THE RED HEADS – 1925-1927 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1267 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Red Heads was a pseudonym for Red Nichols & His Five Pennies whenever their recordings were released on the Melotone, Oriole, or Perfect labels during the years 1925-1927. Following in the wake of EPM Musique's 25-track Complete edition of 1998, Jazz Oracle's 74-track, three-CD set of 2004 augmented the main body of their work with a surprisingly large number of sides by pop vocalists Jay C. Flippen and Cliff Edwards with sweet and jazzy accompaniments by the Red Heads. Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike, eventually achieved international fame as the voice of Jiminy Cricket. This exhaustively thorough chronological survey also features vocals by Frank Gould and Arthur Fields. Having all of these charming period pop vocals in the package should be regarded as a confectionary bonus rather than a distracting disadvantage. The producers have placed the instrumentals in full context by including harmless pleasantries like "You Should See My Tootsie" and "I'm 'Gonna' Hang Around My Sugar," with the word "gonna" in quotes. Instrumentalists of note in the Red Heads discography are trumpeters Red Nichols and Wingy Manone; cornetist Brad Gowans, trombonist Miff Mole, reed players Jimmy Dorsey and Fud Livingston; pianists Arthur Schutt and Rube Bloom; guitarists Dick McDonough and Eddie Lang, and ace percussionist Vic Berton. This amazing anthology is not exclusively intended or recommended for historians, specialists, or recluses. It is a thrilling magnum dose of great historic jazz, dance, and pop recordings from smack in the middle of the '20s. No one should be put off by the quantity of tracks, the modest helping of alternate takes, or the marvelously old-fashioned nature of the music within. It is perhaps most important that it be heard by people who do not specialize in music and culture from this period. The Red Heads can and will speak to anyone. arwulf arwulf

Tracklist + Credits :

BOBBY HACKETT AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1938-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 890 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist + Credits

WINGY MANONE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937-1938 | The Classics Chronological Series – 952 (1997) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Wingy Manone was a magnetic vocalist and trumpeter whose sense of humor and husky New Orleans drawl could make even the shallowest Tin Pan Alley confection sound attractively hip. "You're Precious to Me" is a strong example of this sort of magic in action. The other two songs recorded on the same day are loaded with funny business but Jack LeMaire's falsetto interjections sound like cheap imitation Step'n Fetchit. This degrading patter upstages Wingy and spoils the timing. Maybe they figured that out and canned the corn; from this point onward, Wingy has the floor and anyone who chimes in does it without sounding idiotic. Instrumentally, Wingy's bands were always strong and tight. Joe Marsala and Babe Russin were excellent reed players. Wingy was fortunate to have them on board for both of these 1937 sessions, and he knew it. "I Ain't Got Nobody" is almost as hot as Fats Waller's version, and Wingy's jump treatment of "Getting Some Fun Out of Life" compares interestingly with Billie Holiday's approach to the same tune. And leave it to Wingy to pull off the relatively superfluous lyrics to "Jazz Me Blues." The session of January 12, 1938 might be familiar to collectors as having been reissued on RCA Black and White as Chu Berry's Indispensable, a package that was conspicuously riddled with Wingy Manone sessions. Chu made a lot of good records with Wingy, and these are among the best of them. After two Scottish airs and a lazy lament, we're treated to one of the funniest and most finely crafted of all Manone creations: "Where's the Waiter," a topic most everyone can relate to. The session culminates with two oddball novelties having something or other to do with being Italian. Using an almost entirely different band, Wingy ground out a half-dozen further sides for Bluebird on May 23, 1938. Brad Gowans, best remembered as Eddie Condon's all-purpose valve trombonist, combines well with an able clarinet and alto saxophonist named Al Kavich. "Let's Break the Good News" is every bit as rowdy as a rendition recorded by Fats Waller around this same time. Wingy and Fats often seem to have been on the same page: In 1939 Fats would record a solo piano version of "Ah! So Pure," an aria from Martha, Friedrich Von Flotow's operatic hit of 1847. Wingy, of course, turns this melody into a foot-stomping singalong. The "Mannone Blues" is actually Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues," if you crank it up to 78 miles per hour and let Wingy put a few of his own words on it. Slim Gaillard's "Flat Foot Floogie" works well, although this is clearly a case where Waller cut Wingy (and everyone else for the rest of time) with his 'Continental Rhythm' version of the "Floy Floy." Mary Lou Williams' "Little Joe From Chicago" sounds almost as though it was written for Wingy and his scruffy little pack. Here then is another great album of Wingy's unique brand of good-time jazz, with jokes and warts included. arwulf arwulf
Tracklist & Credits :

BUD FREEMAN – 1939-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 811 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second Bud Freeman Classics CD has all of the studio sessions (the master takes, but not the alternates) by Freeman's short-lived all-star Summa Cum Laude Orchestra. The Dixieland octet sounds very much like a well-organized Eddie Condon band, and the rhythm guitarist is among the personnel. Teaming up with Freeman (one of the first early tenormen to form a distinctive sound of his own) are such notable players as trumpeter Max Kaminsky, valve trombonist Brad Gowans, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, pianist Dave Bowman and a rhythm section; the final set has the great trombonist Jack Teagarden (who takes a notable vocal on "Jack Hits the Road") in Gowans' place. The music, which includes eight titles originally recorded by Bix Beiderbecke's Wolverines, has more than its share of high points, and this CD is highly recommended to Dixieland fans. All of the musicians (many of whom would be performing a similar repertoire for the next few decades) sound fresh, enthusiastic, young and at the peak of their powers. Scott Yanow
Tracklist  :
1 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra I've Found A New Baby 2:38
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Danny Alvin
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
2 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Easy To Get 2:42
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Danny Alvin
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
3 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra China Boy 2:36
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Danny Alvin
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
4 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra The Eel  2:40
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Danny Alvin
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
5 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra As Long As I Live  2:28
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Al Sidell
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
6 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra The Sail Fish  2:33
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Al Sidell
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
7 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Sunday 2:59
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Al Sidell
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
8 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Satanic Blues 3:13
Bass [String Bass] – Clyde Newcomb
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Al Sidell
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
9 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Oh! Baby 2:56
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
10 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra I Need Some Pettin' 2:38
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
11 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Susie  2:58
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
12 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Big Boy  2:43
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone, Directed By – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
13 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Sensation  2:48
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
14 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Fidgety Feet  2:50
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
15 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Tia Juana  2:38
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
16 –Bud Freeman And His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra Copenhagen  2:44
Bass [String Bass] – Pete Peterson
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Morey Feld
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
Valve Trombone – Brad Gowans
17 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans Jack Hits The Road  2:59
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone, Vocals – Jack Teagarden
18 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans Forty  Seven And State 2:53
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone – Jack Teagarden
19 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans   Muskrat Ramble 2:50
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone – Jack Teagarden
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
20 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans   That Da-Da Strain 2:39
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone – Jack Teagarden
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
21 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans   Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble  2:53
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone – Jack Teagarden
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
22 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans   At The Jazz Band Ball 2:50
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone – Jack Teagarden
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
23 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans   After Awhile  3:01
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone – Jack Teagarden
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky
24 –Bud Freeman And His Famous Chicagoans   Prince Of Wails  2:28
Bass [String Bass] – Mort Stuhlmaker
Clarinet – Pee Wee Russell
Drums – Dave Tough
Guitar – Eddie Condon
Piano – Dave Bowman
Tenor Saxophone – Bud Freeman
Trombone – Jack Teagarden
Trumpet – Max Kaminsky