This transcript of the radio show is an approximation of what I said in the show. The real spoken parts may differ slightly.
And for today a selection of tunes you already heard before - as the background of my talking. You know - to hide the insecure feelings I have on my own voice I always spice up my blabbering with background music. But it's great music and it deserves more exposure. So instead of voicing them over I will let you enjoy them in full. Of course my talk will be with - yeah - other instrumental music.
Well - let's just start with a finding that I did while I was preparing the previous show. You got it in the background of that - but I loved it straightaway and it made me decide to do this for today's show. Here is, from 1938, the great Count Basie and his orchestra with Jumpin' at the Woodside.
01 - Count Basie - Jumpin' at the Woodside
02 - Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds Of Joy - Bear Down
More swing from the thirties. Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy was that with Bear Down. Andy Kirk had joined the Dark Clouds of Joy of Terrence Holder in the mid-twenties. Now Holder wasn't able to keep control of the band and in 1929 the group sent him away, electing their upcoming star Andy Kirk as their new leader. The word Dark was dropped from the combo's name and from then went by the name of Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy, sometimes Twelve Clouds of Joy and the band became popular in the Kansas City scene.
With Brunswick and later Decca the band had quite some succes, leading to the very first number 1 hit of the Harlem Hitparade - the first version of Billboard's Rhythm & Blues chart, and that was in 1942 with Take It and Git. Kirk seldomly featured himself as a soloist of the band, he rather let his musicians excel.
And we're making a big jump to 1956 with Arnett Cobb and his No Dues that was released on Vee-Jay. Later that year a car crash, that damaged his legs, would interrupt his career for the second time, the first time when he had to have a spinal surgery in 1950. He was called the wild man on the sax for his honking style.
Here is no Dues.
03 - Arnett Cobb - No Dues
04 - Lynn Hope - Tenderly
And this has been in many of my shows for background music. Lynn Hope with Tenderly from 1950, recorded for the Premium label but issued on Chess. By then he had converted to Islam and went by the name of Al Hajji Abdullah Rascheed Ahmed. Well - not many used this name - on stage he was known as Lynn 'Turbanhead' Hope, the nickname for the turban he always wore.
Next saxophonist Frank 'Floorshow' Culley. He had led his own band for several years before signing with the brand new Atlantic label in 1948 to lead the house band of the label. Later he switched to RCA but on both labels he wasn't overly succesful. He earned his nickname for his antics on stage. Listen to his That Girl.
05 - Frank 'Floorshow' Culley - That Girl
06 - Pete 'Guitar' Lewis - Harmonica Boogie
Form January 1952 Pete Guitar Lewis with the Harmonica Boogie on the Federal label. The harp man was Lewis himself who also blew a mean harmonica. Lewis was part of the band of Johnny Otis and all musicians on this are from the Johnny Otis band. While Otis was under contract the Mercury label he had some sessions with Federal, and that forced him to have them released under the names of the musicians in the band rather than using his own name.
We'll stay with the harp with Sonny Terry and his Harmonica Rhumba that was released on the famous 500 blues series of the Philadelphia-based Gotham label and that definitely is a nice demonstration of what Terry was able to do on the harp.
07 - Sonny Terry - Harmonica Rumba
08 - Sonny Thompson - Cat On The Keys
Cat on the keys Sonny Thompson and his band with - well that was the title of this double-sider, Cat on the Keys, that was recorded in Cincinatti in September of 1954 for the King label. Thompson was King of the Two Parter - he did quite a few of these part 1 part 2 instrumentals after his smash hit Long Gone from 1947 for Miracle. I love these instrumentals, not only for the great piano work of Thompson, but also because the tenor saxophone parts of his instrumentals are pretty easy to play for a beginner saxophonist like me. That is - without the licks and tricks of these professionals I'm afraid.
Saxes on this one were Fred Clark, David Brooks and Walter Hiles - in earlier recordings Thompson often worked with Eddie Chamblee, a very versatile saxophonist whom I admire very much, and he knew a whole lot of tricks with the sax, and I can only dream of that I'll ever learn them. Chamblee was featured as a session man in several great hits including Sonny Thompson's Long Gone from 1947 and on Mary Jo, the number one hit of the Four Blazes from 1951 on the United label. Under his own name he had little success and that doesn't reflect his talent. Listen to his Lazy Mood from 1949 on the Miracle label. I used it quite a few times here on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman for the background of my talking, so it's time now to expose it on full.
09 - Eddie Chamblee - Lazy Mood
10 - Gene Phillips & His Rhythm Aces - Royal Boogie
From 1947 Gene Phillips with the Royal Boogie and that was on the West Coast based Modern label where Phillips did most of his work and where he worked with the cream of Los Angeles musicians including Jack McVea, Lloyd Glenn and Jake Porter. Unfortunately, after he left Modern, his career effectively ended before Rock 'n Roll arrived.
More boogie-woogie from Cecil Gant with the Rose Room, that he did for the Nashville-based Bullet label in 1949. He'd gone back to his hometown from the West Coast where had had his moment of fame with I wonder as his debut on the obscure Gilt Edge label, where he'd personally filled the whole 500 series with his music.
11 - Cecil Gant - Rose Room
12 - Karl George Octet - Peek-a-boo
Peek-A-Boo was that - the Karl George Octet and that was a combo that consisted of some of the greatest names of West Coast R&B. Karl George was a very talented trumpeter who'd excelled in several swing orchestras including Lionel Hampton's, Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter and Count Basie. I featured this instrumental as background music of my talking in my show on the unfortunate Melodisc label a few weeks ago - unfortunate because of the big fire that ended business for this label. All masters were lost in that blaze. The combo never re-united and Karl George had to retire from music business due to health problems.
Next Lloyd Glenn whose Still Waters I played many times as background music so again it's time for some full play. This was released on the Aladdin label in 1954 as the flip of Nite-Flite.
13 - Lloyd Glenn - Still Waters
14 - Little Willie Jackson - Shasta
Shasta and that was billed on the label as Little Willie Jackson. Actually it were Joe Liggins' Honeydrippers, but then without Liggins involved in a session with the Modern label in 1947. Little Willie Jackson and his brother James were the saxophonists of the Honeydrippers and for this session Willie got the credits on the label.
Now there's an instrumental of the Honeydrippers, titled Tanya, that sounds so much like this one that you would easily confuse them. You hear it in the background now.
Next the orchestra of Lucky Millinder with Heavy Sugar - and that also featured my speech many a time.
15 - Lucky Millinder - Heavy Sugar
16 - Buddy Banks - Bank's Boogie
17 - Tiny Bradshaw - Salt Lake City Bounce
And you may wonder why I start talking while the music still is playing. Well that is for the next song, my regular outtro, that I for once want to play in full. But let me first account for what was on before, that was Buddy Banks with Bank's Boogie from 1945 on the New York based Sterling label, and what you're hearing now and that is the Salt Lake City Bounce of Tiny Bradshaw, and that was released on the Manor label.
First let me say that I hope you liked this compilation of instrumentals that may sound familiar to you if you're a regular listener to my show. And if so - or if not - let me know and send me an e-mail to rockingdutchman@rocketmail.com. Of course you can also visit my web site to review today's playlist, re-read what I told you today, of see what'll be on next week. The site is easiest found with a google search for the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman and my site will show up first.
And then now the instrumental that my show always ends with. It's Wild Bill Moore and his sextet with the Bongo Bounce from 1947 on the Savoy label. For once you'll get the opportunity to hear this great instrumental in full, so turn up the volume, sit back and enjoy. Have a wonderful and rocking day and I hope to see you back, next time on the Legends of the Rocking Dutchman!
18 - Wild Bill Moore Sextette - Bongo Bounce