BOB HOWARD AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1055 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

By September of 1937, Bob Howard had begun to outgrow his annoying habit of imitating Fats Waller's every nuance. Think of it -- as a Decca recording artist Howard was placed in the uncomfortable position of competing with Waller, Victor's hugely successful vocalist, pianist, and master of small-group swing. Earlier Howard recordings possess the power to drive Waller fans up the wall with irritation. Here, happily, the problem seems to have been (mostly) resolved, as Howard sounds more or less like himself, even when covering songs that were and still are almost entirely associated with Thomas Waller ("Beat It Out," "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry," and "She's Tall, She's Tan, She's Terrific"). When forging ahead into songs that seemed ripe for the Waller treatment (although, sadly, Waller never lived long enough to record them), Howard delivers the goods in a perfect combination of his own and Waller's styles. Most of the material packed into this portion of the Bob Howard chronology features the singer standing well away from the piano so as to be able to concentrate on singing his little heart out. Decca lined him up with consistently excellent players like trumpeter Eddie Farley, tenor saxophonist Babe Russin, guitarist Teddy Bunn, drummers O'Neill Spencer and Stan King, and pianists Frank Froeba and Billy Kyle. The winning combination of Kyle and Spencer makes some of this stuff sound a bit like a bracing preview of the John Kirby Sextet. There is a delightful treatment of "Casey Jones" and a perfectly reasonable rendering of Waller's "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now," constituting a rare example of Bob Howard/Decca paying composer royalties to Fats Waller/Victor. A reference to marijuana usage during "There Ain't Gonna Be No Doggone Afterwhile" seems to presage Howard's version of Stuff Smith's full-blown hymn to cannabis indulgence, "If You're a Viper." Legend has it that Fats Waller & His Rhythm also waxed a version of this happy opus in 1938, but the master recording was actually destroyed by a naïve and apparently brainwashed record company employee who panicked after apparently overdosing on Harry J. Anslinger/J. Edgar Hoover-inspired vice squad propaganda. Waller had his revenge when he cut a particularly lascivious rendition of the song for the Armed Forces' V-Disc label shortly before his early demise in 1943. This fascinating bundle of rare novelty swing closes with two rather scratchy sides recorded for the Atlantic label in 1947. Howard, back at the piano in the company of Everett Barksdale, John Simmons, and Cozy Cole, rendered up a delightful paean to "Mo'lasses" and a version of "Button Up Your Overcoat" that Ruth Etting certainly never dreamt of. This excellent disc is packed with tasty performances that are far superior to Bob Howard's earlier work. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Beat It Out    2:49
2    I'm Sorry I Made You Cry    2:44
3    What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For    2:31
4    She's Tall, She's Tan, She's Terrific    2:38
5    There Ain't Gonna Be No Doggone Afterwhile    2:30
6    If You're A Viper    2:22
7    Baby And It Must Be Love    2:46
8    Raggedy But Right    2:52
9    In My Miz    2:26
10    Toodle-Oo    2:47
11    Just About The Time    2:26
12    Talk To Me    2:45
13    I Can Tell By Looking In Your Eyes    2:29
14    You Better Come Back    2:42
15    Dapper Dan    2:51
16    Southern Casey Jones    3:10
17    I Used To Love You    2:46
18    Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now    2:44
19    Sweet Emalina, My Gal    2:55
20    Beale Street Mama    2:37
21    You're Lucky In Kentucky Sure As You're Born    2:54
22    Any Rags    2:42
23    On Revival Day    2:37
24    Mo'lasses    2:40
25    Button Up Your Overcoat    2:50
Credits
Bass – Haig Stephens (tracks: 1 to 23), John Simmons (tracks: 24, 25)
Clarinet – Slats Long (tracks: 1 to 4)
Drums – Cozy Cole (tracks: 24, 25), O'Neil Spencer (tracks: 5 to 23), Stan King (tracks: 1 to 4)
Guitar – Everett Barksdale (tracks: 24, 25), Frank Victor (tracks: 1 to 4), Teddy Bunn (tracks: 5 to 23)
Piano – Billy Kyle (tracks: 13 to 23), Bob Howard (tracks: 24, 25), Frank Froeba (tracks: 1 to 12)
Tenor Saxophone – Babe Russin (tracks: 1 to 4)
Trumpet – Eddie Farley (tracks: 1 to 4)
Vocals – Bob Howard