DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Fandango, v. 3, issue 1, whole no. 9, Fall 1945

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Fandango, v. 3, issue 1, whole no. 9, Fall 1945

Page 4

JAZZ DEPARTMENT.     (Fooled yuh, Jackson.)   Small recording companies have spent the last decade vieing with one another to bring out special waxings of jazz what is jazz. It remained for a large commercial company to carve the socks off the little fellows.
Capitol Records Inc. (the outfit that is fast making the big three of RCA, Columbia, and Decca into a big four) kicked jazz fans in the teeth recently with the first volume of their four volume set, The History
of Jazz. Capitol Album CE-16 ($4.35 plus tax) and sub-titled The Solid South, this first volume contains ten must-have sides.
     The set leads off with Leadbelly (Huddle Ledbetter), than whom there is no whomer, doing ROCK ISLAND LINE and EAGLE ROCK RAG.    These are down-to-earth folk stuff featuring Leadbelly's unique and authentic vocals, and barked by L!s exciting guitar-work. EAGLE ROCK features his piano for what
I believe is the first time on wax. On the strength of this side, Huddie takes his place as one of the greatest of the primitive piano men. His 88 work is a long, long way up the Congo from Teddy Wilson, but
it kicks like a Missouri mule.   John Jacob Niles addicts will be interested to note the strong infusion of Elizabethan folk material in the vocal work.
     Zutty Singleton's Trio (Zutty, Fred Washington, and Barney Bigard) follows with a slow blues, LULU'S MOOD and a stomp, BARNEY'S BOUNCE.   The ex-Ellingtonian shows the boys what a New Orleans reed
man can do with a clarinet when the feeling is on him, while the little-known Washington makes with effective pianistics. Zutty, as usual, furnishes a solid-rock foundation. These two sides, when compared with any record by the Goodman Trio, show the difference between an imitation and the real thing.    Unlike too many highly touted jazzmen, Bigard is a master of his instrument from the point of view of technique. even Goodman is no more proficient. When we get a man like that away from the demands of commerciality, the music is usually memorable. It
certainly is in this case.
     CRAWFISH BLUES, by the same group augmented by horn, tram, guitar, and base, is very good, but not quite up to
the standard set by a similar band headed by Jelly-Roll Morton in 1939. (Any of you FAPS have those four Bluebirds?)   Biggest kick on this side is Bigard's introduction.
     Eddie Miller's quartet (a white group featuring the ex-Crosby reed man on clarinet, Wrighteman on piano, Bauduo
and Laliare on rhythm) make of CAJUN LOVE SONG one of the finest blues records I have ever heard. Verret'e Creole vocal is nice, but the real kicks are Miller and Wrightsman.   Terrific is too weak an adjective to describe this relaxed and beautiful side.
     The remaining four sides are Nappy LaMare and Wingy Manone with a white dixieland band very similar to the group with which Wingy is rocking the Gay Inn (710 1/2 So. Hill,  Los Angeles) six nights a week. They do an original, TAILGATE RAMBLE (which is marred by a three-man trombone section doing
arranged stuff which anyone of the four tram men on the session could have ad-libbed twice as effectively); and three delightful old standbyes: SISTER KATE, AT THE JAZZ BAND BALL, and HIGH SOCIETY. I like KATE better than Muggsy'e Bluebird of it.    JAZZ BAND BALL is fine, and
is especially highlighted by Verret's stabbing ensemble trombone. Matty Matlock does right well on the test solo in HIGH SOCIETY, but I still like Bechet better (with Jolly-Roll Morton).  All four of these
sides have plenty of Wingy's horn, and the first two have vocals by him,  especially SISTER KATE.
     This set is must-buy stuff.   It is extremely well recorded, though marred by a scratchy surface, and contains at least six or seven sides which would not be out of place in one's 25 favorite records.        
— 4 —

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JAZZ DEPARTMENT. (Fooled yuh, Jackson.) Small recording companies have spent the last decade vieing with one another to bring out special waxings of jazz what is jazz. It remained for a large commercial company to carve the socks off the little fellows. Capitol Records Inc. (the outfit that is fast making the big three of RCA, Columbia, and Decca into a big four) kicked jazz fans in the teeth recently with the first volume of their four volume set, The History of Jazz. Capitol Album CE-16 ($4.35 plus tax) and sub-titled The Solid South, this first volume contains ten must-have sides. The set leads off with Leadbelly (Huddle Ledbetter), than whom there is no whomer, doing ROCK ISLAND LINE and EAGLE ROCK RAG. These are down-to-earth folk stuff featuring Leadbelly's unique and authentic vocals, and barked by L!s exciting guitar-work. EAGLE ROCK features his piano for what I believe is the first time on wax. On the strength of this side, Huddie takes his place as one of the greatest of the primitive piano men. His 88 work is a long, long way up the Congo from Teddy Wilson, but it kicks like a Missouri mule. John Jacob Niles addicts will be interested to note the strong infusion of Elizabethan folk material in the vocal work. Zutty Singleton's Trio (Zutty, Fred Washington, and Barney Bigard) follows with a slow blues, LULU'S MOOD and a stomp, BARNEY'S BOUNCE. The ex-Ellingtonian shows the boys what a New Orleans reed man can do with a clarinet when the feeling is on him, while the little-known Washington makes with effective pianistics. Zutty, as usual, furnishes a solid-rock foundation. These two sides, when compared with any record by the Goodman Trio, show the difference between an imitation and the real thing. Unlike too many highly touted jazzmen, Bigard is a master of his instrument from the point of view of technique. even Goodman is no more proficient. When we get a man like that away from the demands of commerciality, the music is usually memorable. It certainly is in this case. CRAWFISH BLUES, by the same group augmented by horn, tram, guitar, and base, is very good, but not quite up to the standard set by a similar band headed by Jelly-Roll Morton in 1939. (Any of you FAPS have those four Bluebirds?) Biggest kick on this side is Bigard's introduction. Eddie Miller's quartet (a white group featuring the ex-Crosby reed man on clarinet, Wrighteman on piano, Bauduo and Laliare on rhythm) make of CAJUN LOVE SONG one of the finest blues records I have ever heard. Verret'e Creole vocal is nice, but the real kicks are Miller and Wrightsman. Terrific is too weak an adjective to describe this relaxed and beautiful side. The remaining four sides are Nappy LaMare and Wingy Manone with a white dixieland band very similar to the group with which Wingy is rocking the Gay Inn (710 1/2 So. Hill, Los Angeles) six nights a week. They do an original, TAILGATE RAMBLE (which is marred by a three-man trombone section doing arranged stuff which anyone of the four tram men on the session could have ad-libbed twice as effectively); and three delightful old standbyes: SISTER KATE, AT THE JAZZ BAND BALL, and HIGH SOCIETY. I like KATE better than Muggsy'e Bluebird of it. JAZZ BAND BALL is fine, and is especially highlighted by Verret's stabbing ensemble trombone. Matty Matlock does right well on the test solo in HIGH SOCIETY, but I still like Bechet better (with Jolly-Roll Morton). All four of these sides have plenty of Wingy's horn, and the first two have vocals by him, especially SISTER KATE. This set is must-buy stuff. It is extremely well recorded, though marred by a scratchy surface, and contains at least six or seven sides which would not be out of place in one's 25 favorite records. — 4 —