WILLIE LEWIS AND HIS ENTERTAINERS – 1932-1936 (1995) The Classics Chronological Series – 822 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Willie Lewis invaded Europe in 1925 as a member of Sam Wooding's explosive jazz orchestra, making hot records and stunning audiences throughout Berlin, Barcelona, and Paris. When Wooding's organization disintegrated, Lewis returned to New York in 1931 and assembled a group of musicians for the purpose of a brief European tour the following year. Willie Lewis & His Entertainers played the Merry Grill in Brussels, and made one wild phonograph recording. A 13-piece orchestra composed almost entirely of European musicians and augmented with a vaudevillian vocal quartet (including Lewis himself) presents "Who Taught You That?" This is funny stuff, something like the frantic singing heard on certain records by Sam Wooding, Fats Waller & His Buddies, or Bix Beiderbecke with Paul Whiteman. The rest of the material on this disc was recorded in Paris following Lewis' return to Europe in 1934, and constitutes a grab bag of Afro-American musical styles blended with popular music of the day. "Nagasaki" features another version of Lewis' vocal quartet and a hot solo by clarinetist Jerry Blake. Joe Hayman leads the band in singing "I Can't Dance (I Got Ants In My Pants)," his high voice anticipating the style of Louis Jordan. As if to purposefully present a wide range of Afro-American culture, two spirituals are sung a cappella. "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel" is particularly satisfying. Six records cut in January of 1936 find Lewis leading a smooth dance band very much in the manner of Jimmie Lunceford. With arrangements and trumpet/saxophone work by Benny Carter, a smooth vocal by bassist June Cole on "Stay Out of Love," and tasteful embellishments by Herman Chittison on piano and celeste, this is mid-'30s big band dance music at its finest. Four selections feature vocalist and professional stripper Joan Warner singing bouncy French pop melodies. At the heart of this CD lie two magnificent recordings waxed on April 28, 1936: Herman Chittison's arrangement of "Stompin' at the Savoy" with fine trumpeting from Bill Coleman, and Fletcher Henderson's arrangement of "Christopher Columbus" -- a masterpiece of swing. Next come two romantic numbers with pokey vocals by Willie Lewis and Alice Mann, and a pair of theatrically charged presentations by Adelaide Hall, a lovely woman who had made great records with Duke Ellington and Art Tatum, would soon record with Fats Waller in London, and was eventually to settle for the rest of her life in Scandinavia. For those who crave sophisticated sounds while practicing calisthenics, this remarkably varied disc ends with a two-part exercise record narrated in French, with musical accompaniment by the very classy Willie Lewis & His Entertainers. arwulf arwulf   

Tracklist :
 1 Who Taught You That? 2:48
Willie Lewis
2 Nagasaki 2:41
Mort Dixon / Harry Warren
3 I Can't Dance (I Got Ants in My Pants) 2:44
Charlie Gaines / Clarence Williams
4 Who'll Be a Witness 2:06
Traditional
5 Ezekiel 2:34
Traditional
6 I've Got a Feeling You're Fooling 3:20
Andy Razaf / Fats Waller
7 Stay Out of Love 3:17
Brent Gerlach
8 Rhythm Is Our Business 2:43
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin / Jimmie Lunceford
9 Just a Mood 3:29
Benny Carter / Clarence Williams
10 All of Me 3:18
Gerald Marks / Seymour Simons
11 Stardust 3:14
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
12 Etre Parisienne 3:15
Marc Cab / Henri Varna
Willie Lewis feat: Joan Warner
13 Le Coo-Coo-Coo 2:32
Marc Cab / Henri Varna
Willie Lewis feat: Joan Warner
14 Magie de la Danse 3:19
Marc Cab / Henri Varna
Willie Lewis feat: Joan Warner
15 Mon Proces 3:31
Marc Cab / Henri Varna
Willie Lewis feat: Joan Warner
16 Stompin' at the Savoy 3:17
Benny Goodman / Andy Razaf / Edgar Sampson / Chick Webb
 17 Christopher Columbus 3:22
Chu Berry / Andy Razaf
 18 I'm Shooting High 3:13
Ted Koehler / Jimmy McHugh
 19 Lost 2:58
Johnny Mercer / Phil Ohman
 20 Alone 3:11
Nacio Herb Brown / Arthur Freed
 21 Say You're Mine 2:43
Willie Lewis
22 Au Rythme du Jazz: Culture Physique 1ere Partie  2:46
Irving Berlin
 23 Au Rythme du Jazz: Culture Physique 2eme Partie
Irving Berlin