Pete Kelly's Blog

Billy Butterfield: "Conniff Meets Butterfield"--"Just Kiddin' Around"

2009-12-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

Our recent Bob Crosby post (11/1/09) lauded the talents of trumpeter Billy Butterfield (1917-88). Billy was a consummate jazzman, lead and section man which made him extremely valuable in the world of big bands, traditional jazz and swing.

These two albums recorded for Columbia in 1959 and 1963, respectively, show his beautiful tone and jazz feel, even in a more commercial setting. Conniff Meets Butterfield reunites Billy with his old buddy from the Bob Crosby band, Ray Conniff (1916-2002). Ray, an excellent trombonist (more on that later) and arranger, had hit it big at Columbia with a simple but effective series of vocal albums featuring his Singers backed by tasty arrangements usually with rhythm section backing.

The 1959 session is a trumpet showcase for Billy playing a series of popular standards backed by Ray's rhythm and catchy charts. Many of the tunes utilize the shuffle rhythm made so popular by Jonah Jones over at Capitol records. The one constant is Billy's huge, gorgeous tone whether muted or open. His jazz ideas are given free reign even though this is essentially an easy listening album. Personally, this album was an early exposure to great trumpet playing and still evokes happy memories. Here are some highlights:

Most of the tunes have Billy either cup muted or open playing some great standards backed by a rhythm section. Despite the commercial nature of the album Billy gets in great jazz phrasing and licks on all the tunes.

The opener Beyond the Blue Horizon gets off to a great start with shuffle rhythm and Billy's pungent cup muted horn. Billy goes open for the second chorus with nice variations before going up high for a classic ending. The rest of the album doesn't disappoint. Ray's arrangements are sparce, but clever. On You must have been a Beautiful Baby, Billy plays open and has a nice jazz chorus with a catchy riff before reprieving the melody with cup.

Time on my Hands has cup mute melody then Billy plays a nice unison riff with the rhythm. What a Differance a Day Makes opens with Billy in cup then a nice open passage over shuffle rhythm with Louis-like glisses before going out up high.

South of the Border is another swinger with shuffle rhythm, more trumpet-rhythm unison and some more Louis high ones. Billy uses the Ay-ay-ay strain as a coda. Rosalie also swings nicely over shuffle with more glisses (Billy sure knew his Louis) and a repeated ending with a hint of Salt Peanuts. Ray's original A Love is Born (Song of the Trumpet) , is a beautiful, haunting theme , just perfect for the great Butterfield horn. Only one chorus, the theme shows off Billy's control and gorgeous tone. A highlight of the album, for sure. The other tracks , I Found a Million Dollar Baby, Can't we be Friends, All the Things You Are, Oh What a Beautiful Morning and Something to Remember You By all have wonderful Butterfield solos.

The only drawback to the album is a gimmicky echo in the rhythm section that sounds like the drums and guitar are behind the beat. This was the era of hifi/stereo and these effects are very annoying-Too bad it wasn't omitted on the reissue. (It would get worse on the next album).

The follow-up album was Just Kiddin' Around (1963) and this time Ray added his trombone work to his arranging talents. Ray had broken in as a trombonist with Bunny Berigan, followed by stints with Bob Crosby(where he met Billy), Vaughn Monroe, Artie Shaw and Harry James. His work with Shaw, especially his chart on 'Swonderful, established him as a top arranger and soon his trombone had to take a back seat. (He reworked the sWonderful chart for the Singers and had a hit with it.) Ray was a fine jazz player. His work on a March 1944 Blue Note session with Art Hodes, Max Kaminsky and Rod Cless show what a fine trad/dixie player he was. If he hadn't met with so much success as an arranger, he could have been a major player in the trad circles.

Ray and Billy only team up on 2 selections, the rest of the album has them splitting solo features. On Alexander's Ragtime Band, Billy and Ray duet the first chorus with Billy getting off some nice licks, Ray handles the verse and Billy wails up high on the outchorus with Ray sliding underneath. We even get some quotes from Cornet Chop Suey and Muskrat Ramble-A Great Opener! Just Kiddin' Around is a riff tune from Ray's Artie Shaw days with unison playing by the horns, more shuffle rhythm, trading fours a nice Basie-ish piano bridge and back to the unison. Now on to the features.

Billy's features are in the same format as the earlier album. Put your Arms Around Me is a standout with shufle rhythm and Billy getting off great drive and phrasing. After a modulation he wails the second chorus with a long held note on the coda. This Love of Mine has soaring open horn with a lot of Louis and Bunny like phrasing. On You'll Never Know, Billy gets in some nice Harry James licks in tribute to a fellow trumpet great. Louise and But Not for Me are both tasty renditions.

Ray's features are tasty but not as jazz oriented. However he plays strong and percussive-He obviously had been keeping his chops up. Heartaches, When I Grow Too Old to Dream, You Oughta be in Pictures and Peg O' My Heart are all nicely played with his patented tasty charts.
The lovely ballad I See Your Face Before Me has more of a Teagarden feel and is a jazz highlight.

All in all , these two lps show the greatness of Billy Butterfield as an all-round trumpeter and the dual talents of Ray Conniff. The CD versions are available on Columbia thru Amazon.

Till next time-Keep Swingin'

Ira Ironstrings plays Santa Claus (1959)

2009-12-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

This Christmas post will celebrate a personal favorite Christmas album and a wonderful series of recordings by the infamous Ira Ironstrings on Warner Bros, Records.
This series featured great jazz playing and clever swinging arrangements with a touch of Spike Jones' comedy. For years the identity of Ira Ironstrings was unknown but now we know that it was Big Bandleader/Guitar Great Alvino Rey doing some moonlighting. Rey was under contract to Capitol records and created the Ironsides persona as a way to make these fun, swinging albums. (Alvino had a great sense of humor). Alvino plays banjo on these sides , the rest of the players are unknown but have to be a core of the Hollywood studio pros-the musicianship is superb! Warren Barker handled much of the arranging and I suspect guitarist Jack Marshall might have also had a hand- some of the charts sound like his work for other albums.

There's a lot of dixieland, swing ,banjo and plenty of slap-mallet vibe work.(Whoever the player was, he got a workout on the sessions). The comedy is subtle but still in the Spike Jones' style-It really comes into play on the Christmas album.(Subtitled-Christmas Music For Those Who Have Heard Everything). I first discovered this album during a stint at a local music store. The owner loved this album and played it during the holidays-I borrowed it and made a cassette copy and now am delighted to have the CD from Collector's Choice Music. Dave Kapp's exellent liner notes echo his own childhood fascination with this album.

The original cover is reproduced with Santa tied down ala Gulliver by irate citizens! The original liner notes are also here-they were always a highlight of the Ironsides series. Despite the humor and bogus persona we get a lot of great jazz and amazing playing by Alvino and his studio pros.
I'm sure some of the usual suspects would include Mannie Klein, Shorty Sherock and John Best-trumpets , Si Zenthner,Abe Lincoln and Moe Scneider-trombone , Skeets Herfurt, Babe Russin, Matty Matlock (who also contributed some of the arrangements) and Gus Bivona-reeds , Ray Sherman or Lou Busch,piano(Lou produced this album-better known as Joe "Fingers" Carr, he guested on another Ira lp) , Morty Corb, bass and perhaps Nick Fatool or Alvin Stoller, drums. If anyone has info. on the personell (especially the mystery vibes man) I'd love to hear from you.

Now on to some of the many musical highlights:
Let it Snow-We get off to a swinging start with a neat riff on the familiar melody. Next is a Dixieland passage (the soprano sax sounds a bit like George Probert from the Firehouse 5) followed by the vibes (a fixture of the Ira sound) , with swinging backround, some growl trumpet, bass clarinet , back to the unison and a dixie ending.

Jingle Bells Stomp-The dixie group opens up followed by bass clarinet backed by sleigh bells, slap vibes, more dixie and back to the bass clar. and bells.

Skater's Nightmare (Waltz)-This is one of the wildest cuts and has popped up on Music Choice on Cable channels. We start with trombone lead backed by tricky piano noodling and growl trumpet. Alvino's banjo handles the verse , a band interlude brings on the vibes(always swinging in 4/4) , unison banjo/vibes on the verse with more trumpet growls and a wild drum break. An all-out band chorus brings back Alvino for the verse, a touch of tympani and dixie finish. All in 2 and a half minutes!.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus- Shuffle Rhythm opens with trombone lead and wa-wa trumpet. Next is the dixie band and vibes followed by a mellow trumpet (or flugelhorn) solo. A bit of growl trombone, soprano and dixie finish with a Lawrence Welk ending!

Christmas is for the Birds!-An original , probably by Alvino and/or Barker. Lots of sleigh bells, flutes and bird calls. Banjo takes the bridge with some Spike Jones effects , some dixie , a chimes interlude incorporating other Xmas tunes then back to the theme , a unison bridge , touch of banjo and dixie finish with a birdcall coda. Lots of Fun!

Deck them Halls- Two guitars in harmony open with the theme (probably Alvino) backed by bells. Some dixie follows , chimes lead to banjo/vibes unison with some dirty Spike Jones-ish trombone (perhaps Abe Lincoln?). More vibes , dixie and back to the 2 guitars for a fugue ending. A real clever chart.

Over the River (And thru the Woods)- We open with dixie and the familiar vibes followed by a cute unison riff ,more dixie a chimes break and dixie to the coda. A neat twist on a real Christmas oldie.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer- Bass clarinet states the melody with cute band answers , a banjo bridge , touch of flute then into the dixie chorus with some honky tonk piano(probably Lou) and soprano sax. Back to the Bass Clar. and the vibes ride out the coda.

Frosty the Snowman- A dixie intro followed by more honky tonk piano , the dixie band (vibes and banjo on bridge) and a neat unison passage by the band. Some more hokey trombone and back to the piano and dixie band with a neat modulation.

Sleigh Ride- The Leroy Anderson favorite gets a swinging ride by Ira and pals. Banjo/vibes state melody with trombone playing the counter melody with growl trumpet on bridge. On the second chorus the next theme is played in unison with some banjo licks , more drum breaks and a dixie finale with banjo on the bridge and coda.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town- We wrap things up with a mellow version of this perennial. Bass clarinet has a clip-clop figure while banjo/vibes state melody backed by bells with wa-wa trumpet. Next is dixie with vibes on bridge and back to unison melody with bas clar. having the last say.

We hope this review inspires you to pick up this very special and un-traditional Christmas album. Hopefully we will see more Ironstrings albums reissued. There are great titles such as Ira Ironstrings plays for People with $3.98 , Destroys the Great Bands , Plays with Matches and Meets Joe "Fingers" Carr-Together for the Last Time Vol.1.
These albums are a testament to the musical talents and humor of Alvino , his arrangers and top sidemen.

Happy Holidays.

The 3 Stooges-Hula -La-La (1951)

2009-11-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

The Stooges go native in this delightful 1951 short , one of their very best with Shemp as third stooge. The plot has the boys as dance teachers at a movie studio sent to a South Sea island to teach the natives how to dance , the studio is planning a big polynesian epic and find out their natives can't dance! Along the way the boys run afoul of beautiful island girls, headhunters, an evil witch doctor and a pesky idol with four arms!

This breezy short was directed by Hugh McCollum , primarily a producer at the Columbia Shorts Dept. His style was more laid-back and jovial than the violent Jules White, however we have the usual wild slapstick gags by the boys. The story was by Ed Bernds , himself one of the Stooges' best directors. His screenplay has loads of witty dialog and bad puns. Another plus is the little untitled island song that gets played thruout the short, it gives not only the proper flavor but a nice change of pace. (Columbia, always thrifty reused it as backround music at a waterfront cafe in the 1955 sci-fi classic , It Came from Beneath the Sea).

The supporting cast is an exellent one including Stooge regular Emil Sitka as Mr. Baines the studio chief.(he will be the subject of a future post) His part is small but he makes the most of it even getting in a nifty pratfall. Emil plays his own age here, he was very adept at old codgers and goofy professors.
Jean Willes plays the native girl Luana, she joined the Columbia shorts in the mid 40s as Jean Donahue and was a busy player with the Stooges and other comics thru the mid 50s. Jean was a tall, leggy brunette and like Christine McIntyre(the Stooges' first lady) she had a good flair for comedy. She worked in many features of the 40s and 50s, popped up in the feature version of McHale's Navy and was in the classic Twilight Zone episode , Will the Real Martian please Stand Up?
Another favorite Stooge foil Kenneth McDonald plays Varanu the Witch Doctor. Kenneth was a great slimy villain with his pencil mustace and theatrical voice , many Perry Mason fans remember him as one of the regular judges on the show. A Hawaiian named Lei Aloha (sounds like a stage name!) plays the idol and longtime bit player Heinie Conklin gets to mug a little as the king.

The comic highlights are many , but here are some of my favorites:
The opening scenes with the Stooges as dance instructors are a hoot. Moe telling Shemp that the "girls have their rondelets mixed up with their pirouettes and their fortissimos tangled with their allegrettos." Shemps's response- "Yeh, but what's wrong with their dancin'?" Shemp proceeds to give the girls a wild display of his dance style only to find he's dancing to a Trombone part! ( The boys were all great eccentric hoofers , but Shemp took the cake).

Varanu showing the boys his collection of shruken heads has a great Columbia editing gaffe as Moe's scream gets dubbed in before he can react. Shemp's visit to Luana's hut has him hiding under the bed when Varanu enters and Shemp dealing with a visit from a baby and momma crocodile while still under the bed. Great Stuff! We even get the old "You can say that again" bit when Luana tells the boys that the witch doctor is a bad man. (she says it again, of course).

Moe and Larry's encounter with the Idol (Old Four Arms) is a classic with both getting heaps of punishment from the multiple arms before Moe gets her with a great eye-poke. (the Idol uses all 4 hands to cover her eyes). The Idol is guarding a box of hand grenades that the Stooges use in the finale. Shemp also gets in some good jungle dialog calling Luana's boyfriend,Kuala the Coca-Cola guy and instructing a native to Ungow! and get him some food.

Just when it looks like the boys are to be victims of Varanu's axe on the chopping block , Moe asks him for a sample of his work on the grenade box. When arrogant Varanu obliges he gets blown sky high with only his smoking sandals left! (a perennial Stooge gag). Finally the boys get to give the islanders their dance lesson. Moe, Larry, Shemp and the cast start skipping, shuffling and trying to hula accompanied by the little island song. Shemp again takes top honors with his wild contortions.

Hula-La-La is oneof the best of the many classic Shemp outings by the Stooges. It is available on Vol.6 of the Sony/Stooges collection. (which should be wrapping up in 2010).

Till next time-Keep Stooging!

Good News- Teresa Brewer and the World's Greatest Jazz Band

2009-11-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

This delightful session from 1974 has been quite forgotten over the years, We hope this post will bring it some well deserved recognition.

The album was originally recorded for Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label. (he was Teresa Brewer's husband). While Miss Brewer is an acquired taste, her work here shows a maturity as a performer with a nice feel for jazz. (No doubt Mr. Thiele. a top jazz record producer helped). As for the World's Greatest Jazz Band , alias W.G.J.B. they have one of their best blowing sessions. The band has plenty of solo room, on some tunes Teresa sings just a single chorus! The addition of Bobby Hackett's cornet and Bucky Pizzarelli's guitar is also a strong plus.

The theme of the album is a salute to the wonderful songs of the team of DeSylva, Brown and Henderson. This threesome wrote some of the most popular show and movie tunes of the 20s and 30s. Quite a few of the songs came from the Good News show along with some other goodies by the team. (the show was enjoying a revival at the time).

The band's lineup is a strong one. Regular members included Yank Lawson (trumpet), Bob Wilber (clarinet & soprano) , Vic Dickenson (trombone) , Bud Freeman (tenor) , Ralph Sutton (piano) , Bob Haggart (bass) and Gus Johnson (drums). Trombonist Benny Morton had recently joined the band. (he and Vic had both worked with Hackett's tasty quintet). Benny didn't get a lot to do on the session , but was an old pro.Veteran arranger Glenn Osser devised some simple charts , but the structure is pretty loose and free-blowing.

Miss Brewer was always a cute and vivacious performer with a big voice and sometimes heavy vibrato. However she rises to the occasion in this stellar company. She especially connects with Hackett (what singer didn't, he was a master at vocal backup). The previous year Teresa had guested on Bobby's What a Wonderful World album. (another Flying Dutchman production).
While we miss Billy Butterfield's trumpet (he had recently left the band) , Bobby is a most welcome replacement. Bucky Pizzarelli's solid rhythm guitar adds to the already rock solid rhythm section. Now, on with the show!

Good News (1927) the opener is the title tune of the broadway show. Gus'hihat brings in the band wailing with Bud's twisting, percussive tenor on the bridge. The band modulates to Teresa's vocal backed by Bobby's tasty cornet , after another modulation Bob Wilber's soprano is on with a playful Hackett bridge. More Bud , a wry Dickenson trombone bridge and the band goes home with a driving tag by Gus. We're off to a great start!

I Want to be Bad from a 1930 show and film called Follow Thru. Bobby and Vic introduce the melody in duet leading to a cute vocal by Teresa.(right up her alley) A modulation brings on Yank and the band with a striding bridge by Sutton. The band takes things home with some nice noodling by Wilber over the last chord.

The old favorite Button up your Overcoat (also from Follow Thru) makes a perfect vehicle for Teresa. After a band intro Teresa is on with nice Wiber backup. The band wails one with Bud on the bridge folowed by a nice series of trading between Yank and Bobby folowed by Vic and Benny. The band moulates back to Teresa with more cute vocalizing (backed by Wilber) and the band riding her home. This rendition moves along nicely.

Sunnyside Up comes from a 1929 film of the same name and was also featured in the 1956 bio. of DeSylva, Brown & Henderson , The Best Things in Life are Free. Yank opens with his Harmon mute, a greattrademark sound of his , pushed by Bucky's great guitar. Wiber brings on Teresa for 2 great choruses getting hotter on the second backed by Ralph's striding. We modulate to more swinging Freeman tenor folowed by more trombone trading. Yank takes out the last half on Harmon with Wilber noodling underneath. A Great version!

Lucky in Love , also from Good News opens with Haggart's familiar whistling before Teresa enters backed nicely by Hackett. The band modulates with Bud on the bridge. A lovely round toned Wilber chorus with Hackett's bridge then bring on the band who set up Teresa's final chorus (with more pretty Hackett noodling) with atasty unison figure and rideout. Glenn Osser's contributions are felt thruout the date, but the band gets plenty of wailing room.

Varsity Drag (Good News)- This is a real swinging track.A raggy piano intro by Ralph brings in Teresa for two great choruses, a bit Charleston-like on the first and swinging on the second. The band goes aboard with a nice chorded bridge by Bucky. Vic's up next with a strutting, slurring chorus with Wiber on the bridge and a modulation to Teresa's last chorus that swings along with nice vocal variations. (I like her line do the varsity drag-in drag). Vic closes the festivities with one of his dirty pedal notes. This rendition is no drag at all!

Just Imagine (Good News)- One of the highlights of the session. Teresa sings the lovely verse backed by Ralph. Bobby enters with his lovely sound and stays behind Teresa's plaintive vocal. Her maturity and jazz feel make this an outstanding vocal. Bud takes over playing pretty with an equally lovely bridge by Wilber. Teresa picks up the last half with Bobby stil behind her winding down to a long ending with Bobby weaving over the final chords into one of his classic codas. Bobby gives us some of his last great solos here (he passed on in 1976). Teresa and Bobby get MVP honors here.

Together- Another lovely ballad done with a light swing. This tune was featured in the 1956 bio.
Ralph gives us a striding intro into Teresa's vocal (backed by Wilber). A modulation brings on a weaving, twisting Hackett for a half chorus picked up by Bud. Wilber brings back Teresa for the last half and a nice closing vocal tag backed by Wilber, who shines here. Teresa's singing is very expressive on this track. Bud and Bob take the cake on this one.

You're the Cream in my Coffee-from a 1929 film, The Cock-Eyed World. Bob's soprano introduces the theme. (he was a master on the instrument). A nice interlude using some of the bridge's melody brings on Teresa for a strutting chorus. (more Bobby on the bridge).A swinging band chorus follows with Bobby in for the bridge. Bud and Vic split a chorus with Vic's laughing plunger on the bridge and the band takes us home with another bombastic tag by Gus. Plenty of good blowing by the band here.

We wrap up the party with The Best Things in Life are Free.(Good News). Bobby 's graceful cornet opens over bchords into Teresa's cheery vocal (with nice backup by Bobby and Bud) followed by more of Yank's driving Harmon with Wilber on the bridge. A break by Vic gives us more of his wry sound with Bobby darting in for the bridge. Bobby takes a pretty break that sets up Teresa's last chorus (more Bud and Wilber backup) and nice vocal turnaround (The cry in Teresa's voice is very effective) as the band swings us home with Vic's pedal note saying Goodbye!

Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart never were comfortable with the rather presumptous title of World's Greatest Jazz Band. (their sponsor Barker Hickox came up with it). They preferred the Lawson-Haggart Jazz Band which they used before and after the W.G.J.B. days. However, with lineups like this and the Bob Crosby feel of the band (Haggart did a lot of the aranging) it was indeed a very great jazz band. This session certainly reinforces that claim and gives Miss Brewer one of her best vocal outings. At this writing , only Bob Wilber and Bucky Pizzarelli survive (they're both still very active musically) , Miss Brewer passed on in 2007. This wonderful session , last available on Sony/Signature CD is a great testament to them all.

Here's hoping that all your news is Good News!

The 3 Stooges-Spook Louder (1943)

2009-10-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Once again we return to the inexhaustible supply of Three Stooges shorts. Being an October post, we revisit one of the team's many spook/scare comedies and one of this writer's favorites. The early 40s period was a golden one for the Stooges as they had become mainstays at the Columbia Shorts Dept. and had gained a huge legion of fans. The boys were in top form and this April 1943 release was a few years before Curly's stroke which affected his energy and comic timing.

Stooge director Ed Bernds pointed out how "surefire" this type of comedy was. Just about every comedian and/or comedy team (including many of the Columbia comics) took a turn or two with a Spook comedy. The Three Stooges were masters of this genre and made numerous scare shorts with Curly and Shemp. (Standouts include We Want Our Mummy, If a Body Meets a Body, Gem of a Jam, Three Pests in a Mess, The Ghost Talks, Who Done It?, Dopey Dicks, Hot Scots, Merry Mavericks and Spooks! ). No other comics could top the Stooges' reactions to ghosts, monsters and creepy foils, complete with their patented "Nnnnaaahhhhh!" when being scared. Some critics have called this entry one of their worst, but I think for pure belly laughs it's one of their funniest outings.

Spook Louder was directed by veteran Del Lord who remade one of his Mack Sennett comedies, The Great Pie Mystery. Fellow comedy veteran Clyde Bruckman handled the screenplay and as usual borrowed many classic gags from earlier comedies (as was his custom).

Several veteran members of the Stooges stock company were aboard including Stanley Blystone as the Spy Leader. Blystone was a busy Columbia supporting player, always good in villainous or authoritative roles. His work went back to silent days and he also appeared in Chaplin's Modern Times. He continued with the Stooges right into the 50s.

Ted Lorch as Graves, the Master Inventor, and Charles Middleton as his butler were real old-timers, both born in 1873. Ted appeared in many Columbias but I think this was Middleton's only Columbia short. He's best remembered as Ming, the Merciless in the Flash Gordon series (Ted was also in the series as the High Priest )and the prosecuting attorney in the Marx Bros. classic, Duck Soup . He had a great theatrical voice and is pretty much wasted here. (In one editing gaffe he seems to disappear from a scene only to pop up later). The Stoogers' favorite dowager, Symona Boniface (akin to Margaret Dumont with the Marx Bros.), has a funny bit early in the film and Lew Kelly who played "creepy" parts in a few Columbias plays Professor J.O. Dunkfeather, who tells the story of the Stooges' breaking of the Great Spy Ring to a young reporter.

The Professor's story tells of three salesmen who happen upon the home of inventor Graves. The boys are selling a weight-reducing machine. (Moe--"It also makes a great cocktail shaker.") The boys are mistaken for caretakers and are entrusted to watch Graves' home while he takes his Death Ray machine to Washington. (Propaganda gags abound in this wartime comedy.) Once the boys are in the house and Blystone and two cohorts show up in scare costumes, the hilarity never stops.

Classic gags abound and every now and then someone gets creamed with a pie by an unknown assailant, followed by fiendish laughter. When the Professor is questioned about the pie thrower, he puts off the identity till the film's climax. Among the many highlights are the Cossack clock that sings a Russian tune on the hour. (Curly--"Let's come back at 12 and hear the whole song.") Then there's the old Morse Code gag. Curly feverishly takes down the message. When Moe asks for its meaning, Curly says, "Eh eh eh eh eh" with a face slap from Moe. When Larry is queried, his response is the same along with a slap. Another cute musical gag has the boys hearing ominous piano music (Curly--" Oh, Rachmaninoff!") which turns out to be a kitten walking up and down the keyboard. (Curly--"Oh, Kitten on the Keys"--a popular piano novelty tune).

Curly and Larry have some great moments. Curly gets a balloon tied to his pants scaring all including himself, then gets wrapped up in a sheet and clobbered by Larry who takes him for a ghost! Curly also is victim to the old boxing glove in the bookcase bit and gets punched out a few times. When Larry opens the front door and finds a "skeleton spy," his hat goes flying high in the air accompanied by the perennial slide whistle effect.

Moe has his moments, too. While cowering in a rocking chair, he spots the "devil spy"in the window, resulting in his hair flying straight up in the air (courtesy of a blower). His response--"The Devil stabbed me with his pitchfork. He had flame coming out of his nose!" These exaggerations were classic Stooge bits. Later Moe brushes up against a stuffed bear and Graves' pet monkey lands on him. Moe's response--"The bear was strangling me. He ripped both my arms off."

After more pie missiles, the boys encounter the spies! Curly saves the day by accidentally lighting a nearby bomb and blowing up the spies! But the boys still get creamed with pies!

When the exasperated reporter asks Dunkfeather the eternal question, he confesses to throwing the pies as he gives out with the manic laugh. The perfect climax has him creamed with a pie as he milks the final take. Case closed!

In the long line of Spook comedies made by the Stooges and Columbia, Spook Louder is right up there with the best of them. It's available on DVD as Vol. 4 of the Sony Three Stooges collection.

Enjoy and watch out for flying pies!

Louis Armstrong and the Decca House Band (1936/8)

2009-11-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

The recent release of Louis Armstrong's Decca recordings of 1935-46 on Mosaic records has given new prominence to this wonderful but neglected chapter in Satchmo's recording career. Louis made many of his Decca sides with his own band, the exellent Luis Russell Orchestra. He also was backed up by some very fine studio groups and the bands of Jimmy Dorsey, Casa Loma and Bob Haggart.

These two delightful sessions find Louis backed by a group of studio pros casually known as the "Decca House Band". This group usually comprised of 7 to 10 players backed many Decca artists, especially Dick Robertson. (see our earlier post).

The session of February 4, 1936 found Louis waxing two popular tunes backed up by an exellent band including Louis disciple Bunny Berigan who was one of Louis' favorite trumpeters. Besides being a great jazzman, Bunny was a wonderful lead player and his huge, open horn is a highlight of the band's sound.(Bunny was doing a lot of studio work at the time).Also present were Bob Mayhew( trumpet), who worked with Bix in the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Al Philburn was on trombone, he played on most of the Robertson sessions.

The saxes consisted of leadman Phil Waltzer(alto), Sid Trucker(alto/clarinet), a busy studio man formerly with Russ Morgan and Paul Ricci (tenor), a veteran of the bands of Joe Haymes, Richard Himber and Bunny.

The rhythm section had Fulton McGrath on piano, he had worked with the Dorseys, Red Nichols and would have a brief spell in Bunny's big band. (he wrote the lovely ballad Mandy is Two). Dave Barbour on guitar(with Red Norvo at the time) would soon find fame with Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee.(also as Peggy's husband). Bassist Pete Peterson was also with Norvo and drummer Stan King was an old pro from the 20s. He was on many sessions with Red Nichols, the Dorseys and Miff Mole, his great time and swing are a plus on the session.

First up is Irving Berlin's I'm Putting all my Eggs in One Basket, a delightful tune with a tricky bridge. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers introduced it in the film Follow the Fleet. Louis opens with a classic operatic cadenza then takes us into tempo for a lovely exposition of the melody with subtle variations. (Ricci handles the bridge nicely on tenor). Sid Trucker's clarinet leads into a cheery vocal by Pops with his usual superb time and phrasing . (Trucker's clarinet chips in with some backup). Bunny's strong lead brings on the band backed by King's great backbeat and Louis picks up the rest of the theme going operatic again for an equally impresive coda.

Yes Yes! My My! is a novelty by Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin. (the composers of Shoe Shine Boy, a Louis classic from this period).The band brings Louis in for a spoken Yes Yes, My My then right into the vocal. Pops' vocal is full of fun and McGrath has some nice piano fills. Bunny leads us into a tasty Philburn solo with Bunny contributing a few flares leading into a key change for Pops. His chorus is full of great note placement, blue notes and his gorgeous tone. By this point of his career Louis had pared his style to amazing simplicity mixed with his technical gifts. He finishes up high with a neat 4 note burst.
A Lovely session.

The session of June 24, 1938 saw a new "house" band, two new pop tunes and Louis revisiting two of his classic favorites. The band was an 8 piece unit ( the size of the Dick Robertson group).
On trumpets were Bob Cusumano , an exellent lead man formerly with Paul Whiteman, Larry Clinton and Tommy Dorsey and Johnny McGee who was on most of the Robertson sides and had been working with Richard Himber. Al Philburn was back on trombone. Sid Stoneburn was on clarinet, he had much big band experience including T. Dorsey, Bob Zurke, Joe Haymes and Larry Clinton, he gets in some nice jazz licks on these sides. Dave Barbour was back on guitar and Decca house man Haig Stephens played bass. Sammy Weiss, a top drummer with Goodman, T.Dorsey and Artie Shaw lays down some great rhythm.(he was also part of the Jack Benny show for years). Pianist Nat Jaffe only lived to be 27 , but shows a mature Jess Stacy-ish style. He worked with Charlie Barnet, Joe Marsala and Jack Teagarden. He contributes some nice solos and fills on the session.

First up is a rather obscure pop tune by Harry Barris, Naturally. The tune is pleasant with an unusual minor-sounding bridge. After a band intro Louis sings a mellow vocal with polite backup. The band comes in for an interlude with a nice Stoneburn spot. Louis enters backed by tasty Weiss rimshots and hihat. Pops gives us some tasty figures over the stoptime bridge and goes up high for the coda over the band ending.

I've got a Pocketful of Dreams(comp.Johnny Burke-Jim Monaco)was a new tune from the Bing Crosby film, Sing, You Sinners. After a band intro, Pops enters with the vocal. The tune is a bit rangy, so Louis plays around with a few notes, but with his usual swing and time. (Billie Holiday picked up this trick from Louis). The band gives us an interlude with spots by Sid and Jaffe and Philburn. The band modulates to Louis' chorus, his phrasing is tangy and close to the melody. Jaffe gets the bridge and has a nice spot with Pops closing out on a neat solo break backed by Weiss.

I can't give you Anything but Love was already one of Louis' standbys. This version , at a faster tempo from the original has some neat touches that make it unique. The Mosaic issue gives us some banter before the performance, Louis is kidding about "remembering the words". After a band intro, Pops' vocal is patented but has a few nice asides. The band modulates with nice Stoneburn fills and Pops picks up the rest (Weiss' hihat is very effective behind him). His time and accents are superb, giving us a more mellower but still exciting solo. Louis closes with another grand coda backed by Weiss' hihat. The renowned French critic Andre Hodeir singled this solo out in his exellent book, Jazz: It's Evolution and Essence.

Another Armstrong perennial , Fats Waller's Ain't Misbehavin' gets a redo. Following the band intro, Louis' vocal follows his original with some subtle changes. The band modulates with a nice horn figure and Philburn spot with Jaffe handling the bridge. Pops gives us subtle variations on his classic solo with a new bridge and a soaring outchorus going up high, backed by Weiss' tomtoms. Louis would continue to delight us with new versions of these old classics thru the years.

The arrangements on these sides were probably stocks with some doctoring done at the studio. (many studio jazz dates were done this way). Perhaps Barbour, Jaffe or McGrath had a hand in the changes or a house arranger may have been used. The two sessions are part of Mosaic's exellent set of the Armstrong Deccas 1935-46, highly recommended for any Pops fan. The entire collection shows the amazing quality of Louis' work during this period. These little "house band" sessions offer a fascinating part of this huge body of work.

Till next time, keep enjoying the Wonderful World of Pops.

Bela Lugosi meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952)

2009-11-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

This film is one of those So Bad that it's Great offerings. Besides the presence of horror master Lugosi and other familiar B players we have the unique comedy team of Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo doing their Martin & Lewis impersonation. (Petrillo's Jerry is so dead-on that it's scary!). In the 40s, the team of Wally Brown and Alan Carney did a similar take on Abbott and Costello.

The plot (what there is of it) involves entertainers Duke and Sammy stranded on a jungle island encountering friendly natives (the lovely Nona takes a shine to Duke and her hefty sister Saloma goes after Sammy) and the evil Dr. Zarnoff (Bela) who is conducting strange experiments and turns Duke into a gorilla when he sees Nona (his lab assistant!) getting too chummy with Duke. It's all good silliness in the tradition of the 3 Stooges, Abbott & Costello and the Bowery Boys.

The film was released by the Realart studio and produced by Jack Broder. The director, William Beaudine was known as "one-shot" for his ability to make a film in record time, quality notwithstanding. He made many low budget affairs for Monogram and American-International.
The screenplay was by veteran actor Tim Ryan who acted in and wrote many Monogram classics.(he and wife Irene-"Granny" of the Beverly Hillbillies had an act similar to Burns and Allen). Also contributing dialog was Leo "Ukie" Sherrin, an actor and writer for many Monogram cheapies. Duke Mitchell got to sing two songs (a la Deano) , the favorite Deed I Do and Too Soon( based on La Paloma).

A bit about the All-Star cast: Bela Lugosi at age 70 was at a low point of his career, beset by years of B movies and drug addiction. He pretty much sleepwalks thru the film, but occasionally raises an eyebrow or does a "take" to show he's getting a kick out of the comics.

Duke Mitchell(1926-81) and Sammy Petrillo (1934-2009) were nightclub entertainers who took advantage of the popularity of Martin and Lewis.(Duke had a bit part in Martin & Lewis' Sailor Beware (1951 ). They worked in and out of the business for years, Petrillo ran a comedy club in Pittsburg called the Nut House. Jerry Lewis threatened the team with a lawsuit and they dropped out of sight. Despite the obvious impersonation, they had good chemistry and Petrillo showed good comic timing.

Charlita (Regis) as the lovely native girl, Nona (complete with college education!) made a career of exotic and jungle type roles. (similar to B favorites Acquanetta and Lita Baron).
Mickey Simpson as Bela's hulking servant, Chula was a former boxer who specialized in tough guys and body guards with the likes of Abbott and Costello, Tarzan, Jungle Jim and the 3 Stooges. (Stooge fans will remember him as strongman Rocky Duggan in Gents in a Jam (1952).
Muriel Landers as Saloma, was a former dance partner of Ray Bolger and played many comic suporting roles in the 50s. She played "Tiny" in Sweet and Hot (1958), one of the worst 3 Stooges shorts.
We can't forget Ramona the Chimp, who Zabor plans to turn into a gorilla. When Duke gets hot with Nona, he turns him into the gorilla instead.

Petrillo's antics get to be a little too much ( of course so were those of the the real Lewis) and Mitchell's singing has a strange mix of Frankie Laine, Billy Daniels and Elvis! They do have good chemistry, it's too bad the Martin and Lewis take-off was so obvious, they could have developed into a good B comedy team ala the Bowery Boys. Likewise, the Mitchell/Charlita romance has a nice, genuine chemistry to it.

Things get sillier and sillier with the Duke gorilla, Romana and Nona all running around the jungle with Zabor after them. We seem to be getting melodramatic when Zabor shoots at Duke and buddy Sammy takes the bullets for him. But it turns out Sammy was dreaming all of this in his niteclub dressing room! To boot, all the lead players turn out to be employed at the club (with Bela as headwaiter!). The boys put on their tuxes and go into their act with Duke singing and Sammy mugging. (here they look just like the real Martin and Lewis club act). On this upbeat note we end this wild, little film.

Although a real cheapie 50s jungle comedy, this film has it's moments and is always amazing watching the Martin & Lewis takeoff of Duke and Sammy. My DVD copy came from a label called Digiview. I was pleasantly surprised at the exellent quality of the print, it was a pleasure to watch.
Until next time, Keep on Laughing.

Bob Crosby's Bob Cats-Feb. 1940

2009-11-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

One of the most unique and musical orchestras of the Big Band era was that of vocalist Bob Crosby (1913-93), younger brother of Bing.

Many bands had gimmicks and styles that made them special, the Crosby band used traditional jazz or dixieland as the basis of it's style. The band brought many jazz classics back into the Big Band repertoire and featured a fantastic array of soloists. The Crosby band also spotlighted an 8-piece "band-within-a band" called the Bobcats. This post will celebrate 5 classic sides recorded for Decca in February of 1940.

The Crosby band grew out of a group of musicians who left the Ben Pollack band (known as the Pollack Orphans)in search of their own identity and dedication to Big Band dixieland. Bob Crosby was chosen as leader on the strength of his personality and talents as a frontman and singer. (He had a lot of Bing's vocal timbre and good humored comedic timing). The band had a great crew of jazzmen including Yank Lawson,trumpet, Matty Matlock,clarinet, Warren Smith,trombone, Bob Haggart,bass, Joe Sullivan,piano and New Orleansians Eddie Miller,tenor, Nappy Lamare,guitar and drummer Ray Bauduc.
Arrangements were spit between Matlock,Haggart and veteran Deane Kincaide(also a band saxophonist). Saxophonist Gil Rodin actually ran the band for Crosby but it was always a co-operative unit in spirit and financial gains.

By 1940 the band had undergone some personell changes, but sounded better than ever. That is where we pick up this session. First a few words about the Bob Cat members heard here:

Billy Butterfield, trumpet(1917-88)- Billy had joined the band in Sept. 1937.(from the Austin Wylie Orch.) When Yank Lawson was hired away by Tommy Dorsey, Billy took over the jazz chair with the Bob Cats. One of the most versatile trumpeters, he could play hot, sweet or lead and his beautiful pure tone was always a joy to hear.

Warren Smith, trombone (1908-75)-"Smitty" joined up in early 1937.(He had been with Abe Lyman) Some of the band members were impressed by his blowing at a jam session. He never quite lived up to that hype, but blew a solid, tailgate and later worked with many west coast dixieland groups.

Irving Fazola, clarinet(1912-49). When Matty Matlock's services were needed more as an arranger,"Faz" came into the band in March 1938. One of the great New Orleans clarinetists with a beautiful,round tone, he shines on this session.

Eddie Miller, tenor sax(1911-91) A charter member of the band and another New Orleans boy.
Eddie played one of the prettiest and swingingiest tenors(and a fine clarinet,too). He would go on to be one of the top tenor men of all time.

Jess Stacy, piano(1904-95). The Crosby band featured some great pianists starting with Joe Sullivan, Bob Zurke and Jess in Sept. 1939. Jess was one of the top piano stylists with a great backround in Chicago jazz. He came over from Benny Goodman's band and must have enjoyed the cozy surroundings of the Crosby Crew. (He had his "moments" working with Benny).

Nappy Lamare, guitar (1907-88). Another charter member and New Orleans native. Nappy played a solid rhythm guitar and contributed fun vocals. He and Ray Bauduc led bands in the postwar years.

Bob Haggart, bass (1914-98). Also Class of 1935 and ace arranger of the band. Bob was a top notch bassist and he and Yank Lawson led many fine bands in the post war years.

Ray Bauduc, drums (1906-88). Another original member and New Orleans born. One of the finest traditional drummers of all time. He took part in many Bob Cat reunions along with his work with Nappy.

And now, on to the music: The session of February 6, 1940 produced 4 classic Bob Cats sides. First up was Isham Jones' Spain, a beautiful but little recorded gem. Faz's gorgeous clarinet sound takes over the first chorus with the horns giving him light backup. Next is a sparkling Stacy solo with Miller's mellow tenor on the bridge, backed by an appropriate tango beat. Bily and the band ride out in grand style with Faz repeating his intro. A wonderful record.

Irving Berlin's All by Myself has a lovely vocal by the band's girl singer, Marian Mann. She phrased well and had a nice feel for jazz. She was highly respected by band members. Billy's pure toned lead, Eddie and Faz splitting a chorus lead to a percussive spot by Warren Smith. He wasn't a subtle player, but could swing in a hard hitting style. The outchorus has the reeds harmonized with Billy (a common Bob Cats device) and makes for a tasty outchorus.

The Tom Delaney favorite Jazz Me Blues is next. Bix Beiderbecke made this a jazz standard and the Bob Cats' rebdition is a winner! Billy leads the band thru the traditional ensemble and breaks and Faz has 2 solid choruses. (One can see where Pete Fountain came from).The riff on the outchorus has become a part of the tune. (like the "dogfight on That's a Plenty). Billy's blowing on the outchorus is as fierce as Yank's -he was so versatile.

A forgotten pop tune, Do you ever think of Me? has become a Bob Cat classic. The neat opening has Eddie playing lead with the other horns below him. (sort of a "hip" Hotel Band sound). Nappy takes a fun vocal followed by more of Faz's great horn and an inventive Stacy solo with neat reharms. Billy and the boys ride out with a nice unison break by clarinet and tenor. (a common Crosby device).

The February 28 session was mainly a feature for Marian Mann, however we have a classic version of Armand Piron's Mama's Gone , Goodbye. I'm sure the New Orleans contingent enjoyed this one. Faz opens the proceedings and Marian gives us a nice chorus backed by Billy's pungent plunger horn.(her vocal has shades of Mildred Bailey) Eddie and Smith split a chorus and the outchorus is tightly voiced, backed by Ray's choke cymbal. Although Butterfield gets no solos on these tunes, his lead, obligattos and drive show what would make him one of the top trumpeters of the century.

There are many Crosby Orchestra and Bob Cats reissues on CD. I recommend a crosscheck at Amazon or World's Records. Also insispensable is John Chilton's Stomp Off, Let's Go (Jazz Book Service-1983). This wonderful bio/discography is long out of print , but worth looking for. There will be many more Bob Cats posts, in the future.

Till then' This is the old Dave Cat saying"Happy Listening".

The Dick Robertson Sessions

2009-10-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

One of the most enjoyable but unheralded small-group jazz series of the 30s and early 40s was the Decca series under the direction of vocalist Dick Robertson. Dick was one of the busiest and most popular studio singers from the late 20s to early 40s. He had a clear, pleasant tenor voice, a bit like Eddie Howard and he could also adopt a more jazzy type voice if the occasion warranted it. He sang on many of the wonderful Gene Kardos/Joel Shaw band sides of the early 30s. The rest of his resume is like a Who's Who of jazz and dance bands. It includes Duke Ellington, Clarence Williams, Ben Pollack, Irving Mills, Benny Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, Red Nichols and Freddie Rich to name just a few.

Dick's bio. is a bit sketchy. We know he was of Canadian descent and born in New York in 1903. He played violin, but his success came as a vocalist and he seemed to emerge on the New York recording scene in the late 20s. The series that would feature Dick with a tasty seven or eight piece jazz group had its origins in December of 1935 with a series of sides on the Champion label. Among the sidemen were Bunny Berigan, Al Philburn, trombone (he would be a fixture), Paul Ricci, clarinet, Forrest Crawford, tenor sax and Frank Signorelli, piano (another fixture). Unfortunately these sides weren't available for review. (Hopefully we can do a separate post down the road.) The basic style of the Robertson band was a loose, swinging style of dixieland somewhat like Tommy Dorsey's Clambake 7 and the Wingy Manone recording units. Dick usually sang a chorus and would do a vocal reprieve, but there was plenty of jazz ensemble and solo work to be enjoyed.

By December of 1936, Dick was recording for Decca where he would stay until the recording ban of July 1942. The first Decca sides had some New York studio men such as Andy McKinney, trumpet and Russ Jenner, trombone along with members of Red Norvo's band (with Red on piano). Slats Long on clarinet, Jenner and Norvo are the star soloists. Goodnight, my Love and When my Dreamboat Comes Home are excellent sides. (On Dreamboat there is a Bud Freeman- -like tenor, possibly Slats Long. Herbie Haymer is listed, but it doesn't sound like him.) The band that would work the bulk of the Robertson sides came aboard with the March 24, 1937 session.

This group, with a few personnel changes made numerous sides with Robertson and other Decca artists such as the Andrews Sisters, Lil Armstrong, the Nicholas Bros. Teddy Grace and Louis Armstrong(more on Louis' session later).. They became an "unofficial" Decca house band. Most of the sides had two trumpets along with trombone, clarinet and rhythm section. The two trumpets gave the group it's Band sound. (Occasionally only one was used.) The sound of the band was dixieland with a bit of swing creeping into the later efforts. With Dick's vocals ranging from crooner to balladeer and rhythm man, the group had a wonderfully carefree and swinging approach to pop tunes and old favorites.

The core of the 1937-42 Robertson band were Bobby Hackett and Johnny McGee ,trumpet, Al Philburn and Buddy Morrow, trombone, Don Watt, Sid Trucker and Tony Zimmers, clarinet. Frank Signorelli and Frank Froeba did most of the piano work. Haig Stevens was the bassist on just about every side. Frank Victor and Dave Barbour handled much of the guitar work and Sammy Weiss and Stan King were the resident drummers. All these men were on call for studio dates and some were playing in dance bands of the day. The dixieland ensemble and tasty solo work really put these sides over. While most of the Robertson sides are available only on 78, the Timeless label of Holland put out an excellent CD of the 1937-39 period called Dick Robertson-The New York Session Man. I can thank a good friend and collector, Ed Reynolds, for providing many of the 78s to listen to and share with you.

The sessions really came into their own with the arrival of Bobby Hackett in March of 1937. Bobby was still in his embryonic stage (see our post-Hackett-Bix session) but plays nice rolling, melodic phrases as was his hallmark. Even at this stage of his career, Bobby was a unique and tasty soloist. Most of the sides have a strong lead trumpet-usually Ralph Muzillo or John Carlsen (both lead men with many top dance bands). Al Philburn on trombone was a veteran of the California Ramblers and studio bands, he lent a nice tailgate trombone to the band. (ala T. Dorsey or PeeWee Hunt).He was occaisionly replaced by Buddy Morrow (of Big Band fame), then known as Moe Zudecoff. The clarinet chair went from studio men Paul Ricci to Sid Trucker to Don Watt a veteran of the Ted Weems band, Don stayed on the longest until Tony Zimmers took over. The piano chair was mostly the property of Frank Signorelli (of Memphis 5 and Bix-Venuti fame) and Frank Froeba of New Orleans (the original pianist with the Benny Goodman big band). Signorelli devised a cute piano intro that became the trademark of the group and was heard on most of the sides.

Some of the highlights of the Hackett period include lovely choruses on Little Old Lady, Too Marvelous for Words, You're a Sweetheart and September in the Rain (all 3/24/37). Even a "Cowboy" ballad such as My Little Buckaroo gets a nice treatment with a pretty vocal by Dick. On September, Froeba plays some tasty celesta. Other standouts include Good Mornin' (not the Singin' in the Rain favorite), Gone with the Wind, My Gal Sal and Johnny Mercer's Bob White. The other soloists never disappoint, especially Watt and the pianists. Guitarists Frank Victor and Dave Barbour also get in some tasty licks. I Want you for Christmas (10/19/37) a long-forgotten seasonal song has nice spots by all of the horns. (Bobby is very Bix-like.)

Starting with the 7/21/37 session, Bobby was occasionly replaced by Johnny McGee. McGee was a competent trumpeter who had worked with the popular Richard Himber Orchestra. He played a tasty, rhythmic horn and was a capable replacement for Bobby, if not as inventive. From 1939 on he was the permanent trumpet soloist. The session of 2/28/38 is notable for the presence of the great Jack Teagarden, filling in for Philburn. This session also introduced Tony Zimmers, a fine tenor man with Larry Clinton, who would take over the clarinet duties. His playing on these sides is wonderful and at times he sounds like Jimmy Dorsey or Artie Shaw. He stayed with the Robertson band till the end. (He died tragically in WW2).

The Teagarden session included You Went to my Head (also recorded by Fats Waller), a smooth ballad with Jack playing a Tommy Dorsey-like lead up front then jumping octaves on his solo to navigate the tune's key. (he did this flawlessly, of course). The novelty Drop a Nickel in the Slot gets a fun treatment. Dick always excelled on rhythm tunes and Jack and McGee take spirited choruses. Let's Sail away to Dreamland has nice breaks and solo spots by Jack and the pretty Goodnight Angel has some more of Jack's octave jumping on his solo and a nice spot by McGee. This was one of the best Robertson sessions.

Most of the material Dick and the band recorded were pop tunes of the day-some became standards, others disappeared quickly. The band also recorded waltzes (Come Josephine is a good example), one-steps (Oh Mama) and many patriotic songs (especially after 1941). Bobby Hackett was back for the August and September 1939 sessions - Baby Me and I Only Want a Buddy are standout sides. The very underated pianist Nat Jaffe turned up on 6/30/38 and on Who did you meet Last Night? (5/19/39) and I'm Building a Sailboat of Dreams (3/8/39) the pianist sounds a lot like the wonderful Billy Kyle. Billy was doing a lot of sessions for Decca at this time so it's very possible that he sat in on these sessions. The old George Formsby favorite, Mr. Wu( 5/10/38) gets a great treatment by the band with Dick contributing jazzy vocal choruses.

Most of the sessions from Early 1939 on featured McGee, Zimmers, Froeba and Company. Brian Rust lists the personnel as probable from here on. (from his indispensable Jazz Records). Highlights include I'm a Lucky Devil (3/8/39), a nice tune with a tasty buzz mute solo by McGee (sounding a bit like Johnny Austin of the Jan Savitt band) , nice clarinet and perhaps more of Billy Kyle. The old favorite Maybe(4/14/39) gets a pleasant dance treatment with a sweet vocal by Dick and low register clarinet by Zimmers. Comes Love(10/27/39) has nice muted McGee and Are you Havin' any Fun?(same date) has McGee on plunger trumpet and Zimmers shining on clarinet along with the usual dixieland band sound. Lilacs in the Rain(same date) has more celesta, fine solos and a dixie ride out. The novelties Ma and Oh Johnny(Nov.&Dec.1939) have spirited ensembles, fun vocals by Dick including the verses and tasty spots by Philburn, McGee and Froeba.The old favorite I Used to Love You from 1940 is an outstanding side with some swing riffs added to the dixie sound. From 1941, Blues my Naughty Sweetie gives Me has fine singing by Dick and good jazz spots for trumpet and clarinet. A forgotten ballad, My Greenwich Village Sue (Jan. 1941) showcases the band's mellow side.

Many of the band's 1941-2 sessions featured patriotic tunes, with the outbreak of WW2. Even on propaganda material like You're a Sap, Mr. Jap, we get some nice jazz solos. After the recording ban of July 1942, the Robertson band disappeared from the Decca lineup. Dick continued to sing but also got more into composing. His We Three, a big hit for the Ink Spots and Sinatra-Dorsey and Little on the Lonely Side were popular wartime favorites. He made a session for Coral in 1947 but afterward his bio. becomes sketchy again. We know he lived into his eighties. Any more information on Dick will be used as an addendum to this post.

The Dick Robertson sessions deserve greater recognition, they have some of the happiest small group jazz of the late 30s and early 40s and a stellar group of musicians headed up by the always dependable Mr. Robinson.

Along with the Timeless CD, some of these tunes can be heard on YouTube. Hopefully someone will see fit to issue another Robertson CD. Till then, there's always Ebay and yard sales.

Happy Hunting!.

Louis Prima

2008-11-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Louis Armstrong's influence on jazz and popular music was immense. Not only did he change the style of jazz solo and band playing, but countless instrumentalists fell under his spell.

One of his most successful admirers as trumpeter-vocalist and entertainer was fellow New Orleansian, Louis Prima. Like "Pops" Louis started as a pure New Orleans jazz man with small groups, joined the Big Band craze of the 30s and 40s and finally fronted a successful small group combining jazz and entertainment. This post is a fond overview of his remarkable career.

Louis was born in New

Orleans on December 7, 1910. Like Armstrong, his early years were spent absorbing the many and varied sounds of jazz in New Orleans. King Oliver, Bunk Johnson and Armstrong were early mentors. Louis started on violin but soon started experimenting with older brother Leon's trumpet. (Leon was a fine trumpeter in his own right, worked in some of Louis' big bands, but mostly stayed in New Orleans.) It didn't take Louis long to figure out the rudiments

of trumpet and apply himself to the jazz styles of New Orleans. By 1922 he was fronting a "kid" jazz band that included future clarinet star Irving Fazola. By the late 20s he was working with local dance bands such as Ellis Strakakos and playing in French quarter clubs. He also did some work on the steamship Capitol as Louis Armstrong had a decade earlier.

In 1931 Louis was hired by Lou Forbes, director of the Saenger Theatre pit band. This job would give him great experience as a musician and entertainer, as he took part in skits and acts on the theater's bill.

Louis did some work away from New Orleans around 1932-3 and had a short stint with Red Nichols. In September of 1933 he was in Chicago and wound up making his first records with pianist Dave Rose ( the Holiday for Strings composer). Besides a full band session, Louis also played with the "Hotcha Trio" (Rose and violinist Norman Gast) playing Chinatown and Dinah. Louis was already showing the huge influence of Armstrong in his fine trumpet work and gravelly good-humored vocals sprinkled with scat. These sides came out on the Bluebird label.

By 1934 Louis was back in New Orleans playing at Club ShimSham where he was heard by bandleader Guy Lombardo. Guy was taken with Louis' playing and arranged for him to come to New York. Initially things were slow for Louis, but Lombardo and agent Irving Mills secured him a record contract with Brunswick records. This gave Louis some security until the right venue opened. Louis' record series was called Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang. Louis also appeared on some transcriptions by Joe Venuti and a big band. Included in the band were Red Norvo, Jerry Colonna, Larry Binyon and Frank Victor. Louis again shows his debt to Pops on Rockin' Chair, Monday Date and Confessin'. The New Orleans Gang sides feature great jazz, Louis' trumpet and vocals and some fine New Orleans musicians.

In March of 1935 that right venue opened up for Louis. It was the Famous Door on 52nd St., better known as Swing Street. Louis' unique brand of swing with a New Orleans accent coupled with his clowning and entertaining made him the hit of Swing Street.

The New Orleans Gang recordings continued into the late 30s and feature some great small group jazz. Most of the 34-5 sides featured fellow New Orleansians George Brunis(trombone) and Eddie Miller and Sidney Arodin (clarinet). Highlights included Jamaica Shout (a rare instrumental), Let's have a Jubilee, Breakin' the Ice, I still Want You (a Prima composition) and Worry Blues featuring a tasty muted Prima solo. George Brunis added a lot with his tailgate trombone and comic contributions. Along with his Armstrong inspired vocals, Louis really shines on trumpet. He had a broad, lusty tone with a good high register---all trademarks of the Armstrong style. He was also pretty fleet at fingering and capable of fast runs.

By May 1935 Louis' front line partner would be the one and only PeeWee Russell on clarinet. PeeWee's raspy, nervous clarinet made a great foil for Louis' trumpet flights and vocal high-jinks. Some of the many fine sides of this period are Sweet Sue, Dinah, Lazy River and The Lady in Red. Louis also made some big band sides in '36 with an augmented Gang including PeeWee. Standout sides include Pennies from Heaven, The Goose Hangs High and the Armstrong favorite, Confessin'. It would become a Prima staple.

In 1936 Louis wrote a cute novelty tune called Sing, Sing, Sing (with a Swing). Little did he know that, thanks to Benny Goodman's great version, it would become one of the classics of the Swing Era. That same year Louis moved his activities to Hollywood where he opened at a new Famous Door, created especially for him. Louis became the darling of the Hollywood movie community. They flocked the club to hear Louis' brand of jazz and entertainment.

Movie opportunities also opened for Louis.He made a cameo in Bing Crosby's Rhythm on the Range. Louis and the band also made a great short for RKO called Swing It, featuring some terrific interplay between Louis and PeeWee. In 37-8 he also appeared in the films Manhattan Merry-Go-Round, Start Cheering and You Can't Have Everything with Alice Faye.

Louis took a big band out on some tours but still did the bulk of his work with the New Orleans Gang. In 1937 Meyer Weinberg joined the group on clarinet. He was also from New Orleans and had some of PeeWee's style with a prettier tone and more fluidity. He is featured heavily on Louis' cuts from the period. Some of the standouts are Doin' the Serpentine, Love Bug, Good Man is Hard to Find and Tin Roof Blues (instrumental). This addition of the gang also made a terrifi Vitaphone short, Swing Cat's Jamboree. The short featured drummer-vibraphonist Godrey Hirsch, a New Orleans boy who later worked a lot with Pete Fountain. The band also appeared in another Alice Faye musical, Rose of Washington Square.

A September 1939 broadcast from the New York Famous Door shows Louis and the Gang in great form. On an extended version of Should I?, Louis and Meyer engage in some great riffing over a swinging rhythm section. A perfect example of small group swing at it's best.

By 1940, Louis had made the switch to fronting a big band. This was the popular way for a swing star to go and Louis' big bands were always colorful and swinging with plenty of lohorn and vocals up front. The first Prima big band sides were made for Varsity and Okeh. Most of Louis' wartime sides were on the Hit and Majestic labels. It was at this time that Louis began introducing the Italian novelties that would become such an important part of his shows. Tunes such as Oh Marie, Angelina, Please No Squeeza Banana and Chela Luna would all be big hits for Louis. Louis' big bands didn't have any big names but included solid pros such as Charlie Kennedy, Morty Lewis (sax), Allan Logan (piano), brother Leon (trumpet), Frank Frederico (guitar) and Jimmy Vincent (drums). From 1940-6his female singer was a cute girl named Lily Ann Carol. She worked well with Louis(this was the start of his boy-girl duets). Lily also had a big hit during the war years with I'll Walk Alone.

Louis used top arrangers such as Earl Bostic, Edgar Battle and Bob Miketta. With the latter he wrote one of his biggest hits, Robin Hood, another perennial in the Prima book. Besides the studio dates, many broadcasts of the wartime Prima bands exist. The band always swings and Louis' great sense of showmanship and pacing is always evident. A typical program would range from St.Louis Blues and Confessin' (Armstrong) to Angelina and Robin Hood (Louis specialties) and ballads by Lily Ann.

Around this time Louis adopted the slogan "Play it pretty for the People." He often used it to encourage his musicians. Another favorite Prima device, the "Shuffle Rhythm" begins to appear.(Henry Busse and Jan Savitt also had great success with it). The

shuffle eventually would be a part of practically every Prima number.

Louis made some more Band shorts in the mid-40s. One short from around 1945 has him playing Old Black Magic, destined to be one of his biggest hits). Lily does Porgy and Jimmy Vincent does his Krupa-thing on Sing, Sing, Sing.

In August of 1948 Louis and the band were playing at the Surf Club in Virginia Beach, part of Norfolk,Virginia. While there Louis auditioned a local girl for his vacant girl singer spot. The girl not only won the job but would become an integral part of Louis' life and career. Her name was Keely Smith.

Keely was an attractive, tan 17 year old with pageboy bangs and a curvaceous figure. She was of Irish-Cherokee heritage (Louis would often use her "Indian" heritage as comic material). Keely possessed a clear, musical voice that contrasted perfectly with Louis' gravelly, gregarious vocalizing. Soon Louis developed a routine in which Keely would act "deadpan" to Prima's zaniness onstage. This chemistry would be an important part of the phenomenal success soon coming Louis' way. By 1949 Louis had to break up the big band. Many of the great swing bands had done the same. For the next few years he and Keely would work venues with local bands of varying quality. Louis continued to record. He was with RCA Victor from 1947-9 and scored a big hit with Civilization. He was with Mercury in 49-50, Columbia 51-2 and a brief stay at Decca in 54. These sides were mostly singles aimed at the juke box market. Standout Mercury sides are Over the Rainbow, Ja-Da and Buona Sera, another popular Italian side. Paul Revere, a Robin Hood clone, was a big Columbia single and for Decca, Louis and Keely made a pretty duet on Until Sunrise with a fine trumpet solo.

By late 1954, Louis and Keely were really scuffling. Louis talked to an old friend, Bill Miller He was entertainment director at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. Vegas was just starting to be a center for entertainers. Miller gave Louis and Keely a 2-week run at the Casbar Lounge with no promises. The engagement started slowly but soon, to back him and Keely, Louis added an exciting tenor sax man, Sam Butera, along with his band. Louis had heard Sam, a New Orleans boy, at his brother Leon's club in New Orleans. Besides Sam's superb musicianship , he brought along his great arranging skills and a solid group of musicians who would be known as The Witnesses. The format would feature Louis' jazz and Italian specialties, Keely's smoky ballads and swing tunes and many features for Sam and the boys. Featured constantly was the driving shuffle rhythm and great manic, comic showmanship from Louis, Sam and The Witnesses. The new act would garner the tagline "The Wildest" and it sure was. Crowds flocked to the lounge to see their midnight shows including entertainment icons Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Danny Thomas, Cab Calloway, Red Skelton and many more. Louis was back in business.

Ditto with his recordings. Capitol Records signed him and from 1956-60 many best-selling live and studio albums were recorded along with solo LPs for Keely and Sam. Two of the biggest records of this period were That Old Black Magic and I've Got You under My Skin. Louis and Keely's impeccable dueting accompanied by great Butera charts really showed the chemistry, timing and musicianship of the Louis-Keely-Sam triumvate.

Louis and Keely had also found personal chemistry, having married in 1952. She was his 4th wife. They had two daughters, Toni and Louanne. Louis had already had a daughter by wife number 3, Tracelene. The Louis/Keely marriage took place just before the Capital era. That era introduced some of their biggest hits including Autumn Leaves from Call of the Wildest. Other standouts from the Capitol era include the Should I/Can't Believe You're in Love medley and White Cliffs of Dover (with great trumpet work) and Greenback Dollar Bill (one of Sam's best vocals) from the Las Vegas Prima Style. On the initial Capitol album, The Wildest, we find two staples of Louis' show, Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody and Jump, Jive and Wail. Louis was fond of two-tune medleys. On The Wildest Show at Tahoe, Keely shines on I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues and in duet with Louis on I'm in the Mood for Love.

Sam himself was a great showman as well as musician and all of The Witnesses were featured in the shows. Standout players included trombonist Lou Sino (from New Orleans), Bobby Roberts from Chicago-a great jazz guitarist, bassist Rolly Dee, also a fine singer and comic, drummer Jimmy Vincent (from the big band days) and multi-instrumentalist Morgan Thomas. These great players were an important part of the act's success.

Louis, Keely and the band made many TV appearances, a Universal short and in 1959 a Columbia feature, "Hey Boy,Hey Girl." Although a low-budget affair, the film was a great showcase for the act including Louis' Oh Marie, the Saints and Lazy River, Keely's Autumn Leaves and Sam's Fever. The film's title tune made a cute Louis-Keely duet. The movie's threadbare plot involved Keely hiring Louis and the band for a church charity show. Along the way Louis falls for her and her voice and adds her to his show. Very autobiographical.

In 1960 Louis moved over to Dot Records. He got a better financial deal than at Capitol. He did a lot of recording over two years. Numerous live shows, Louis-Keely LPs, Sam and Keely solos and 3 easy-listening trumpet albums. Louis had had a hit with his cover of Wonderland by Night.

By 1961 years of performing and personal strain took their toll on the marriage. Despite their great success as musical partners, Louis and Keely split up. Keely slowly built up her solo career. She had a big hit record with I Wish You Love in 1958. Louis and the band kept the show rolling with Louis promising his fans to come up with a new female vocal star.

In 1961 Louis and the band made a cheapie film for American-International called Twist All Night, capitalizing on that current dance craze. Although a bottom of the barrel production, Louis and the boys are featured almost non-stop. Louis also gets in some nice trumpet spots in the film. To compensate for Keely's absence, voluptous June Wilkinson, a former Playboy playmate, played Louis' girlfriend. In 1962 Louis made a one-shot comeback at Capitol with a great LP, The Wildest Comes Home, featuring himself, Sam and the band in some great, swinging tracks. Louis' old theme Way Down Yonder in New Orleans gets a real Wildest treatment.

In May 1962 while appearing at the Latin Casino in Camden,N.J., Louis auditioned a local 20 year old singer named Gia Maione. Like with Keely Louis was attracted to her Italian brunette charms and clear professional voice. Gia didn't have the great vocal chops of Keely but worked well with Louis and the band. She had been a fan and knew all of his records. Romance blossomed and Gia and Louis were married in February 1963. They had two children, Lina and Louis Jr., both of whom became performers. Gia eventually switched to part-time singer and full-time mom. The show went on with numerous TV appearances and Las Vegas shows. A 1964 Capitol LP Lake Tahoe Prima Style finds the new combination to be a still entertaining show.

In 1962 Louis also tried his hand at his own record label, Prima1. Over the next dozen years he would put out various LPs of the show band, Gia and Sam. One of the best is King of Clubs, a live show including a great I still Want You from the New Orleans Gang days, Buona Sera and Chela Luna from Louis; a nice Louis and Gia duet on Baby, Won't You Please Come Home and one of Sam's best vocals, French Poodle. Two later Prima albums are standouts. On Just a Gigolo Louis features familiar tunes with girls names. The title track has one of his best trumpet spots. Angelina has all of Louis' great Italian novelties.

In 1967 Louis' career got a big boost when he was tapped to provide the voice of King Louie in Walt Disney's Jungle Book. The Disney animators brought Louis and the band into the studio to perform and matched their actions to those of King Louie and his pals. The song I Wanna be Like You became a hit for Louis and spawned numerous revivals. (Kenny Ball had a big hit in the U.K.)

The late 60s and early 70s saw Louis still starring in Vegas. His shows and LPs saw an attempt to be current with contemporary rock songs added to the program. However these numbers have dated terribly and the pure Prima and Sam numbers always worked the best. This writer recalls a 1972 Merv Griffin show in which Louis did his WILD version of Perry Como's It's Impossible.
This was followed by a hilarious bit of banter between Merv, George Kirby, Tony Martin and Louis. Louis also popped up in a cameo on a David Jannsen show O'Hara U.S. Treasury playing a nightclub musician. In 1974 Louis and the band had a cameo in the film Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins. The all-too brief segment saw Louis doing some of his familiar tunes onstage during a Vegas casino scene. It would be his last film appearance. For a short time Louis tried making New Orleans his home base but surprisingly he found his home town not as receptive as Vegas.

Louis started to experience severe headaches during this period. He stopped playing trumpet to alleviate the pressure. Louis was always a healthy and athletic guy. The diagnosis was a brain tumor and Louis opted for surgery. During surgery Louis lapsed into a coma. He stayed in this condition for 3 years. In 1976 he was moved to the Touro Infirmary in New Orleans. Louis finally passed on August 24, 1978. It was a sad ending for such a vibrant man who brought so much joy and good music to the world.

Happily, there has been much renewed interest in Louis' work. Starting with a GAP TV commercial featuring Louis' Jump, Jive and Wail to the Jump/Jive Swing bands of the 90s with many Prima covers. The film Big Night featured many Louis and Keely tunes and in 1999 director Joe Lauro put together an excellent documentary, The Wildest.

Sam and Keely continued to perform into the 21st century. It looks like The Wildest will be playing pretty for the people for many years to come.( We lost Sam in 2009).

CD samplings

The New Orleans Gang sides are available on the Classics label.

Big band sides are available on various independent labels; for example, Hit and Majestic sides. RCA-Buddah has a compilation called Say it with a Slap.

Mercury and Decca sides are on Beepin' and Boppin' on Hippo. The Columbias on a Columbia CD called Breakin' it Up.

The Capitols have been put out in various forms. Bear Family issued the complete Louis-Keely-Sam on Capitol some years ago.

The Dots are available on Jasmine CDs. Gia Prima has issued most of the Prima1 material.

New Sounds of the Louis Prima Show-Prima1(1968).

This album has some great tracks by Louis. A wild In a Little Spanish Town, a great new version of Confessin' with a standout trumpet solo. Louis also solos on Margie, I wanna Be Like You (from The Jungle Book) and does a hilarious comedy number with Sam, the Story 'bout the Dog. Sam does a fine vocal on When a Man Loves a Woman and Louis' new keyboard man, Richie Varola, breaks it up on electric organ with You're just in Love. One of the best examples of the later Prima show band.

Louis Prima on Broadway-United Artists(1967).

This album has Louis playing and singing with a large studio band (No Witnesses). Louis does some fine singing and contributes some nice trumpet work to favorites such as Cabaret, Mame, Hello Dolly and On a Clear Day. (not available on CD).
There are also some great Louis TV clips on Youtube, most of them from Louis Jr.'s collection.

Fats Waller and his Rhythm-An Affectionate Overview

2009-09-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-43) was one of the greatest of jazzmen. His huge talents rivaled his size and included amazing virtuosity on piano and organ. He was a vocalist of great flair and style and an inspired bandleader and composer of some of America's best loved standards and jazz favorites, many written with his longtime lyricist, Andy Razaf. This post will give a personal tribute to the wonderful and prolific series of small band sides known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. In the future we will visit standout recording sessions. For now we'll highlight the series and its effect on this jazz musician and fan.

In 1934 at age 30, Fats was already a veteran jazzman. His first records were cut in 1922. His credits included solo piano--he was a master of the stride style--organ and band recordings and much freelance work with bands such as Fletcher Henderson, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Ted Lewis, Jack Teagarden and his mentor, James P. Johnson. He had also become a noted composer of jazz tunes and Harlem revues. By the 30s Fats had become better known through his radio work. His program was on Cincinatti's WLW. It had a very strong signal.

In May of 1934 Fats' manager, Phil Ponce, secured him a contract with Victor records. The format was simple: Fats, his piano, vocals and comic personality backed by a swinging 5-piece combo known as his Rhythm. The series would be one of the most successful in the history of small band jazz. From 1934-42 he produced over 400 sides!

That first session in May 1934 featured some of the core players of the Rhythm including trumpeter Herman Autrey, a fiery sometimes erratic player of the Louis Armstrong school who had many moments of brilliance in Fats' company. Guitarist Al Casey, who Fats had discovered in Cincinatti, would also be a mainstay. His strong rhythm and chord solos were trademarks of the Rhythm sound. Bassist Billy Taylor (a future Ellingtonian) and drummer Harry Dial (formerly with Fate Marable and Louis Armstrong) were solid rhythm mates. Reedman Ben Whittet, a competent player but not a jazzman, was only aboard for the initial session.

The tunes recorded at the first session were James P. Johnson's Porter's Love Song and 3 pop tunes of the day; I Wish that I Were Twins, Do Me a Favor and Armful of Sweetness. Many of these tunes were at best average pops but Fat's swinging piano, vocals and little band combined with his great comic ability--he kidded a lot of the weaker material--made these obscure tunes jazz classics. Many of them have remained in the jazz repertoire as a result of Fats' influence and style. Along with Fats' great presence, Autrey, Casey and the soon-to-arrive Gene Sedric were the primary soloists.

Gene Sedric's arrival in August of '34 gave the group it's missing ingredient. He was a gifted tenor man and clarinetist with experience in the bands of Fate Marable, Sam Wooding and Fletcher Henderson. (He hailed from St.Louis, a great jazz town). Sedric's mellow but full-toned tenor and light, limpid clarinet (with a bit of a New Orleans sound) complemented Autrey and the rest of the band perfectly. Except for a few sabbaticals, he would stay with Fats to the end.

Before the personnel settled in for a long stretch, some interesting "guest" musicians came aboard. Chicagoans Floyd O'Brien (trombone) and Mezz Mezzrow (clarinet) livened up the session of Sept. 28,1934, which featured such classics as Serenade to a Wealthy Widow, Mandy and Fats' own How Can You Face Me? The sessions of 11/7/34 and 1/5/35 had the wonderful trumpeter Bill Coleman filling in for Autrey who would soon move to Paris. His light, airy and melodic take on Louis are featured on such landmark sides as Baby Brown, Dream Man, Breakin' the Ice and I Believe in Miracles. Fats also played some organ on these sides. He was a virtouso on the instrument. Victor also started issuing non-vocal takes for domestic issue and it's interesting to hear the band's instrumental side. Another musical plus was Fats' interludes on celeste, a lovely change of pace.

From March through August 1935 veteran reedman Rudy Powell filled in for Sedric, formerly with Elmer Snowden, Sam Wooding and Rex Stewart. He possessed a dirty, raspy clarinet sound but played very pretty on alto. On one of his clarinet spots Fats exhorted, "Make that thing sweat!" Guitarist James Smith pinch hit on some sides for Casey and in Jan. 1935 Charlie Turner took over bass duties. The musical drum chair went from Dial to Arnold Bolden to Yank Porter before Slick Jones came in for a long stay. From time to time Fats fronted big bands usually including the Rhythm fleshed out with extra horns. A Dec. 1935 date featured one of these units including Autrey, Sidney de Paris, Benny Morton, Don Redman, Sedric, Powell, Bob Carroll and Emmett Matthews on soprano, who did some live dates with Fats. A great version of I Got Rhythm recreates a stage routine with Fats dueling band pianist Hank Duncan (himself a fine stride man). There is also some high flying soprano by Matthews.(Don Redman was probably musical director for this session since there were quite a few of his men aboard).

The 1935-6 edition of the Rhythm produced many classic sides: Lulu's Back in Town, Somebody Stole My Gal, I'm Crazy' bout My Baby, Rosetta, Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, "S'posin' and Until the Real Thing Comes Along. Some additional non-vocal takes were recorded. Two sides stand out to this musician: My Very Good Friend the Milkman and When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful. These tunes have been part of my repertoire for years. (The latter is my theme song.)

The format by now was pretty much set with Fats' effervescent stride and vocals followed by solos by the Rhythm and a swinging band or vocal ride out, and, of course, Fats kept things loose with his comic touches. Fats could also sing a mean ballad (try Then I'll be Tired of You) No matter how banal the material, Fats and the boys always rose to the occasion with their joyous sounds and Fats' musical and comic energy led the way. Louis Armstrong was also a master of this art.

Two personal favorites from this golden period are 12th St. Rag and Have a Little Dream on Me. Here are some reasons why they are so representative of the early Fats and Rhythm. Have a Little Dream (8/17/34) by Phil Baxter and Billy Rose is a charming little tune that probably wouldn't have gone far were it not for Fats' lovely rendering. Fats opens with some pretty piano including his trademark clusters, waterfall-like runs that enhance the solo. (Billy Taylor's slap bass is also very effective.) Fats' vocal is tame but has a few cute asides. Autrey enters with some Cootie Williams-ish plunger work. (He was very adept at the style.) Sedric gives us some rhapsodic tenor. He also plays nice backgrounds that make the group sound larger with Fats singing us home. A simple but very tasty version of a typical pop tune, Fats put just as much effort into these ditties as he did the jazz classics.

On to the wild side and 12th St. Rag.(6/24/35). The old Euday Bowman favorite gets a swinging, hilarious ride from Fats and the boys. Starting with Fats' awesome striding,(not once is the traditional melody played) , a light hearted vocal and Rudy Powell's dirty clarinet. Fats keeps the running comrntary going as Autrey plays a very Louis-ish solo leaving lots of spaces for the rhythm.(this was one of his specialties). The rideout has Autrey popping off single high notes (again the Louis influence) against Powell's clarinet and Fats' exhuberant YEHs. Fats gives us an operatic coda and the horns play a 3 Stooges lick with one last YEH from Fats. An amazing performance combining great swing and comedy. These two short examples show how much joy and jazz are to be found in the amazing recorded legacy of Fats and the band.

The period of 1936-8 saw the group rolling along with more classics such as Us on a Bus, Lounging at the Waldorf, Sin to tell a Lie, Boo Hoo, Joint is Jumpin', Fractious Fingering, I'm sorry I Made you Cry, Honey on the Moon and Fat's own Crazy 'bout my Baby and the Waller-Autrey Yacht Club Swing (for a time the group's theme). There were more non-vocal takes and two extended 10" 78s of Honeysuckle Rose and Blue Turning Grey (Apr/June 1937). These versions let Fats and the boys stretch out. Slick Jones even gets in a chorus on vibes on Honeysuckle. Slick Jones (mid 1936) and bassist Cedric Wallace (early 1938) solidified the group till the end. One noticeable difference was Autrey's use of the muted horn. . He still played great open horn, but seemed to be fascinated with the muted sound, especially buzz-mute. but seemed to be fascinated with the muted sound, especially the buzz-mute.

Another big band session in April, 1938 produces some exellent sides by Fats' working big band (including all the rhythm and future trumpeter John Hamilton). In the Gloaming, Sheik of Araby and Fats' Hold my Hand are standouts.
Fats' piano and personality were so strong that he carried two Rhythm sessions with different players and the results were exellent. A December 1937 session in Hollywood included Paul Campbell,trumpet-Caughey Roberts,reeds and Lee Young (brother of Lester) on drums. The standout track is Every Day's a Holiday with Louis-ish trumpet by Campbell.
While on tour of England in August of 1938 Fats recorded for HMV with some of England's finest players. Released as Fats and his Continental Rhythm the band featured Dave Wilkins, trumpet, George Chisolm, trombone, Ian Sheppard and Alfie Kahn,reeds. (all top men in British dance bands). Ain't Misbehavin', Flat Foot Floogie and Music, Maestro, Please are standouts and Fats' English colleagues swing along with him in grand style.

The early part of 1939 continued on a high note with sides such as Good Man is Hard to Find, Hold Tight, Undecided and 'Taint what cha Do. An interesting session of June 1939 had Chauncey Graham filling in on tenor and Larry Hinton on drums. Graham is a very able replacement for Sedric and takes great tenor solos. Autrey had one of his best sessions with nice muted and open horn. Fats' piano and vocals shine on I Used to Love You and You meet the Nicest People( a great little tune). One of Fats' lesser known originals Honey Hush also gets a nice rendition. John Smith, a fine rhythm guitarist pinch hit for Casey until April 1940. (He did some nice work with Wibur DeParis later in his career).

In August of 1939, Fats and the band made some wonderful transcription sides including Sheik of Araby, Bflat Blues, Nagasaki and Sweet Sue. These sides along with earlier transcriptions are all on CD.(The Definitive Fats-JZCL 5004) This session introduced John "Bugs"Hamilton on trumpet, he would take Autrey's place for the next two years. From St.Louis, a great trumpet town, Hamilton was a fine trumpeter with a clean sound, nice ideas and swing. He fitted perfectly into the Rhythm sound. By this time the band hit a high for musicality and sound. They didn't have the earthy charm of the earlier sides but swung just as hard. Fats hadn't let up with his great comedy-Victor was giving him some terrible novelties to record. The band did get to record some nice instrumentals including The Moon is Low, Clarinet Marmalade, Scram!, Pantin' in the Panther Room, Buck Jumpin' (featuring Al Casey) and Fats' own Mamacita and Bond Street(from his London Suite).

This later period including many great vocal sides such as I can't give you Anything but Love with his protege, pianist/vocalist Una Mae Carlisle (she deserves a future post) , Everybody Loves my Baby, Let's get away from it All, 24 Robbers and a charming rendition of Little Curly Hair in a Highchair(this could have been a disaster in anybody else's hands). Fats also played Hammond organ on some of these sides.
The big band was back for sessions on July 1941 and March 1942. Two instrumentals Chant of the Groove and Fats' lovely Jitterbug Waltz(with Fats on organ) stand out. Herman Autry was in on these big band sessions and returned to the Rhythm for the session of Dec. 1941 Arthur Trappier had taken over on drums. (Wallace, Casey and Sedric still held forth). A lovely seasonal tune, Winter Weather was waxed. Hamilton was back for the final Rhythm session of July 1942. A nifty Fats-Razaf tune, Up Jumped You with Love is a highlight. The tune has all the hallmarks of the Rhythm-great piano solo and humorous vocal, a nifty riff with solo spots for the horns and Casey and Fats riding home on the vocal. Fats and the boys also appeared in some film soundies at this time.

A special version of the Rhythm appeared with Fats in the film Stormy Weather. The band included Benny Carter on trumpet, Zutty Singleton,drums, Gene Porter,reeds and Slam Stewart,bass. In the film they played a great version of Ain't Misbehavin'. The cut Moppin' and Boppin' featuring Zutty is heard briefly. Both these sides came out on Victor. Fats had always been a notorious drinker and party person. On December 15, 1943 while on a train out of Kansas City, Fats left us, much too early. The cause of death was pneumonia just lived to hard during his 39 years on earth. Thankfully we have this immense legacy of music to enjoy and as long as people can enjoy great,swinging music and a good laugh, Fats will always be with us.

On a personal note, I've had a wonderful and interesting odyssey collecting these wonderful Rhythm sides in the Boston area. Starting with two wonderful Victor lps-One Never Knows,Do One? and Handful of Keys. These featured many of the Rhythm classics plus a couple of Fats' piano solos. Victor also added Ain't Misbehavin' (with many of the hit standards) and a Camden lp, The Real Fats Waller (more Rhythm and some of the transcriptions).(I purchased many of these at the Concord Music Shop, where I later worked) In the 60s, Victors' Vintage Series issued 5 great lps of Rhythm sides with a few piano solos to boot. In the late 60s, French RCA issued two 5lp Memorial sets with many Rhythm classics and piano/organ solos. Finally they issued single lps that covered the entire Waller output for Victor! I got most of these at the Harvard Coop in Cambridge from a fellow musical colleague Mark Pucci, who was working in the record dept.

The CD era has given us the Classics series of Complete Fats and the Bluebird Complete set on 6 volumes of CD boxes. If Fats had lived longer, I'm sure he would have continued with the Rhythm and expanded his great composing gifts. Fats is still swingin' and singin' in the 21st Century and will for many more to come.

As Fats would say-My, My, Latch On!

The Three Stooges:We Want our Mummy (1939)

2008-07-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

My first Stooges post is a classic episode from 1939. A personal favorite and very familiar to Baby Boomers into the Stooges. The plot involves the Stooges as detectives hired by a museum to locate a missing professor and find the tomb of King Rootentooten! Along the way the boys run into various crooks trying to scare them off.

This kind of a "scary" situation is always surefire for comics. The Stooges were the best with scared reactions and their patented shrieks of Nnnnaahhh!!! Jazz fans will love the inside joke of an Egyptian radio playing Ali Ben Woodman and his Swinging Bedouins (a Benny Goodman gag).

Of course, we have the "Uncle in Cairo who's a chiropractor" and "Let's go to Tunis for tuna sandwiches" gags. A great topical gag has Curly dressed as a mummy. When one of the crooks finds a newspaper inside of him, the heading is "Yanks Win World Series!"

This episode also features some of the great Columbia supporting players. Bud Jamison and James C. Morton play the museum curators. Dick Curtis (a great blustery villain) and Ted Lorch (a versatile character player) are two of the crooks. Eddie Laughton, who worked as the Stooges' straight man on stage is the cabbie told to head to Egypt in the middle of N.Y.C., complete with double take!

By the way, when the Stooges find Rootentooten, it turns out he was a midget and they accidentally destroyed the mummy of his wife, Queen Hotsytotsy! Great fun and a classic Stooges episode. This should be out soon on DVD.

We want our Mummy is available on Sony's Three Stooges Collection. (Vol. 2).

Till next time-SPREAD OUT!

The Three Stooges in "The Hot Scots" (1948), Columbia

2008-07-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

For our first Shemp short we chose a personal favorite and one of the best "Shemp" Stooge comedies. Shemp Howard had been a member of the Stooges since their Vaudeville and Ted Healy days. Not a fan of the arrogant Healy, Shemp left the act in 1932 to pursue a very successful solo career. (He was replaced by younger brother Curly ).

Shemp worked in a variety of film roles including the Joe Palooka series, his own shorts for Vitaphone and Columbia and numerous supporting roles with the likes of Abbott and Costello, W. C. Fields, Charlie Chan, the Thin Man and the East Side Kids to name but a few.

When Curly took ill in 1946, Shemp was asked to re-join the Stooges. He brought his own comic genius to the trio. Shemp never tried to imitate Curly. He simply went his own way and added his own bits of business to the act (including his trademark "Heep! Heep! Heep!" cry.

The Stooge comedies of 1947-9 with Shemp are some of their funniest outings. "The Hot Scots" has the boys as would-be Scotland Yard men. (Their yard work consists of trimming the hedges). They accidentally wind up on their first "case" protecting the valuables in the Earl of Glenheather's castle. Out to get the goods are crooked servants Angus (Ted Lorch), McPherson (Charles Knight) and secretary Lorna Doone (Christine McIntyre), a beautiful and versatile Stooges regular. (More on her later.)

While the Earl is called away, the boys are put through their paces by the trio of crooks. Here's where we get into the tried and true "scare" gags. Included are the old guy in a cloak and scary mask bit; the parrot that winds up in a skull and flies around and around; the bed that moves from one room panel to another. (This goes back to Keystone days.)

The gags may be old, but the boys keep us in stitches. The addition of Shemp plus the sure direction of Ed Bernds (a Stooge regular from Curly's last days thru Joe DeRita) make this a Top Notch entry. Incidentally, this short was re-made in 1954 as "Scotched in Scotland" with a new opening and some transition scenes filmed. However, most of the film is the original "stock footage." We even have a new actor doubling for Ted Lorch, who had passed on. This Columbia "chicanary" was infamous. We'll cover more of it in a later post. The closing fight with the bad guys has some hilarious trick sound work as the Stooges voices sound like David Seville and the Chipmunks.
In closing we'll echo Shemp's introduction to Lorna, "Hi, Lorna. How ya' do-in?".

Addendum- The Hot Scots is now available on DVD as part of Sony's Three Stooges Collection.(Vol. 5).

The Three Stooges-Three Little Pirates(1946)

2008-12-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

Time to revisit another classic Stooges short. Three Little Pirates is one of the best entries of the 1945-6 period when Curly's health was declining and eventually forced his retirement from the act. As director Ed Bernds recalls, "Curly's energy went up and down with each short." Although his voice is tired and features haggard, Curly puts in a great performance and is able to carry his share of the comic workload.

The boys play three shipwrecked sailors who have landed on Dead Man's Island. Governor Vernon Dent is about to do away with them when lovely Rita (Christine McIntyre) intervenes and helps the boys in exchange for escape from the island. Posing as rich wayfarers with gifts for the governor, the boys get to do their classic "Maha" routine. This was a staple of their vaudeville days. The Stooges' first filmed version of the skit is in the Columbia feature Time out for Rhythm (1941) featuring a much healthier Curly. They would repeat the routine on TV with Shemp and Curly Joe . Even Mike Douglas got to take a turn when Moe guested on his TV show. Check it out on Youtube.

Curly, wearing regal robes, a turban and coke bottle glasses responds to all of Moe's questions with a barrage of gibberish, including some choice Yiddish words: "Maha? Aha!" etc. etc. When the governor finds out about the ruse, he sends word to his buddy, Black Louie the Pirate. The boys and Rita are heading to Louie's joint to get some quick passage money. A wild series of vignettes ensue, first with a game of knife-throwing between Louie (Robert Stevens) and Curly with Larry as a human target! Producer Jules White gets in one of his patented violent gags when one of Curly's errant throws gets an old buccaneer in the side!

Finally the Stooges and Rita take on all the pirates, pulling out all the stops with all kinds of great gags including a giant hammer attached to the pinball machine! After winning the fight in typical Stooge style, Moe declares himself emperor, only to be crowned by the hammer and the boys exit with some choice Maha words.

Christine McIntyre was a lovely lady with great comic timing. She was a favorite of not only the Stooges, but many of the other Columbia comics. She and Columbia stalwart Vernon Dent work extremely well with the boys in this short. Curly's next short, Half-Wits Holiday, would be his last. He suffered a fatal stroke during the filming and was eventually replaced by brother Shemp. This outing is a great penultimate performance.

Till next time-Stooge On!

Three Little Pirates is available on Vol.5 of Sony's Three Stooges Collection.

The Case of the Fake Shemp

2009-02-11T09:47:00.001-08:00

In the course of our posts on the Three Stooges and Columbia comedies, we have mentioned the Columbia "chicanery". This is no more apparent than in the Four Stooges shorts made after Shemp's death. The chicanery included liberal use of stock footage and music, numerous remakes of previous shorts, actors being brought back to film new scenes and when not available being doubled in body and voice. Sometimes a character actor even played two roles in the same film (with the help of makeup and costuming).

By 1953 the bulk of the Stooges' shorts were remakes of earlier comedies with the boys filming a few new scenes to give the look of a fresh short. (The casual moviegoer wasn't aware of these tricks). When Shemp passed on from a sudden heart attack in November 1955, the studio still had four comedies to be produced for release in 1956. Instead of giving Moe and Larry some grieving time and perhaps wait for a new partner, the show went on and four bogus shorts were produced with Shemp still a member of the team! Four remakes of earlier Shemp comedies were produced with some new scenes by Moe and Larry, a lot of Shemp stock footage and some scenes using a double for Shemp! That was longtime supporting player Joe Palma. The double was only seen from the back so as not to give away the ruse.

The first of these "bogus" shorts was Rumpus in the Harem, a remake of Malice in the Palace (1949). Moe and Larry carry the early scenes with their girlfriends setting up the plot. (Shemp has conveniently gone to open their restaurant). It's mostly stock footage for a while. Then Palma appears as "Shemp" for the traditional Stooge huddle with his back to the camera, of course. Longtime Stooge foil Vernon Dent appears via stock footage. He had retired from acting due to illness.

The rest of the film follows the original plot of getting the Rootentooten diamond and encountering the Emir of Shmow and his huge bodyguard. To pad things out Moe and Larry have a lame encounter with some harem girls. During the films' climax "Shemp" is being chased by the guard with lots of stock Shemp voiceovers and his heep-heep-heep cry (at fast speed). It's all pretty lame and Palma keeps his face obscured. We end with the standard Stoogers run away and scream ending, except Palma gets to do his own "Yipe!" I guess they didn't want to dig out another Shemp voice track. All in all, a pretty lame and obvious start to this canon.

Next up was Hot Stuff, a remake of Fuelin' Around (1949).The "Shemp" bits in this film are really lame . The film opens with the boys as spies, wearing beards to help hide Palma. When Moe instructs "Shemp" to follow a suspicious female, Palma grunts, "Right!" and scoots off in a Shemp-like duck walk. Then Moe and Larry go through another silly encounter with two female officials, again-to mark time. It's to their credit that they were able to carry off these scenes, knowing poor Shemp was gone. Stooge regulars Vernon Dent, Christine McIntyre and Emil Sitka appear via stock footage. (Emil was still working with the boys at Columbia). Palma's routines are his silliest yet. At one point he flaps his arms and does some of Shemp's heep-heeping (with his own voice). He then goes to guard a door (with more heeping) and gets conveniently knocked out, while Moe and Larry carry another new scene. He then returns for a brief wrap up. We return to stock footage for the film's climax. This one really shows it's patchwork "chicanery."

Scheming Schemers is one of the wildest patchwork films the studio put out, yet it works as a fresh film for the non-stooge fan. Editor Harold White (Jule's son) should have received an Oscar for his editing work. Footage from three earlier films were worked into the story along with various voice overs and doubles.

The film is basically a remake of Vagabond Loafers (1949), a great gag title from a Rudy Vallee hit, Vagabond Lover. It was a remake of the Curly classic, A Plumbing We Will Go (1940). Many of the original plumbing gags are reprised. In the Shemp version the boys are working at the Norfleet estate. Emil Sitka reprises his role as Mr. Norfleet. The 1956 version also features a missing ring and the original premise of a valuable painting being stolen. Kenneth MacDonald and Christine McIntyre were the crooks in the original, but Kenneth is brought back solo for his new scenes. Christine is doubled in one scene.

Moe and Larry go it alone in two long scenes. Early at the mansion Shemp is absent, having missed his ride with the boys. When he (Palma) finally shows up, he's covered with pipes to hide his face! His one line of dialog--"Hold your Horses!"--is dubbed from The Ghost Talks (1949). Later Moe and Larry encounter MacDonald stealing the painting. (Shemp is conveniently upstairs working on the shower). A struggle ensues and the boys happen upon a table full of pies. That gives them a chance to start a pie fight with "guests" at the Norfleet estate. The guests have been absent until now. The guests getting creamed are lifted from Half-Wits Holiday (1947). Emil shows up in time to get creamed, himself. The boys manage to subdue MacDonald and a grateful Emil gets his painting back. The last shot has Moe wondering about Shemp's whereabouts and we see him surrounded in pipes (from Vagabond Loafers) calling out for help!
This is the one fake Shemp film that can be enjoyed, despite all the borrowed scenes and chicanery. It moves so well and all the recycled gags are great to see over again.

The last of these films, Commotion on the Ocean, is a more predictable remake of Dunked in the Deep (1949) with lots of stock footage and a few new scenes. The basic premise of the boys encountering foreign spy Bortch (Gene Roth in both versions) on a boat is reprised. This time we open with footage from Crime on Their Hands (1948), another great musical title taken from Time on my Hands). The boys are janitors and would be reporters working at a local paper. They get a tip about Bortch and off we go to Dunked in the Deep. Palma is involved in one transition scene holding his hands over his face. (Moe and Larry carry most of this scene.)

On the boat Moe and Larry go it alone. Shemp is out looking for food. The boys grab what they think is a fish--actually it is a wooden decoration--and share it with Bortch. We then get the old "coughing-up-sawdust" gag. When Shemp finally gets back, we follow the rest of the original, including Shemp's hilarious hammock scene with an ignited barrel looming below him). Moe has one new bit at the finale to tie up the new premise and appropriately Shemp gets the last gag.

Not long after this Novemer 1956 release, veteran comic Joe Besser was chosen to be the new Stooge. This would mercifully end the short era of the fake Shemp comedies. Despite the obvious chicanery, these shorts give us some unintentional laughs and amazement at the attempt to create new shorts despite Shemp's passing. And, of course, we get great doses of Columbia's never ending ability to utilize it's stock footage.

The Case of the Fake Shemp has been solved.

Till our next post, Keep Stooging!

Video Update-Sony is working on the complete Stooges series on DVD. (The Fake Shemps should be eventually available,probably on Vol.8) There are also some independent DVD releases of all the comedies. Check eBay. For a great film capsule of all the Fake Shemp scenes, go to Youtube and check out DrOpOfahat. He has a great post and editing job on all the bogus scenes with Palma and their setup.

Loco Boy makes Good (1942)

2009-02-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

This Three Stooges short is a pleasant entry and a personal favorite. There are two interesting side stories that make the film unique. First a bit about the story.

The boys' adventure start out when Stooge regular, Bud Jamison, throws them out of a hotel. A plan to slip on a bar of soap and collect damage money goes nowhere, but the boys run into a nice old lady trying to run a dilapidated hotel, Ye Olde Pilgrim Hotel. A nasty collection agent, Scroggins, played by a great sourpuss, Walter Soderling, gets his comeuppance by the boys.

The next few scenes give our heroes the usual "repair" gags: hammering, nailing and laying linoleum. The highlight of the short is when the hotel reopens as the Chisel Inn Hotel. The boys, now Nill, Null and Void, the performing waiters, are the star attractions in the Kokonuts Grove. The famous columnist Waldo Twitchell (John Tyrell) and his date, Dorothy Appleby (a Columbia favorite with the Stooges, Buster Keaton and other comics) attend the opening and thanks to a mix-up with a magician's coat, Curly and the boys become a hit with their antics.

Curly also gets to show off his dancing skill. In his early days, he frequented many New York ballrooms and does some great eccentric stepping with the cute Dorothy as his partner. Playing the part of customers and dancers are a great collection of Columbia stock actors. I spotted Bob Burns, Eddie Laughton (a great bit as a drunken diner), Victor Travers, ElinorVandivere (part of Twitchell's party), Al Thompson, Johnny Kascier, Lynton Brent and Heinie Conklin. All these actors were talented supporting players and comedy veterans. The Stooges' favorite dowager, Symona Boniface, has a great bit when a mouse from the magicians' coat goes down her back. Her reaction is a great series of contortions and tremors. Another Stooge stalwart, Vernon Dent, appears briefly as Balbo the Magician whose coat (full of surprises) gets mixed up with Curly's.

That brings us to the first side story. The film was co-written by Felix Adler and Clyde Bruckman, two old comedy pros. Bruckman, who wrote for Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, was at a low point in his career due to alcoholism. He had a habit of recycling gags from older movies he wrote or directed. The bit with the magician's coat came from the Harold Lloyd film, Movie Crazy (1932). Lloyd sued Adler, Bruckman and producer Jules White for$ 500,000 in damages. In 1946, he won his case. He also won a suit for a million from Universal Pictures for more Bruckman recycling. This brought Bruckman's career down further and after doing some TV work (including the Abbott and Costello show) he committed suicide in 1955. A sad ending for a man who brought so much laughter to the world.

The other side story involves the music used in the nightclub scenes. For years I enjoyed this hot swing music-we never see the band-but never knew its origins. The two selections are heard during Curly's great jitterbugging. One tune is an untitled instrumental; the other is Rockin' the Town (1938) by Ted Koehler and Johnny Green. This came from a Columbia feature, Start Cheering, which also featured the Stooges. In the film Gertrude Niesen sang it along with co-writer Johnny Green's band. Benny Goodman also performed the tune on a broadcast. The version in Loco Boy was lifted from a Blondie film from 1939, Blondie meets the Boss. These tunes were played by Skinny Ennis' band during a dance contest sequence. Columbia, always the spendthrift, simply used the Ennis music for the Stooges' nightclub scenes. The studio got more mileage out of Rockin' the Town. In a 1956 Columbia horror film, The Werewolf, we hear the song (the Ennis version) on a juke box at a local bar & grill. We have talked about Columbia's "chicanery" in the past and this is a perfect example.

Three verbal classics deserve a mention. When Moe instructs Curly to mingle with the guests, his threat is, "Mingle or I'll Mangle!" Waiter Larry is asked if he has Patty de Facquer. Larry retorts, "I'll see if the band can play it!". And during the nightclub scene, Moe gets to sing a bit of She was Bred in Old Kentucky-But She's just a Crumb Up Here.

Loco Boy Makes Good is available on DVD as part of Sony's Three Stooges collection(Vol.3). Looks like the entire series is on it's way.

Till our next adventure-Keep Stooging!.

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass-Part 2

2009-02-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

In late 1969, Herb dissolved the Tijuana Brass. It had been an amazing ride for 7 years, but he wanted to try new projects and recharge the batteries. He got more involved with the running of A&M records, along with his partner Jerry Moss. He also did more recording but had no plans to reform the TJB. In 1970 Herb released a TJB Greatest Hits album.

Some of these recordings came out as the album Summertime, billed as a TJB album but more like a solo project with a modicum of TJB. The album has a laid back quality similar to Warm.

There are nice moments such as the title track, which has some elements of the Miles Davis and Ahmad Jamal recordings. Lani Hall's voice is also heard. She would eventually marry Herb and was the lead singer with Sergio Mendes' Brasil '66. (another popular A&M group).Other pleasant tracks are Martha My Dear (another Beatles cover), If You Could Read My Mind, Darlin' and Hurt So Bad, the latter more in the TJB style. Herb's composition, Jerusalem, is a very effective track. The album didn't do very well but is pleasant listening.

During 1971-4 Herb kept up his A&M duties and made some guest spots with A&M artists Rita Coolidge, Kris Krisstoferson and Lani Hall. Herb also released some new compilations, Solid Brass (1972) and Foursider (1973). By 1974 the old TJB juices were flowing again and he reformed the band.

This new band featured some of the old guard, Bob Edmondson, Julius Wechter, Nick Ceroli and John Pisano but also had some great new additions. Dave Frishberg, a talented jazz pianist and composer and Bob Findley, a busy studio trumpeter of great talent, joined up. This new band recorded a very interesting "comeback" album entitled You Smile-The Song Begins.

Highlights include an updating of Up Cherry Street in a dixieland vein featuring great stride piano from Frishberg. (He was very adept at trad and swing and a clever composer of tunes such as Dear Bix, I'm Hip, Van Lingle Mungo and My Attorney, Bernie). Herb and Lani sing a lovely duet, Save the Sunlight and Chuck Mangionnes's Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor is a perfect vehicle for Herb's haunting horn. Herb's composition Fox Hunt and I Can't Go on Living, Baby, without You are in the traditional TJB style. Gato Barbieri's theme to Last Tango in Paris is also very effective.(this had appeared in the Foursider compilation). Burt Bachrach's Promises, Promises made a nice showcase for Herb's horn. All in all, a good start for the new TJB.

In September of 1974, Herb and the Brass made an excellent TV special for the Sentry Company. The show also featured the Muppets and some of the tunes from You Smile and the upcoming Coney Island. Bob Findley got a nice workout on Panama, Herb and Lani did their lovely duet on Save the Sunlight and Lani soloed on Dave Frishberg's Wheelers and Dealers. From the You Smile album came Fox Hunt and One-Eyed Sailor and Herb did a nice tribute to Louis Armstrong, including the Kraft Music Hall clip of them singing Mame. The Muppets comedy was great and the only letdown was the closing vocal on I Belong, not one of Herb's better vocal tunes. (It would be on the new album). All in all, this was a wonderful show. YouTube has run parts of it, let's hope Herb or Sentry can release it on DVD soon. (It would be on the next album.)

That next album was Coney Island, one of Herb's best albums with the TJB and the most exciting since the halcyon days of Going Places! This new band had a lot of energy and more of a jazz feel. Herb also let Bob Findley loose, especially on Ratatouille and Carmine (dedicated to trumpet teacher Carmine Caruso). The title tune is a Dixie-flavored Wechter original. After years of being a studio-only player, Julius was finally a bona fide TJB member. Dave Frishberg gets to show off his trad chops on a cute samba-like The Crave by Jelly Roll Morton. Herb's horn is featured on a beautiful French ballad, Mickey, and the Brass give their unique take on the Carpenters' This Masquerade and Rodgers and Hammerstein's I Have Dreamed.

This is an excellent album and deserves reissue. Around the same time, I spotted Herb and the Brass on TV(perhaps Dinah Shore?) doing a great version of Somewhere from West Side Story featuring some great piccolo trumpet by Bob Findley. (Hope Herb recorded this one). An excellent single, El Bimbo, also came out at this time. It had a disco feel but a lot of the earlier Mariachi sound, too.

The band also appeared on the Midnight Special TV show. Unfortunately Herb soon dissolved this group and went back to solo projects and A&M duties. This was his most ambitious and musical group.

The next series of albums were primarily solo projects. Just You and Me (1976) was a rather dull album of Alpert originals except a unique version of Yankee Doodle. (This was the Bicentennial year).

Herb's next musical project was with the great African trumpeter, Hugh Masekela. Hugh had a big instrumental hit, Grazin' in the Grass, in the '60s and was recording for A&M.

The initial Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela (1978) features Herb's trumpet and Hugh's flugelhorn on some spirited African-inspired melodies including the popular Skokian and originals African Summer and I'll Be There for You. The two horns mesh nicely in a pleasant if not spectacular album. The duo followed this album with a Main Event Live session recorded at various concerts. Highlights include the favorite Besame Mucho and People Make the World Go Round. Herb's next album would put him back on the charts after a long absence.

In 1979 a tune written by Herb's nephew, Randy Badazz, along with Andy Armer was brought to Herb's attention. It was Rise, a disco-flavored tune with a bit of the mariachi sound. This haunting, pulsating selection was a natural for Herb and it quickly made it to the charts , staying on the Billboard Top 100 for 2 weeks. It was also used as a recurring theme on General Hospital's story lines of the period. The followup Rise album is similar in style and has a standout track in Aranjuez, giving the Rodrigo piece a mix of disco and mariachi. The next albums would be in the same Rise style as Herb searched for another hit.

Beyond (1980) is one of Herb's lesser albums. The title track and Earth,Wind and Fire's Way of the World are the only bright spots on another Rise-clone. The Peter Frampton composition, The Factory, has to be one of Herb's biggest mistakes. It is an irritating, repetitious riff that goes on forever. Magic Man (1981) is similar in style, but a little easier to take. You Smile is updated, along with the favorite Besame Mucho. Julius Wechter is also on some tracks.

Herb's next album, Fandango (1982) is one of his best solo albums. The theme was a return to the Latin American sounds of the earlier LPs, in tribute to the 2oth anniversary of Herb's bullfight experience. Arranger Juan Carlos Calderon and co-producer Jose Quintana played an active part in the production along with Herb. The track California Blues had a lot of Herb's early mariachi style. Route 101, a breezy, rhythmic track, enjoyed some time on the charts. Herb sings Love Me the Way I Am in Spanish and sounds very comfortable. (His mom was Mexican.) A closing medley of Latin favorites including Frenesi and Bahia make this a very worthwhile effort. We hope it will be released on CD in the near future.

The next album Blow Your Own Horn (1983) was another average Rise-like LP with a very sexy cover shot of Herb. (He always cut a handsome figure) for the ladies. The good news was that we would have another TJB reunion coming up.

In 1984 Herb got the TJB back for some touring and a new album. Old hands Edmondson, Wechter, Ceroli and Pisano were back along with Bob Findley and his trumpeter brother, Chuck, another busy studio player. The new album Bullish was a bit disappointing. The title track had a Rise-like mix of mariachi and disco and Lani sang a nice cover of Maniac, but most of the tracks were rather similar and dull. The new band did some touring. I still have a Boston Globe review of a August 31 concert at Boston Common. (Jim Carey was the opening act!). Herb and the band were lauded for their musicianship and a medley took care of all the hits. Make a Wish, Fandango and Bullish were played from the recent repertoire. Herb reprieved This Guy's in Love and Lani did a medley of her Brasil '66 hits. Sounds like a great show.

That summer the band appeared on a syndicated variety show, On Stage America. Along with the live segment, Herb taped a profile/interview with co-host Susie Coelho, including many great clips. The band performed Bullish and Tijuana Taxi although they were lip syncing. Herb and Lani sang a lovely duet, Come what May, from one of Lani's solo albums. Julius, Nick and Bob seemed to be having a ball as was Herb.

Herb and the band also did two spots on Solid Gold playing Rise and This Guy's in Love again lip synced. These shows were a countdown of top 100 hits. Shortly after,Herb disbanded again and would be back to solo projects for quite a while.

Wild Romance (1985) was the next release. It was a pleasant but predictable album. The next album, Keep Your Eye on Me (1987) was quite radical and more in the hip-hop vein with contributions from Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The tune, Diamonds, got some chart activity and Herb and Lani did a mellow duet on Pillow. This album is not for traditional TJB listeners.

Under a Spanish Moon (1988) was a return to the Latin/Spanish sounds of Fandango. The title tune was an ambitious 3-part suite with orchestral background. Another highlight was Fragile, a composition by Sting. My Abstract Heart (1989) was a jazz project with the great trumpeter and arranger Shorty Rogers. Shorty had done some previous arranging for Herb. The big band backings complement Herb's horn and he and Lani duet on When lights Go Down Low--not the Benny Carter composition. North on South Street (1991) was more in the hip-hop vein again. Eddie DelBarrio co-produced this album. Unfortunately, it was not popular with Herb's fans.

The next album, Midnight Sun (1992), was a welcome return to jazz. Stan Getz, a good friend of Herb's plays on Friends recorded in 1990. Standards such as My Foolish Heart, Someone to Watch over Me (a nice Herb vocal), Mona Lisa and Wee Small Hours are given Herb's wistful touch. Herb also updated his classic, A Taste of Honey. Herb got nice support from John Pisano, Monty Budwig(bass) andFrank Collette(piano), Eddie delBarrio did some of the arranging. Herb also appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote the release. He and bandleader, Brandford Marsalis, teamed up on Taste of Honey and Herb sang Someone to Watch over Me with a small string section. His rendition was very Chet Baker-ish.

In 1992 Herb and Jerry Moss sold A&M to Polygram. Their next releases were on the new Almo Sounds label. Second Wind (1996) is a light jazz collaboration with keyboard player Jeff Lorber. Included was a redo of Flamingo. Passion Dance (1997), co-produced by Oskar Cartaya, got into the modern Latin and salsa styles, . Herb gave us a new version of Route 101. Colors (1999) saw more smooth jazz and Latin with a redo of Magic Man and Lani revisiting The Look of Love.

The new century saw Herb getting involved in painting and setting up an endowment for the arts, The Herb Alpert Foundation. He also guested on recordings with Lani, Gato Barbieri, Ry Cooder and Rita Coolidge. One of Herb's major endeavors was to bring the classic TJB albums to CD. A label called Shout Factory did the distribution. The packaging and artwork were first class, although 2 LPs could easily fit on a disc. The albums Vol.2, Warm and Brass Are Comin' were issued only on iTunes. All the other LPs, including Christmas Album, are available.

Herb also issued a terrific compilation titled Lost Treasures, featuring many unreleased TJB sides. Four sides came from You Smile-The Song Begins, but everything else was new to disc. Highlights include covers of Fire and Rain, And I Love Her, Killing me Softly and I'll Never Fall in Love again. There's a great shuffle version of Tennesee Waltz, a breezy Flowers on the Wall and Herb's vocal on Close to You recorded before the Carpenters' version. Let's hope Herb gives a Vol.2 of Lost Treasures. I'd love to get El Bimbo on disc.

Herb also did a new disc called Whipped Cream-Remixed where he did new trumpet solos to the albums' tunes as played by contemporary artists. The best news is that in 2008, Herb and Lani started touring again in a show featuring Latin jazz and standards, backed by a first class rhythm section. I missed them when they played Boston (the show was sold out-a testament to Herb's staying power), but YouTube clips show them both looking great and sounding wonderful. Herb's horn is still strong and mellow and Lani's beautiful, pure tones are unchanged. In 2009 Concord Jazz released a new CD, Anything Goes, consisting of tracks recorded at various concert venues. Herb and Lani sound fantastic. Let's hope there will more to come.

Entering his 75th year, let's hope Herb is blessed with good health, more gigs and CDs. He is one of the treasures of American Popular Music.

Ole, Senor Alpert!

Louis and the Angels (1957)

2009-09-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

In the course of Louis Armstrong's illustrious career he made many sessions for the Decca label. The sessions of 1949-58 with studio groups led by Gordon Jenkins and Sy Oliver have been lopped into the "commercial" category (or what used to be labeled Popular at record stores). Commercial yes, because they are pop tunes with strings, voices and saxes but Louis never played anything without the pulse of pure jazz and these sides show more of his unflagging genius. The Decca album, Louis and the Angels, is a personal favorite.

Concept or theme albums were very popular in the 1950s and 60s. Many singers and bands made albums featuring songs with girl or boy names, geographic titles, college songs, composer tributes and songs of certain decades. In this case Louis sings and plays songs with "angel" or "heaven" as a common theme with the assistance of the great arranger Sy Oliver and his studio orchestra and chorus. (Pete Fountain made a similar album in the 60s).

Despite the angelic voices, flutes, harps and cute orchestral interludes, Pops scats and swings thru these evergreens with the same artistry of his Hot 5 and 7s. The sessions of January 29/30, 1957 came on the heels of Louis' immense Autobiography collection (see our earlier post) and Pops was at the top of his game and his great comic gifts are a plus to this fun set.

Sy Oliver, the great arranger of Jimmie Lunceford and Tommy Dorsey fame (and a fine trumpeter himself) did much of the Autobiography arranging, especially the "big band" sides of 1929-34. He worked extremely well with Louis and contributes some wonderful charts to the album. He also does a nice job of varying the order of Louis' vocal and horn work with the choir. We also get the bonus of two Louis trumpet features. Several of the studio musicians worked on the Autobiography, including saxists George Dorsey, Dave McRae and Lucky Thompson. Guitarist Everett Barksdale worked many of Louis' sessions into the late 60s and Louis' regular pianist Billy Kyle is aboard. Lillian Clark, the lead female voice was Sy's wife and sang with the Sentimentalists (alias Clark Sisters) in the Dorsey days. Another bonus of the album is hearing Louis play many great standards that were not part of his All-Stars book.

Here's the playlist:

When did you Leave Heaven?-A nice Richard Whiting tune recorded by Mel Powell in the 40s.(with Benny Goodman sitting in as "Shoeless Joe Jackson!). Pops opens with a lovely muted chorus. The strings take the bridge with trumpet obligatto. The choir vamps as Louis comes to the mike for a lovely chorus playing off the choir. Pops closes with one of his classic horn-like vocal cadenzas.

You're a Heavenly Thing- Written by vocalist/bandleader Little Jack Little and featured at a memorable Benny Goodman Orch. date of 1935 with Jack Teagarden filling in. Louis gives us a nice muted horn intro over band chords. The choir takes the lead with Pops' scat replies. On the bridge Pops and the singers swap leads. A tangy muted solo follows with a cute Louis break by the strings and Pops takes the bridge home. The strings do the coda with Pops adding a Big YEH!.

I Married an Angel- A lovely Richard Rodgers standard. Chet Baker and Zoot Sims made a beautiful rendition in the 50s. Pops sings it in with the choir doing the bridge. (Sy's handoffs of the lead between Pops and Choir are neat). Pops' trumpet solo is mellow with subtle variations. (the choir joins him with light melody). The coda is classic Louis ending up high. (This chart is reminicent of some of Sy's Autobiography work).

A Sinner Kissed an Angel- Frank Sinatra introduced this Mack Gordon tune in 1941 with Tommy Dorsey as did Dick Haymes with Harry James. Louis' opening trumpet has that behind the beat feel that only Pops could navigate and swing. A nice Alto break leads us into a delightful Pops vocal. The choir has the bridge with Pops scatting. Louis rides us out vocally. A nice rendition of a tune deserving more plays.

Angela Mia- The first of two trumpet features and a nice change of pace. The tune is quite obscure but pretty. Louis' opening expose of the melody is wonderful and the choir takes the bridge (Pops backs them up)with Louis finishing. The choir gives us some of the lyrics with Pops' lovely obligatto then it's open horn out. The closing solo over stop time takes us back to the Hot 5 days and the operatic coda is Pure Pops. Lovely stuff!

Angel Child.- Another relative obscurity but a cute tune. Reggie Phillips, a wonderful Boston stride pianist used to play this tune a lot. Pops gives us a bright opening vocal chorus in G then trades leads with the choir. Billy Kyle takes the break into Dflat and Pops is wailing the melody up high. His last 6 repeated notes up to a shaken high Dflat are awesome. Those high note shakes never fail to thrill.

And the Angels Sing- A big hit for Benny Goodman in 1939, written and played by trumpet great Ziggy Elman (with lyrics by Johnny Mercer). Louis gets to salute another horn man on his other trumpet feature. Pops plays Ziggy's melody fairly straight (the voices echo some of the Goodman licks as do the strings). Billy Kyle picks up Pops' chorus with some of his tasty keyboard work. Pops returns echoing the voices and uncorks a great break, finishing up high with some of Ziggy's original lines. Ziggy was still alive and well in 1957, I'm sure he was thrilled with Pops' rendition.

Fools Rush In-A great standard by Rube Bloom(with more lyrics from Mr.Mercer). Frank and Dorsey introduced it and Ricky Nelson had a revival hit in the 50s. The voices lead off with an original intro (hear the song of a fool...) and Pops sings a chorus with a nice scat break. The strings pick up the lead and on the second chorus Pops' gives us more muted obligatto followed by a lovely solo. The choir and Louis split the finale with Louis returning to the vocal intro. A nice Oliver chart.

I'll String along with You- Another standard, this time by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. No trumpet but plenty of great vocalizing by Pops. The voices bring Louis in for a chorus and he trades scats and leads with them on the second chorus. Pops rides things home with the choir handling the coda.

Angel-A cute but rather obscure tune from 1940 (comp. Peter DeRose and Mitchell Parish) and recorded that year by Georgie Auld and the Artie Shaw refugees (Artie had junked the band). The voices lead off in Dflat with nice muted fills by Pops. A modulation to F has more trumpet backed by rocking saxes and another killer break leading to more Billy Kyle piano. We move to back to Dflat for Louis' vocal. (the girls have a cute response to his opening line). Sy's Jimmie Lunceford style is very evident here.

The Prisoner's Song- One of the highlights of the album. The old folk song made famous by Vernon Dalhart and later by Bunny Berigan in the swing era gets a swinging ride by Pops and Sy. Sy's chart with the rocking saxes is very reminicent of his You Rascal ,You chart on Autobiography.
Like on Rascal, Pops goes back and forth with vocal and trumpet (Eflat to F). His solos are red hot and full of intensity. When he comes to the line..If I had the wings of an Angel, Pops tells us "I was wonderin' how that song got in" then proceeds to wail over the band and singers in Aflat with another huge highEflat ending. Pops also calls out the name Robert twice-perhaps a studio guest?

Goodnight, Angel- We wrap up the Angelic party with a lovely ballad from 1937 (recorded that year by Artie Shaw and Dick Robertson). Many Louis fans have noted a similarity to his Someday,You'll be Sorry on the first four bars. Pops may have remembered this tune, but it's probably just a case of sound-alike. Louis intros with a horn-like vocal, the choir takes the lead with some muted backround (unfortunetly it dissapears after a few bars). Louis sings the next chorus with much feeling and scats a nifty coda.

I'd also like to mention the cute cover art with Louis, wings superimposed behind him and a halo over his head with a visible string. (reminds me of those great Ed Wood special effects). The album is on a Verve CD and also a British MCA (along with Louis and the Good Book-another great Pops/Sy collaboration).

Louis has been up there swinging with the angels since 1971, but thankfully his amazing musical gifts will be around forever.

If you've passed on this album, thinking it's a lame concept lp, well you're in for a Heavenly treat with Louis and the Angels.

Special thanks to my good friend and fellow Louis nut, Phil Person, for his help on key identifications. Great ears, Phil!

Dick Cathcart: A Musicians' Musician

2008-08-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

In our Lawrence Welk post we mentioned Dick Cathcart, a wonderful jazz trumpeter with a pure sound and melodic phrasing. He was compared frequently to Bix and Bobby Hackett, but had his own fresh approach to jazz. Dick also had some of Red Nichols' rolling style on Dixieland tunes. He was very underrated and was certainly a musicians' musician, despite his national exposure for 6 years on the Lawrence Welk show and as the trumpet of "Pete Kelly" (the namesake of this blog).

Dick was born in Michigan City, Indiana on November 6, 1924. His brothers, Jim, Jack and Tom, were also professional musicians. His first name band was Ray McKinley's in 1942 followed by a stint with Alvino Rey in 42-3. He served in the military from 43-5. After the war he worked with Bob Crosby (a frequent employer) in 46. This was not the "Dixieland" band , but a straight ahead swing band. He also did studio work at MGM from 46-9. During 1949-50 Dick worked and recorded with Ben Pollack's Pick-a-Rib Boys around Los Angeles. Jazzology CD-224 has some fine transcriptions by the band featuring future "Pete Kelly" bandmates Matty Matlock (clarinet), Moe Schneider (trombone) and Ray Sherman (piano). Dick's beautiful lead work and melodic solos are highlights of the sessions. In the early 50s Dick did more studio work with Ray Noble and Frank DeVol. He started a long association with Jack Webb when he "ghosted" the trumpet of Pete Kelly on Jack's radio series (more on that later) in 1951. Dick was also a talented singer and in the 50s he worked with the Modernaires, including a stint on Bob Crosby's daytime TV show.

As a result of his work with Webb on radio, Dick had a small acting and playing role in Webb's Dragnet movie of 1954. The following year saw Dick and his studio buddies provide the music for the movie version of "Pete Kelly's Blues." In 1959 Webb produced a short-lived TV version with William Reynolds as Pete and Dick and the band providing the music. We can only hope these episodes will re-surface on DVD some day.

The personnel of the "Big 7" was Dick, Matlock, Schneider, Sherman, Eddie Miller (tenor), Jud DeNault (bass), George VanEps (guitar) and Nick Fatool (drums). All great studio pros and great jazzmen. There would be more spin-off Pete Kelly albums to come.

During the 50s Dick participated in many studio dixieland and big band sessions. Here are some highlights: Louisiana from a P. Kelly capitol ep(the material was from the "radio" period of 1951)has a gorgeous solo by Dick in the Bix mode. Riverboat Shuffle from Billy May's Sorta Dixie on Capitol '55 has another Bix-ish chorus by Dick, but also very fresh and creative. Ida from Matlock's Dixie Men on Tops has Dick strutting through the lead and soloing in a Nichols-Charlie Teagarden vein. (Pickwick CD). On Webb's RCA P. Kelly lp Dick and the band star on tunes from the movie with Jack providing his Joe Friday narrative. (BMG-Collector's Choice CD). Two other Kelly spin-offs were the TV show album (Warner Bros. '59) and BIX MCMLIX, a Warner's lp featuring Dick with strings arranged by Warren Barker and with rhythm section. The tunes are all from the Bix book, but Dick goes his own way, giving his fresh but respectful tribute to the master.

In 1962 Dick joined the Lawrence Welk show. He was featured weekly on dixieland and big band numbers, often in the company of the great Bob Havens (trombone), Don Bonnee or Mahlon Clark (clarinet), Russ Klein (tenor) and Frank Scott (piano). His vocal talents also came in handy as Dick was frequently used in vocal groups on the show. Dick married Peggy Lennon of the singing Lennon Sisters. They would have 6 children (Dick had 3 from a previous marriage). He also became brother-in-law to the Wilde Twins (Bob Crosby singers and MGM starlets) as brother Jim married Lyn and Tom married Lee Wilde.

Dick's trumpet highlights on the show are many, but here are some stand-outs: Ja Da, a Bix-like solo with the Lennon Sisters; Jazz me Blues (65), a great lead and solos with some Bix quotes, also featuring Havens, Clark and Scott. Slow Poke and Tennesee Waltz show his mellow, Hackett-like side. On Woodchopper's Ball (66) he handles a plunger with great ease and on a Dave Wolpe chart of Never Be Another You, he gets into a more modern groove. Certainly a trumpeter for all seasons. Dick even got to sing a duet with Peggy on Cream in my Coffee and revealed a pleasant tenor voice. The Lennons left the Welk show in 1968 and Dick joined them as Music Director as he did on their 69-70 Variety show. During the 70s his musical activities lessened, but happily he was back playing in the early 80s. He pops up on some of the Blue Angel Jazz Club lps and was with old bosses McKinley and Crosby on 1984 Disneyland TV concerts. The old mellow Cathcart tones still sound great on these shows. He also joined Crosby and an all-star band for a 50th anniversary of the Crosby band in San Diego (available on VHS and hopefully on DVD). Dick also popped up on an Al Hirt special joined by old friends Havens, Sherman, Miller and Peanuts Hucko.

Dick's great horn was stilled on November 8, 1993 in Los Angeles. Thankfully recordings, the Pete Kelly series and re-broadcasts of Welk shows keep his music still in the foreground.

Pete Kelly Lives!

Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)

2009-01-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

It was only a matter of time before we did a post on the namesake of this blog. The film Pete Kelly's Blues is a personal favorite, along with the beautiful title song and the various musical offshoots of Pete Kelly, all involving the great trumpet of Dick Cathcart (see my Cathcart post).

The many "Hollywood" music bios and jazz films are guilty pleasures of me and many of my fellow musicians. Despite their flaws, historic inaccuracies and unintentionally laughable dialog, the music always saves the day.

The creator and star/director of the film was Jack Webb of Dragnet fame. Jack was a big jazz fan and earlier in 1951 had a Pete Kelly's Blues radio series. The radio show and movie (and subsequent TV series) revolved around Pete, a 1920's jazz cornetist working at the 17 Cherry St. Club in Kansas City with his band, the Big 7. Along the way Pete has many adventures with musicians, flappers and gangsters, all part of the Roaring 20s scene. Each one of the various versions of Pete featured Dick Cathcart with the band of Matty Matlock on clarinet and handling the arrangements, Moe Schneider, trombone, Ray Sherman, piano, George Van Eps, guitar, Jud DeNault, bass and Nick Fatool, drums. All of the players were big band veterans and experts in the Dixieland style. (Many were Bob Crosby veterans, especially Matlock and Miller, both longtime Crosbyites).

In 1955 Jack Webb brought his radio play to the big screen and the Warner Brothers Studio. Dick, Matty and the boys were back. Jack did the directing and Richard L. Breen (an Academy Award winner and frequent collaborator of Billy Wilder) handled the screenplay. He had written a lot of Jack's Dragnet shows, hence that classic "just the facts" clipped dialog, so central to Webb productions.

Jack assembled an excellent and varied cast. Future cops Martin Milner (Adam 12) as drummer Joey Firestone and Lee Marvin (M Squad) as clarinetist Al Gannaway were aboard. Edmond O'Brien played the nasty racketeer, Fran McHarg. Janet Leigh was the lovely flapper socialite, Ivy Conrad, who falls for Pete. Two of our greatest female jazz singers have strong roles. Ella Fitzgerald plays Maggie Jackson, singer at a musicians' club who befriends Pete. Peggy Lee gave a great dramatic performance as the alcoholic singer, Rose Hopkins. She was deservedly nominated for an academy award. Also making a small appearances was Jayne Mansfield as a nightclub cigarette girl, hardly recognizable as a brunette. Firehouse Five banjoist, Harper Goff, who was the film's production designer, got in a cameo with banjo. Silent comic, Snub Pollard, has some scenes as a waiter and Than Wyenn as Rudy Shulak, the tightwad owner of the club is great. (He reprised the role on the television version). The biggest surprise is Andy Devine as a tough, no nonsense cop out to get McHarg. There is no trace of his "cowboy sidekick" persona.

Band members Matty Matlock and George VanEps and Ray Sherman can be seen onscreen as Big 7 members. The basic plot of the film involves Pete dealing with McHarg who tries to get a piece of the band, and the resulting turmoil and band wars. Mixed in is Pete's romance with Ivy and the tragic story of Rose, who McHarg tries to match with Kelly's band for one last chance at stardom. Along the way we get vignettes of other band members and characters who populate the club. The final shootout at the Everglade Ballroom with Pete against McHarg and Co. is right out of Dragnet. (I guess Pete learned to shoot in World War I. )

The prologue that opens the film is a beautiful recreation of a New Orleans funeral. Filmed at the Fleming Plantation in Lafitte,Louisiana we hear Teddy Buckner on cornet along with the Israelite Spiritual Chorus performing Didn't He Ramble. The service is for an old jazzman whose cornet finds it's way to Pete Kelly.

The film's sets and atmosphere are perfect, everything has the right look. Any shortcomings are more than made up for by the music. The Big 7 sequences are all expertly played with great contributions from Cathcart, Matlock, Miller and Co. Old favorites such as Smiles,What can I say Dear, Bye Bye Blackbird and Breezin' along with the Breeze are played by the Big 7. Even the background music has nice moments, including the society Tuxedo Band heard at Ivy's party. Ella and Peggy's vocals are superb, both were at the top of their game and Peggy never looked lovelier. The Pete/Ivy relationship is nicely played. As Pete starts to fall for the lovely Ivy, he starts to loosen up a bit and even cracks a smile or two (unusual for the taciturn Webb). Janet Leigh as Ivy gets to sing an old favorite, I'm Gonna meet my Sweetie Now (recorded by Jean Goldkette with Bix).

About the music: the lovely title theme was written by veteran film composer, Ray Heindorf, and the great lyricist Sammy Cahn. The haunting, bluesy melody is perfect for Cathcart's mellow, Bix-like horn. Ella also gets to sing the lyrics during a scene when Pete comes to her club for help. The old Ted Fiorito favorite, I Never Knew, gets a new take as the love theme for Pete and Ivy. They dance to it several times, especially charming is the player piano rendition at the ballroom. During Peggy's "audition" with the band she gets to sing a pretty Arthur Hamilton tune, He Needs Me.(Hamilton was a frequent contributor to the radio show) .This didn't go anywhere: too bad! Eddie Miller can be heard with some pretty noodling, and the favorite, Sugar. Later on she does a bit of Somebody Loves Me and in a touching scene Sing a Rainbow. At this point Rose is in an insane asylum. Peggy deserved her Oscar nomination. It's too bad she didn't get more acting offers. Ella encores a great Hard Hearted Hannah and scats some blues. I have to mention some of the classic dialog. Here are some of my favorites. Jack's opening, after playing a band set: If you're looking for a new way to grow old, this is the place to come.

When drummer Joey Firestone is gunned down in the alley by McHarg's boys, here's Pete's response: Somebody bring Joey in-it's rainin' on him. Here's a trumpet player's delight. When Ivy notices Pete's cute parakeet, he retorts: I may have to eat that bird someday, but in the meantime, he can hit a high G above C, so I keep him around.

Here's a Joe Friday special. When asked about using Tin Roof Blues on a record date, Pete's response is, "It'll Keep!" And I love the reference to Pete playing with a heavy mute during his troubles with the gangsters. When Pete informs his bass man that a new sideman had worked with the Mound City Blue Blowers, the bassist's reply is, "If he worked for them, it was carrying beer!"

Jack did his homework, too. Early in the film the young Jayne Mansfield asks Pete if he's going to catch Bennie Moten at The Plantation. Pete's answer, "We'll see. Pack a lunch!" Clarinetist Al mentions that Pete should try out for the Goldkette band. When Pete is told Bix is in the band, his comeback is, "I'm safer here!"

The popularity of the movie and the Big 7's music spawned quite a few albums. First up was the RCA LP Pete Kelly's Blues with most of the featured songs played by the band along with Jack's unique narrative! This made it to CD on Collector's Choice. Another RCA LP, Pete Kelly at Home, featured some unusual tunes such as Mandy, Fight On, Sweet Eloise, Old Pigeon Toed Joe and Out of Nowhere. A Capitol EP featured the band with Louisiana, Roses of Picardy, Bflat Blues and Till we Meet Again. Dick's lovely, Bix-like solo on Louisiana was singled out by several critics. At the same time a Columbia album featured the Big 7 on eight tunes from the film and Ray Heindorf conducting a large studio orchestra on four selections. A later LP, Pete Kelly Lets His Hair Down (1958) on Warner Bros., has a unique concept of blues themes titled by different colors.

In 1959 Pete Kelly's Blues made the transition to television as Jack Webb produced a weekly series during the spring and summer of that year. Thirteen episodes were filmed. This time Jack gave the lead to William Reynolds, later of the F.B.I. Also featured was the great singer, Connee Boswell, as Savannah Brown, a take-off on the Ella character. Than Wyenn was back as the 17 Cherry St. Club's owner, this time as George Lupo. Phil Gordon played Fred, Pete's pianist and buddy. The stories revolved around the musicians' problems, missing persons, murder and various non-musical conflicts. Dick, Matty and the band were back to provide music and Warner Bros. put out a nice LP of music featured in the series. I still have my old copy! The show hasn't made it to DVD yet, but there is still hope for a private collection on Ebay or YouTube.

After the TV run, Dick, Matty and most of the band occasionally played as the Big 7 at California clubs and jazz festivals. Sad to say, most of the band members have passed. I believe Ray Sherman is still active. He put out some nice sides on the Arbors label.

On future posts we'll survey the various Hollywood bios. (Goodman, Miller, Krupa, The Five Pennies) and some of the jazz oriented films such as Young Man with a Horn, Second Chorus, A Man called Adam and Orchestra Wives.

Pete Kelly's Blues can be enjoyed for it's great musical value, for it's camp and fun dialog or just as great 1950s movie entertainment. Whatever your preference is, you're in for a great show. The film is available on aWarner Bros. DVD.

Wail on, Pete!

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)

2009-08-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

This is our first post on the wonderful comedy team of Bud Abbott (1895-1974) and Lou Costello (1906-59). Along with the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Bros. they are among my all-time comedy heroes.

The boys became a team in vaudeville in the 30s and quickly rose to stardom in radio and finally films, becoming the star comics of the 40s and early 50s and becoming one of Universal Studio's biggest money makers.

This film, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955), a personal favorite, was ironically their last for Universal. A series of sub-par outings, the ascension of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and the power of television had all contributed to their demise at Universal. However, they went out with a very funny and worthwhile swan song.

The boys had met most of the classic Universal monsters starting with A&C Meet Frankenstein, one of their very best films. So it was an easy task to pair them with another Universal horror staple, The Mummy.

The threadbare plot (the best kind for slapstick) involved the boys trying to clear themselves of the murder of archeologist Dr. Zoomer, who they applied to for the job of "accompanying his Mummy to the states!" They get mixed up with treasure hunting crooks led by sultry Madame Rontru (Marie Windsor), the cult of the mummy Klaris led by Semu (Richard Deacon in his pre -Leave it to Beaver and Dick Van Dyke Show days) and a host of cops, waiters, natives and other assorted foils.

Cute Peggy King, a popular singer and regular on the George Gobel show, wanders into a nightclub setting to sing "You came a Long way from St.Louis." The boys are in good form as they are put through their usual slapstick paces and get in a few of their patented verbal routines. Bud, approaching 60, is not as nasty as he was in the early films. (He could be downright cruel!) He does get in his usual quota of slaps and pushes on Costello. Lou, despite some recent bouts with rheumatic fever, is as energetic and full of fun as ever. In the end credits the boys are listed as Pete Patterson (Bud) and Freddie Franklin (Lou) but these names are not used and they just call themselves Abbott and Costello.

Also along for the ride as Rontru's cohorts are Michael Ansara, from the TV classic Broken Arrow (Charlie) and veteran character actor Dan Seymour (Josef). Fans of the B classic, Little Shop of Horrors will enjoy seeing Mel Welles (Mushnick,the Florist) as Semu's henchman, Iben. Veteran Universal stuntman Eddie Parker plays Klaris, the Mummy. The film was directed by Charles Lamont, a veteran of the Sennett and Christie studios who had piloted many A&C comedies (including some of their worst!).

The film moves at a leisurely pace and Bud and Lou seem to be having a good time. There are many comic highlights in the film, here are some of my favorites:

The old Vaudeville gag of a girl speaking in French to Bud who replies with "Lady, I can't!" Lou's response is "Hey Bud, maybe I can!"

An A&C standby where the body of Dr. Zoomer keeps moving from room to room much to Lou's dismay and cries of "Hey Abbott!"

Lou's snake-charming efforts on flute resulting in a response from a very live snake and the old rope trick with Bud getting a lift thanks to Lou's flute-tooting.

The sacred medallion that leads to the treasure brings death to whoever possesses it. Bud plops it into Lou's hamburger. Lou eats the medallion, of course, and the crooks X-ray him and then try to throttle the medallion out of him.

A return to their "Who's on First" roots with a clever John Grant routine involving picks and shovels." My pick is the pick. Your pick is the shovel." You get the idea.

The film's climax in the tomb has three mummies running around, Klaris and Bud and Charlie posing as him. This is good stuff with lots of double takes and screams.

The film's coda has a neat scene where the boys have opened the Kafe Klaris. The entire band is decked out as mummies and Lou does the old slip into a one-piece tuxedo gag, resulting in a slap from Bud. When Bud toots on the flute and a beautiful girl emerges from a vase, Lou tries it only to meet up with another snake and a classic Costello pratfall to close out the show.

There are also some unintentionally funny bits including some Egyptian dance routines, Richard Deacon's hammy performance as Semu and some "infidel" references for good measure.

Despite good reviews, the film did only so-so at the box office and spelled their end at Universal.

Bud and Lou made one last film, Dance with Me Henry (1956), a pleasant but mediocre film about the boys running an amusement park and getting into a money mix up with gangsters.

In 1957 the team split. Lou did solo appearances including the Steve Allen Show, Wagon Train and the Minsky's Show in Vegas. He also made a cute comedy for Columbia, The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959), a take off on the 50 Foot Woman with Dorothy Provine as his girlfriend and title character. In March of 1959 we lost Lou to a heart attack. Bud was devastated and the world of comedy lost a little giant.

Bud took things easy, although he did a G.E. Theatre episode and briefly teamed up with musician/comic Candy Candido. In 1967 he voiced a series of Abbott and Costello cartoons. (Stan Irwin voiced Lou). The cartoons are so-so, but it's fun to hear Bud's gravelly voice again. In later years Bud was dogged by tax problems and was living at the Motion Pictures Actor's Home in Hollywood. He passed from cancer in April of 1974. The greatest straight man went up to join his partner.

For the "daddy" of all mummy comedies, check out our post on the Three Stooges' We Want our Mummy (1939). Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy is available on Universal DVD. Next time out, we'll explore the boys' wonderful TV show of the early 50s.

Till then, I'm going to try to find out Who's on First?

Bobby Hackett-Bix Session (1940)

2009-08-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

T0 his is our first post on the wonderful cornetist Bobby Hackett (1915-76). It won't be the last. Bobby was one of the most melodic and creative soloists in the field of traditional jazz and swing. No less than Louis Armstrong cited Bobby as having the "best ingredients" in referring to his skills as an improviser.

This interesting session came about during Bobby's tenure with the Horace Heidt Orchestra. (Sept. 1939-June 1940). Starting as a guitarist in the New England area and soon doubling on cornet, Bobby rapidly became a popular freelancer and sideman before leading an ill-fated big band in 1939. The band was a musical success but not financially. At this point in his career Bobby was frequently compared to Bix Beiderbecke and even did a guest spot at Benny Goodman's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert playing Bix's solo on I'm Comin' Virginia. Heidt was a showman who led a large entertainment unit (he was the Lawrence Welk of the day). Alvino Rey and the King Sisters had just left Heidt and his current band featured Frankie Carle on piano and Art Carney was a featured singer and comic.

Heidt saved Bobby at a time when the big band venture had left him in financial straights. His role in the band was similar to Bix's with Paul Whiteman in providing some jazz punch. This session for Vocalion billed as Horace Heidt Presents gave Bobby the spotlight on two Bix classics and two old favorites. The band consisted of Heidt sidemen (including Carle) with Bobby's former big band drummer Don Carter sitting in. On some issues Bobby is credited as arranger. This is quite possible as Bobby did some arranging for his big band and certainly knew the Bix solos and routines. The results feature some prime early Hackett work.

On January 25, 1940 the band recorded That Old Gang of Mine and Clarinet Marmalade. Singin' the Blues and After I say I'm Sorry were also waxed but were rejected and remade. On January 31, Old Gang and After I say were remade and on February 1, Singin' the Blues was reworked. The Tempo Twisters vocal group sings on Old Gang and there's an unknown vocalist on After I say I'm Sorry (perhaps one of the band members). Here are some of the musical highlights.

That Old Gang of Mine: opens with some nice Bobby dancing around the organ tones of the band and taking a nimble break into the melody (trombone handles the bridge). A modulation brings on the Tempo Twisters in a style reminiscent of The Modernaires with nice obbligato by Bobby. (He was a master at vocal accompaniment.) Following an arranged dixie spot and Dorsey-like trombone, Bobby is back with more mellow blowing , a clarinet spot (Bob Reidel) and tasty coda.

Clarinet Marmalade: much of the original Bix-Trumbauer original is retained in this tasty chart. Bobby's two chorus solo is a gem of twisting, melodic phrases with some of Bix's licks included. Jerry Borshard (trombone) and Frankie Carle have spots before Bobby and the band ride home usung Bix's original solo as an arranged band passage. Nice Stuff!

What can I say After I say I'm Sorry?: another winding melodic intro over sustained chords brings on an opening dixie passage reminiscent of the Pete Kelly band. Bobby weaves into the unknown vocalist with nice backup. After the vocal Bobby comes in with some repeated notes and a Bix-like but pretty chorus. At this point Bobby's embouchure was still a little weak in spots. (He would soon correct that.) A nice arranged ensemble takes us home.

Singin' the Blues: opens with a quote from Bix's I'm Comin' Virginia. The ensemble plays the melody with pretty cup mute obbligato by Bobby. He takes over the lead for the middle followed by George Dessinger's tenor. Bobby's chorus is full of lovely Bix-like lines including some of the original but mainly pure Hackett. The closing ensemble again uses Bix's original solo as a scored passage. Bobby plays Bix's original break and tenor and ensemble take us home.

The Heidt boys must have had a ball playing some relaxed, swinging jazz under the leadership of Bobby, one of the nicest guys in the business. There may be a lead trumpet on some of the ensembles. (Bernie Mattinson was listed, but he was Heidt's drummer).

After Heidt Bobby went with the great Glenn Miller band from July 1941 to September 1942. Glenn loved his playing and brought him in on guitar--Bobby was recovering from dental surgery--and cornet solos. Bobby's solo on String of Pearls has become a classic and is still played to this day. Bobby also had a stint with Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra from October 1944 to September 1946. By the post war years he had developed into a seasoned pro and had conquered his technical problems.

The Bobby Hackett of the 50s and 60s was a consummate jazzman who also reached the general public through his Mood Music albums with Jackie Gleason and under his own name.

Two CDs provide a good account of this session-, Classics CD, No. 890 and Past Perfect CD, Poor Butterfly, though, alas, these may be out of print.

We will be revisiting the great Hackett horn many times on this blog.

The Five Pennies (1959)

2009-07-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Next up in our Hollywood jazz series is a personal favorite, The Five Pennies, the story of jazz great and cornetist Loring "Red" Nichols (1905-65). Although a rather poor characterization of the real Nichols and his career, this film is nevertheless extremely entertaining and has many fine moments.

The real Red Nichols was an excellent cornetist who developed his own personal take on the Bix Beiderbecke style of playing. Red was also a consummate studio player and organizer and was one of the busiest jazzmen of the 1920s. He was not the cut-up and loose canon as played by Danny Kaye- rather a businesslike, pleasant, hard working musician. Many future jazz stars such as Jack Teagarden, the Dorseys, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Gene Krupa worked for Red. However, the film makes up for it's faults with outstanding music ghosted by the real Nichols and by the great Louis Armstrong onscreen.

Although Kaye is given a few too many comic bits, he shows his dramatic range in the film's later stages when Red deals with his daughter's polio and temporarily drops out of music. (The scene where he throws his horn off a bridge into the water is a very powerful moment).

The movie was planned as early as 1954 as Intermission, based on a short story by Robert Smith who had written a Mickey Rooney film, Quicksand, that featured an appearance by Red and his band. Van Johnson was originally planned for the lead. In October of 1956, Red was the focus of TV's This Is your Life which brought his story to the public and reunited him with family and friends including music pals Jimmy Dorsey, Miff Mole, Jack and Charlie Teagarden, Artie Schutt, Vic Engle and Phil Harris. In December of 1956 Paramount began planning the Five Pennies film with Danny Kaye in the lead.

Also featured were Barbara Bel Geddes (later known as Miss Ellie on Dallas) as Red's vocalist and wife, Bobbie--her vocals were dubbed by Eileen Wilson, a top studio singer--, Susan Gordon (and later Tuesday Weld) as daughter, Dorothy, Harry Guardino as friend and manager Tony Valani and Bob Crosby as society bandleader Will Paradise. (These last two characters were fictional).

A host of real life musicians were also cast including Ray Anthony as Jimmy Dorsey, Bobby Troup as Artie Schutt and Shelly Manne as Dave Tough. (He would also play him in the Gene Krupa Story.) Glenn Miller was played by actor Ray Daley. There is also a rumor that Red himself made a cameo in the Cliquot Club Eskimo sequence. Due to Red's poor relations with Benny Goodman, his name was left out as was Gene Krupa's due to the upcoming bio on him.

Along with Red's cornet work and Louis' peerless horn and vocals were many contributions from some of Hollywood's finest arrangers and musicians. Their work made this film so memorable. Leith Stevens (former bandleader of the Saturday Nite Swing Club) was the musical director and co-ordinator of the score. The bulk of the jazz charts were done by Heinie Beau, an excellent clarinetist and arranger and a long time colleague of Red's. (He also contributed fine clarinet work). Heinie excelled at big band and Dixieland and did a great job recreating the Nichols sound. Also making contributions were Red's excellent pianist, Bobby Hammack, Lou Halme, Benny Carter (also alto solos) and Alexander Courage (later of Star Trek fame).

Danny's wife, Sylvia Fine, who wrote a lot of his special material, wrote four new songs for the film. Goodnight-Sleep Tight, Five Pennies and Lullaby in Ragtime were all cleverly worked into a round sung by Danny, Louis and the talented young Miss Gordon. (She beat out 500 girls for the part!) The other tune, Follow the Leader, is a fun Charleston number performed at a college dance sequence. Her special lyrics to the Saints sung by Danny and Louis is one of the films' finest numbers, even though it has nothing to do with Red. The clever lines throw in all kinds of references to classical composers: Do you dig Rachmaninoff?-On and Off; Put Listz on that List; Gustav Mahler-Don't forget Fats Waller etc.). Louis and Danny also performed the number on a USO Christmas show in late 1958 (a warm up for the movie) and on Danny's October 1960 special.

Among the fine studio musicians were Dick Cathcart, Bobby Goodrich, Clyde Hurley, Moe Schneider, Eddie Miller, Wayne Songer, Stan Wrightsman, George Van Eps, Morty Corb and Nick Fatool. Also heard were Nichols regulars Pete Beilman (trombone), Joe Rushton (bass sax) and Gene Plummer (piano) along with Heinie's clarinet. Even the great studio trumpeter, Mannie Klein, was used for a "klezmer" type horn bit. These players all had much big band and Dixieland experience and their contributions enhance the arrangements.

The film was directed by Mel Shavelson who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jack Rose. The basis of the story is Red's arrival in NYC from Ogden, Utah in 1924 to seek his fortune as a jazzman and dance band musician. His meeting with Louis Armstrong, vocalist Bobbie Meredith (soon to be his wife) and sax man turned manager, Tony Valani, are the core of the story. A true life incident saw Red and Bobbie's daughter, Dorothy, contract polio and Red's semi-retirement from music to care for her. He did some defense work during the war but also played part-time and did some recording for Capitol and transcriptions. He also had a short stint with the Casa Loma Orch. in early 1944.(In the film he has given up music completely).

The later scenes where Red makes his comeback in music are nicely played by Kaye, Bel Geddes and Tuesday Weld as the teenager, Dorothy. On This Is your Life, Dorothy mentioned how she surprised Red on one of his club dates by getting out on the dance floor. (Her medical condition had improved). This touching scene is reprised in the film's finale. The scenes with Louis and Red's other musician pals making Red's dubious club opening a smash is predicable Hollywood, but still very effective. At times one thinks it's the Danny Kaye Show and not the story of Red Nichols. However, Louis shines in all his scenes; the man was a natural actor. (Occasionally in films like Glory Alley and A Man Called Adam he was given meatier parts). Pops shows his keen comic timing throughout, especially in the scene when Red tries to sit in at Pops' gig, a bit tipsy from drink. When Red proclaims himself the "greatest cornet player in Ogden, Utah," Louis retorts, "North Ogden or South Ogden?" Red's great version of Battle Hymn of the Republic is heard in this sequence along with a super Louis take on After You've Gone.(When Red and Louis did met in the 20s, they engaged in friendly sessions trading ideas and styles).

The music is the film's solid selling point and it doesn't disappoint. Red's own cornet playing is a standout. Approaching age 54 , Red never sounded better. His brassy melodic tones are heard to advantage as his mid 50s Capitol recordings attest. The Armstrong vocals and solos along with the top studio men are so wonderful that the film's shortcomings are quickly forgotten. Many great standards are heard including JaDa, Indiana, That's a Plenty and Bill Bailey.

Dot records released the soundtrack LP of most of the musical highlights in 1959. (It's now on CD through Universal/Decca-Broadway). The film bolstered Red's career greatly. (He was working around L.A. and recording for Capitol). Red himself made a wonderful album for Capitol in April 1959 called Meet the Five Pennies featuring many of the films studio men, arrangements by Heinie Beau and most of the songs from the film. It is out of print but worth hunting for. (Red's Capitol output would make a great Mosaic set). Red passed on in June of 1965 while playing a date in Las Vegas.

Also worth noting is the Castle Jazz Band Plays the Five Pennies (Good Time Jazz, 1959). This excellent trad band led by banjoist/vocalist Monte Ballou made two reunion LPs for GTJ in 1957 and 1959. Don Kinch, George Bruns, Bob Short and Co. do great work on the standards and fine originals. GTJ put it on CD, but it is currently out of print. (Ebay or a used CD store are the best bets). The DVD of the film is available from Paramount.

The Five Pennies is great entertainment with wonderful music. Don't expect an accurate, historical portrait of Red Nichols. You'll still be entertained and with Red Nichol's music, Danny Kaye, Louis Armstrong and such a wonderful cast, you can't go wrong.

Special thanks to Steve Cooper of Chicago, a fine trumpeter and bandleader. Steve is an expert player and historian of Red's music and I appreciate his input on this post.

These Five Pennies will give you Dividends of Delight!

Bing with a Beat (RCA 1957)

2009-06-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

In the course of our post on Scobey and Clancy Raid the Juke Box, we mentioned this wonderful album. Bing with a Beat is certainly one of the jazz highlights of Bing's illustrious career and an equally fine addition to the prolific Bob Scobey discography. We can thank Will Friedwald and his great book Jazz Singers (Scribner's 1990) for bringing this session some latter day prominence.

Bing seemed at his happiest in the company of jazz players and singers (Louis, Bix, Boswells, Teagarden, Bob Cats to name a few). He also gave out with some of his best work in such company.

Bob Scobey's albums for RCA (1957-60) started out more commercially with a Bob Crosby flair and many studio pros added to the Frisco Jazz Band. (Matty Matlock and Bill Stegmeyer, Crosby veterans arranged some of them). Eventually the smaller Frisco band came back on the later RCAs. The meeting with Bing used a slightly enlarged band arranged by Matlock (also a favorite arranger of Bing's). The result is structured but still allows for many free-wheeling ensembles and solo spots by Bob, Matty, Abe Lincoln and Ralph Sutton.

Bing in turn gives out with some of his richest tones, jazziest phrases and cleverest jibes. Our only regret is that the producers didn't have the foresight to give Bing and Clancy Hayes a vocal duet. (Clancy strums rhythm guitar throughout). This would have been a great treat for fans of both singers. (I'm sure they both admired each other's work.)

The session was recorded on February 19 and 20, 1957 with Bob and Frank Beach-trumpets, Abe Lincoln-trombone, Matty Matlock-clarinet and arranger, Ralph Sutton-piano, Clancy Hayes-guitar, Red Callendar-bass, Dave Harris-tenor sax, Nick Fatool-drums. The tunes are a mixture of old favorites and some little heard evergreens. Here's the Playlist:

Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella- The album starts with the first of many verses sung by Bing with Nick's rimshots and Ralph's piano comps as backup. Bob leads the band on a spirited ensemble with a Bud Freeman-ish tenor spot by Dave Harris (a talented studio man, once with the Raymond Scott Quintette). This is a nice Bob Crosby-like chart by Matty and a great opener.

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter- After a nice intro by Frank Beach (another great studio pro), Bing sings the rarely heard verse before going into tempo with nice obligatto by Bob, who leads a swinging ensemble followed by Ralph's Waller inspired solo. Bing closes with some special patter complimenting the boys.

Along the Way to Waikkiki- A real old timer by Richard Whiting and Gus Kahn from 1917. Bing had an affinity for Hawaiian tunes and this relaxed tune is given a nice ride thanks to Matty's chart with more Scobey horn and Sutton piano. Matty also uses a favorite Bob Cats device, the clarinet/tenor voicing.

Exactly like You- The great Jimmy McHugh standard is in good hands with Bing, Bob and Matty. The clever intro riff is later repeated as a scat spot for Bing. Bob and Ralph get solo honors. (Ralph was a regular member of the Scobey band at the time.)

Dream a Little Dream of Me- Made popular by Louis and Ella, this goodie gets a lovely ballad rendering by Bing. During Bob's solo Bing gets off some of his loose funnies-"You ain't Dreamin', You is Awake!" On the out chorus Bing throws a litle gravel in his voice for effect and hits a nice low ending (shades of Larry Hooper-that's for the Welk fans).

Last Night on the Back Porch- A 1914 chestnut gets a swinging Matlock arrangement. Bing gives another nice verse and Bob and the boys swing nicely with some Abe Lincoln trombone to boot. More classic Crosby chatter-"I gave her my Frat Pin" and "Maw went Shoppin'" keep things loose. The band coda is right out of the Bob Crosby book.

Some Sunny Day- A very breezy Bing with some more gravel on this Irving Berlin tune. Dave Harris gets into an Eddie Miller mood (with a few modern touches) and Matty has a nice spot.

Whispering- Made popular by Bing's old boss, Paul Whiteman. Bing counts in to the verse. During Bob's driving solo, Bing has some more cute lines.

Tell Me- A very pretty oldie. (The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded it in 1920). A nice Matlock dance chart with muted brass and double clarinets and more Miller-ish tenor. The tune also appeared in the films For Me and My Gal and On Moonlight Bay.

Mack the Knife- Bing gives us a sighing count off with more cute comments. Bob has some tangy solos and obliggato. Matty uses a clever Coal Cart Blues riff on the out chorus in homage to Louis.

Down among the Sheltering Palms- Another mellow Matlock chart with Bing on the pretty verse and backed by more muted brass and clarinets on the chorus. Bob's solo is very pretty and burnished with nice brushwork by Nick.

Mama Loves Papa- We close out the show with the opening verse routine of rimshot and piano. Bing's at his jazziest best. Bob and the band have a great jam chorus with some more Sutton piano. Bing's comments are classic- "So Shangri." (as in Shangri-La) and "Mater loves Pater.".A fun finale to a wonderful album.

This is a great session for jazz fans and fans of great jazz singing. If you're not familiar with Bing's jazz side or the Scobey horn, you're in for a treat.

The CD is available from Bluebird.

Till next time- Keep Bingin' with a Beat

Addendum- Would also like to mention an exellent album Bob made in 1955 for Contemporary with Claire Austin. Claire was a housewife who had a talent for blues and jazz and worked and recorded with Turk Murphy in the early 50s. This session finds her in a Lee Wiley-Mildred Bailey type groove singing some great standards backed by Stan Wrightsman, piano- Morty Corb, bass- Shelly Manne, drums and Bob, trumpet. Bob gets in some beautiful solos and obligattos and Claire's singing is rich and warm.
The Contemporary CD also includes a 10 inch lp session Claire made with Kid Ory in 1954.

Johnny Weissmuller-The RKO Tarzan Films

2008-12-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

I've always been a big Tarzan fan. It comes with the territory of being a Baby Boomer. In the late 50s and early 60s Saturday morning television meant The Three Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, Our Gang and Tarzan. Edgar Rice Burrough's jungle hero has been played by many actors and athletes, but Johnny Weissmuller (1904-1984) will always be Tarzan. The powerfully built Olympic swimming champ had the look and physique to make him the definitive Tarzan. The MGM films Johnny made with lovely Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane are classics. I've always been partial to the RKO series of 1943-8. The RKOs are more campy and silly at times, but still great entertainment. This post is an affectionate look at the series.

When MGM dropped the Tarzan series in 1942, producer Sol Lesser jumped at the movie rights and took stars Johnny Weissmuller and Johnny "Boy" Sheffield to RKO. Maureen O'Sullivan passed as Jane. The first two entries had her character in England nursing soldiers for the war effort. In 1938 Lesser had produced the independent Tarzan's Revenge starring Olympic athlete Glenn Morris and swimming champ Eleanor Holm.

Tarzan Triumphs (1943), the first of the series is a top notch adventure, also full of camp and wartime propaganda. Tarzan battles an army of Nazis, who have taken over a jungle city. Weissmuller, approaching 40, is still powerfully built and commanding as the jungle lord. Young Johnny and Cheeta are along for their usual adventures and monkeyshines.

To fill Jane's absence Lesser cast beautiful Frances Gifford as Zandra, princess of the captive city. Frances had earlier played Nyoka, the Jungle Girl (another Burroughs creation) in a 1941 serial. She was lovely and possessed a gorgeous figure and would have made a great Jane had she stayed in the series. For us Baby Boomers we all remember the cat and mouse game between Tarzan and Nazi Stanley Ridges with Tarzan's cries of "Here, Nazi. Come, Nazi-Nazi" before tricking him into a fitting death. Cheeta's finale with the Nazi's radio is not to be missed! It is right up there with The Three Stooges' Nazi gags.

The next film, Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943), was a bit on the silly side. Filmed right after Triumphs and also using Nazi villains, the film shows its haste in production. Again Jane is in England and asks Tarzan and Boy to find a jungle serum that will cure ill soldiers. The female lead is played by Nancy Kelly as a lady magician who meets up with Tarzan and Boy. Her character is plucky and amiable, but is given a little too much to do at the expense of Tarzan! The last part of the film in the "fever jungle" is good mostly for laughs with Tarzan battling "prehistoric monsters" and a "giant spider". Later that year Johnny did a cameo as himself in the war effort film, Stage Door Canteen. RKO studios used the Los Angeles County Arboretum in nearby Arcadia for jungle scenes. There was a lagoon and vegetation and looked quite realistic. Some scenes were also shot in Lake Sherwood. Also important to the success of the series was the work of directors William Thiele and Kurt Neumann, screenwriter Carroll Young and musical composer Paul Sawtell. They gave the films style, substance and color.

Tarzan and the Amazons (1945) got back to basics and also brought Jane back. Brenda Joyce, a lovely, shapely blonde with great legs, took over the role and looks great in Jane's leather tunic. She and Johnny made a handsome couple. She was a lovely step-mom to the pre-teen Boy. In the story Jane is returning to Africa after her wartime work in England. A group of scientists guided by a crooked hunter, Barton MacLane, are looking for a tribe of Amazons. When Tarzan refuses to show them the hidden Amazon city, Boy is duped into playing guide. When the crooks try to swipe the Amazonian treasure, they pay with their lives. Tarzan makes the save before Boy meets his death! There are many lovely leopard-clad lovelies as Amazons. Brenda Joyce makes a nice debut as Jane. All in all, a top-notch adventure.

The next film, Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946), is the best of the series and my personal favorite. Tarzan takes on a savage tribe that dresses in leopard skins with steel claws and tries to retard the advance of civilization to the jungle. Their queen, Lea, is played by Acquanetta, an extremely beautiful and sexy actress who was portrayed as a Latina but was actually Native American. This film has more action and excitement than the previous entries. Johnny Weissmuller had gotten himself into the best condition of his RKO period. He is trim, toned and his pectorals are at their best in years. His loincloth is a bit more daring. Obviously the studio knew how good he looked! Brenda Joyce once again plays Jane and looks lovely as ever. Tarzan works hard in this outing, constantly involved in the action. He has a nasty fight with the leopard men and in a very erotic and chilling scene, faces torture from the beautiful but deadly Lea.

With Cheeta's help Tarzan makes his escape, destroys the evil tribe and saves Jane, Boy and some native girls, all of whom were to be sacrificed. If you haven't seen an RKO Tarzan, start with this one. It's the best!

This was a hard act to follow. The next film, Tarzan and the Huntress (1947), is a fine adventure. Not as intense as Leopard Woman, but still great fun. Johnny still looked fit and strong, but his physique isn't as awesome as in Leopard Woman. Brenda Joyce, on the other hand, never looked better. She sports a sexy two piece outfit in some scenes. Johnny Sheffield had grown into an athletic teenager. This would be his last appearance as Boy. He had outgrown the part. In 1949 he would star in his own series, Bomba the Jungle Boy at Monogram Studios.

The Huntress storyline is familiar. Greedy hunters led by the lovely Tanya, Patricia Morrison, try to overstep the bounds allowed by the local king. Tarzan intervenes and saves his animal friends. Barton MacLane returned in a role similar to his Amazons character. Tanya wasn't as evil as Lea and was allowed to escape. All the other baddies meet their fate at the hands of Tarzan.

The last Weissmuller Tarzan film was Tarzan and the Mermaids (1948). Unfortunately Johnny went out with a lackluster adventure. He had also lost some of his superb muscle tone and put on a bit of weight. He was still great in the part and along with the lovely Brenda, sporting that two piece again in early scenes, saves a rather sorry film. Newcomer Linda Christian also looks gorgeous as a native "mermaid" forced to marry a phony island god. A sub-plot involving pearl thieves is thrown in. Tarzan saves the day, making a spectacular cliff dive, fighting off his adversaries and battling an octopus before saving Jane and Co. This was the only Weissmuller Tarzan filmed on location in Acapulco, Mexico.

Johnny wanted a percentage of future film grosses to continue as Tarzan. RKO and Lesser decided to go with a younger actor. Lex Barker took over the role. Brenda Joyce stayed on as Jane for the first entry, Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949).

Johnny got back into shape and went over to Columbia studios to star in the equally popular series, Jungle Jim (1949-55). As a hunter and jungle guide, Johnny simply traded loincloth for khakis. As one critic said, it was "Tarzan with clothes." Johnny also starred in a syndicated Jungle Jim TV show in 1956.

The RKO Weissmuller Tarzans are very entertaining and exciting jungle adventures with the greatest Tarzan of all time. All 6 films are available on DVD on Warner Brothers' Tarzan Collection Volume 2.

Till next time, Good Hunting and Ungawa!