Here’s the Clarence Williams version of “Church Street Sobbin’ Blues” – a real toe tapper with some inspired solos by Ed Allen and Buster Bailey accompanied by Mr. Williams on piano and the no-nonsense rhythm section of Floyd Casey’s washboard.
I have no notes on the performance other than I love it.
The flip side of this one, “Yama Yama Blues”, matches exactly to the same pairing on an early 9″ Emerson record by the Louisiana Five (Emerson 9179). My perhaps unprovable theory is that Williams must have had (and quite liked?) this record himself. Not only did he record “Church Street Sobbin’ Blues” with his wife, Eva Taylor, in 1923 – but he recorded it again here – over eight years after these songs were first popular – paired with the exact same flip side as the Louisiana Five.
These two songs were not popular jazz or dance standards of their day – outside of the 1919 recordings of Louisiana Five, Jockers Dance Orchestra, and the Plantation Dance Orchestra – and the later 1928 version by Eddie Lang (coming soon) – no other jazz or dance band seems to have performed either of these two songs – much less performed both together on the same record.
Mr. Williams was at this time the A&R man at Okeh Records who supervised the 8000 series. The choice of these two particular songs would have come directly from him, I should think. What do you think of my theory?
In the meantime, of course, it has ignited a strong desire to find that Louisiana Five record!
Recorded in New York City on November 25, 1927.
Released as Okeh 8525.
Credits:
Ed Allen – cornet
Buster Bailey – clarinet, alto sax
Clarence Williams – piano
Floyd Casey – washboard
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