“Jamming in Four” – Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet (1941)

Early Blue Note 78s get a bad rap. Fans of later Blue Note hard bop on vinyl dismiss it as the label’s juvenilia and fans of early jazz find it too modern. Truth is – there’s some great music on early Blue Note – like this amazing record by the Edmond Hall Celeste Quartet.

The celeste was sometimes used in 20s jazz recordings to add certain ornamental flourishes – often on the last chord of a song. And on rare occasion, we might even get to hear a short celeste solo, such as in Tiny Parham’s “Cathedral Blues”.

Tiny Parham “Cathedral Blues”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpKWOlsVsWk

But here we get a full four minutes and twenty seconds of the rapturous Meade “Lux” Lewis playing a driven improvised blues on the celeste – jamming along with bandleader Edmond Hall on clarinet, the immortal Charlie Christian on guitar, and an energized Israel Crosby on bass. It’s a hedonistic romp that is a joy to listen to.

Like many of Blue Note’s early records on 78 rpm, this was pressed on 12″ shellac, resulting in slightly longer run time.

Recorded in New York City on February 5, 1941.
Released as Blue Note 18.

Credits:
Edmond Hall – clarinet
Meade Lux Lewis – celeste
Charlie Christian – guitar
Israel Crosby – string bass