This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And today's special is the Sepia series of Decca, a.k.a the 8500 series that ran from 1940 to '45. For this time, Decca ran two series for African-American artists - the 7000 Race series, that were mostly blues, and the more upscale Sepia series with music that had, according to the record executives, some more crossover potential.
Well the difference between the series is easy to hear, with the Sepia series has some lighter, more pop oriented material and artists that come closer to postwar Rhythm & Blues. But also some swing that - for whatever reason - didn't go on the main series. And the next one is such a swing number. Here is the Beaumont Street Blues of the band of Joe Brown.
00 - 8521 - Joe Brown - Beaumont Street Blues
00 - 8523 - Maurice Rocco & his Rockin' Rhythm - Rocco's Boogie Woogie
Rocco's Boogie Woogie of Maurice Rocco - and his Rockin' Rhythm as the label says. Rocco was known for playing the piano standing, and I must say that looks pretty uncomfortable but it was the gimmick of his show - and a showman he was. There are several soundies to be found on Youtube where you can watch him perform standing, dancing at the piano.
There are quite a few piano acts on the Sepia series - Erskine Butterfield is another one. In his combo that he named the Blue Boys, were clarinettist Jimmy Lytell and guitarist Carmen Mastren - making it one of the rare racially integrated bands of the forties.
Here he is with Jivin' The Missouri Waltz - and no, that is not a waltz.
00 - 8524 - Erskine Butterfield - (Jivin' The) Missouri Waltz
00 - 8525 - Louis Jordan - Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
(jingle)
00 - 8526 - Art Tatum - Wee Baby Blues
00 - 8527 - Clarence Profit - Dark Eyes
A whole lotta music was that - after Erskine Butterfield's combo you got on Decca 8525, an instrumental of Louis Jordan, Pinetop's Boogie Woogie. Now apart from the theme itself there's little left of the original concept of Pinetop Smith's version of a boogie woogie pianist giving dance instructions - including when to stop, and when to move. What's left is a great feelgood boogie woogie instrumental, and Louis Jordan excels on his alto saxophone.
You got more - after the jingle that was the Wee Baby Blues of Art Tatum - the birth of a classic cause this was the first version of a much-covered blues. It was written by Joe Turner and Pete Johnson. Joe Turner sings on here, but the credits on the label do not mention Turner but as the composer. Turner re-recorded it in '46 for the National label. There are versions done by Jimmy Witherspoon, Marion Abernathy, Effie Smith, Junior Wells and B.B. King.
Then the last one that I played that was the Dark Eyes of pianist Clarence Profit, and like the flip Azure, there's little feeling of Rhyth & Blues on this one. Great guitar work of Jimmy Shirley in this recording of September of 1940.
And for the next one, on Decca 8528, Skeets Tolbert and his Gentlemen of Swing, a swing band that he took over from Snub Mosley in 1937. Most of their output has been on this Sepia series. Tolbert played the saxophone and clarinet in the band. Here they are with Jumpin' Like Mad.
00 - 8528 - Skeets Tolbert & His Gentlemen Of Swing - Jumpin' Like Mad
00 - 8529 - Eddie Durham - Fare Thee Honey Fare Thee Well
Eddie Durham's band with Fare Thee Honey Fare Thee Well. Durham had been one of the pioneers on the electrical guitar in the thirties, with his Hittin' the Bottle as the first recording featuring an electrically amplified guitar. For that, he had started earlier than Charlie Christian, who gets most of the credits as being the pioneer.
Next the Delta Rhythm Boys, one of the leading vocal groups of the thirties and forties. Here they are with their version of Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust.
00 - 8530 - Delta Rhythm Boys - Stardust
00 - 8531 - Hot Lips Page - Harlem Rhumbain' the Blues
Harlem Rhumbaing the Blues - the trumpet of Hot Lips Page on a latin-influenced jazz goodie. Hot Lips Page was one of the greats of the so-called jungle style of trumpeting. He'd learned the techniques for growling and wah-wahing his horn from Tricky Sam Nanton, trombonist in Duke Ellington's band, together with Bubber Miley the inventors of the style. When Miley left the Duke, Page became the new featured trumpeter in the band that was the sensation of the Cotton Club - not in the least for the way the trumpet was treated.
Next pianist Sonny Boy Williams - not related in any way to the bluesmen with - nearly - the same stage names. This Enoch Williams didn't play the harp and well you can tell his style is much lighter than either of the bluesmen named Sonny Boy Williamson.
Here he is, with Poppin'.
00 - 8532 - Sonny Boy Williams - Poppin'
00 - 8534 - Skeets Tolbert & His Gentlemen Of Swing - Sammy's Chopping Block
Sammy's Chopping Block - a song about a butcher with the best of meat, apparently, and that was one more of Skeets Tolbert and His Gentlemen Of Swing.
Next the trio of Nat King Cole - and by 1940 when this was recorded, it was young and promising, and not yet ready for Decca's popular series. Cole's first hit was in 1943, with the new Capitol label, Straighten Up and Fly Right, that sold half a million copies and it very much helped the new record company to start. The building of Capitol in Hollywood is known as the House That Nat Built - referring to the many hits Cole had for the label.
The trio singing light jazzy African-American music proved to be a sucess formula and after the war many similar trios popped up - including the Three Blazers of Johnny Moore's, the brother of Oscar Moore, guitarist with Cole.
But this was before Capitol, and before Cole had his million-sellers. Here he is on Decca 8535 with Gone With The Draft.
00 - 8535 - Nat King Cole - Gone With The Draft
00 - 8536 - Art Tatum - Last Goodbye Blues
Pianist Art Tatum together with Joe Turner once more - you heard the Last Goodbye Blues. The blind Tatum was a child prodigy pianist, and after he graduated from his music college, there seems to have been quite some rumor on this piano virtuoso, and Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Joe Turner and Fletcher Henderson, they all seemed interested in employing him, but he ended up as the pianist for Adelaide Hall's world tour. That was in '31, and apparently Tatum and Turner seem to have re-found each other.
Cause again there's no mention of Joe Turner on this record, but his presence is evident, just like the Wee Baby Blues that I played before, that was done in the same session. Now it may seem strange to us nowadays, but before the war - and the 42-44 recording strike of the American Federation of Musicians - it was pretty normal to regard the singer as just one of the band. Sometimes the label said 'Vocal refrain by' to mention the singer, but more often not, as in this case.
Of course that doesn't apply when the band leader is the singer too - like Louis Jordan. here he is on Decca 8537 with Pan Pan.
00 - 8537 - Louis Jordan - Pan-Pan
00 - 8540 - Al Cooper - See What I Mean
00 - 8541 - Nat King Cole - Babs
And then Babs of Nat King Cole is today's last one, and their jive style is on their best I think on here. This was on number 8541 of Decca's Sepia series, the series for African-American artists that may have cross-over potential to the general audience. The series came with a bigger promotion budget - but the records were relatively cheap - 33 cents.
I also have to account for the one that was before Nat King Cole, that was See What I Mean of the band of Al Cooper. And that's all for today - of course I'm not leaving without telling you that all of today's story, and a sneak preview of what's on next week is on the website of this radio program - search Google for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and it will show up first. And of course if you want to let me know what you thought of this program - send e-mail to rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. Feedback is greatly appreciated.
Next week there will be more great Rhythm & Blues - and until then - don't get the blues. See you next time, here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!