FRANKIE TRUMBAUER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1927-1928 | The Chronogical Classics – 1188 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

C-melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer is best remembered for the recordings he made in the late '20s with cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. Trumbauer's other lasting accomplishment was to inadvertently inspire Lester Young to develop an unusually subtle manner of handling the tenor saxophone. While most of this material may be found on various Beiderbecke-oriented compilations (the JSP box Bix & Tram is thriftily priced), there's nothing quite like having a Classics discography to organize one's cognition while following the trail of old records in precise chronological sequence. Informational details such as record labels, arranger credits, and recording dates are neatly presented for maximum clarity and comprehension. This first volume in the complete works of Frankie Trumbauer consists entirely of recordings made for the Okeh label between February 4, 1927, and January 20, 1928. The material ranges from archetypal masterpieces ("Singin' the Blues," "Ostrich Walk," "I'm Coming, Virginia," and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find") to marvelously stodgy milestones of timeworn pop music. "Sugar" -- not Maceo Pinkard's tune but a long-gone opus credited to Yellen & Ager -- is sung by a positively silly trio of comedians whereas "Just an Hour of Love" and "I'm Wonderin' Who" feature vaudeville-trained vocalist Irving Kaufman. Instrumentally speaking, there's never a dull moment. Adrian Rollini appears and disappears like a bass sax-toting will o' the wisp; Joe Venuti brandishes a fiddle and Eddie Lang plays both banjo and guitar, even appearing in a trio with Bix and Tram on "For No Reason at All in C" and Fats Waller's "Wringin' and Twistin'." Pee Wee Russell and Jimmy Dorsey each show up long enough to contribute their two bits, someone's sax whinnies like a horse at the end of "There'll Come a Time," and Bing Crosby merrily mouths the racist lyrics to "Mississippi Mud." Throughout all of this, Beiderbecke sounds like an angel playing hooky from heaven. arwulf arwulf  
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JOE VENUTI – 1926-1928 | The Chronogical Classics – 1211 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This particular slice of the Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang chronology presents some of their all-time best instrumental performances garnished with a small bouquet of precious novelties and sugary love songs with delightfully naïve vocals by Scrappy Lambert, Billy Hillpot, and Rube Bloom. The sweetest of these are sung in a manner so euphoric as to be almost nonsensically charming. This is true even of a suspiciously idyllic paean to the pleasures of "Pickin' Cotton," a faintly onerous song representing a tenebrous subgenre of Tin Pan Alley tunes that wistfully glorified the gallant bygone days of slave or cheap "emancipated" labor. Venuti's lyrically inspired handling of the violin and Lang's virtuosic guitar still sound surprisingly fresh and imaginative. These earliest Venuti and Lang collaborations exude a special sort of positive energy that is unique in all of classic jazz. Some of the instrumental tracks feel like well-organized, improvised hot chamber music. Fortunately, Venuti's "Kickin' the Cat" and "Beatin' the Dog" are presented without any nasty lyrics or cruel sound effects. arwulf arwulf  
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BIX BEIDERBECKE – 1924-1927 | The Chronogical Classics – 778 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Bix Beiderbecke's earliest recordings open this first volume of his complete works as presented by the Classics chronological reissue label. While some other compilations actually skip the marvelous Gennett recordings that 21-year-old Beiderbecke made with the Wolverine Orchestra between February 18 and October 7, 1924, this wonderful edition presents these precious artifacts as a prelude to his first recordings as a leader. The Wolverine Orchestra stood for primal Chicago-styled New Orleans polyphony. One may turn to these old records again and again for solace, comfort and inspiration. "Jazz Me Blues," lovingly described by historian Ralph Berton as "an X-rated title," is a fundamental cornerstone of traditional jazz. "Royal Garden Blues" is a miracle of collective cooperation, and "Lazy Daddy" is prized for trombonist George Brunies' throaty kazoo solo. Beiderbecke's last Gennett recordings were made in October 1924 with a band, billed as the Sioux City Six, that included trombonist Miff Mole and C Melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer; then in January 1925 as Beiderbecke led his own Rhythm Jugglers with slip-horn sheik Tommy Dorsey close by. Some folks would pinpoint this little group's rendering of Beiderbecke's "Davenport Blues" as a high point of his career and maybe even of 20th century human endeavor. On September 9, 1927 Bix Beiderbecke recorded for the Okeh label a Debussy-inspired set of harmonic variations for solo piano titled "In a Mist" (later issued as "Bixology"). During September and October 1927 Beiderbecke sat in with a band identified on the Harmony record label as the Broadway Bell-Hops, and assisted the Chicago Loopers in the creation of two sides issued by Pathe Actuelle. A collective personnel inventory for these two groups is exciting for those who know their early jazz history. Highlights include violinist Joe Venuti, tuba titan Joe Tarto, guitarist Carl Kress, pianists Arthur Schutt and Frank Signorelli, as well as creative percussionist Vic Berton. Some jazz purists might get rankled hearing vaudevillian vocals by Irving Kaufman or the loopy Deep River Quartet, but these historical performances are well worth experiencing, particularly the Quartet's charming rendition of Fats Waller's catchy "I'm More Than Satisfied." Beiderbecke's best collaborations with Frankie Trumbauer appear in the Classics Trumbauer chronology because they were originally issued under Trumbauer's name. Most of the rest of the Beiderbecke story is documented under his name on four Classics compilations, beginning with this excellent first installment. arwulf arwulf  
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BIX BEIDERBECKE – 1927-1930 | The Chronogical Classics – 788 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is the second volume in the all-too-brief Classics Bix Beiderbecke chronology. It presents all 13 Okeh Records cut by Beiderbecke & His Gang between October 5, 1927 and September 21, 1928, followed by Beiderbecke's very last recordings, made between May 21 and September 15, 1930 for the Victor, Vocalion and Brunswick labels. He is heard leading his own band and sitting in with Hoagy Carmichael's orchestra as well as Irving Mills & His Hotsy Totsy Gang. Three years into his brief recording career, Beiderbecke was already beginning to feel confined by the artistic limitations of the entertainment industry. In his excellent and insightful novel-length tribute "Remembering Bix," Ralph Berton recalled his final encounter with Beiderbecke, which took place during the autumn of 1927 shortly before Bix began working for Paul Whiteman. Berton describes their conversation as they listened to the recently waxed Bix & His Gang sides. Although Berton rightfully perceived that some of these were among the hottest and best of Beiderbecke's recordings, Bix was not entirely happy with the results, and even threatened to destroy the master of "Goose Pimples" which was soon issued as Okeh 8544. During this performance he momentarily intruded upon the opening of Frank Signorelli's piano solo, became frustrated and tossed off what he later called a "phony Charleston lick," then responded to gesticulations made by an engineer urging him to finish up before they ran out of room on the disc by letting loose with a couple of very atypical high notes, sharp and fortissimo. Beiderbecke was horrified, incredulous and ultimately contemptuous when the session's producers went ahead and issued what is demonstrably a botched take. Yet in retrospect the excitement of hot jazz transforms even these obvious flaws into personable idiosyncrasies. All 13 sides are anchored with beefy bass saxophones, handled expertly by Adrian Rollini or ably by Min Leibrook. Like the turning of a page, the '30s began for Beiderbecke with a series of collaborations hinting at potential developments that either blossomed or withered away. With names like Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Bud Freeman, Gene Krupa, Hoagy Carmichael and violinist Joe Venuti (who can be heard bawdily intoning the words "Barnacle Bill the Shit-head" in a raspy voice), this home stretch of the Beiderbecke discography reads like a "most likely to succeed" roster. Yet three gifted participants would soon be taken out 'way ahead of schedule; guitarist Eddie Lang was soon to die from complications following a tonsillectomy, Ellington's ex-trumpeter Bubber Miley was already in the process of drinking himself into an early grave, and Bix Beiderbecke's days were numbered. On August 6, 1931 he succumbed to alcoholism and pneumonia at the age of 28. The music on this compilation is an essential portion of his legacy. arwulf arwulf
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