CD: JOE ROBICHAUX, 1929-1933: 24 tracks including all titles under his own name (with the New Orleans Rhythm Boys) and as accompanist to Christina Gray. JAZZ ORACLE BDW 8057. www.jazzoracle.com

It’s probably not worth what little reputation I have in this cliche-ridden world to suggest that the pianist Joe Robichaux is one of the great forgotten men of Jazz – but the description is apt enough. There is not a word about him in Marshall Stearns’ Story of Jazz, and he merits only a single, very brief mention in James Lincoln Collier’s Making of Jazz; Gitler’s monumental Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz ignores him until the 1994 edition (by which time he’d been dead for nearly 30 years). And yet, he and other musician members of his family (in particular his uncle, John Robichaux) were amongst those who shaped and guided black music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were there as jazz grew and developed; if anyone did, they saw it happen.

John Robichaux, Joe’s uncle, was a multi-instrumentalist – though he first learnt to play drums – who led a number of highly successful society orchestras in New Orleans from the mid-1890s onwards; he was credited by guitarist Bud Scott with having ‘cut’ Buddy Bolden’s band at a contest in Lincoln Park (in 1907). Later, he held down a long engagement at the Lyric Theatre and became a major band-contractor in the city. He wrote his own arrangements and was also a noted composer: by the time he died (1939), he was credited with over 350 songs. Although he never recorded, his memory at least is preserved at Tulane University, New Orleans, where his musical legacy is archived. That of his nephew, Joseph, is another matter.

If Joe Robichaux comes to the attention of the average vintage jazz collector at all, it’s as the pianist heard (somewhat distantly because of the odd recording balance in the empty Astoria Ballroom) on the four sides recorded by Jones’ & Collins’ Astoria Hot Eight in 1929: his solos on three of these show a pianist with the rhythmic complexity of Earl Hines and the harmonic depth of Jelly-Roll Morton, whom he claimed to have heard on one occasion in New Orleans. His musical upbringing was in the company of luminaries like Punch Miller, Oscar Celestin and Kid Rena and his piano teacher was Armand Piron’s pianist, Steve Lewis; though by the time he got on record, influences from further afield had clearly shifted him away from the classic New Orleans piano style. He no doubt heard many other styles during his days on tour with the Black Eagles and several circus bands through the south, and from the time he spent in Chicago, where his father had moved and where Robichaux was playing at the same time as King Oliver and pianist Clarence Jones. He returned to New Orleans in the mid-20s.

The Hines element in Robichaux’ style is much to the fore in the two accompaniments to Christina Gray (and Joe Lawrence on one side), a vaudeville artist the record companies of the time often liked to call ‘comedienne’. His rather laid-back playing perfectly complements her slightly saucy lyrics; The Reverend Is My Man is one of several songs over the years that take a suggestive line on the relationship between the preacher and the women in his flock and is a good listen. But Christina Gray offered little distinctive in her singing and she made no other recordings.

Sometime in the depths of the Depression, while Joe Robichaux was leading a band at the Paradise Club in New Orleans, an ARC talent spotter offered them the chance of a short series of recordings in New York. Robichaux apparently intended to make a substantial affair out of the trip and tried to line up club dates as well, no doubt to make it rather more lucrative. However, he ran into serious problems with the Musicians Union Local, and the band had to head straight back south after five days of intensive recording – from August 22nd to 26th, 1933.

What emerged from these sessions tells us almost as much about ARC / Vocalion as it does about the band. The company – especially those people who ran the Vocalion subsidiary – seem to have taken a very laissez-faire approach, letting the band get on with playing, whilst doing what they could to cope with the acoustic problems this threw their way. This had the huge advantage – from our point of view – of putting on wax a group pretty much as it much have sounded on the club bandstand; but for the recording engineers, it must have seemed like musical Armageddon`85Ward Crosby is a drummer described as having feet that were "kind of heavy". He must have worn out a thousand bass-drum pedals in his time! He lays down a four-beat rhythm that’s so solid it almost nails you to the wall (metaphors don’t come much more mixed than that, but when you listen to the music, you’ll hear what I mean). It dominates the recordings and accounts for the fact that so many of the few surviving 78s by the band are littered with stripped grooves; this situation was aggravated by Eugene Ware’s punching trumpet playing and the sharp tone of Gene Porter’s clarinet, both of which helped steel needles to tear even more off the groove walls. Almost uniquely, all these sides, with the exception of Lazybones, begin with very audible foot-taps, which somehow contrives to increase the urgency of the rhythmic impulse that drives them all along. It may well be this was seen as a useful sales gimmick for what would otherwise be an unknown band to most record-buyers – an early example of a USP! (There’s a curious echo of this in the early Phil Harris sides made for Vocalion in Los Angeles: someone apparently suggested trying a fade-in / fade-out, and the engineers seemed so taken with this, they did it on almost every track.)

The tight, hard-driving rhythm is what first strikes you about Joseph Robechaux and his New Orleans Rhythm Boys (this spelling error occurs on all the Vocalion labels and persisted into most subsequent re-issues and discographies) – and is especially noticeable on tunes like Every Tub (another take on Tiger Rag), where the bass-drum thunders along like a musical juggernaut, scattering all before it. There’s no string bass to give it ‘lift’, but fortunately, it’s balanced by a well disciplined front line. The arrangements, by Robichaux himself, are spare but perfect for such a small group: these six (seven? – Rust lists a banjo as well as a guitar) men often sound like a band of almost twice that number. On the faster tunes – and some of them are very fast – they sail through quite complex section work with ease and the solo work throughout is exceptional - you’re unlikely to hear Ring Dem Bells or I Would Do Anything For You taken at quite such a cracking pace as here and with such skilful solo as well as ensemble playing. On the slower tunes, the band has a lovely, warm sound: Just Like A Falling Star and She Don’t Love Me are fine examples and show a subtlety of approach that’s in quite startling contrast to the hell-raising of the other numbers.

This was music, then, that, quite apart from the technical problems recording it must have posed, would also have sounded quite rough and strange to the ears of listeners in Northern cities, who, by 1933, were more accustomed to larger, smoother orchestras, even from the eclectic monthly lists that Vocalion offered. It’s not clear at this distance exactly whom the company expected to sell these records to and I suspect they probably didn’t have too much idea themselves. ARC was a sprawling organisation that relied on a proliferation of labels and much sharing of recording masters, with tied outlets to get their sales figures, but the Brunswick / Vocalion stable tended to record much more out-and-out jazz and blues than the rest of the corporation. Even so, the A&R man’s nerve must have begun to fail him as the five days of recording with the Robichaux outfit progressed: on day 5, vocalist Chick Bullock, who might well have adopted the initials ARC as his middle name, was drafted in to give a few sides ‘buyer appeal’ and, to a degree, it worked. Swingy Little Thingy was a big seller, and was released in both the UK and Europe (on Rex and Kristall): the Rex issue still turns up with remarkable frequency, and almost always worn out by repeated playing.

But, for the rest, they remain amongst the rarer sides of the Depression era, and it’s even rarer still to find surviving discs in good condition. This CD offers you the lot, in clear, well re-mastered sound, all from obviously treasured copies with no trace of the wear that was inevitable once a steel needle was dropped into the groove. Mind you, it’s tough going`85the Rhythm Boys are relentless and you may well find your enjoyment increased by listening to them in small doses! But don’t be put off: these records offer us one of the few glimpses of how jazz was being played in New Orleans in the 30s – very different from New York or Chicago of the same period, and in some ways even more different from the music of New Orleans in the 20s. Robichaux himself said of his music in an interview with Jazz Journal in 1959 (quoted in the detailed liner notes to this CD), that "I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I’m playin’`85I’ll be makin’`85bop chords because I like it all and practice it all." He was open to new ideas and this shows not least in these sides, where he and the band have moved way beyond the musical bounds of their home town, and created some unique music at the same time.

MAX EASTERMAN

BOOK: RAGGING IT. GETTING RAGTIME INTO HISTORY (AND SOME HISTORY INTO RAGTIME). By H. Loring White. Pub. iUniverse, Inc. $27.95. 420pp, Softbound. Available online from www.iuniverse.com

If the momentous changes sweeping through the music industry, brought about by the internet revolution, are not enough, the world of publishing is having its own upheavals, caused in no small part by the same source. Time was when publishers effectively subsidised ‘serious’ books with money-spinning big name author titles. All was well with the world, the status quo neatly balanced. Along came the internet and it all went pear-shaped; Amazon changed the way books were sold, book sales and profits slumped, publishers cut back on non-profit-making books or cut them out of catalogue completely (remember when Greenwood did discographies?) and web-based self-published books are now one of the few remaining opportunities for non-mainstream subject matter.

This is VJM’s first review of the new generation of self-published books - the heroic efforts of the likes of our friends Chris Hillman and Arthur Badrock are still traditionally marketed and printed in small runs - the new generation books have print runs as low as one copy, thanks to digital technology and the internet. iUniverse are one of the leading companies in the self-publishing revolution, with affiliations with both Barnes & Noble and amazon.com, so have a good idea of where the market is going.

"Ragging It" by retired college professor H. Loring White is a fascinating, nay, brave attempt at doing with factual material what E.L. Doctrow did so successfully with fiction in his book "Ragtime" - blending the strands of musical, cultural, sociological and political history in one work. In this case the two dominating personalities are Scott Joplin and Theodore Roosevelt. Both of these towering figures of the period spanning the late 19th and early 20th century are analysed in depth, as well as the time and cultures in which they lived. Racial politics and some pretty shameful episodes in American history are covered in detail - and it has to be said that, dining with Booker T. Washington aside, Roosevelt doesn’t exactly come out smelling of roses.

White’s structure of the book means that it can be read on three levels - the politics, the music, or as an amalgam of the two. I’m not sure about this division, but it does mean that those not interested in the politics can skip whole sections whilst maintaining the general thrust of the work.

White not only covers Joplin, but his rivals, contemporaries, supporters and copyists. Black theatre and vaudeville, particularly the business side, are extremely well-covered as are areas as disparate as railroads, amusement parks, the Panama Canal and World’s Fairs, and I discovered a lot of information that was new to me.

My biggest criticism of the book is the lack of original research. White’s knowledge of source material and publications, both contemporary and later is outstanding - the bibliography runs to ten pages of closely-printed text - and his interpretation of the work of others is exemplary. However there is little, if any, original research presented to the reader. The current trend is for researchers to go back to contemporary source material, rather than relying on later, interpretative sources, and here White does not score well. As a retired college professor I would suggest that interpretation rather than investigation is his strong point - and it shows. White has chosen to concentrate on a a huge slice of American history - i.e. the period 1895-1917, so it comes as no surprise that he leans heavily on the work of other scholars . A more closely-focused book would have collapsed without original research, but White just about gets away with it, although one is left with the feeling of having been lectured at.

As I said earlier, this is a brave attempt to look at both ragtime and the broader picture of the era in which it emerged and, with a few caveats, deserves a wider audience than I suspect that it will find. Give it a try.

MARK BERRESFORD

CD: PAUL WHITEMAN "KING OF JAZZ"; 1920-1927. TIMELESS CD 1-093. Marketed by Timeless Records, P.O. Box 201, 6700 AE WAGENINGEN, The Netherlands. http://www.timeless-records.com

Mention the Paul Whiteman Orchestra to the majority of Classic Jazz collectors, and as like as not it will produce two reactions, one that he styled himself the "King Of Jazz", and secondly that he either wasted or did not fully utilise the talents of the star musicians like Bix Beiderbecke who worked for him in the later 1920s. Neither of these views are correct, but then Paul Whiteman has always been something of a controversial figure in jazz history.

Those collectors who do keep and listen to Whiteman's recordings of the 1920s invariably confine these to the later issues, when such as Frank Trumbauer and Bix can be heard. The early sides have always tended to be overlooked, and Timeless have now rectified this by putting out a CD of the best of the titles made up to 1927.

It has to be said that the majority of the earlier titles are not of earth-shattering interest, although by and large probably no better or worse than as played by other bands of the time. However, Charlestonette and Charleston ( the latter complete with an unissued Take) are well worth hearing, and Charleston is quite difficult to find in its original form. (I have to say, however, that on comparing this with the recording made by the Savoy Orpheans in England about the same time, the Orpheans were definitely the hotter outfit!)

Bell Hoppin' Blues is a fine version of this title, and is followed by a "concert arrangement" of St Louis Blues which is largely successful, although I could have done without Mario Perry's accordion. Both Wistful and Blue and Muddy Water have vocals by Bing Crosby, and some excellent bass work by Al Armer, a musician who really should be better known.

I'm Coming Virginia and Side by Side (both with an unissued alternate master) are perhaps the stand-out tracks on this CD. Whilst the first title is not as good as the legendary Trumbauer version, these are nevertheless fine sides, with noticeably different solos by Red Nichols on each Take. I have to admit Side by Side is not a title I've ever liked much, but these are two of the better renditions of this tune, again with noticeably different solos by Nichols between the two takes.

Love and Kisses is more than somewhat on the "symphonic side", but there is another fine solo by Nichols.

It has to be said this CD is not likely to be at the top of everyone's buying list, but there are sufficient tracks of interest to make this worth picking up. Transfers seem to be from good copies, and the liner notes by Ate van Delden shed a good deal of light on a lesser-known period in the life of Paul Whiteman.

JOE MOORE

CD: GEORGE WEIN ALL STARS: Alive and Well in Mexico. Mosaic Singles. 1018. Mosaic Records 35 Melrose Place, Stamford CT. 06902 USA. www.mosaicrecords.com

The set dates from 1967 when Wein took Ruby Braff, Bud Freeman Pee Wee Russell, Don Lomand and Jack Lesberg to Mexico for a series of concerts. These are also Pee Wee Russell final commercial recordings.

Pee Wee at this time was controversial because the traditionalists felt he’d betrayed them, going off to record with Thelonious Monk and playing from John Coltrane’s repertoire. Wein helped arrange the session with Monk, a live Newport recording, where Pee Wee didn’t really fit. He’d never played with Monk before, and walking into Monk’s music cold would be rather like the feeling I in Bombay when I was let off a train (bomb scare) in a strange neighborhood without a street map.

Still, Pee Wee’s modernity comes mainly in the fact that he no longer adhered to strict time (Monk’s time may have been his own, but he kept close to it) and the infinite variety in his sound, which is where this set comes in.

While Braff and stalwart tenorman Bud Freeman keep their joyous swing-era romps, Russell sometimes meanders in and out like a curious onlooker who finds himself in the middle of a parade. Drummer Don Lomand gets it. As soon as Pee Wee comes in, he shifts from keeping time, to playing drums.

The first tune, an extended version of I Never Knew, shows both the trad and modern Pee Wee while the Blues for Puebla offers him an extended showcase to journey from his iconic raspy tone and cracked notes to an almost cool sound.

Musicians understood his individuality, which is why Monk was happy to have him on stage for a recorded concert, but the "Dixieland" label stayed with him in the minds of fans and critics. Anyway, Pee Wee hardly gave a damn. He wasn’t in it for the money.

Before Lester Young came along, there was the Bud Freeman style of tenor sax that evolved side by side with Coleman Hawkins. Freeman, who never adjusted to big bands or post-1945 jazz (though he did study with Lennie Tristano) still played with passion and verve on this set – wrapping around a lovely Have You Met Miss Jones. Here the rendezvous is a romantic one, not the sassy style which we usually hear in this song. (Bud was still playing great into the 1980s, when I stopped in to hear him playing with Doc Cheatham and Benny Morton.) Freeman also anchors the ensembles playing a perfect foil to Ruby Braff’s lead. Braff, the ultra-dependable Bobby Hackett stylist has a beautiful outing on I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.

George Wein, better known as the convener of the Newport Jazz Festival, is an imaginative mainstream pianist who isn’t afraid to drop in an occasion Monk-ism or Bud Powell quote into the middle of Take the A Train and Blue and Sentimental.

The set includes three tracks, Honeysuckle Rose, Rosetta and ‘S Wonderful (featuring "time-less" Pee Wee at his best) which were never on the original Columbia LP.

Jazz such as this is timeless, but cover art often is not. The original cover, in the pre-PC days, featured three "Bandidos" in large sombreros holding revolvers to Mr. Wein’s nose. Mosaic, which insists on historical accuracy, left the cover piece and issued an apology inside.

Purists who lament jazz changing after 1945 may not quite get a handle on Pee Wee but all others will thoroughly enjoy this set, and the newly issued material

RUSS SHOR.

CD: KING OLIVER - ‘BLUES SINGERS & HOT BANDS ON OKEH,’ 1924-1929. Frog DGF68.  www.frogrecords.co.uk

King Oliver’s recorded output has been justly prized by both record collectors and jazz fans alike since the 1930s, when the first reissues of the Creole Jazz Band Gennetts appeared in England in 1936. Since then (like Caruso) some of his records have never been out of catalogue - as the late John R.T. Davies remarked, the Oliver Creole Jazz Band records should be remastered every ten years to keep pace with technology. Indeed the Creole Band sides have recently been issued on a Grammy award-winning set from Off The Record and the Victors appeared on two CDs on the Frog label. Here Frog have turned their attention to Oliver’s recordings made, either as accompanist or sideman, for the OKeh label, one of the final gaps in the Oliver catalogue, on CD at least.

Okeh’s recording engineers were artists of their craft, getting results every bit as good and usually a whole lot better than the industry big boys. This CD covers the last two years of their use of acoustic recording equipment and the start of electric recording, and the results amply demonstrate their technical prowess.

The CD opens with two tracks made in New York by Butterbeans and Susie, two well-known cross-talk vaudeville comedians. Oliver was in New York seeking work opportunities and visiting his old friend Clarence Williams, who organised the session. I’ve long enjoyed the wry humour of Construction Gang, not to mention Oliver’s wonderful introduction and 16-bar solo.

The three sides made back in Chicago in early 1925 by Sippie Wallace, accompanied by Oliver and Sippie’s 15-year old(!) brother Hersal Thomas are a wonderful combination of majesty and verve; young Hersal’s barrelhouse piano - light years away from Clarence Williams’ plodding - is the perfect foil to Oliver’s wailing cornet and Sippie’s stately delivery. Try Every Dog Has His Day (almost certainly Sippie’s personal comment on her disastrous marriage) and see what I mean!

Three years elapse between the Sippie Wallace tracks and the next OKeh session; in between Oliver had led his Dixie Syncopators at the Plantation Cafe in Chicago but, on the club’s closure and fire, Oliver found himself out of work. A move to New York ensued and once again Oliver found himself working for Clarence Williams. Gum disease and tooth troubles were to torment Oliver thenceforward, but on good days he was as good as ever. Red River Blues features both Oliver and Williams’ usual cornetist, the dependable Ed Allen. A month later Oliver was back at OKeh with the Williams orchestra to wax two great sides - Lazy Mama and Mountain City Blues. It has to be borne in mind that one these and the other Williams band sides, Oliver plays a subordinate role to Ed Allen, who tends to take the greater share of the solo passages. However, Oliver gets a fine 8-bar spot on Lazy Mama and on Mountain City Blues takes a stunning 8-bar muted solo.

Elizabeth Johnson, an obscure and unremarkable singer covers Bessie Smith’s classic two-parter, Empty Bed Blues - her only recording for OKeh, with accompaniment from Oliver and Clarence Williams. Oliver’s playing is sparse but assured, restricting his playing to fill-ins.

Even worse as a performer was Hazel Smith, who had a voice that could strip paint at twenty paces, and Oliver’s contributions to his own composition West End Blues and Get Up Off Your Knees are the only redeeming features of these sides.

A much more interesting performer was Victoria Spivey, who also benefits from an accompaniment that includes guitarist Eddie Lang, who steals the show. Organ Grinder appears as both the regular take and and unissued test.

Lang appears again with Oliver on two sides by Texas Alexander - again he is heavily featured, but Oliver does get opportunities to play some classy fills. Three days later Oliver, Lang and Williams were back at the OKeh studio with studio drummer Justin Ring to wax the classics In The Bottle Blues and What Ya Want Me To Do? Oliver’s range is restricted but his rhythmic intensity and surprising rapport with Lang are outstanding.

The final two tracks are still hotly debated over - are they Oliver or Tommy Dorsey? They are the Jet Black Blues and Blue Blood Blues by Blind Willie Dunn’s Gin Bottle Four - obvious attempts to recreate the relative success of the two prior tracks. Lang and Lonnie Johnson are plainly enjoying themselves, whilst the cornet or trumpet work is outstanding, be it Dorsey or Oliver. I’ll let you decide who it is - but I have my own opinion!

Transfers by Ted Kendall are clean, though I feel that the acoustic sides in particular have a slightly ‘overdone’ sound to them. John Capes’ liner notes are as informative as ever and the whole package is up to Frog’s usual standard. My only regret is that space could not be found for the three Oliver alternate takes ‘missed’ off the two Frog volumes devoted to his Victor recordings, which would have meant that all of Oliver’s post-Creole Jazz Band output would have been available on one record label - a shame.

Recommended.

MARK BERRESFORD

CDs: JUST ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS! Original Jazz Recordings from 1948-1956. Smith & Co Sound & Vision BV, PO Box 1620 AR Hoorn, The Netherlands. SCCD 1140 (Barber) 1141 (Colyer), 1142 (Lyttleton), 1143 (Great British Jazz). 3 Double CDs featuring the Bands of Humphrey Lyttleton, Ken Colyer and Chris Barber and 1 Double CD featuring a cross-section of British Traditional Jazz by other bands from the same period.   www.smithco.nl  

I’m not certain to what extent that the readers of this estimable magazine are in accord with the UK Traditional Jazz movement.. The VJM world of the serious jazz collector and researcher and that of the energetic dancers and fervid New Orleans devotees to be found at live jazz clubs and festivals can sometimes appear to be at variance with one another. In general, few from either camp are to be found enjoying both worlds.

That statement may have its exceptions, of course, but that has been my general observation of both areas of activity for many years. Ne’er the twain shall meet? Maybe!

All of which is as good a way as any of introducing these 2-CD sets to the VJM readership. A point could be made, at this juncture perhaps, that these recordings, being over fifty years old, may well qualify for vintage status in their own right!

The recently-deceased and late-lamented Humphrey Lyttleton, Chris Barber & Ken Colyer have certainly been the primemovers and shakers of traditional jazz in the UK, through the years covered by these records, and beyond. These three gentlemen have also added their own individuality to their respective bands, and each have had their own devoted group of followers.

It can be said, with a degree of accuracy, that Chris Barber and Ken Colyer between them (perhaps unwittingly) founded what has come to be known as the ‘British Trad Sound’ with Barber to the fore in terms of mass popularity. Ken Colyer, although credited with being the father of New Orleans fundamentalist jazz in this country, had a far wider taste in jazz than his die-hard followers probably realised.

However, after listening to over four hours of these two men’s early 1950s output, it seems both leaders were in thrall, at some extent, to Bill Russell’s 1940s New Orleans recordings. No piano for a start, making their rhythm sections sound very thin - the result of which being the over- recorded bass and banjo (too piercing, man!) I find this rather surprising, as many these recordings were made for Decca, and as such, one would have thought their expertise and their famous FFRR recordings would have overcome this.

Barber and Colyer, no doubt, had their reasons for not using the piano, although Colyer occasionally used Ray Foxley & Ray Smith at different times. These recordings as a result, at least for me, lose a certain attraction, but it has to be said that the piano-less rhythm section (like it or not) became the norm for many UK traditional jazz bands.

Both leaders used some of the best musicians available, who were no doubt familiar with this style of jazz, and in this respect one must mention Barber’s trumpet man, Pat Halcox, an excellent player, Monty Sunshine, whose George Lewis -inspired clarinet style found many adherents and Ian Wheeler, the clarinettist to be heard on the Colyer CD, showing just a touch of Ed Hall at times.

Overall, there are some variations of approach to individual numbers but few arranged passages to make the number more interesting to the listener. This sort of straight-ahead approach, (as typified by the American Music records) may well be acceptable in a club or concert environment but becomes generally less attractive on recording, I’ve always felt. I would however exclude from this latter comment Ken Colyer’s method in tackling the Ragtime selections - all of which have had a great deal of thought and no doubt, rehearsal applied to them. Harlem Rag, Cataract Rag and The Entertainer are good examples of a band approach to what is basically a piano music, and Colyer may have been influenced along these lines by Papa Mutt Carey’s 1947 recordings for Century.

Chris Barber’s repertoire judged from this CD programme shows his awareness of Classic period material (e.g. Wild Cat Blues, Saratoga Swing, Sweet Savannah Sue and Olga), and indeed he is known to be a keen collector and Ellington enthusiast. Ottilie Patterson (Weeping Willow Blues) and Monty Sunshine (Petite Fleur) have some of their feature numbers included. There are also some examples to be found of the jazz spiritual (Lead Me On, The Old Rugged Cross and Lord, You’ve Sure Been Good to Me, etc) and some 1951 Washboard Wonders recordings (from Esquire 78s) with an earlier band line-up featuring the late-lamented cornetist Ben Cohen. All of which could be said to present a fairly broad approach to traditional jazz.

Ken Colyer’s band, on other hand, stays true to the generally accepted New Orleans repertoire, which no doubt was what his fans demanded. Moose March, Creole Song, Maryland my Maryland and Bucket’s Got a Hole in It would be typical examples. The previously-mentioned Ragtime numbers make an pleasing alternative to the rest of the programme.

So on to Humphrey Lyttleton, a giant in stature and achievement. We are presented with a total of 44 titles from this period, starting with transfers from what must now be some very rare London Jazz and Tempo 78s, made in 1948. These records demonstrate a lively attack, and show that Lyttleton was, at this time, streets ahead of any competition when it came to jazz trumpet playing. Lyttleton was able to employ some of the UK’s leading jazz musicians, including Wally Fawkes, Johnny Parker and, later on, Keith Christie and the one and only Bruce Turner, all of whom contribute to this well varied selection.

Lyttleton was constantly searching for alternate approaches to jazz within the accepted framework before moving into the mainstream - It is regrettable that his collaborations with the Graeme Bell musicians (Lazy Ade’s Late Hour Boys) and the Grant-Lyttleton Paseo Jazz Band (experiments with a West Indian rhythm section) were not included in this collection, however.

For those who prefer a random selection of bands on their CDs, (useful to play in the car), the last one in this series may be appropriate. Most of the well known bands and leaders are featured and a non-selective list would include, Cy Laurie, Freddie Randall, Sandy Brown, Alex Welsh, Acker Bilk and Mick Mulligan, all of whom could safely be said to have made their respective marks on the British jazz scene. With 46 items on the two CDs this represents pretty good value for money.

The transfers from the 78s are clean and listenable, but as a caveat there is an unproven rumour going round that these CDs in part may have been lifted from earlier officially remastered re-issues by another company. Notes to each CD are by Dave Travis, but as there are no discographical details provided whatsoever, this, together with the previous comment, is a serious detriment to what is an otherwise interesting re-issue programme.

Collectors of British Jazz may already have most of these recordings in either their original 78rpm form or LP or CD, and as such, are advised to check their collections before purchase.

JOHN COLLINSON

CD: JONAH JONES at the EMBERS. Mosaic Singles. 1017. Mosaic Records 35 Melrose Place, Stamford CT. 06902 USA. www.mosaicrecords.com

Jonah Jones could frighten the daylights out of Coleman Hawkins and just about any other musician back in the late 1930s. He first recorded with Stuff Smith’s where he and drummer made a truly explosive team. Jonah and Cole joined Cab Calloway in 1940. Calloway featuring Jonah in a few recordings, then for eleven years, he was basically submerged into doing occasional wah-wahs behind Minnie the Moocher. No criticism intended. Few players raised on swing kept their careers going as Bop, the Cool and Hard Bop ascended and, as this set, recorded in 1956, attests, Jonah never ventured into the new music.

Jonah Jones took a quartet into the Embers restaurant late in 1955, after he’d played in Paris for several years and, more recently, New York "society" orchestras. This collection, featuring pop standards and 1920s jazz tunes kicked off what would be a wildly successful second career. By the early 1960s, Jonah’s formula of swinging jazz held in check by tight mutes had placed him at the top of the album hit charts. A couple of singles actually encroached into Elvis Presley territory on the Top 40 pop charts.

In jazz, success often invited criticism and critics and more modern musician made no exception for Jonah Jones. One critic, discussing a later album, lamented that Jonah "used to play trumpet."

Jonah’s music has not been heard much since the 1970s and this hiatus gives us space to take a fresh look at his playing.

After listening to Harry Edison’s tightly muted solos on the Lester Young/Basie collection described above, we can infer the obvious – muted or open, great playing is just that. And, there are many great moments in this collection, especially on the standards. (Perhaps I am burned out on Muskrat Ramble, but it was my least favorite). Learnin the Blues, a Frank Sinatra stalwart, is gorgeous as it Something’s Gotta Give and Lullaby of Broadway. Tin Roof Blues begins languidly enough but then segues into Willow Tree and then morphs into Snag It that opens the window to a lot of fresh, enjoyable air.

The fire that caused Hawkins and others to approach Jones warily is very much there, especially on Lullaby of Broadway where he really rolls in the finale. One wishes he’d uncover the horn sometimes, but it is still very real jazz made by a great musician even if there were concessions to the "easy listening" market. Think of what happened to such jazz in more recent times - Grover Washington or Kenny G in 24-track overdubs with electronics replacing soul – and one can appreciate this collection.

Jones is ably supported by George Rhodes, a pianist who drew inspiration from George Shearing. As such, he’s a much more inspired accompanist than soloist who feeds Jones just the right chords and pushes the heat at the opportune moments. Drummer Harold Austin stays with brushwork here; cymbals and bass drums probably didn’t fit the muted jazz format. .

This set, recorded in 1956, was originally released on RCA’s Groove label. It saw limited promotion and did not sell well. A few years later, however, Jonah and the quartet struck gold with Capitol Records, prompting RCA to re-release it on its main label.

Jonah’s commercial success a few years later created demand among the supper club set for muted jazz trumpet which helped other swing era hornmen, Erskine Hawkins, Clark Terry and Bobby Hackett among them, to keep their audiences. And, many years later Wynton Marsalis recorded in a similar format to much stronger critical acclaim.

So, have a fresh listen to an old friend.

RUSS SHOR

CD: STU PLETCHER - The Story of Stewart Pletcher. Jazz Oracle BDW 8055 www.jazzoracle.com

First: I always thought of him and had always heard of him as Stew Pletcher, but I stand corrected, because Stu is how his son refers to him. Then, I'd also heard him described as the only person who could really sound like Bix, in Bix's lifespan; and I have to hew to my conviction that no-one sounds like Bix, least of all the people who are described as sounding like Bix. I'd only ever had one of his records on 78, so I've had to reserve judgment. Now all is revealed.

Jazz Oracle has this fun mission, stimulated not least by the quirky nature of its former president, of reissuing material never available before. This would seem to be one of its typical projects. Its motto seems to be "Get it out there!" The material they issue is a blend of the fringe and the arcane. So, for me, it is always a revelation when Jazz Oracle comes out with a new CD, because I can all but guarantee it will contain something I haven't heard.

This Pletcher release is no exception. It's essentially the life-output of a journeyman who never made the big time, never made the newspapers, had a recording career with some success, looked after a family and a business through the Jazz Age, the Depression and the years up to and after the war, and who died, according to his son, thinking of himself as having achieved little in his lifetime.

Yet Stu Pletcher's life touched a lot of people who became household names; Husk O'Hare, Pollack, Teagarden, Smith Ballew, Irving Aaronson. He's photographed here, with Louis, in later years, and as Tom Pletcher in the liner notes indicates, the death of friends Teagarden and Armstrong sent him into a depressive decline that only ended with his death in 1978.

As to the content, the CD starts any way but auspiciously. Covered Wagon Days is a classic "prep school" private recording; far too fast, a whining violin worthy of Layla, an inferior tune and a noodling gas-pipe clarinetist who wants all the glory. Tom Pletcher's notes point out that whenever the family would play this Columbia Personal, his mother (whose photograph is included in the notes - she was a BABE!) would convulse with laughter.

The Carl Webster Yale Collegians sides follow, complete; it may be from these Trumbaueresque sides that the "Bixian" label emanates. Certainly, Dream Child is a worthy comparator, complete with legato solo from Stu into a derby mute. Nonetheless, the following side, Puttin' On The Ritz may be familiar to the British enthusiast (or those lucky enough to own this great rarity), through its release on British Parlophone; and it shows a Pletcher with no Bixian overtones, indeed tending more towards Bubber Miley than Davenport's favoured son. In truth, the relationship to Beiderbecke is more that of circumstance than style. This is the Pletcher heyday, playing with a varsity band whose members' rich dads preclude their having to go out and earn a living, as Bix had done six years earlier. By this time, Bix was heading for his d`E9nouement in a sleazy New York hotel (incidentally, the place I spent my first night in the USA, though I didn't know it at the time. It was $12 a night in 1969.) Pletcher was merely repeating history, at leisure, as a comfortable Yalie. The recordings are competent rather than noteworthy, as are the Eli Prom Trotters' QRS sides.

The final three sides of the Websters are marred by a transfer from LP (and, knowing Ted Kendall, I can securely blame it on the source material) of What's the Use Of Living Without Love, on which the speed varies enough to render the side all but painful to listen to. This is made up for by the subsequent Blue Again.

Then follow two recordings of Stu accompanying himself on piano while singing, and we see, even through a worn acetate, what a competent and composite musician this man was. You're shaken out of the reverie by Ben Pollack's version of My Little Grass Shack In Kealakekua, Hawaii, which is about as campy-racist a piece of kitsch as you'll ever see, but it features beautiful cornet work by Stu and Charlie Spivak, with Gil Rodin providing a gorgeous sax bridge into a reprise of the noxious vocal. If there is a starring item on this CD, it is those beautiful 16 bars. I also, on hearing it, want to go back to my fish and poi.

The one Smith Ballew side is very much sui generis; but the Norvos that follow are a horse of a different colour. Decca Stomp is a steamer; great solos all around; not least from the leader of the band; Pletcher acquitting himself beautifully. Indeed, now that I hear them, I regret not having picked up the other Decca sides, I Got Rhythm and Lady Be Good when found, on various occasions. How easy it is to say "Red Norvo; now how good can this be?" The answer is, bloody marvellous!

The same band under Stu's own name makes the final session, a couple of weeks later. The music is delightful pre-war small-band swing; not, perhaps, the taste for ears attuned to the Red Hot Peppers, but that easy, lilting music that filled the airwaves before contemporary ears learned the sounds of gunfire in the subsequent years.

Two years ago, I reviewed this company's "Gift From The President" CD. Just like that compilation, this one represents a man's legacy. The notes, transfers and presentation are superb as is everything associated with Jazz Oracle, the more so because the man's son is associated with the product. And I hear John R. T. when I hear Herbie Haymer. Funny, as we get older, how ancient history and the recent past blend. I love this music, schmalz and all, and I hope you will, too.

MALCOLM SHAW

CD: THE PIZZARELLI BOYS. Sunday at Pete’s. Challenge Records 3259. www.challenge.nl

The Pizzarelli Family is part of a long traditional of Italian-American stringed instrument players – one can go back to Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti, Al Duffy (Diodone), John Cali to only scratch the surface. Bucky Pizzarelli, now 82, came of age in the middle of the Big Band era and played on a number of great albums with Venuti in the 1960s and 70s. He toured often with Benny Goodman until the leader’s death in 1986 and also recorded with Stephane Grappelli and the Three Sounds, under Gene Harris’ blues and gospel-drenched piano. John is better known for his singing (no vocals on this set) but recorded with George Shearing and Buddy De Franco among others.

This set, recorded in 2007, is a family album, as the title suggests; Bucky on amplified guitar, sons John on guitar and Martin on bass with Tony Tedesco on drums. The playing is a continuation of the informal family sessions that Bucky had with his elders when he was young so nearly all of the songs are from the 1920s and all the playing is straight ahead`85no electronic gimmickry. It sounds like Bucky is playing an amplified traditional hollow wood guitar here.

The opening, Sweet Sue, sets the tone for most of the fourteen tracks—a gentle medium tempoed opening with Bucky taking most of the solo time, starting tame and heating things up after the second chorus. Red Wing, an old folk tune is a bit countrified. Bye Bye Blues, Alabama Bound and Yes Sir, That’s My Baby are taken at a fast clip while Rosetta and You’re My Girl (a Frank Sinatra favorite) are ballads.

In an age where every shouts to be heard, here’s a set that invites LISTENING because there is lots of lovely playing all though the album—indeed guitar students will love taking in John’s acoustic rhythm playing—it’s a great
"hot-to" in itself. So, as the liner notes suggest, join the Pizzarelli Family, have a nice glass of wine with the aunts and uncles, sample the canollis and enjoy the music.

RUSS SHOR