A Record a Week: Earl Hines - Fatha and His Orchestra On Tour

SIDE 1.
I JUST WANNA MAKE LOVE TO YOU
SECOND BALCONY JUMP
PASSION FLOWER
MY HEART STOOD STILL
I FEEL SO SMOOCHY
ALL OF ME

SIDE 2.
SOMEBODY LOVES ME
NIGHT IN TRINIDAD
CANNERY WALK
THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
MELODICA BLUES
EASY TO LOVE

Listening to this record, I am reminded that there was a time when the player was the namesake of the group, even if he or she was not the singer. Not to take anything away from the singer in this group, she's wonderful; but it is clearly Hines that is in control and the best of the bunch.

Teaming up with jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington(among countless others) he over the years, Hines was considered amongst the elite in jazz and what would later become 'bebop'. He triumphed through a move to Chicago(where jazz was king at the time), powered through the times when African-Americans were discriminated against everywhere, and even maneuvered much of his band being drafted into the army, missing only a short stint as a result. I am not an aficionado of this style of music at all, but I can tell a good piece when I hear it. If my record player were upstairs, this would certainly be perfect cocktail party background music. I'm going to go against the grain of saying 'I should have been born in (insert era)' and just go ahead and say more modern musicians should do well done versions of music from eras past.

A Record a Week: Erroll Garner - Misty

SIDE !.
MISTY
EXACTLY LIKE YOU
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE
FRANTONALITY

SIDE 2.
AGAIN
WHERE OR WHEN
LOVE IN BLOOM
THROUGH A LONG AND SLEEPLESS NIGHT
THAT OLD FEELING

This is a great and classic swing album. Garner bridges the gap between classic jazz and swing without being too generic or offensive to either style.

This album contains a good collection of songs, including the leading song, Misty, which became a jazz standard covered by several other jazz musicians. The song, first released on 1954's Plays Misty was at that time an instrumental. Lyrics were later added by Johnny Burke and the song re-released on the album Contrasts. This record is a re-release of Plays Misty and includes the lyricized version of the song.

The other songs are equally well-written and engaging, encompassing a bright vision of all elements of jazz. Various time signatures, including at some times different ones played by different hands, meld together at the right time creating an element of suspense-satisfaction as the listener gets drawn in. Even if you can't hear such subtleties (ones I only heard occasionally myself), this album plays out as a great jazz/swing collection.

A Record a Week: Giants of Jazz - Duke Ellington

SIDE 1.
EAST ST. LOUIS TOODLE-OO
CREOLE LOVE CALL
BLACK AND TAN FANTASY
BLACK BEAUTY
JUBILEE STOMP
YELLOW DOG BLUES

SIDE 2.
HOT AND BOTHERED
THE MOOCHE
SHOOT 'EM AUNT TILLIE
RING DEM BELLS
MOOD INDIGO *The Jungle Band
ROCKIN' IN RHYTHM *The Harlem Footwarmers
IT DON'T MEAN A THING (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

SIDE 3.
BABY WHEN YOU AIN'T THERE
BUGLE CALL RAG
MERRY GO ROUND
HARLEM SPEAKS
IN THE SHADE OF THE OLD APPLE TREE
MERRY GO ROUND
TRUCKIN'

SIDE 4.
CLARINET LAMENT (Barney's Concerto)
ECHOES OF HARLEM (Cootie's Concerto)
CARAVAN
I LET A SONG GO OUT OF MY HEART
SOPHISTICATED LADY
JACK THE BEAR

SIDE 5.
KO-KO
CONCERT FOR COOTIE (Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me)
COTTON TAIL
NEVER NO LAMENT (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)
HARLEM AIR SHAFT
IN A MELLOTONE
WARM VALLEY

SIDE 6.
TAKE THE "A" TRAIN
I GOT IT BAD AND THAT AIN'T GOOD
PERDIDO
C JAM BLUES
ROCKABYE RIVER
JEEP'S BLUES

This one took me a couple of weekends to listen to in its entirety, so I apologize for the delay. Plus things have been busy, plus I had people here last weekend. With a side of I have no other excuses and will get back to business next week.

The 3-record collection is the last of the Giants of Jazz records that I have and as with the others, it takes a journey through the career of the artist over the span of their career. Instead of the way I did the other ones, this album seemed to mostly be Duke Ellington lead groups, except for the few songs I noted where the group name didn't include his name.

Spanning multiple styles and recording qualities, starting with the foundation of jazz and direct wax recording through to the multi-tracking days that were in their early years by the time he died. It's interesting to think that every new style of jazz heard on the record could conceivably have been brought upon by Ellington or even the very song. His progressive musical styling took jazz in new directions with the likes of Louis Armstrong and other innovators at the time. They never were around to experience anything but the beginning of the experimental likes of fusion and other newer branches of jazz. I would be interested to hear his take on that. It may not have suited his style, but as a musician I think he would have appreciated the creativity involved.

I would say this takes the 'bet of' term and brings it all the way up to 'thorough sampling of' territory. Definitely a must listen for fans of Ellington and those curious alike.

A Record a Week: Nat King Cole - You're My Everything

SIDE 1.
YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING
LITTLE COQUETTE
MAGIC MOMENTS
YOU'LL SEE
BEND A LITTLE MY WAY

SIDE 2.
THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA
BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE
BRUSH THOSE TEARS FROM YOUR EYES
POINCIANA

This album is a compilation of Nat King Cole songs and as far as I can tell, it was an unauthorized release. It's hard to find information on it other than that it was released by Pickwick Records in 1967 and it doesn't seem to appear on any of his 'official' discographies.

It contains a mixture of Jazz Piano, some more upbeat stuff and some crooning style. No matter what the style, Nat King Cole's wonderful voice floats above. The man fought adversity to become a pioneer in the formats of Jazz Piano, Jazz Trio and Male Vocal. Constantly up against the racism battle, he just kept on making music and ignoring the hatred. Sadly, he died in 1965 after a battle with lung cancer. No surprise, as he reportedly smoked up to three packs a day, something he apparently attributed his vocal sound to (if you trust Wikipedia).

This album is a nice mixture, but it leaves me wondering why, if you are going to make a (most likely) unauthorized collection, you wouldn't make one with a few more chart-hitting songs of his. Perhaps these were the songs that were public domain, or favourites of a label exec. Either way, with a voice like his, it's pretty hard to go wrong when picking songs.

A Record a Week: Claude Bolling/Maurice Andre - Toot Suite

SIDE 1.
I - ALLEGRE (C Trumpet)
II - MYSTIQUE (E-Flat Trumpet)
III - RAG-POLKA (B-Flat cornet)

SIDE 2.
IV - MARCHE (B-Flat Piccolo Trumpet)
V - VESPERALE (B-Flat Flugelhorn)
VI - SPIRITUELLE (B-Flat Piccolo Trumpet)

Unless you have a real musician's ear, it is not often that you know what key every song on an album is in. Two-thirds of this album is in B-Flat, which, save for the Rag-Polka, they use to create a sad or melancholy feel.

These two french musicians have both had long and illustrious careers, each working with and/or inspiring all of the famous musicians of their instrument. On this album they come together to create an album that is a little bit sad story, a little bit funny Family Guy montage and a little bit Mad About You theme song. (I actually don't remember that particular theme song, but for some unknown reason a part of this record made me think of that)

The two musicians will start off playing complimentary parts, then they will go on a tangent playing counterpoint parts, then bring it back together playing identical parts. The effect this produces is a sort of controlled chaos that is quite interesting. No doubt their talent allows them to go off in any direction and be able to pull it all in when necessary. This talent is one that any musician who solos needs to possess to be able to lay it all out and be able to get back to a verse or chorus by a specific bar or beat. It is quite obvious that these two have a complete mastery of that talent and it makes for a great listen.