Rex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His famous "talking" style, and half-valve effects were exploited brillantly by countless Ellington pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected... [+] Read More

Rex Stewart achieved his greatest glory in a subsidiary role, playing cornet 11 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His famous "talking" style, and half-valve effects were exploited brillantly by countless Ellington pieces containing perfect passages tailored to showcase Stewart's sound. He played in a forceful, gripping manner that reflected the influence of Louis Armstrong, Bubber Miley and Bix Beiderbecke, whose solos he once reproduced on record. Stewart played on Potomac riverboats before moving to Philadelphia. He went to New York in 1921. Stewart worked with Elmer Snowden in 1925, then joined Fletcher Henderson a year later. But he felt his talents were not at the necessary level, and departed Henderson's band, joining his brother Horace's band at Wilberforce College. Stewart returned in 1928. He remained five years and contributed many memorable solos. There was also a brief period in McKinney's Cotton Pickers in 1931, a stint heading his own band, and another short stay with Luis Russell before Stewart joined the Ellington Orchestra in 1934. He was a star throughout his tenure, co-writing classics "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory." He also supervised many outside recording sessions using Ellingtonians. After leaving, Stewart led various combos, and performed throughout Europe and Australia on an extensive Jazz at the Philharmonic tour from 1947-1951. He lectured at the Paris Conservatory in 1948. Stewart settled in New Jersey to run a farm in the early '50s. He was semi-retired, but found new success in the media. He worked in local radio and television, while leading a band part time in Boston. Stewart led the Fletcher Henderson reunion band in 1957 and 1958, and recorded with them. He played at Eddie Condon's club in 1958 and 1959, then moved to the West Coast. Stewart again worked as a disc jockey and became a critic. While he published many excellent pieces, a collection containing many of his best reviews came out posthumously, Jazz Masters of the Thirties. There's also a Stewart autobiography available. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the great Earl Hines' disciples (along with Jess Stacy), Joe Sullivan's style was perfect for the freewheeling jazz of Eddie Condon's bands. Sullivan graduated from the Chicago Conservatory and was an important contributor to the Chicago jazz scene of the 1920s. He was in New York during the next decade and his solo recordings include an... [+] Read More

One of the great Earl Hines' disciples (along with Jess Stacy), Joe Sullivan's style was perfect for the freewheeling jazz of Eddie Condon's bands. Sullivan graduated from the Chicago Conservatory and was an important contributor to the Chicago jazz scene of the 1920s. He was in New York during the next decade and his solo recordings include an original ("Little Rock Getaway") that would become a standard. In 1936, Sullivan joined Bob Crosby's band, but tuberculosis put him in the hospital for ten months and Bob Zurke replaced him (having a hit with "Little Rock Getaway!"). However, Sullivan recovered, led his own record dates, and was involved in a lot of jam sessions with the Condon gang in the 1940s. By the 1950s he was largely forgotten, playing solo in San Francisco and drinking much more than he should. Despite an occasional recording and a successful appearance at the Teagarden family reunion at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival, Sullivan's prime years were long gone by the time he passed away. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the classic giants of jazz, Jack Teagarden was not only the top pre-bop trombonist (playing his instrument with the ease of a trumpeter) but one of the best jazz singers too. He was such a fine musician that younger brother Charlie (an excellent trumpeter) was always overshadowed. Jack started on piano at age five (his mother Helen was a... [+] Read More

One of the classic giants of jazz, Jack Teagarden was not only the top pre-bop trombonist (playing his instrument with the ease of a trumpeter) but one of the best jazz singers too. He was such a fine musician that younger brother Charlie (an excellent trumpeter) was always overshadowed. Jack started on piano at age five (his mother Helen was a ragtime pianist), switched to baritone horn, and finally took up trombone when he was ten. Teagarden worked in the Southwest in a variety of territory bands (most notably with the legendary pianist Peck Kelley) and then caused a sensation when he came to New York in 1928. His daring solos with Ben Pollack caused Glenn Miller to de-emphasize his own playing with the band, and during the late-'20s/early Depression era, "Mr. T." recorded frequently with many groups including units headed by Roger Wolfe Kahn, Eddie Condon, Red Nichols, and Louis Armstrong ("Knockin' a Jug"). His versions of "Basin Street Blues" and "Beale Street Blues" (songs that would remain in his repertoire for the remainder of his career) were definitive. Teagarden, who was greatly admired by Tommy Dorsey, would have been a logical candidate for fame in the swing era but he made a strategic error. In late 1933, when it looked as if jazz would never catch on commercially, he signed a five-year contract with Paul Whiteman. Although Whiteman's Orchestra did feature Teagarden now and then (and he had a brief period in 1936 playing with a small group from the band, the Three T's, with his brother Charlie and Frankie Trumbauer), the contract effectively kept Teagarden from going out on his own and becoming a star. It certainly prevented him from leading what would eventually became the Bob Crosby Orchestra.

In 1939, Jack Teagarden was finally "free" and he soon put together a big band that would last until 1946. However, it was rather late to be organizing a new orchestra (the competition was fierce) and, although there were some good musical moments, none of the sidemen became famous, the arrangements lacked their own musical personality, and by the time it broke up Teagarden was facing bankruptcy. The trombonist, however, was still a big name (he had fared quite well in the 1940 Bing Crosby film The Birth of the Blues) and he had many friends. Crosby helped Teagarden straighten out his financial problems, and from 1947-1951 he was a star sideman with Louis Armstrong's All-Stars; their collaborations on "Rocking Chair" are classic. After leaving Armstrong, Teagarden was a leader of a steadily working sextet throughout the remainder of his career, playing Dixieland with such talented musicians as brother Charlie, trumpeters Jimmy McPartland, Don Goldie, Max Kaminsky, and (during a 1957 European tour) pianist Earl Hines. Teagarden toured the Far East during 1958-1959, teamed up one last time with Eddie Condon for a television show/recording session in 1961, and had a heartwarming (and fortunately recorded) musical reunion with Charlie, sister/pianist Norma, and his mother at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival. He died from a heart attack four months later and has yet to be replaced. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Muggsy Spanier was a predictable but forceful cornetist who rarely strayed far from the melody. Perfectly at home in Dixieland ensembles, Spanier was also an emotional soloist (equally influenced by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong) who was an expert at using the plunger mute. He started on cornet when he was 13, played with Elmer Schoebel's band... [+] Read More

Muggsy Spanier was a predictable but forceful cornetist who rarely strayed far from the melody. Perfectly at home in Dixieland ensembles, Spanier was also an emotional soloist (equally influenced by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong) who was an expert at using the plunger mute. He started on cornet when he was 13, played with Elmer Schoebel's band in 1921, and first recorded in 1924. Spanier was a fixture in Chicago throughout the decade (appearing on several important early records) before joining Ted Lewis in 1929. Although Lewis was essentially a corny showman, Spanier's solos gave his band some validity during the next seven years. After a stint with Ben Pollack's orchestra (1936-1938), Spanier became seriously ill and was hospitalized for three months. After he recovered, the cornetist formed his famous eight-piece "Ragtime Band" and recorded 16 Dixieland performances for Bluebird (later dubbed The Great Sixteen) that virtually defined the music of the Dixieland revival movement. But because his group actually preceded the revival by a couple years, it soon had to break up due to lack of work. Muggsy joined Bob Crosby for a time, had his own short-lived big band, freelanced with Dixieland bands in New York, and starting in 1950 he gradually relocated to the West Coast. During 1957-1959 Spanier worked with Earl Hines' band and he continued playing up until his retirement in 1964, touring Europe in 1960 and always retaining his popularity in the Dixieland world. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the great Dixieland trumpeters, Wild Bill Davison had a colorful and emotional style that ranged from sarcasm to sentimentality with plenty of growls and shakes. His unexpected placement of high notes was a highlight of his solos and his strong personality put him far ahead of the competition. In the 1920s, he played with the Ohio Lucky... [+] Read More

One of the great Dixieland trumpeters, Wild Bill Davison had a colorful and emotional style that ranged from sarcasm to sentimentality with plenty of growls and shakes. His unexpected placement of high notes was a highlight of his solos and his strong personality put him far ahead of the competition. In the 1920s, he played with the Ohio Lucky Seven, the Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra (with whom he made his recording debut), the Seattle Harmony Kings, and Benny Meroff. After he was involved in a fatal car accident that ended the life of Frankie Teschemacher in 1932 (his auto was blindsided by a taxi), Davison spent the remainder of the 1930s in exile in Milwaukee. By 1941, he was in New York and in 1943 made some brilliant recordings for Commodore (including a classic version of "That's a Plenty") that solidified his reputation. After a period in the Army, Davison became a fixture with Eddie Condon's bands starting in 1945, playing nightly at Condon's. In the 1950s, he was quite effective on a pair of albums with string orchestras, but most of his career was spent fronting Dixieland bands either as a leader or with Condon. Wild Bill toured Europe often from the 1960s, recorded constantly, had a colorful life filled with remarkable episodes, and was active up until his death. A very detailed 1996 biography (The Wildest One by Hal Willard) has many hilarious anecdotes and shows just how unique a life Wild Bill Davison had. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Nobody ever heard this group perform in front of the public, although each of the players had plenty of bandstand experience. The Charleston Chasers existed only as a studio recording ensemble, first as another way of saying Red Nichols & His 5 Pennies, then as Columbia's all-purpose jazz machine. Nichols himself appeared on the 1927 and 1928... [+] Read More

Nobody ever heard this group perform in front of the public, although each of the players had plenty of bandstand experience. The Charleston Chasers existed only as a studio recording ensemble, first as another way of saying Red Nichols & His 5 Pennies, then as Columbia's all-purpose jazz machine. Nichols himself appeared on the 1927 and 1928 recordings, while Miff Mole, stern emperor of the trombone, held everyone together over several years' worth of solid jazz, beginning in 1925 with "Red Hot Henry Brown" and its flip side, "Loud Speakin' Papa." These sound like Bix Beiderbecke in all the right ways. "Someday, Sweetheart" is a masterpiece of evenly paced group reflection. "After You've Gone" is really a smoker! There are wonderful moments with Joe Tarto (posthumously proclaimed "Titan of the Tuba") and pianist Arthur Schutt, most notably on his own composition, "Delirium." We're lucky to be able to savor the authentically pixillated personality of Pee Wee Russell, or the magnificence of the mighty Fud Livingston, whose "Red Hair and Freckles" is the definitive example of how this band sounded in 1929. The 14 instrumentals included in this package are by far the most satisfying of the lot. Jimmy Dorsey had much to do with that, as he and trumpeter Leo McConville pop up more often than anyone else. As for the singers, Kate Smith sounds surprisingly OK in 1927, hardly the flag-draped matron she later became. With a little cocaine she could've maybe done time as one of the dozen or so women whose voices went into the making of Betty Boop. The closest she ever got to being even remotely hip was on "I'm Gonna Meet My Sweetie Now." Craig Leitch's vocal on "Sugar Foot Strut" would have fit well with one of Harry Reser's golly-gee ensembles. Leitch sounds like his ears stuck way out and he must have worn a tiny, checkered bow tie. Tentative vocalist Scrappy Lambert, backed by guitarist Carl Kress, sings about "darkies" on the song "Mississippi Mud." Bing Crosby also recorded this tune with Bix and Tram, and thought nothing of pronouncing the offensive word. (In later years some thoughtful individual replaced that racial slur with the generic term "people." In fact, "people beat their feet" tripled the rhyme.) The best vocalist to sing with this band was Eva Taylor, wife of Clarence Williams. Her presence lends luster and charm to "What Wouldn't I Do for That Man!" and "Turn On the Heat." ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide [-] Hide

For this gig in Nevada, trombonist Turk Murphy had a much smaller group than usual, just a quartet with clarinetist Bob Helm, pianist Pete Clute and drummer Thad Vandon. The musicians play quite well but, due to the thinness of the band, the music was unreleased until 1998. At that time, Bill Carroll on tuba and banjoist John Gill tastefully... [+] Read More

For this gig in Nevada, trombonist Turk Murphy had a much smaller group than usual, just a quartet with clarinetist Bob Helm, pianist Pete Clute and drummer Thad Vandon. The musicians play quite well but, due to the thinness of the band, the music was unreleased until 1998. At that time, Bill Carroll on tuba and banjoist John Gill tastefully overdubbed rhythm parts to make the music sound more complete; one would not know that they were playing more than 30 years after the original performances. On most selections, Helm takes the melody (filling in for the absent trumpet) while Murphy provides boisterous harmonies. The repertoire was strong and even the seven vocals (four by Helm and three from the leader) work out well. Pete Clute has a few ragtime features (a la Wally Rose) and other highlights include "Doctor Jazz," "Railroad Blues," "Runnin' Wild," "Big Butter and Egg Man" and "Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night." ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide [-] Hide

To the extent that "best of" equates to "greatest hits," this budget album does not justify its title, since none of the eight recordings, which EMI-Capitol licensed from Intersound, are among the chart singles Al Hirt recorded for RCA Victor in the 1960s. But it does feature well-recorded and well-performed versions of many of the New Orleans... [+] Read More

To the extent that "best of" equates to "greatest hits," this budget album does not justify its title, since none of the eight recordings, which EMI-Capitol licensed from Intersound, are among the chart singles Al Hirt recorded for RCA Victor in the 1960s. But it does feature well-recorded and well-performed versions of many of the New Orleans Dixieland standards with which the trumpeter is identified, such as "Basin Street Blues," "Sweet Georgia Brown," and "When The Saints Go Marching In," so some fans, especially jazz enthusiasts, may find this a more satisfying collection than one that included "Java" and Hirt's other more pop-oriented tracks. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide [-] Hide

When one thinks of the year 1945 in relationship to jazz history, the bebop revolution comes quickly to mind for some listeners, while others may think of the end of the big-band era. However, at that point in time, the Dixieland revival was also gaining momentum. Many of the top classic jazz musicians who came to maturity in the 1920s were... [+] Read More

When one thinks of the year 1945 in relationship to jazz history, the bebop revolution comes quickly to mind for some listeners, while others may think of the end of the big-band era. However, at that point in time, the Dixieland revival was also gaining momentum. Many of the top classic jazz musicians who came to maturity in the 1920s were still only in their forties at the most, and, if anything, had grown as players through the years even while the continual evolution of jazz was in danger of passing them by. Cornetist Muggsy Spanier, a basic but sincere and heartfelt improviser, and the eccentric and highly original clarinetist Pee Wee Russell were certainly in peak form in 1945, as shown on the 18 selections that comprise this consistently exciting CD. With a supporting cast that includes Lou McGarity or Miff Mole on trombone, sometimes Ernie Caceres on baritone, and rhythm sections headed by pianist Gene Schroeder, Spanier and Russell romp their way through a variety of Dixieland warhorses and a few original blues. Among the many highlights are "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry," "That's a Plenty," "You're Lucky to Me," and "My Honey's Lovin' Arms." Although some Dixieland dates by the mid-'50s could be a bit tired and predictable, the music in the '40s usually had a fresh excitement and a joy that is difficult to resist; both Spanier and Russell rarely sounded better. Dixieland fans can consider this 1998 CD reissue to be essential. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide [-] Hide

On January 9, 1935, Rex Stewart made his first records with Duke Ellington. Clearly, Duke was already a very strong presence in the young cornetist's musical life. "Stingaree," recorded on December 12, 1934, by Rex Stewart & His Orchestra, sounds more than a bit like "Stompy Jones," recorded by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra on January 9, 1934.... [+] Read More

On January 9, 1935, Rex Stewart made his first records with Duke Ellington. Clearly, Duke was already a very strong presence in the young cornetist's musical life. "Stingaree," recorded on December 12, 1934, by Rex Stewart & His Orchestra, sounds more than a bit like "Stompy Jones," recorded by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra on January 9, 1934. "Baby, Ain't You Satisfied" was the flip side of "Stingaree," issued on a 78-rpm Vocalion record bearing the serial number 2800. This is the kind of information that the Classics Chronological reissue series provides in its discographies, by the way. You can savor the gradual evolution of an artist's career while poring over recording data and neat little lists of personnel. One name that stands out from the "Stingaree" session is reedman Rudy Powell, who was distinguishing himself in the company of Fats Waller during this same time period. Powell's verbal expostulations during "Satisfied" are as funky and funny as those gruff outbursts usually spoken by Waller or Louis Armstrong. These two numbers are the perfect curtain-raiser for an unusually diverse musical profile. Many of Stewart's best and most often reissued recordings were made under the auspices of Irving Mills and Duke Ellington. Here at last is a collection that expands the lens to include music well outside of that familiar ground. Rex Stewart's Big Seven made four sides on behalf of the Hot Record Society in the summer of 1940. Stewart led his Big Eight on a Keynote date in June of 1944. A slightly reconstituted Big Eight slapped down three contemporary-sounding tracks for Capitol in January 1945. Another octet, now billed as Stewart's "Orchestra," made four records for Parlophone in July 1945. Finally, there is the wild and woolly Mercury session of February 8, 1946. Seldom has an essential segment of Rex Stewart's career been so carefully represented on one disc. The Hot Record Society session glows with the rhythmically magical combination of Wellman Braud and Davey Tough. A slow drag entitled "Solid Rock" is exceptionally passionate and blue. The Keynote sides, especially "Zaza" and "Swamp Mist," are marvelous pieces of chamber jazz, graced with the minds of pianist Johnny Guarnieri and the great Harry Carney, who brought along his bass clarinet. Great changes in style took place within the span of time represented by this CD. A particularly good year for the appearance of young whips who seemed always to be looking ahead, like Earl Bostic and Al Sears, was 1945. There is a smoky tenor sax solo by Stafford "Pazuzza" Simon on "That's Rhythm." A 1946 remake of the famous Ellington/Stewart collaboration "Boy Meets Horn," a funky "Jug Blues," and the outrageous "B.O. Blues" demonstrate Stewart's increasingly eccentric approach to artistic expression and musical entertainment. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide [-] Hide