Number 13 - Hushabye by Chris Barber's Jazz Band
I must have been sixteen when I had my first record player that played 45's and LP's. It was a tiny second hand machine (set up in my equally tiny back bedroom in the house on London Road in Braintree, above the narrow, steep and enclosed back stairs )and only played mono, but it did sterling service over the next two years. At the time, I was smitten by traditional jazz, and the old classic American music comprised nearly all my record purchases . How did this happen? It may have been that Lonnie Donegan played banjo in Chris Barber's Jazz Band, or that my friend's and I frequented the Dunmow Jazz Club (see my posting of 25/11/08).
Anyhow, British trad jazz was all the rage, and one of the first LP's I bought was "The Best of Barber and Bilk". Amongst those tracks of the Chris Barber band is Hushabye, the only track with Monty Sunshine on clarinet, Chris Barber on bass and Lonnie on banjo. This must have been recorded in 1954/5 and the similar small group (without the departed Lonnie) went on to record Petite Fleur that reached number 3 on the hit parade in 1959. It was this idea of showcasing individuals from the band that lead to Lonnie's recording of Rock Island Line, and the rest is history.
Numner 14 - St Louis Blues by Louis Armstrong
This was hard to choose. I nearly went for a track from Louis' Hot Five or Hot Seven from the 1920's, some of which I have on record. The first of his electric recordings (as opposed to the previous acoustic system) was Willie the Weeper, and this is one of his best. It features wonderful solos from all his band, particularly from Johnny Dodds on clarinet and Louis' fabulous cornet. It was such a shame that his performance at the Odeon Hammersmith in 1964 failed to feature any solo from him and so became my most disappointing concert ever.
I must have been sixteen when I had my first record player that played 45's and LP's. It was a tiny second hand machine (set up in my equally tiny back bedroom in the house on London Road in Braintree, above the narrow, steep and enclosed back stairs )and only played mono, but it did sterling service over the next two years. At the time, I was smitten by traditional jazz, and the old classic American music comprised nearly all my record purchases . How did this happen? It may have been that Lonnie Donegan played banjo in Chris Barber's Jazz Band, or that my friend's and I frequented the Dunmow Jazz Club (see my posting of 25/11/08).
Anyhow, British trad jazz was all the rage, and one of the first LP's I bought was "The Best of Barber and Bilk". Amongst those tracks of the Chris Barber band is Hushabye, the only track with Monty Sunshine on clarinet, Chris Barber on bass and Lonnie on banjo. This must have been recorded in 1954/5 and the similar small group (without the departed Lonnie) went on to record Petite Fleur that reached number 3 on the hit parade in 1959. It was this idea of showcasing individuals from the band that lead to Lonnie's recording of Rock Island Line, and the rest is history.
Numner 14 - St Louis Blues by Louis Armstrong
This was hard to choose. I nearly went for a track from Louis' Hot Five or Hot Seven from the 1920's, some of which I have on record. The first of his electric recordings (as opposed to the previous acoustic system) was Willie the Weeper, and this is one of his best. It features wonderful solos from all his band, particularly from Johnny Dodds on clarinet and Louis' fabulous cornet. It was such a shame that his performance at the Odeon Hammersmith in 1964 failed to feature any solo from him and so became my most disappointing concert ever.
But my choice comes from an LP entitled "Louis Armstrong plays W.C. Handy" recorded in 1954. This was my first album bought from a recommendation (in the Melody Maker) and was my Christmas present for 1962. His band at the time was pure class, particularly Trummy Young on trombone and Billy Kyle on piano. I can remember they both get name checks and solos in the band's big number in the film High Society.
Number 15 - Ain't Misbehavin' by Fats Waller
Digging around in my box of old LP's, I found one called "The Real Fats Waller" with recordings from 1929 through to 1943. Fats played fabulous stride piano rag and composed many of the tracks on this album. Carolina Shout is a wonderful solo and B Flat Blues. But his most popular song has been covered by countless artists. Ain't Misbehavin' was recorded in 1929 and still sounds a fresh pop song today. But for me, his piano playing stands out as a reminder of those heady days.
Number 16 - Seventh Avenue Express by Count Basie
Another of my old LP's is "Basie's Basement" featuring Count Basie and his Orchestra, recordings nearly all from 1947. A big band with Basie's distinctive piano, I saw them, again around 1964, at the Odeon Hammersmith (where they shared the bill and accompanied Tony Bennett), and they were still brilliant. I also have the original LP (and now a CD) of "Sinatra-Basie" and although Frank does not make it on my list, something from this album nearly did. Basie's orchestra was made for great singers and it is Jimmy Rushing who features on "Basie's Basement" but not on my chosen track. This is a belter from a band on top form.
So who did I miss from my jazz favourites? Duke Ellington (another I caught at Hammersmith where one Ella Fitzgerald was the vocalist) is one. His LP "Rockin' in Rhythm" from 1927 to 1930 was close, as was Dave Brubeck from more recent times. Woody Herman and The Herd I also saw at Hammersmith. And from Dunmow Jazz Club: Kenny Ball, Terry Lightfoot, The Dutch Swing College Band, Ken Colyer etc. What memories.
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