THANKS, VOICE OF AMERICA: MAX KAMINSKY, EDDIE HUBBLE, BUD FREEMAN, JOE BARUFALDI, DICK CARY, ARTHUR HERBERT // WILD BILL DAVISON, BIG CHIEF MOORE, OMER SIMEON, JOE SULLIVAN, EDDIE PHYFE (c. 1951-2)

I don’t know who I would thank at the Voice of America these days, but I do know we can all thank Tohru Seya, the generous collector whose YouTube channel Hot Jazz 78rpms provides us with excellent music. Much of it is beautifully preserved original discs that sound wonderful, but here is something even nicer — transcription discs of jazz recorded live and hot that I’d never known of before. I would guess from the sonic ambiance that it was recorded at Central Plaza or Stuyvesant Casino circa 1951-52 (parallel to the “Dr. Jazz” broadcasts of the time, but without announcements by Aime Gauvin) for broadcast overseas. The title is “All-Star Concert,” the subtitle “American Jazz,” and the disc is Voice of America J-18 (VOA-402)

Max Kaminsky(tp); Ed Hubble(tb); Joe Barufaldi(cl); Bud Freeman(ts); Dick Cary(p); Arthur Herbert(d)

JAZZ ME BLUES / SQUEEZE ME:

The same band, J-17 (VOA 401), performing SOMEDAY SWEETHEART and MUSKRAT RAMBLE:

Here, the band is “Wild” Bill Davison(cnt); “Big Chief” Russell Moore(tb); Omer Simeon(cl); Joe Sullivan(p); Eddie Phyfe(d). [J-20; VOA 404.] — Sullivan in wonderful form. A few bars are missing from the start of each song, suggesting that an announcer’s words may have been edited out.

STARDUST, HONEYSUCKLE ROSE, and UGLY CHILE:

and SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN:

and I NEVER KNEW (I COULD LOVE ANYBODY):

But wait. There’s more! Under the heading of “Eddie Condon Dixieland Band,” there are a handful of performances from a 1949 Condon Floor Show with Wild Bill Davison, Cutty Cutshall, Peanuts Hucko, Gene Schroeder, Eddie, Bob Casey, and Buddy Rich; under “Dixieland All-Stars,” several pearly improvisations by Bobby Hackett — NEW ORLEANS and SWEET GEORGIA BROWN.

All exceptional music, given to us in the most open-handed ways. And for those who crave discographical details more than the labels of these 16″ transciptions provide, I can only say, “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your copy of Tom Lord or Brian Rust.”

May your happiness increase!

DAVE TOUGH’S SOUND-TEXTURES and RHYTHM-SHIFTS: PEANUTS HUCKO, LOU STEIN, MUNDELL LOWE, JACK LESBERG (June 6, 1947)

Dave Tough and cymbal

These are truly entertaining jazz records — and woe to the commenter who calls them simply Goodman-imitations — created by Peanuts Hucko, clarinet; Lou Stein, piano; Mundell Lowe, guitar; Jack Lesberg, string bass; Dave Tough, drums. Admire at your leisure their splendid swing, their subtle mixture of relaxation and leaning-forward, their ensemble unity and solo brilliance.

But what I’d ask you to do today is to listen to the sounds Dave Tough gets out of his drum kit, his unexpected shifts of rhythm, the intricate and often shifting songs he creates — from one object striking or moving across another! Pure magic, never duplicated.

Thanks to Hot Jazz 78rpms — a rewarding YouTube channel created by the man some of us know as the gracious Tohru Seya — for making these discs available to us.

PEANUT BUTTER:

“STOLEN PEANUTS” (really STEALIN’ APPLES):

SOMEDAY SWEETHEART:

I MUST HAVE THAT MAN:

Bless Dave Tough, who gave so much to us in his short life that we still marvel at his ingenuities today.

May your happiness increase!

“MAGIC NOTES”

There’s always something to discover, or perhaps re-discover.  I know I had heard this recording some time before, but I had forgotten how good it sounds. So I’d like to share the delightful shocks of music perfectly executed — simply, with spirit, to quote Ruby Braff speaking of Hanna Richardson’s singing — as if it were the first time.

Thanks to Tohru Seya, the most generous of collectors, I was reminded of this wonderful recording through Facebook.  And thanks to Andy LeMaitre, I can present a vivid-sounding copy.  It’s “The Charleston Chasers,” an all-star studio group from June 28, 1929: Phil Napoleon, trumpet; Miff Mole, trombone; Jimmy Dorsey, alto saxophone / clarinet; Arthur Schutt, piano; Joe Tarto, string bass; Dave Tough, drums.  And the glorious Eva Taylor singing.

Little touches make this more than a formulaic run-through of a first-class pop tune.  For one thing, the way the recording is laid out — its balance between ensemble and solo, between ensemble and simultaneously soloing brass players, between vocal and instrumental, is delightful — and so easily unspectacular that one doesn’t notice all the details going by at first.  And at just over three minutes, the performance seems completely fulfilling.  It deserves several hearings.

I could muse in print about more related subjects: the continued popularity of this Waller-Razaf classic; the imagined politics of this “mixed band,” if politics there were; the wondrous longevity of Miss Taylor; tempos for dancers (this is a “slow fox trot”); whether this was a Schutt arrangement; the sound that recording engineers achieved in 1929 . . . but I’d rather listen one more time.

May your happiness increase!

WE ALL THANK THE INTENSELY GENEROUS TOHRU SEYA of FACEBOOK for PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD MUSIC BY MARTY GROSZ, FRANK CHACE, and JOHN DENGLER, 1951

If you’re not “on” Facebook, this man might change your mind.

One of my Facebook friends is a very generous and astute Japanese collector of hot jazz, named Tohru Seya.  Although other collectors hold their treasures close and gloat over their possessions, allowing few to approach close to the Valued Objects, Tohru has the right attitude: generosity is love in action, not only love of the music, but love of other listeners.

While I and others are sleeping or doing ordinary errands, Tohru has come up with some records we have only read about.  He places the record tenderly on a very solid RCA transcription turntable, lowers the tone arm, and lets it play.  And did I mention he also creates a video of this generosity so that we can all see and hear the music?  Yes, he does.

Some months ago Tohru posted a set of three 78 discs recorded by a Princeton University jazz band — THE INTENSELY VIGOROUS JAZZ BAND — featuring cornetist John Dengler.  That was interesting in itself because one of the tunes was a slightly ribald effort called LET ME OVERHAUL YOUR CAR.  (The “BABY” was implied.)

Then, a short time later, Tohru posted pictures of a 10″ lp that had the INTENSELY VIGOROUS boys but with two ringers — Marty Grosz and clarinetist Frank Chace.  I know Marty and I knew Frank, and they are heroes to me, absolutely.  I confess that I asked Tohru how I could get to hear this music — eight songs recorded in 1951 by this band.  Just a day or so ago, these links appeared on Facebook.  We can ALL hear this magic music.

Here is the first side of the record.  Here is the second.

And here is the relevant information:

The Intensely Vigorous Jazz Band Vol.2.  10-inch LP (no number U.N.39) 300 copies pressed.  John Dengler (co); Marty Ill (tb); Frank Chace (cl); Hal Cabot (p); Marty Grosz (4-string-g); Stan Bergen (d); Squirrel Ashcraft (p-4). Princeton, NJ., May 1951.

1. At The Jazz Band Ball / 2. Basin Street Blues / 3. The Sheik Of Araby / 4. I’ve Found A New Baby / 5. The Charleston / 6. Buddy Bolden’s Blues (JD vo) / 7. When The Saints Go Marching In (JD, Band vo) / 8. Nobody’s Sweetheart Now.

I think this world would be a far better place if there were more people like Tohru Seya in it, and the principle of behavior I am espousing has really nothing to do with hot jazz records or Facebook, if you think about it for four bars.

Thank you, Tohru!  (His Facebook page is here.)

P.S.  If you are resolutely opposed to being on Facebook, I do understand.  And I think the links above will work only for people who are signed up for it . . . but I am sure you can find a friend or relative who will let you in the doorway for this purpose.

May your happiness increase!