This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And like I do every now and then, today is an instrumentals special. So many of the best instrumentals were made in the Rhythm & Blues era, and I don't want them just to serve for the background of my talking. They deserve better. So let's just start with a great shuffler. You hear Sonny Thompson doing the key work and Eddie Chamblee on the saxophone. It was recorded on December 7 of 1947 and relased in August of '48, during the recording ban when the record companies had to rely on their previously recorded stuff. On the Miracle label, this is Sonny Thompson's quintet with Late Freight.
01 - Sonny Thompson Quintet feat. Eddie Chamblee - Late Freight
02 - Count Basie - Red Bank Boogie
Count Basie's band with the Red Bank Boogie and I have that from a British Parlophone 78. For America this was released on Columbia. The discographies on the two labels, both publised on the web site of the 78 RPM online discographical project, pretty much disagree on when it was recorded, either in 1940 or '44. In Europe the interest for jazz and swing from America had boomed despite the difficult situation. Of course Britain hadn't been invaded by the Germans, but it was up to its ears involved in the war, complete with all problems like shortages on everything. Well maybe it were the tough times that created the extra demand for some entertainment and good music.
And we're going even a bit before the war with a small combo from the late thirties that stole my heart. The Chicago-based Harlem Hamfats were brought together as the very first studio band in American history by Decca producer and A&R man J. Mayo Williams, to back up blues singers, but they grew out of a sensation of their own. They did only a few instrumentals, most were blues sung by either Kansas Joe McCoy or Herb Morand, the fantastic trumpeter of the band. Listen to their Hamfat Swing.
03 - Harlem Hamfats - Hamfat Swing
04 - Lucky Millinder & His Orch - Apollo Jump
And I played this has pretty often as the background behind my talking so I thought I'd give it some full exposure. Lucky Millinder was that with the Apollo Jump recorded in 1941 for Decca.
And we'll stay in the early forties for a little longer, with the Four Clefs. Recorded for the Bluebird label in 1940 here is Dig These Blues.
05 - Four Clefs - Dig These Blues
06 - Joe Liggins - Worried
A recording from 1947 - Joe Liggins and his Honeydripper with Worried. Liggins recorded for the Exclusive label and had made it big with his monster hit the Honeydripper. As big as this he's never had them anymore, but throught he forties and early fifties he still had a big string of hits for Exclusive and later for Specialty. This though didn't make it to the charts.
And those who know my colleague Matt the Cat's program titled Juke in the Back - this is one of his often used background instrumentals. On the Atlantic label and recorded in September of '48 - well still illegaly 'cause the ban on recording of the American Federation of Musicians was still in effect, but more and more musicians and labels took the chance - the ban had prtty much lost its credibility. Here is Joe Morris with the Applejack.
07 - Joe Morris - The Applejack
08 - Lloyd Glenn - Still Waters
Still Waters of Lloyd Glenn recorded in LA in 1954 in the studios of the Aladdin label and this comes from an Aladdin LP - actually a French re-issue of it from 1983. Apart from Glenn on the piano you heard Jesse Erwin on the guitar, Billy Hadnott on the bass and the drummer was Bob Harvey.
And next on is Gene Ammons with a recording from 1955 on the Prestige label. Now Ammons was a noted player in the bebop scene but more than, say, Lester Young or his long-time friend Sonny Stitt he stayed in touch with the more commercial Rhythm & Blues. From him you'll get the Blue Roller.
09 - Gene Ammons - Blue Roller
10 - John Hardee - Lunatic
From '49 on the Savoy label you got Lunatic of tenor sax player John Hardee - who had musical career that was as short as it was strong. From '46 to '48 he led the house band on the Blue Note label and up to 1950 he worked with great names as Cousin Joe, Earl Bostic, Helen Humes and Lucky Millinder but that year he called it quits and became a school teacher in Dallas.
And speaking of Lucky Millinder, and also from 1949, here is his D Natural Blues that was released on RCA Victor in 1949.
11 - Lucky Millinder - D'Natural Blues
12 - Johnny Otis - Blues Nocturne
The Blues Nocturne of Johnny Otis' band, recorded in January of 1950 for the Savoy label. In that year he'd toured all of the country with his band that by then he had named the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan.
Now Otis is definitely is a colorful man in the history of Rhythm & Blues, not in the least because of his ancestry - Greek. Having grown up in a black neighborhood he chose te be a member of the African-American community, but I'm sure that being a white guy freed him of the discrimination that black musicians had to face. That must have helped him in achieving the success he had - both with his own band as with the many artists he discovered and guided towards the national spotlights of Rhythm & Blues. And that's quite a list - I'm not complete with mentioning Mel Walker, Esther Phillips, Big Jay McNeely, Etta James, Big Mama Thornton, the Robins, Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, and Little Willie John.
What most people don't know is that he also made paintings, etchings and sculptures, most of them showing musicians in crowdy settings. On the official website johnnyotisworld.com a nice gallery of them - unfortunately no longer available for order.
Next an instrumental of the former pianist of Johnny Otis - Devonia Williams. As Dee Williams and her California Playboys here is the Double Trouble Hop.
13 - Dee Williams & Her California Playboys - Double Trouble Hop
14 - Jim Wynn - J.W. Bop
(jingle)
15 - Rene Hall - Two Guitar Boogie
16 - Tab Smith - Spiders Web
A nice relaxed shuffler - you heard Tab Smith and this was released on the United label - I haven't been able to find out who was pushing so hard on the keyboard of that Hammond organ. Then before that you got Rene Hall and his band with the Two Guitar Boogie, the flip of a vocal ballad titled Don't Take Me For A Fool that was on RCA Victor in 1953. Billboard wasn't particularly positive about this instrumental that they described as a routine boogie.
Then I have to account for what was before the jingle, that was the J.W Bop of Big Jim Wynn released on the Supreme label and recorded in December 1948. And with him we again find a connection with Johnny Otis - Wynn did a lot of sidework for him.
And from this smooth shuffler to a sax honker. A whole lotta noise from Hal Singer with his Midnight Jump.
17 - Hal Singer - Midnight Jump
18 - T.J. Fowler - Wine Cooler
The Wine Cooler of T.J. Fowler on the Savoy label recorded in 1951 - and that marks the end of today's show. A well-done but standard honking instrumental was what Billboard had to say about it in their issue of September 20 of 1952 - apparently it took Savoy a year to release it.
Well if you're an adept for vocal groups today was not your day - but for all others I hope you liked the show and well, why don't you let me know and drop me a line on rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. And if you want to review today's playlist, read back what I told you today or find out what'll be on for next time, it's all on my web site, just do a Google search for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and my site will show up first. Well that's about the most convenient way to get there without me having to spell out a site adress that contains my last last name - don't even think about it.
For today the stuff's out and the only thing I can do yet is wish you a happy and rocking day. Catch you next time, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!