Jazz Crazy Records

An Archive of Early Jazz on 78 RPM

Category: Jazz

  • “Christmas Night in Harlem” – Clarence Williams and his Orchestra (1934)

    “Christmas Night in Harlem” – Clarence Williams and his Orchestra (1934)

    On Christmas Eve, we have a fresh transfer of Clarence Williams’ recording of a Christmas tune written by Mitchell Parish and Raymond Scott and featuring vocalist Chick Bullock.

    The tune was recorded by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra a month later, in April of 1934 with Frank Trumbauer plus Charlie and Jack Teagarden.

    Much later, in 1955, it was recorded by an orchestra directed by Benny Carter featuring Louis Armstrong on vocals. Satch insisted on changing the racially charged lyrics of the original so that terms such as “black and tans” and “coal black joe” were replaced with more inclusive and positive language.

    Recorded in New York City on March 23, 1934.
    Released as Vocalion 2689.

    Credits:
    Charlie Gaines – trumpet
    Ed Allen – cornet
    Cecil Scott – clarinet, tenor sax
    Louis Jordan – alto sax, tenor sax
    James P. Johnson – piano
    Cyrus St. Clair – tuba
    Floyd Casey – washboard
    Chick Bullock – vocals

  • “Harlem Holiday” – Cab Calloway and His Orchestra (1932)

    “Harlem Holiday” – Cab Calloway and His Orchestra (1932)

    Ok, so not all holiday songs are about Christmas. Here we find a wonderful deep-depression cut from Cab Calloway extolling the “Harlem Holiday” a hopeful vision of good times during the Great Depression.

    Written by songwriters Ted Koehler and Harold Arlen, the song features an infectious trombone riff that will worm its way into your ear for hours.

    Lyrics
    There’ll be bands everywhere – going to town
    There’ll be flames in the air – flying all around
    The browns’ll be there – laying ’em down
    Every day will be a Harlem Holiday

    No more work, only play – sleep when you choose
    you get paid anyway – now tell me – ain’t that news?
    Every song will be gay – no where we blue
    Every day will be a Harlem Holiday

    When the whole world’s down
    and the times look blue
    You’ll be high up on Lennox Avenue

    There’ll be gals on the make – gin will be free
    If you don’t get a break – don’t blame me
    Every spot that you got will be hotter than hot
    Every day will be a Harlem Holiday

    Recorded in New York City on November 9, 1932.
    Released as Brunswick 6424.

    Credits:
    Cab Calloway – vocals, director
    Edwin Swayzee, Lammar Wright, Doc Cheatham – trumpet
    De Priest Wheeler, Harry White – trombone
    Arville Harris – clarinet, alto sax
    Andrew Brown – bass clarinet, tenor sax
    Walter Thomas – alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax
    Eddie Barefield – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
    Bennie Payne – piano
    Morris White – banjo
    Al Morgan – string bass
    Leroy Maxey – drums

  • “Gin for Christmas” – Lionel Hampton and Orchestra (1939)

    “Gin for Christmas” – Lionel Hampton and Orchestra (1939)

    A fun Christmas tune penned by Lionel Hampton and performed by his orchestra featuring Hamp himself on drums.

    Recorded in New York City on October 30, 1939.
    Originally released as Victor 26423.
    This RCA Victor reissue was pressed sometime between 1947-1954.

    Credits:
    Ziggy Elman – trumpet
    Toots Mondello – clarinet, alto sax
    Ben Webster, Jerry Jerome – tenor sax
    Clyde Hart – piano
    Albert Casey – guitar
    Artie Bernstein – string bass
    Lionel Hampton – drums

  • “I’m Busy and You Can’t Come In” – Clarence Williams’ Orchestra (1928)

    “I’m Busy and You Can’t Come In” – Clarence Williams’ Orchestra (1928)

    I’m busy and you can’t come in. No – really. It’s the end of the semester and I am going to be busy for the next week grading projects! But I promise to get some videos up in time for Christmas next week!

    To tide you over, here’s a new arrival from Clarence Williams and friends.

    Two days before this recording, Williams recorded a vocal version of this tune with his wife, Eva Taylor on vocals (as Irene Gibbons), King Oliver himself on cornet, and Eddie Lang on guitar. With that lineup, it’s no wonder this earlier recording is the better-known version of this song.

    However – Williams also recorded an instrumental version with a larger ensemble – and it is an absolute delight!

    Highlights in clude Ed Cuffee’s extened trombone solo at 1:23 and Cyrus St. Clair’s unmistakably suave tuba playing.

    In October 1928 upon its release, the Chicago Defender said of this record: “looks like another big hit.” I hope it was – but based on the relative scarcity of this title, I’d guess not.

    Recorded in New York City on September 20, 1928.
    Released as Okeh 8617.

    Credits:
    Ed Allen, Ed “Andy” Anderson (?) – cornet
    Ed Cuffee – trombone
    Albert Socarras, Russell Procope (?) – clarinet, alto sax
    Arville Harris – clarinet, tenor sax
    Clarence Williams – piano
    Leroy Harris – banjo
    Cyrus St. Clair – tuba
    Floyd Casey – drums

  • “Tabu” – Johnny Smith Quintet (1952)

    “Tabu” – Johnny Smith Quintet (1952)

    An early Johnny Smith recording on a NYC label named after the Royal Roost jazz club.

    “Tabu” was a composition by Cuban songwriter Margarita Lecuona first recorded in 1934 by Cuarteto Machín on Victor 32115. Here, Smith gives it the bebop treatment. We find Johnny uncharacteristically fiery, doing virtuosic single-note speed runs rather than the more relaxed lyricism and refined chord melody playing that he later developed and became known for. Getz keeps a relatively low profile – while the rhythm section really shines, adding a sophisticated energy and syncopated drive.

    Recorded in New York City on March 11, 1952.
    Released as Royal Roost 547.

    Credits:
    Johnny Smith – guitar
    Stan Getz – tenor sax
    Sanford Gold – piano
    Eddie Safranski – bass
    Don Lamond – drums

  • “Heywood’s Bounce” – Eddie Heywood (1955)

    “Heywood’s Bounce” – Eddie Heywood (1955)

    This is one of the newest jazz transfers on the channel, dating from the waning years of 78 rpm era, as the 45 rpm 7″ single format and 33 rpm 10″ EP and 12″ LP formats were beginning to dominate production runs.

    Eddie Heywood Jr. was playing with Bessie Smith in Atlanta when he was a preteen under the tutelage of his father. He would go on to play with Benny Carter, Billie Holiday, and Coleman Hawkins in the 30s and 40s before launching a solo career.

    His work in the 50s was a bit of a comeback after his long productive career as a musician was interrupted in 1947 by medical issues with his hands that prevented him from performing.

    You can hear his dexterity on this pre-paralysis side from 1944:
    https://youtu.be/hTt7z9PnsD8

    The flip side of this disc, “Soft Summer Breeze” went to #11 on the pop charts – but I enjoy the b-side a bit more. Perhaps because it’s winter in the midwest, and with temperatures currently at 1 degree Fahrenheit, soft summer breezes seem to be a distant memory.

    The beginning arpeggio of this one reminds me a bit of the beginning of “Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi from “Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown” recorded in 1964. It has a similar optimistic feel but whereas the Guaraldi tune looks forward, I feel this one is more nostalgic in nature.

    Included on his self-titled 1955 EmArcy LP, it was also included on his self-titled 1956 Mercury LP.

    Recorded July 15 and 20, 1955.
    Released on April 19, 1956.
    Released as Mercury 70863

    Credits:
    Eddie Heywood Jr. – piano
    Wendell Marshall – bass
    Jimmy Crawford – drums

  • “Hot and Anxious” – Don Redman and his Orchestra (1932)

    “Hot and Anxious” – Don Redman and his Orchestra (1932)

    A deep depression cut from Fletcher Henderson émigré Don Redman that features a riff you’ll surely recognize at 0:31.

    At 2:08 we get some scatted lines from Mr. Redman himself delivered with a cool nonchalance.

    A recent arrival – I got this very nice copy at the last Nauck’s vintage record auction for the minimum bid of $3 from the unsold list.

    Recorded in New York City on June 30, 1932.
    Released as Brunswick 6368.

    Credits:
    Don Redman – alto sax, director
    Shirley Clay, Langston Curl, Sidney de Paris – trumpet
    Claude Jones, Fred Robinson, Benny Morton – trombone
    Edward Inge, Rupert Cole – clarinet, alto sax
    Robert Carroll – tenor sax
    Horace Henderson – piano, arranger
    Talcott Reeves – banjo, guitar
    Bob Ysaguirre – tuba, string bass
    Manzie Johnson – drums, vibes

  • “Stratosphere” – Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra (1934)

    “Stratosphere” – Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra (1934)

    An early disc from the Jimmie Lunceford band featuring the original composition “Stratosphere”.

    Great swingin’ arrangement with a syncopated minimalist head melody. And damn if I don’t hear timpani drums booming in at 1:21! The driving, frenetic bass playing of Moses Allen is also a highlight.

    Recorded in New York City on September 4, 1934.
    Released as Decca 299.

    Credits:
    Jimmie Lunceford – director, arranger
    Eddie Tompkins, Tommy Stevenson, Sy Oliver – trumpet
    Henry Wells, Russell Bowles – trombone
    Willie Smith, Earl Carruthers – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
    Laforet Dent – alto sax
    Joe Thomas – clarinet, tenor sax
    Edwin Wilcox – piano
    Al Norris – guitar
    Moses Allen – string bass
    Jimmy Crawford – drums, vibes

  • “Merry-Go-Round” – Duke Ellington and his Orchestra (1935)

    “Merry-Go-Round” – Duke Ellington and his Orchestra (1935)

    A few weeks ago I posted a blazing side by Charlie Parker’s All Stars called “Merry Go Round”:
    https://youtu.be/5aQPz0bnx78

    Today we’ll hear a different tune with the same name: Duke Ellington’s “Merry-Go-Round.”

    Duke first recorded this tune in 1933 – but this earlier version was only released in Europe and Australia on the Columbia label. An alternate take of “Merry-Go-Round” from this earlier session was reissued domestically in a Columbia “Hot Jazz Classics” album set in the 1940s called “The Duke”. Being the person that I am, I of course had to dig it up for comparison.

    Here’s the 1933 version:
    https://youtu.be/ajEY3dzGo-k

    This later recording sounds great and seems to be the better recording overall. Listening to both versions – this one feels fresh and immediate. You get the feeling that Duke’s fellahs had been working on perfecting every aspect of this arrangement and knew it backwards and forwards by this point. The 1933 version, while of course, still very good, seems just a bit more tenuous in the soloing and has just a bit less energy to it.

    There does seem to be some disagreement about the credits between Rust and other sources.

    Recorded in New York City on April 30, 1935.
    Released as Brunswick 7440.

    Credits:
    Duke Ellington – piano, arranger, director
    Rex Stewart – cornet
    Freddy Jenkins, Cootie Williams – trumpet
    Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown – trombone
    Juan Tizol – valve trombone
    Johnny Hodges – clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax
    Harry Carney – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
    Otto Hardwick – clarinet, alto sax, bass sax
    Barney Bigard – clarinet, tenor sax
    Fred Guy – guitar
    Hayes Alvis – string bass
    Fred Avendorf – drums

    Source:
    Jazz and Ragtime Records (1897-1942), 6th edition by Brian Rust.

  • “Merry-Go-Round” – Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra (1933)

    “Merry-Go-Round” – Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra (1933)

    Here’s the 1933 version of “Merry-Go-Round”. See what you think.

    Compare it to the 1935 Brunswick version:
    https://youtu.be/r7EudWdagLc

    Recorded in New York City on February 15, 1933.
    This is take 2.
    Released as Columbia 35837 as part of Columbia’s Hot Jazz Classics series “The Duke” (C 38). Since this is the first issue of this take, it is the original issue.
    Take 3 was released in 1933 only on Columbia in Europe and Australia.

    Credits:
    Duke Ellington – piano, arranger, director
    Arthur Whetsel Freddy Jenkins, Cootie Williams – trumpet
    Joe Nanton, Lawrence Brown – trombone
    Juan Tizol – valve trombone
    Johnny Hodges – clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax
    Harry Carney – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
    Otto Hardwick – alto sax, bass sax
    Barney Bigard – clarinet, tenor sax
    Fred Guy – banjo, guitar
    Wellman Braud – string bass
    Sonny Greer – drums