Macie Gray. It's hard to believe this cut was recorded 1950! (@ Shine Auditorium before a wildly enthusiastic audience) There's a sophisticated jazz band behind her, so the jump jive arrangements have seem contemporary. Lots of modern blues wannabe's should note the spontaneous but carefully controlled vocal/instrumental interplay.

This CD is a rare find because it focuses on Jack Teagarden's eary work as a sideman with small bands such as that of Red Nichols and Ben Pollack, while most collections concentrate on his later work. As for the music, it is some of the best early jazz I have ever heard. I cannot emphasize enough what an amazing, talented trombonist Jack Teagarden is. I, myself, play a little jazz trombone, and I think that Teagarden was the most gifted trombone player who ever lived. His solos are the highlight of the CD. They are incredibly bluesy, but have a modern, progressive quality to them. Teagarden's solos on "She's a Great Girl" and "Futuristic Rhythm" are absolutely inspired. The bands can get really, really, bluesy, but can also swing hard when they want to. This CD is also worth buying because we also get a chance to hear some great jazzmen eary in their careers, such as Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, Pee Wee Russell, and Fats Waller. The sound quality is not excellent, and some of the vocals are not understandable, but it is of relatively good quality for a 70 year old recording, and it is by all means listenable. This is an excellent CD to have if you like early jazz, are interested in early Teagarden, or just want to hear a truly breathtaking trombone player.

This fabulous disc features mostly piano solos by the great Earl "Fatha" Hines. Hines backed-up Billie Holiday on some tracks in the 1940s, but these cuts show his early talent. Hines superseded earlier stride pianist James P. Johnson, and also the likes of Thomas "Fats" Waller, Willie "The Lion" Smith, and F. L. "Jelly Roll" Morton. How so? Well, he took stride to the next level, while avoiding getting locked into boogie-woogie like Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, and Meade Lux Lewis (the latter who, by the way, was also a great slow bluesman). Hines took jazz piano to the next level of evolution which started with Scott Joplin--and after Hines--continued with Oscar Peterson and Errol Garner. Really Hines was a sui generis artist like Art Tatum. Hines is the first truly modern jazz pianist: one who can stand alone, without any back-up. I highly recommend this disc, and all Fatha's work. P.S.: All the above mentioned artists can be found on the excellent Chronological Classics, and are highly recommended.