MAMIE SMITH — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 2 • 1921-1922 | DOCD-5358 (1995) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume two in the complete recordings of Mamie Smith as reissued by Document in 1995 follows her career as an Okeh recording artist from August 18, 1921 through early May of 1922. Although her groups were almost invariably billed as the Jazz Hounds, the band accompanying her on tracks 1-13 (listed as her Jazz Band) was really the Joseph Samuels Orchestra, a well-behaved but capably hot Caucasian unit that also recorded as the Synco Jazz Band and the Tampa Blue Jazz Band. During the provocatively titled "Mamma Whip! Mamma Spank!," Smith seems to have been able to relax and deliver an artful performance that conveys a taste of what she must have sounded like when caught live on-stage. Other delights from this portion of the timeline include enjoyable treatments of Perry Bradford's "Down Home Blues," the catchy "Arkansas Blues," and that essential vaudevillian and traditional jazz staple, the "Wang Wang Blues." During the winter of 1921, Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds (with young Bubber Miley temporarily replacing cornetist Johnny Dunn) toured the T.O.B.A. circuit, premiering at Pittsburgh's Pershing Theater as the last act in a vaudeville revue. Smith, who wore some of the fanciest and most rhinestone-encrusted outfits in the business, experienced unanticipated hook-and-eye trouble while attempting to execute one of her famous, lightning-quick off-stage costume changes. The band was told to keep playing "Royal Garden Blues" over and over again until she could get back on. As she became hopelessly entangled, Miley's lip gave out completely and the audience booed the band off the stage. Fortunately for those who value an opportunity to hear Miley years before his experiences with Duke Ellington, four instrumental selections from this period are included here. They are: "Rambling Blues," "Cubanita," "The Decatur Street Blues," and "Carolina Blues." Additionally, Smith tosses off a beautiful rendition of the old "Wabash Blues." The Jazz Hounds played the Avenue Theater in Chicago, where they were able to hear Freddie Keppard and King Oliver (major influences on Bubber Miley), followed by a series of engagements at the 12th Street Theater, a white burlesque house in Kansas City. Here the Hounds found themselves absorbed into a variety show billed as Mamie Smith and Company, with dancers, singers, comedians, and a prestidigitator. Soon the band was enlarged slightly by the addition of George Bell, a violinist from Detroit, and a very young C-Melody saxophonist from St. Joseph, MO named Coleman Hawkins who was already displaying unerringly fine musicianship. Deemed too young to leave home (according to his grandmother), Hawkins did not accompany the Jazz Hounds to Detroit, MI where they appeared with Smith at the S.H. Dudley and Copeland Theaters on Gratiot Avenue. The last three tunes on this second volume of vintage Mamie Smith date from May 1922 and feature Hawkins (now blowing tenor sax) alongside cornetist George Mullen, trombonist Cecil Carpenter, clarinetist Bob Fuller, the aforementioned fiddler Bell, pianist Charles Matson, and either Curtis Mosby or Cutie Perkins behind the drums. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Sweet Man O'Mine    3:15
2    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Mama Whip! Mama Spank!    3:12
3    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    I'm Free, Single, Disengaged, Looking For Someone To Love    2:50
4    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Weepin'    3:00
5    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    A Wearin' Away The Blues    3:08
6    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Down Home Blues    3:01
7    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Get Hot    3:04
8    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Oh, Joe (Please Don't Go)    3:07
9    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    A Little Kind Treatment    3:10
10    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Arkansas Blues (A Down Home Chant)    3:06
11    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    The Wang, Wang Blues    3:06
12    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Stop! Rest A While    2:56
13    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Band–    Sweet Cookie    3:06
14    Mamie Smith And Her Jazz Hounds–    Let's Agree To Disagree    2:44
15    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Rambling Blues    3:06
16    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Cubanita    2:47
17    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    The Decatur Street Blues    3:04
18    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Carolina Blues    3:05
19    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Dooh-Dah Blues    2:54
20    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    There's Only One Man (That Satisfies Me)    2:53
21    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Wabash Blues    3:04
22    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Mean Daddy Blues    2:54
23    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Dem Knock-Out-Blues    2:43
24    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Lonesome Mama Blues    2:57

MAMIE SMITH — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 4 • 1923-1942 | DOCD-5360 (1995) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Mamie Smith's approach to putting over a song was developed in vaudeville houses and theaters before microphones were used to amplify the human voice, a fact which places her in league with stentorian characters like Sophie Tucker, Ethel Merman, Al Jolson, and Jimmy Rushing. Her high-pitched, theatrically mannered delivery compares most accurately with that of Ethel Waters, Lucille Hegamin, Lavinia Turner, and Eva Taylor. The fourth and final volume in Document's complete Mamie Smith retrospective combines the last of her works from the 1920s with material from a little-known session that took place in 1931 and a couple of intriguing movie soundtracks, the last recorded during the spring of 1940. This stunningly beautiful woman was the primary star of Okeh Records from August 1920 through August of 1923. Partially eclipsed by the rise of young Bessie Smith, Mamie cut a half-dozen titles for the Ajax label in September of 1924 with members of the Choo Choo Jazzers (cornetist Louis Metcalf, pianist Louis Hooper, clarinetist Bob Fuller, and banjoist Elmer Snowden) and an expanded seven-piece edition of her Jazz Hounds. Her next recording dates took place in August 1926 with a similar unit that featured cornetist Tom Morris and trombonist Charlie Irvis. The remaining recorded evidence finds her singing in front of various orchestras and on vintage motion picture soundtracks. "The Jail House Blues", which features an unnamed single-string violinist backed by pianist Porter Grainger, comes from a Columbia short that was shot and released in 1929. Mamie's interpretation of Fats Waller's "Keep a Song in Your Soul" was waxed in 1931, right around the time she actually performed with Waller and some of his friends. "Harlem Blues" and "Lord! Lord!" were drawn from the soundtrack of the Jubilee motion picture Paradise in Harlem, directed by Joseph Seiden, with Lucky Millinder's orchestra and additional vocals by the Alphabetical Four. Mamie Smith's final years were a far cry from the prosperous luxury and fame of her heyday. Although she initially invested in quite a bit of real estate, a manipulative predatory louse by the name of Ocie Wilson weaseled practically every dollar out of her. Crippled with arthritis and virtually destitute, she passed away in a cheap boarding house on Eighth Avenue in 1946. Long ignored because her vocal style predated the vogue for gutsy blues and hot jazz, Mamie Smith's complete works have now been made available to those who are willing to listen with unbiased ears. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1    Mamie Smith–    My Mammy's Blues 2:45
Piano – Porter Grainger
2    Mamie Smith–    My Sweet Man (Tickles The Ivories For Me) 2:40
Orchestra – Choo Choo Jazzers
Piano – Louis Hooper
3    Mamie Smith–    What You Need Is Me (And What I Need Is You) 2:57
Cornet [Prob.] – Louis Metcalf
Orchestra – Choo Choo Jazzers
Piano – Louis Hooper
4    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Just Like You Took My Man Away From Me 2:25
Alto Saxophone – Bob Fuller
Banjo – Elmer Snowden
Piano – Louis Hooper
5    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Remorseful Blues 2:43
Alto Saxophone – Bob Fuller
Banjo – Elmer Snowden
Drums – Norman Buster
Piano – Louis Hooper
6    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Lost Opportunity Blues 3:01
Banjo – Elmer Snowden
Bass Saxophone – Alex Jackson
Cornet – Gus Aiken, Horace Holmes
Drums – Norman Buster
Piano – Leslie A. Hutchinson ("Hutch")
Saxophone – Ernie Bullock, Percy Glascoe
Trombone – Jake Frazier
7    Mamie Smith, Acc. Her Jazz Hounds–    Good Time Ball 2:22
Banjo – Elmer Snowden
Bass Saxophone – Alex Jackson
Cornet – Gus Aiken, Horace Holmes
Piano – Leslie A. Hutchinson ("Hutch")
Saxophone – Ernie Bullock, Percy Glascoe
Trombone – Jake Frazier
8    Mamie Smith–    Goin' Crazy With The Blues (Take 1)    2:59
9    Mamie Smith–    Goin' Crazy With The Blues (Take 2)    3:11
10    Mamie Smith–    Sweet Virginia Blues    2:49
11    Mamie Smith–    What Have You Done To Make Me Feel This Way? (Take One)    2:47
12    Mamie Smith–    What Have You Done To Make Me Feel This Way? (Take Two)    2:55
13    Mamie Smith–    I Once Was Yours I'm Somebody Else's Now    3:18
14    Mamie Smith–    Wonderful Mammy 3:13
Orchestra – Billy Fowler Orchestra
15    Mamie Smith–    My Sportin' Man 2:56
Orchestra – Billy Fowler Orchestra
16    Mamie Smith–    The Lure Of The South 2:46
Orchestra – Billy Fowler Orchestra
Vocals [Vocal Group] – Unknown Artist
17    Mamie Smith–    The Jail House Blues 1:17
Piano – Porter Grainger
18    Mamie Smith–    Golfing Papa    2:44
19    Mamie Smith–    Jenny's Ball    3:12
20    Mamie Smith–    Keep A Song In Your Soul    2:49
21    Mamie Smith–    Don't You Advertise Your Man    3:16
22    Mamie Smith–    Harlem Blues 2:53
Orchestra – Lucky Millinder And His Orchestra
23    Mamie Smith–    Lord! Lord! 2:14
Orchestra – Lucky Millinder And His Orchestra

BESSIE SMITH – 1928-1929 | The Classics Chronological Series – 897 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of the greatest partnerships in all of recorded blues was the teaming up of Bessie Smith and champion trombone man Big Charlie Green. Their collaboration is well represented by the opening tracks on this volume of the chronologically reissued recordings of Bessie Smith. "Empty Bed Blues, Pt. 2" opens with a lurching, grinding trombone ostinato that matches perfectly the spirit and texture of Smith's testimonial. "Put It Right Here" could serve as the best example on record of this singer's irresistible way of presenting a song. The timing is perfect and the humorous lyrics are accentuated by the trombone with great precision. Somebody ought to put out a CD consisting of every record these two people ever made together. The next session in Smith's story took place on August 23, 1928. "Yes Indeed He Do" would be closely imitated four years later in the group singalong "Yes Suh!" as performed by Billy Banks and Jack Bland's Rhythmakers. Five records cut on August 24th handle the topics of social inequality, interpersonal relationships, and alcoholism. On "Poor Man's Blues" Smith speaks directly to the wealthy, and during "Washerwoman's Blues" she discusses the combined problems of race and class. "Me and My Gin" paints a grim portrait of the addict and her mental condition. Cornered and besotted, Smith vows to take on the Army and the Navy armed only with her bottle of fermented spirits. On May 8, 1929, guitarist Eddie Lang and pianist Clarence Williams assisted in the creation of three delightfully smutty sides dwelling on Smith's sexual appetite. The sound of Lang's guitar percolating along with her voice makes these selections especially nice. "I've Got What It Takes" and "Nobody Knows You" are two of Smith's toughest performances on record. Having what amounted to Clarence Williams' Blue Five backing her up seems to have given the singer solid support for self-expression. Anyone who has seen the motion picture St. Louis Blues will cherish the film soundtrack included in this chronology. The singer stands at the bar in a saloon, crying -- and singing -- into a mug of beer. The drama of a strong woman at the mercy of a man without any conscience is played out on the screen and can be envisioned by the listener. The 40-voice Hall Johnson Choir roars away behind Smith as she sways miserably. A hot band led by James P. Johnson wails with abandon as acrobatic waiters spin and tumble through the crowd without upsetting their trays full of drinks. Smith's no-good man shows up, appears to reconcile with her, and does a slow dance in her arms, but then pushes her away and laughs derisively while brandishing a wad of cash he has snatched from her purse! Everyone ought to see this film at least once. There are distortion problems with the soundtrack as presented here, and the nearly 11-minute sequence has been unnecessarily portioned into four segments -- a too-faithful reproduction of the Circle Records issue -- even though the uninterrupted soundtrack is available elsewhere. The disc closes with "Take It Right Back" -- featuring one of Clarence Williams' best piano accompaniments -- and a pair of lusty tunes with even finer piano by James P. Johnson. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

THOMAS MORRIS – 1923-1927 (1996) The Classics Chronological Series – 823 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Back in the 1970s, Vol. 126 of the French RCA Black and White series focused on Thomas Morris' recordings dating from the year 1926. Included on that album were two vocalists whose absence from this Classics package must be attributed to a planned compilation of rare vocal recordings from this period. While Margaret Johnson's "When a 'Gator Hollers, Folks Say It's a Sign of Rain" would have added a Ma Rainey touch, the non-inclusion of Evelyn Preer's "Make Me Know It," recorded September 7, 1926, is heartbreaking but only to the few who know of the existence of this beautifully wistful love song. Now that this very specialized disappointment has been registered, let it be known that even without the voice of Evelyn Preer, the earliest known recordings of Thomas Morris are outstanding and well worth experiencing. There are two ways to appreciate the music of this accomplished cornetist and bandleader: the recordings he made with and without Thomas "Fats" Waller. Despite the aforementioned omission, Classics 823 offers the perfect prologue to Morris' famous sessions with the young pianist/pipe organist. The real gold lies in eight sides from 1923, previously difficult to obtain. The only players who have been identified are trombonist Charlie Irvis (later to be a staunch component in Fats Waller's first "Buddies" session) and young Bubber Miley. To hear Morris and Miley merrily mingling their cornets is a delight, comparable to the joy to be gleaned from revisiting the duo runs executed during this same time period by King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. (Get this: "Bull Blues" has a passage that showed up years later as the opening line of Duke Ellington's "What Am I Here For?") The 1926 material is gloriously gutsy, with grand slip-horn parts by Geechie Fields then once again briefly by the mighty Charlie Irvis. A rambunctious banjo solo in "Georgia Grind" and the humorous dialogue cropping up in the middle of "Who's Dis Heah Stranger?" make these worth absorbing time and again. By November 1926 the all-important trombone position was filled by Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, destined to spend the remaining two decades of his life helping to define the sound of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which he had joined some six months prior to these sessions. Morris' rendition of "The King of the Zulus" nearly surpasses Louis Armstrong's original, yet Morris' unissued take (36896-2) is even better than the master take issued here, and would be well worth pursuing if anyone is hopelessly smitten with the sounds of this ensemble. Lastly, a rare side by Morris' quartet, billed as the Nashville Jazzers: a smartly scruffy approach to W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues." This recording and its alternate take have been issued on Grey Gull Rarities (Jazz Oracle BDW 8038). Once you've developed a taste for the music of Thomas Morris, you might get hooked. Let's hope so. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    E Flat Blues №2 3:10
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Drums – Unknown Artist
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Morris
2    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    Original Charleston Strut 2:47
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Drums – Unknown Artist
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Morris
3    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    Lonesome Journey Blues 2:48
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Morris
4    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    When The Jazz Band Starts To Play 2:25
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Morris
5    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    Just Blues, That's All 3:05
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Morris
6    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    Bull Blues (E Flat №1 Blues) 2:44
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Morris
7    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    Those Blues 3:22
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Brass Bass – Unknown Artist
Clarinet [?] – Ernest Elliott
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Miley
8    Thomas Morris Past Jazz Masters–    Beaucoupe De Jazz 2:57
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Brass Bass – Unknown Artist
Clarinet [?] – Ernest Elliott
Cornet – Bubber Miley, Tom Morris
Piano – Unknown Artist
Tenor Saxophone – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Morris
9    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    Lazy Drag 2:57
Banjo [?] – Lee Blair
Brass Bass – Bill Benford
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ernest Elliott
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Happy Caldwell
Piano [or] – Marlowe Morris, Mike Jackson
Trombone – Geechie Fields
Trumpet – Tom Morris, Ward Pinkett
Written-By – Morris
10    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    Jackass Blues 3:08
Banjo [?] – Lee Blair
Brass Bass – Bill Benford
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ernest Elliott
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Happy Caldwell
Piano [or] – Marlowe Morris, Mike Jackson
Trombone – Geechie Fields
Trumpet – Tom Morris, Ward Pinkett
Written-By – Kassel, Stitzel
11    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    Charleston Stampede 3:00
Banjo [?] – Lee Blair
Brass Bass – Bill Benford
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ernest Elliott
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Happy Caldwell
Piano [or] – Marlowe Morris, Mike Jackson
Trombone – Geechie Fields
Trumpet – Tom Morris, Ward Pinkett
Written-By – Peer
12    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    Georgia Grind 3:04
Banjo [?] – Lee Blair
Brass Bass – Bill Benford
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ernest Elliott
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Happy Caldwell
Piano [or] – Marlowe Morris
Piano [or], Vocals – Mike Jackson
Trombone – Geechie Fields
Trumpet – Tom Morris, Ward Pinkett
Written-By – Williams
13    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    Ham Gravy 3:01
Banjo [?] – Lee Blair
Brass Bass – Bill Benford
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ernest Elliott
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Happy Caldwell
Piano [or] – Marlowe Morris, Mike Jackson
Trombone – Geechie Fields
Trumpet – Tom Morris, Ward Pinkett
Written-By – Peer
14    Thomas Morris And His Orchestra–    Who's Dis Heah Stranger? 2:56
Clarinet – Bob Fuller
Cornet, Speech – Tom Morris
Piano – Mike Jackson
Trombone, Speech – Charlie Irvis
Written-By – Peer
15    New Orleans Blue Five–    My Baby Doesn't Squawk 3:19
Clarinet – Bob Fuller
Cornet – Tom Morris
Guitar – Buddy Christian
Piano – Mike Jackson
Trombone – Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton
Written-By – Peer
16    New Orleans Blue Five–    The King Of The Zulus 2:42
Clarinet – Bob Fuller
Cornet, Speech – Tom Morris
Guitar – Buddy Christian
Piano – Mike Jackson
Speech – Helen Baxter
Trombone, Speech – Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton
Written-By – Armstrong
17    New Orleans Blue Five–    South Rampart Street Blues 2:53
Cornet – Tom Morris
Guitar – Buddy Christian
Piano – Mike Jackson
Soprano Saxophone – Bob Fuller
Trombone – Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton
Written-By – Fuller, Christian
18    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    Blues From The Everglades 3:08
Banjo – Buddy Christian
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Ernest Elliott
Cornet – Tom Morris
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Unknown Artist
Piano [or] – Mike Jackson, Phil Worde
Trombone – Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton
Written-By – Peer
19    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    P.D.Q. Blues 3:18
Banjo – Buddy Christian
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Ernest Elliott
Cornet – Tom Morris
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Unknown Artist
Piano [or] – Mike Jackson, Phil Worde
Trombone – Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton
Written-By – Henry, Simpson
20    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    The Mess 2:52
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Bob Fuller
Cornet – Tom Morris
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Unknown Artist
Piano [or] – Mike Jackson, Phil Worde
Trombone – Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton
Written-By – Peer
21    Thomas Morris And His Seven Hot Babies–    The Chinch 3:11
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Bob Fuller
Cornet – Tom Morris
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Unknown Artist
Piano [or] – Mike Jackson, Phil Worde
Trombone – Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton
Written-By – Worde
22    Nashville Jazzers–    St. Louis Blues 2:47
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Bob Fuller
Cornet – Tom Morris
Piano [?] – Mike Jackson
Written-By – Handy