REX STEWART – 1934-1946 | The Classics Chronological Series – 931 (1997) FLAC (tracks), lossless

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  
Tracklist :
1.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Stingaree    3:02
2.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Baby, Ain't You Satisfied 2:59
Vocals – Rex Stewart
3.    Rex Stewart's Big Seven–    Cherry    4:21
4.    Rex Stewart's Big Seven–    Solid Rock    4:15
5.    Rex Stewart's Big Seven–    Bugle Call Rag    4:14
6.    Rex Stewart's Big Seven–    Diga Diga Doo    4:12
7.    Rex Stewart's Big Eight–    The Little Goose    3:52
8.    Rex Stewart's Big Eight–    I'm True To You    3:45
9.    Rex Stewart's Big Eight–    Zaza    4:03
10.    Rex Stewart's Big Eight–    Swamp Mist    4:40
11.    Rex Stewart's Big Eight–    Tain't Like That    2:59
12.    Rex Stewart's Big Eight–    Dutch Treat    3:00
13.    Rex Stewart's Big Eight–    Rexercise    2:55
14.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Pawnee    2:44
15.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Three-Horn-Parlay 2:40
Vibraphone – Tyree Glenn
16.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Dreamer's Blues    2:55
17.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Shady Side Of The Street    3:10
18.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Boy Meets Horn    3:02
19.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    Jug Blues 2:51
Vocals – Rex Stewart
20.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    B.O. Blues 2:46
Vocals – Wilson Myers
21.    Rex Stewart And His Orchestra–    That's Rhythm    2:48
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Earl Bostic (tracks: 14 to 17), Tab Smith (tracks: 7 to 10)
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet – Harry Carney (tracks: 7 to 13)
Bass – Billy Taylor Sr. (tracks: 1, 2), Junior Raglin (tracks: 11 to 17), Sid Weiss (tracks: 7 to 10), Wellman Braud (tracks: 3 to 6), Wilson Myers (tracks: 18 to 21)
Clarinet – Barney Bigard (tracks: 3 to 6)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Rudy Powell (tracks: 1, 2)
Cornet – Rex Stewart
Drums – Bazeley Perry* (tracks: 18 to 21), Cozy Cole (tracks: 7 to 10), Dave Tough (tracks: 3 to 6), J.C. Heard (tracks: 14 to 17), Jack Maisel (tracks: 1, 2), Keg Purnell (tracks: 11 to 13)
Guitar – Brick Fleagle (tracks: 3 to 10, 14 to 17), Ulysses Livingston (tracks: 11 to 13)
Piano – Billy Kyle (tracks: 3 to 6), Dave Rivera (tracks: 14 to 17), Eddie Heywood (tracks: 11 to 13), Johnny Guarnieri (tracks: 7 to 10), Mike Colucchio (tracks: 18 to 21), Roger Ramirez (tracks: 1, 2)
Tenor Saxophone – Al Sears (tracks: 11 to 13), Bingie Madison (tracks: 1, 2), Pete Clarke (tracks: 18 to 21), Stafford "Pazuzza" Simon (tracks: 18 to 21)
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Scott (tracks: 14 to 17)
Trombone – George Stevenson (tracks: 1, 2), Lawrence Brown (tracks: 3 to 13), Sandy Williams (tracks: 18 to 21), Tyree Glenn (tracks: 14 to 17)