Artie Shaw - Blue Room / Cafe Rouge

Swing is still the thing, kids!!
Just look at that cover...Artie Shaw was a rock god. These radio sessions are a whole lotta fun. In the liner notes, Artie Shaw commented, listening to these old recordings, how tight and how much fun the bands were having at the time. He's right on, but he remains the star.


Here are two sessions, recorded about a year apart, at NYC nightclubs. 1938/39


I love the fact that these radio shows seem so loose but still sound so perfect. As each session winds to an end, the band seems rock a bit harder leading up to a swinging finale. These sets are all over the place...some standards, some covers but a really nice amount of ...well oddball shit. Just what we like.

In The Blue Room

1. Nightmare
2. Together
3. My Reverie
4. Sobbin' Blues
5. Jeepers creepers
6. In The Mood*
7. Non-Stop Flight
8. Begin The Beguine
9. The Old Stamping Ground
10. The Chant
11. Stardust
12. The Carioca

In The Cafe Rouge

1. At Sundown
2. I'm Sorry For Myself
3. Maria, My Own
4. Diga Diga Do
5. Moonray
6. Everything Is Jumpin'
7. St. Louis Blues
8. I've Got My Eye On You
9. My Blue Heaven
10. El Rancho Grande
11. Sweet Sue
12. Man From Mars

RCA Victor LPT-6000
part one
part two




*I cannot be help responsible for the ridiculously long version of "In The Mood". At the time, the swapping of popular tunes was common practice, but there is no excuse for this.

Mal Waldron / Marion Brown - Songs of Love and Regret

Sometimes your hands shake when you stumble across a recording that you have been searching for. And sometimes you stumble across one, and think "this looks cool, I wonder why I never heard of it."
I had the second reaction when I should have had the first. Why some fool dumped this off is beyond me. Praise be to the fool behind the counter that sold it to me for 8 bucks because it was still in an unsorted pile and he didn't feel like dicking around.

As is understood I am a huge Waldron fan and though I haven't posted any Marion Brown I love him as well. I had meant to post this shortly after Marion's passing but it slipped my mind.
This set is mostly covers , although a couple are pretty obscure. "A cause.." is a Waldron original as is "To the Golden Lady" by Brown. "Contemplation" is by Tyner and "Hurry Sundown" by Clarence Williams. The others should not need an introduction. The one remark I will say is Blue Monk (take 2) doesn't feel like an alternate take but mostly just a different take that was always headed for this session.

This has recently become one of my favorite recordings. The lyricism these two share shines on this lp.

1. Blue Monk
2. A Cause de Monk
3. To The Golden Lady In Her Graham Cracker Window
4. Contemplation
5. Hurry Sundown
6. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
7. Blue Monk (take 2)

Marion Brown - alto sax
Mal Waldron - piano

recorded 11/9-10/85 - Yerres, France on FreeLance records.

FRL-CD006

Illinois Jacquet & Will Bill Davis

This post goes out to Cheeba. A simple, swinging recording that I'm sure he'll dig. I'd have gone with a moldy oldie but that would be cruel. Now that jazzman is back on the scene, let's hope that Cheeba and the family are on the mend. You're missed in the blogosphere.

These recordings from a session in Paris, early 73, saw a very limited release on lp. Somehow or another they made the digital leap in 1986. Is it really possible that the cd has become a viable collector's item? It breaks my pvc heart. Just the same, this disc is over 25 years old. A respectable age for an lp, in my youth. And most of them age didn't wear so well. So here again I am forced again to bring you a cd.

1. No Sweat
2. Blues Skies
3. It Don't Mean A Thing
Blue And Sentimental
4. Pamela's Blues
5. The Man I Love
6. Cottontail
7. What Am I Here For?
8. Blues From New Orleans

Illinois Jacquet - tenor sax
Wild Bill Davis - organ
Al Bartee - drums



Recorded at Barclay studio on 1/15-16/73 by Dominique Samarcq. Originally released on Black & Blue 33044 (1-4, 9) and 33082 (5-8).

Black and Blue 233044

Joe Williams - Music Masters radio show

An overview of Joe William's career. Just short of an hour long. Nothing ground breaking but a nice way to spend 50 mins. Oddly about 12-15 minutes in there seems to be a weird detour that focuses in Ella Fitzgerald more than Williams. The songs they perform together here are fun but once again re-enforce my position that Ella was just too "nice" sometimes. Joe swings.

The funniest line from the show is when the host compares Joe's '80's touring schedule as "more intense than a punk band". Sure.

This is just a single long track. Maybe someday I will have the time too break it down. Till then...

WDCB Joe Williams

Jam Session - ARS recording

From the Jazz Division of the American Recording Society. This one is billed as "Jam Session" - and How The Blues Began. A heady title to be sure. While there were many fine dates later released as "blowing sessions" nothing ever beat the JATP blowing sessions. They set the standard for many recordings to come.
I did some (very little) research and it appears these tracks were not included with the "official" release of these sessions. I would assume time constraints were a major factor.

As much as I tend to dismiss Oscar Peterson as a utilitarian pianist, he gets a pass here. He deserves more credit than I usually give him.

Somehow ARS had the vision to release these tracks so that we can now enjoy them. I decided to tack on an extra track from another similar recording just because it makes me happy.

From what I can tell, this is how it all goes down....

Jam Session

1. Jam Blues No.1
2. Funky Blues No. 2
3. Funky Blues No.2 (cont.)
4. Mail Order Blues

in order of appearance -
1 - Ensemble, Flip Phillips (ts), Benny Carter (as), Oscar Peterson (p), Charlie Parker (as), Barney Kessell (g), Johnny Hodges (as), Charlie Shavers (tpt). J.C. Heard - drums, Ray Brown - bass.
recorded Hollywood 6/52 culled from Norman Granz Jam Session #1

2/3 - Roy Eldridge (tpt), Flip Phillips (ts), Bill Harris (tb), Herb Ellis (g), Dizzy Gillespie (tpt), Oscar Peterson (p), Buddy DeFranco (cl), Roy (again - over chorus). Louis Bellson - drums, Ray Brown - bass
recorded 10/30/54, NYC, culled from Norman Granz Jam Session #9

and the bonus track...
4. Flip Phillips, Illinois Jacquet, Lester Young (ts); Roy Eldrige, Dizzy Gillespie (tpt); Buddy Rich (d); Ray Brown (b); Oscar Peterson (p); Herb Ellis (g)
recorded 10/2/55 Chicago Opera House

ARS G-404/416