I'm listening to WAMU's Hot Jazz Saturday Night program right now, streaming the show thru the NPR app on my phone. (9pm-12am EST) Loving it. Do you think they're spinning actual 78s? http://wamu.org/programs/hot_jazz_s...y_night_listen_to_the_latest_archived_episode
This excellent performance appears on the CD Grey Gull Rarities (Jazz Oracle): wonderful collection, recommended. The personnel has not really been established... listed in the past as including Grey Gull house musicians Mike Mosiello and Andy Sannella, but that seems doubtful (the Jazz Oracle CD has other tracks with them, for comparison). In Harlem's Araby - Memphis Jazzers (aka White Star Syncopators on this label) New York, 1929
Resurrecting my old thread with a couple of questions: I have the two Biograph Jabbo Smith CDs. Any benefit in getting the Retrieval issue of the same material? The Biograph sounds very good, but maybe a little high-end goosing. Wondering if the Davies mastered version is better, which one would think. Also, I would love the 2009 Timeless double CD set of Tiny Parham 1928-1930, but it's $80 on Amazon. Is there another retailer that might have it cheaper? Listening now to "Frog Spawn- The First Batch," a wonderful collection of rarities, unissued, alternate takes and "sleepers." Highly recommended! Also on today's playlist: The Rhythmakers, "Stop and Listen-Rare Black Band Recordings 29-39" and "Louis With Fletcher Henderson."
I usually reserve Sunday mornings for classical or early jazz. But when it's early jazz, I can't switch over to rock as quickly. Now I'm stuck on Johnny Dodds, Clarence Williams, with Django & Stephane on deck.
Clarence Williams made more records than almost anyone back then, hundreds of them. He was a smart man, had the publishing on all of them, was rich.
And here is the original, acoustically recorded ("Truetone process") In other words, no microphone used, just air.
A great collection to start with if you want to find your favorite era of Clarence Williams' various combos is Jazz Greats CD 056 "Top of the Town" from Marshall Cavendish's great compilation series. Recordings from 1924-1937, and engineered by John R.T. Davies. Clarence Williams had a wide swath of styles, from jug and washboard, to bluesy bands to hot jazz orchestras. All are, as his grandson would say, "SOLID!"
The Retrieval CD's decent, but I haven't heard the Biograph to compare... There were a couple of Jabbo Smith LPs produced by Davies for Retrieval in 1990, which included the Louisiana Sugar Babes as well. His sessions with Ellington, Charlie Johnson, and Thomas Morris are all complete on Frog CDs. I also neglected to get that when it was current... I'm satisfied with two Classics and one Neatwork CD, but Timeless may be preferable. A bunch of LP reissues appeared on Collector's Classics (Denmark) and Swaggie (Australia). Tiny's earlier works as leader--the Pickett-Parham Apollo Syncopators, His "Forty" Five, and Dodds-Parham--are on various Frog releases. One of my favorite artists, he's very well-represented on CD, with eight dedicated Frog titles and three Davies-mastered CDs on Collector's Classics. Timeless and Mosaic reissued most of the 1923-24 instrumentals--which I love--on Sidney Bechet releases, but they're complete on Classics 1921-1924. About Clarence Williams III, I understand he's reportedly Clarence's grandson, but some years ago I read an interview in Venice magazine where he seemed to state that he isn't(?)... I'd like to confirm; the interview's still elusive after a web search. What Ya Want Me To Do? - Clarence Williams & His Novelty Four (1928)
The problem with some of those Retrieval CDs seems to be that noise reduction was added after John R.T. Davies had finished the masterings - at least that's what I was told years ago.
Eddie Lang made a record with Joe Oliver? Boy, I never knew that. What's the other side sound like? Definitely Oliver, that's for sure. I've been collecting 1925-34 78's since high school and there is no way to hear everything that was recorded then. Clarence Williams wasn't really a musician, I mean he was, but he was more of a 1920's-30's black Don Kirshner if that makes any sense. Had his finger in a lot of pies, played on a lot of records but he was more of a businessman, like Irving Mills... His discography reaches hundreds of pages.
Yep, Clarence Williams organized a lot of recording dates, including the famous 1923-1925 sessions with his Blue Five, Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong. Those were reissued on the now OOP Sidney Bechet Mosaic Select 3CD-set.
Originally OKeh 8645, the two sides are mastered by John RT Davies on The Clarence Williams Collection Vol. 2, 1928 (Collector's Classics), and by Ted Kendall on King Oliver - Blues Singers and Hot Bands on OKeh (Frog). Oliver and Lang also appear together on a strange Eva Taylor record: I'm Busy And You Can't Come In / Jeannine I Dream Of Lilac Time - Irene Gibbons and Clarence Williams Jazz Band (Columbia 14362-D).
Well, after five years since I posted this, a copy of "Tiny Parham 1928-30" on the Timeless label is playing on my sound system. I found a like-new copy for under $30 shipped on Amazon Marketplace. Amazing stuff in stellar sound quality. Some of the best tuba playing I ever heard. I never thought I would ever utter that sentence. Very tight arrangements, but full of energy. Next buy: some later era King Oliver (post Armstrong) on the Frog label, and maybe that Johnny Dodds Paramount double set, also Frog label. If I had a time machine, I'd go see some of these bands live.
The King Oliver on Frog is wonderful! IAWY, and I've sent an email to Mr. Peabody to see if his Wayback Machine is available, because I'd do anything to see these great jazz bands from the past.
"Sherman, set the WABAC Machine to 1929, the Savoy Ballroom in Manhattan. We're going to see the Luis Russell Orchestra featuring one of the world's greatest trumpeters, Henry "Red" Allen."
Whenever I visit Joe Bussard's basement (about twice a year now but it used to be every month), he knows just what I want to hear and he plays jazz 78s from the 20s up to ~1935 on his magnificent sound system. Nothing like it for my ears! I am lucky to count him my friend. I have quite a few recordings of Clarence Williams from Joe, Charlie Johnson's Paradise 10, Jabbo Smith, Bennie Moten, Red Nichols and his Five Pennies, Miff Mole, and those women blues-jazz singers (Clara Smith, Ma Rainey, Sippie Wallace, Victoria Spivey, et al.)