Jazz Crazy Records

An Archive of Early Jazz on 78 RPM

Author: Professor M

  • “Steamboat Days” – Clarence Williams’ Washboard Band (1929)

    “Steamboat Days” – Clarence Williams’ Washboard Band (1929)

    Two days after recording a solo piano version of “A Pane in the Glass”
    ( https://youtu.be/_m1A9J8Rbhg ), Clarence Williams brought his washboard quartet together in the studio to record two tracks for Okeh label.

    This original Williams tune showcases Arville Harris and Ed Allen as they effortlessly dance around one another. Williams and Casey keep the rhythm going with bouncy chords and washboard skritches respectively.

    This one was on my want list for a long while – and I nearly passed on this beat copy when it finally appeared due to the scratched surface. But those Okeh A stampers seem to be pretty resilient, and I got a decent transfer despite the condition. Unfortunately the other side has a stressed groove that causes a skip.

    Nearly saved this a half step flat, as at 78 rpm the tune was in the key of D and ran to 3:15. In Tom Lord’s Clarence Williams book, it is listed as E flat coming in at 3:08. So this is spinning near 82 rpm for those playing along at home.

    Recorded in New York City on February 14, 1929.
    Released as Okeh 8672

    Credits:
    Ed Allen – cornet
    Arville Harris – clarinet, alto sax
    Clarence Williams – piano
    Floyd Casey – washboard

  • “Dinah” – Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra (1930)

    “Dinah” – Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra (1930)

    From the very last Fess Williams session for Victor during the summer of 1930.

    Recorded in Camden, New Jersey on July 31, 1930.
    Released as Victor 23005.
    8,926 copies sold.

    Credits:
    Fess Williams – clarinet, alto sax, vocals, director
    Emanuel Clark, John Brown – trumpet
    David “Jelly” James – trombone
    Bobby Holmes – clarinet, alto sax
    Ralph Brown or Felix Gregory – alto sax
    Perry Smith – clarinet, tenor sax
    Walter “Fats” Pichon – piano
    Andy Pendleton or Ollie Blackwell – banjo
    Emanuel Casamore – tuba
    Ralph Bedell – drums

    Sources:
    Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897-1942), 6th Ed. Brian Rust
    DAHR: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/objects/detail/21142/Victor_23005

  • “Jersey Lightning” – Luis Russell and his Orchestra (1929) 🎺⚡

    “Jersey Lightning” – Luis Russell and his Orchestra (1929) 🎺⚡

    Here’s a toe tapper to get you through the week – a Luis Russell scorcher featuring an interesting carefully timed arrangement driven by the non-stop string bass of Pops Foster. We hear Russell himself soloing on piano at 0:26. Henry “Red” Allen adds an uplifting trumpet solo at 1:21 and the reeds come together for an ensemble moment before J. C. Higginbotham slides in at 2:13 with an extended trombone solo.

    Recorded in New York City on September 6, 1929.
    Originally released as Okeh 8734.
    Released in the U.K. as Parophone R 740.

    Credits:
    Luis Russell – piano, director
    Henry Allen, Bill Coleman – trumpet
    J. C. Higginbotham – trombone
    Albert Nicholas – clarinet, alto sax
    Charlie Holmes – soprano sax, alto sax
    Teddy Hill – tenor sax
    Will Johnson – banjo, guitar
    Pops Foster – string bass
    Paul Barbarin – drums, vibes

    Sources:
    Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897-1942), 6th Ed., Brian Rust

  • “Thinking of You” – Stillman’s Orioles (1926)

    “Thinking of You” – Stillman’s Orioles (1926)

    In the British jazz magazine “Storyville”, published from 1965 – 1995, there was a column called “Arthur Gainsbury’s Guide to Junkshoppers” that listed desirable dance band 78s with hot jazzy solos on various labels. This record first came onto my radar when I was reading old issues (I recently acquired a complete set – but the entire run is also available online for your reading pleasure – see link below) and read through the Pathé – Perfect columns.

    For fun, I created a Discogs list of records from this column in case this drives you to seek out your own trove of such gems: https://www.discogs.com/lists/Junkshoppers-Actuelle-List/1547751

    This tune starts as a peppy dance number, with the uptempo banjo of Harry Reser keeping things moving. Everything changes when Ken “Goof” Moyer enters the ring at 0:33 with a baritone sax. An alto sax (Glantz) gives a response and then enjoys a further elucidation by the baritone.

    I happily found a copy of this one in the wild last year and present it to you, dear listener, for your enjoyment.

    Recorded in New York City on June 25, 1926.
    Released as Perfect 14660

    Credits:
    Jack Stillman – trumpet, director
    Ephriam Hannaford – trombone
    Nathan Glantz – alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet
    Ken “Goof” Moyer – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax, soprano sax
    Harry Reser – banjo

    Source:
    Storyville Magazine archive
    https://nationaljazzarchive.org.uk/explore/journals/storyville
    Jack Stillman: An Annotated Discography, Javier Soria Laso and Andrew Jon Sammut
    https://archive.org/details/jack-stillman-an-annotated-discography

  • “Tickle Britches Blues” – Richard Jones and his Jazz Wizards (1929)

    “Tickle Britches Blues” – Richard Jones and his Jazz Wizards (1929)

    A lovely number from a jazz quartet formed from Richard M. Jones’ Jazz Wizards. While the flip side has a full band with trumpet, trombone, and tuba, this side highlights only the clarinet, piano, and violin.

    Clarence Black’s bluesy violin solo starting at 0:52 is a highlight for me. He inventively comps, pizzicato style, as a rhythmic element during other sections. Now I believe I must find a copy of Paramount 12683.

    Who or what “tickle britches” is, I cannot rightly say. Any guesses?

    Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on February 8, 1929.
    Released as Victor V-38040.

    Credits:
    Omer Simeon, Artie Starks – clarinet, alto sax
    Richard M. Jones – piano
    Clarence Black – violin

  • “Bongo Mabe ?” – Laurent Batubenge (1956) Rumba Congolaise 🇨🇩

    “Bongo Mabe ?” – Laurent Batubenge (1956) Rumba Congolaise 🇨🇩

    A wonderful Congolese rumba by guitarist Laurent Batubenge on the immortal Ngoma label.

    The title roughly translates as “Is it really this bad?”.

    Recorded in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo on April 20, 1956.
    Released as Ngoma 1768.

    Credits:
    Laurent Batubenge – guitar, vocals
    Unknown artists – 2nd guitar, saxophone, maracas, bass, tam-tams, vocals

    The flip side of this record can be heard at:
    https://youtu.be/6y4ogH3hiIQ

    Sources:
    https://afrodisc.com/central-africa/ngoma-1000-2274-78-rpm/ngoma-1700-1799/

  • “Na Mokili Se Bongo” – Laurent Batubenge (1956) Rumba Congolaise 🇨🇩

    “Na Mokili Se Bongo” – Laurent Batubenge (1956) Rumba Congolaise 🇨🇩

    A wonderful Congolese rumba by guitarist Laurent Batubenge on the immortal Ngoma label.

    The title roughly translates as “Such is the way of the world”.

    Recorded in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo on April 20, 1956.
    Released as Ngoma 1768.

    Credits:
    Laurent Batubenge – guitar, vocals
    Unknown artists – 2nd guitar, saxophone, maracas, bass, tam-tams, vocals

    The flip side of this record can be heard at:
    https://youtu.be/AT2BseQZrSs

    Sources:
    https://afrodisc.com/central-africa/ngoma-1000-2274-78-rpm/ngoma-1700-1799/

  • “Fish Fry” – Benny Carter (1940)

    “Fish Fry” – Benny Carter (1940)

    Recorded in New York City on January 30, 1940.
    Released as Vocalion 5458.

    Credits:
    Benny Carter – alto sax, director
    Joe Thomas, Lincoln Mills, Russell Smith – trumpet
    Jimmy Archey, Vic Dickenson, Gene Simon – trombone
    James Powell, Carl Frye – alto sax
    Stan Payne, Coleman Hawkins – tenor sax
    Eddie Heywood, Jr. – piano
    Ulysses Livingston – guitar
    Hayes Alvis – string bass
    William Purnell – drums

  • “Papa Charlie and Blind Blake Talk About It” – Papa Charlie Jackson and Blind Blake (1929)

    “Papa Charlie and Blind Blake Talk About It” – Papa Charlie Jackson and Blind Blake (1929)

    I’ll be honest – I was reticent to even post this one, as the disc is so totally beat that the sound quality is almost unlistenable. But it’s a super rare one and the transfers that are available are only marginally better.

    It’s a great example of how sometimes even 78s in the worst shape sometimes are so special and important, as there just may not be too many other copies out there.

    For a transcript of what is being said, YouTuber @thomaslucas1012 does an excellent breakdown at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DMo97cohpo

    Recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin in September 1929.
    Released as Paramount 12911.

    Credits:
    Papa Charlie Jackson – banjo, vocals
    Blind Blake – guitar, vocals

  • “Jazz Battle” – The Rhythm Aces f/ Jabbo Smith (1929)

    “Jazz Battle” – The Rhythm Aces f/ Jabbo Smith (1929)

    The first – and probably best known – of the twenty sides Jabbo Smith recorded for Brunswick in 1929, as he was being marketed to compete with the popular Okeh recordings of Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five by producer J. Mayo Williams. Smith was twenty years old.

    Many of these tunes were written and performed on record in quick succession. “Smith would make up the tunes perhaps the night before the date, but he wouldn’t write them down; in fact, he made no effort to copyright his compositions. The other musicians would learn the tunes only when he ran them down at the recording studio. He’d teach them the melodies, they’d rehearse for maybe a half hour, then they’d record.”

    Jazz Battle is a small combo mad dash – intricately laced with rapid fire lines traded between Smith’s trumpet and Simeon’s clarinet. At times sounding to my ears like Tchaikovsky and Arthur Pryor were on the rear guard of the battle somehow – feeding little riffs and hot breaks like ammo to the furious horns on the front lines.

    The performances here are a wild ride. Of Jabbo, French jazz critic Hugues Panassie wrote “He has astonishing force and a positive attack of great beauty.”

    Unfortunately, Jabbo’s Brunswick discs would not be big sellers – and like many excellent jazz musicians, the advent of the Great Depression put an abrupt end to his recording career as a bandleader.

    Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on January 29, 1929.
    Released as Brunswick 4244.

    Credits:
    Jabbo Smith – trumpet
    Omer Simeon – clarinet
    Cassino Simpson – piano
    Ikey Robinson – banjo

    Sources:
    Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897-1942), 6th Ed., Brian Rust
    Voices of the Jazz Age, Chip Deffaa, University of Illinois Press, 1990.