JACK TEAGARDEN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1934-1939 | The Classics Chronological Series – 729 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Shortly before selling his soul to Paul Whiteman for five long years, trombonist Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden and his orchestra made three beautiful recordings that still sound uncommonly cool, honest, and authentic. This session, which took place in New York on September 18, 1934, closes out Teagarden's early years as a bandleader. The instrumental "Junk Man" is a relaxed blues ambulation of remarkable depth and subtlety, featuring string harpist Casper Reardon who swung easily in a style similar to that of Robert Maxwell. Flanked by Benny Goodman and Frankie Trumbauer, Jack's brother Charlie Teagarden blew some of his best trumpet on record. Texas crooner Mr. T sang on two of the three records made that day, handsomely drawling the words to "Stars Fell on Alabama," as if lyricist Frank Perkins had devised them just for him. Years passed. The minute his contract with Whiteman expired, Teagarden resumed making records under his own name for the Brunswick label on April 14, 1939, collaborating with trumpeter Charlie Spivak in leading a 15-piece orchestra that operated in a sort of Dorsey/Goodman/Barnet groove, with lush harmonies emanating from the trombone section. Present in this band were arranger Fred Van Eps, Jr. and saxophonist John Van Eps, sons of legendary early 20th century ragtime banjoist Fred Van Eps and brothers of jazz guitar wizard George Van Eps. The other important participant here was the great Ernie Caceres, heard playing clarinet and tenor sax in addition to his customary baritone. "Persian Rug," which first entered the jazz repertoire back in 1928 as a sort of chamber jazz oddity by Fats Waller and the Louisiana Sugar Babes, here becomes a punchy big-band workout. Teagarden's vocals are invariably warm and delightful, and there are only occasional incursions by conventional big-band singers Jeanie Arnold and Linda Keene. Of the four remaining instrumentals, "Pickin' for Patsy" is a relatively modernistic feature for guitarist Allan Reuss, "Undertow" a soothing nocturne for jazz orchestra, "Blues to the Dole" a laid-back big-band embodiment of Teagarden's personality and most excitingly, a full ensemble arrangement of Willie "The Lion" Smith's masterpiece, "Rippling Waters." arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Junk Man    3:04
 Frank Loesser / George W. Meyer
2    Stars Fell On Alabama 3:00
 Mitchell Parish / Frank Perkins
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
3    Your Guess Is As Good As Mine 2:45
 Al Goodhart / Al Hoffman / Maurice Sigler
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
4    Persian Rug 2:19
 Gus Kahn / Neil Moret
Arranged By – Red Bone
5    The Sheik Of Araby 2:37
 Harry Beasley Smith / Ted Snyder / Francis Wheeler
Vocals – Jack Teagarden, Meredith Blake
6    Class Will Tell 2:37
 Joe Burke / Edgar Leslie
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
7    If It's Good (Then I Want It) 2:51
 Walter Hirsch / Gerald Marks
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
8    Cinderella, Stay In My Arms 2:50
 Michael Carr / Jimmy Kennedy
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
9    I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues 2:40
 Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
10    That's Right - I'm Wrong 2:22
 Stanley Adams / Hoagy Carmichael
Vocals – Jean Arnold
11    Yankee Doodle 2:54
 Traditional
Arranged By – Fred van Eps Jr.
Vocals – Jean Arnold
12    White Sails (Beneath A Silver Moon) 3:13
Archer / Kenny
Vocals – Linda Keene
13    Octoroon 3:23
 Harry Warren
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
14    Pickin' For Patsy    2:39
 Allan Reuss / Jack Teagarden
15    Undertow    3:20
 Edgar Battle / Glenn Miller
16    Especially For You 2:57
 Orrin Tucker
Vocals – Linda Keene
17    You Know (Just As Well As I Know) 2:47
 Joe King
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
18    You're The Moment In My Life 2:48
 Henry Nemo
Vocals – Linda Keene
19    The Little Man Who Wasn't There 2:43
 Harold Adamson / Bernie Hanighen
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
20    Puttin' And Takin' 3:00
 Gene DePaul / Al Jacobs
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
21    I Swung The Election 2:31
 Glenn Miller / Jack Teagarden
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
22    Blues To The Dole    2:48
 Edgar Battle / Franz Jackson
23    Aunt Hagar's Blues 2:45
 Tim Brymn / W.C. Handy
Vocals – Jack Teagarden
24    Rippling Waters    2:30
 Willie "The Lion" Smith
Credits :    
Bass [String Bass] – Art Miller
Clarinet – Benny Goodman (tracks: 1 to 3)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Art St. John (tracks: 4 to 24), Clint Garvin (tracks: 4 to 24)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Hub Lytle (tracks: 4 to 24), John Van Eps (tracks: 4 to 24)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ernie Caceres (tracks: 4 to 24)
Drums – Cubby Teagarden (tracks: 4 to 24), Herb Quigley (tracks: 1 to 3)
Guitar – Allan Reuss (tracks: 4 to 24)
Harp – Casper Reardon (tracks: 1 to 3)
Piano – John Anderson (tracks: 4 to 24), Terry Shand (tracks: 1 to 3)
Saxophone [C Melody] – Frankie Trumbauer (tracks: 1 to 3)
Trombone – Charles McCamish (tracks: 7 to 24), Jack Teagarden, Jose Gutierrez (tracks: 4 to 24), Mark Bennett (tracks: 4 to 24), Red Bone (tracks: 4 to 6)
Trumpet – Alec Fila (tracks: 4 to 6), Charlie Spivak (tracks: 4 to 24), Charlie Teagarden (tracks: 1 to 3), Carl Garvin (tracks: 4 to 24), Lee Castle (tracks: 7 to 24)