The second of three recordings the great Luis Russell orchestra made during a fantastic 1930 session that I am highlighting this week.
“Muggin’”, according to Cab Calloway’s 1938 Hepster’s Dictionary, is defined as “making ’em laugh, putting on the jive.” while “Muggin’ Lightly” is defined as a “light staccato swing” and as such, this tune composed by Russell is a relaxed romp that has some very interesting compositional elements.
Jazz Historian K.B. Rau analyzed the composition on his excellent website, “Investigating Jazz Recordings” at https://www.harlem-fuss.com/ and I’ve attempted to translate his analysis into YouTube chapters to help facilitate understanding how this complex composition is arranged:
0:00 A section: “Simple smooth melody presented by the tenor sax” (8 bars)
0:10 A section: “Interrupted by some trumpet led saxes” (8 bars)
0:20 A section: Repeat (8 bars)
0:30 A section: “Swinging jazzy tenor sax phrase” (8 bars)
0:41 Trombone chorus – J.C. Higginbotham (16 bars)
1:01 Alto sax chorus – Charlie Holmes (16 bars)
1:21 B section: Modulation of the ensemble from B major to Bb major (8 bars)
1:32 C section: “A beautifully swinging tutti” (24 bars)
2:03 D section: Closely arranged ensemble (16 bars)
2:23 E section: For the sax section – starting in F sharp (16 bars)
2:44 D section: Ensemble in “smoothly swinging laidback back-beat phrasing. Simply Great!” (8 bars)
Recorded in New York City on September 5, 1930.
Released in the U.K. as Parlophone R 934.
(Original domestic release = Okeh 8830)
Credits
Luis Russell – piano, director
Otis Johnson, Henry Red Allen – trumpet
J.C. Higginbotham – trombone
Charlie Holmes – alto sax
Albert Nicholas – alto sax, clarinet
Greely Walton – tenor sax
Will Johnson – banjo, guitar
George Pops Foster – string bass
Paul Barbarin – drums
The two other recordings from this same session:
“High Tension”
https://youtu.be/yei7nN1iRL0
“Panama”
https://youtu.be/WeryW5ri6yU
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