Do Doodle Oom is a very interesting acoustic recording of the early Henderson orchestra only about a month after Coleman Hawkins joined the group. Henderson said that he found Hawkins playing with Wilbur Sweatman’s band at Connie’s Inn, after having returned from a gig playing with Mamie Smith’s Jazz Hounds out West.
This tune was first recorded by the Henderson band for the Vocalion label in early August of 1923 as “Do Doodle Oom”. Recorded a month later for Columbia, the label misspelled the song title as “Do Doddle Oom”.
Elmer Chambers’ cornet leads us through the intro of this Porter Grainger and Henderson co-composition. At 1:13 Don Redman’s clarinet and Coleman Hawkin’s sax take over – trading riffs in a kind of call and response. At 1:55 the song takes a dramatic left turn – the beat picks up and Hawk’s baritone sax drives the rhythm section into a frenzied funk.
Details
Recorded in New York City on Thursday, September 13, 1923.
Released as Columbia A3995.
Credits
Fletcher Henderson – piano, director
Elmer Chambers – cornet
Teddy Nixon – trombone
Don Redman – clarinet, alto sax
Coleman Hawkins – clarinet, tenor sax, baritone or bass sax
Charlie Dixon – banjo
Kaiser Marshall – drums
Sources
Hendersonia, Walter C. Allen, p. 71
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