FRANKIE "Half-Pint" JAXON — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 2 1929-1937 | RM | DOCD-5259 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Volume two in the complete recordings of Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon contains all of the titles he is known to have cut between July 1929 and July 1937. During this period, Jaxon crossed over from the Vocalion label to Decca, working with a diverse range of musicians that included the Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers, (a traditional-sounding choir who backed him on several spirituals) and cornetist Punch Miller & His Delegates of Pleasure. Most of these records were issued under the headings of Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon and either his Hot Shots or his Quarts of Joy. Half Pint's jumpin' little bands included trumpeters Bob Schoffner and George Mitchell; trombonist Preston Jackson, and Cassino Simpson, a skilled pianist who made his best recordings with Jabbo Smith and ultimately ended up in a mental institution after trying to murder Half Pint, whose androgyny and well-known theatrical knack for female impersonation might well have driven Simpson over the edge. For awhile, Jaxon was accompanied by one of Chicago's hottest little bands, misleadingly billed as the Harlem Hamfats. With "No Need Knockin' on the Blind," the focus of the Half Pint Jaxon story has moved from his longtime stomping grounds in Chicago to the swinging environment in New York, where he was accompanied by a band that included clarinetist Buster Bailey, a mainstay in the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra who was on the verge of leading his own Rhythm Busters and would soon be prominently featured in the John Kirby Sextet. Maximum enjoyment is to be found in rambunctious performances like "Down Home in Kentucky," the spunky "Fifteen Cents," Half Pint's theme song "Fan It," and a very theatrical "Mortgage Blues" which begins with a brusque and spirited reference to Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and spokesman for the Back to Africa Movement. Frankie Jaxon's gleefully outspoken pride in being a person of color was chiseled in high relief with the title "Chocolate to the Bone (I'm So Glad I'm Brownskin)," and he was fond of injecting little Black Nationalist references that probably got by any Caucasians but without a doubt resonated among his predominately African-American audience. His introduction to "Down Home in Kentucky," for example, describes a segregated social environment where "Mr. Charlie is still in the lead." arwulf arwulf
Tracklist :
1.    Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers–    I Want Two Wings To Veil My Face 2:40
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Punch Miller
Piano – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Vocals [Vcl Group] – Unknown Artist
2.    Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers–    Give Me That Old Time Religion 2:55
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Punch Miller
Piano – Unknown Artist
Trombone – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Vocals [Vcl Group] – Unknown Artist
3.    Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers–    Christ Was Born On Christmas Morn 3:25
Banjo – Unknown Artist
Brass Bass – Unknown Artist
Cornet – Punch Miller
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Vocals [Vcl Group] – Unknown Artist
4.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon*–    Take It Easy 3:11
Cornet – Punch Miller
Drums – Unknown Artist
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
5.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon With Punches Delegates Of Pleasure–    You Got To Wet It 3:01
Clarinet [possibly] – Lem Johnson
Cornet – Punch Miller
Guitar – Charles Ducastaign
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
6.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon With Punches Delegates Of Pleasure–    Down Home In Kentuck 3:12
Clarinet [possibly] – Lem Johnson
Cornet – Punch Miller
Guitar – Charles Ducastaign
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
7.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon–    Scuddlin' 2:47
Drums – Unknown Artist
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Piano [probably] – Charlie Johnson
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
8.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon–    Chocolate To The Bone 3:04
Drums – Unknown Artist
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Piano [probably] – Charlie Johnson
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
9.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots–    Mama Don't Allow It  3:12
Acoustic Bass [probably] – Johnny Frazier
Alto Saxophone [probably] – Kenneth Anderson 
Clarinet [probably] – Dalbert Bright
Drums [probably] – Tubby Hall
Piano [probably] – Jerome Carrington
Tenor Saxophone [probably] – David Young
Trombone [probably] – Preston Jackson
Trumpet [probably] – Bob Shoffner, George Mitchell, Guy Kelly
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Vocals [2nd v.] – Unknown Artist
10.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots*–    Spank It 2:37
Acoustic Bass [probably] – Johnny Frazier
Alto Saxophone [probably] – Kenneth Anderson 
Clarinet [probably] – Dalbert Bright
Drums [probably] – Tubby Hall
Piano [probably] – Jerome Carrington
Tenor Saxophone [probably] – David Young
Trombone [probably] – Preston Jackson
Trumpet [probably] – Bob Shoffner, George Mitchell, Guy Kelly
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
11.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots*–    The Mortgage Blues - Part 1 3:00
Drums [probably] – Tubby Hall
Piano [probably] – Jerome Carrington
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Vocals [2nd v.], Vocals [group] – Unknown Artist
12.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots*–    The Mortgage Blues - Part 2 2:53
Drums [probably] – Tubby Hall
Piano [probably] – Jerome Carrington
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Vocals [2nd v.] – Unknown Artist
Vocals [Group Vcl] – Unknown Artist
13.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots*–    Mama Don't Allow It 2:57
Acoustic Bass – Johnny Frazier
Alto Saxophone – Kenneth Anderson 
Clarinet – Dalbert Bright
Drums – Tubby Hall
Piano – Jerome Carrington
Tenor Saxophone – David Young
Trombone – Preston Jackson
Trumpet – Bob Shoffner, George Mitchell, Guy Kelly
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Vocals [2nd v.] – Unknown Artist
14.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots–    My Baby's Hot (Can't You Understand) 2:54
Acoustic Bass – Johnny Frazier
Alto Saxophone – Kenneth Anderson 
Clarinet – Dalbert Bright
Drums – Tubby Hall
Piano – Jerome Carrington
Tenor Saxophone – David Young
Trombone – Preston Jackson
Trumpet – Bob Shoffner, George Mitchell, Guy Kelly
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
15.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots–    Fifteen Cents 3:07
Acoustic Bass – Johnny Frazier
Alto Saxophone – Kenneth Anderson
Clarinet – Dalbert Bright
Drums – Tubby Hall
Piano – Jerome Carrington
Tenor Saxophone – David Young
Trombone – Preston Jackson
Trumpet – Bob Shoffner, George Mitchell, Guy Kelly
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
16.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And His Hot Shots–    Fan It
Acoustic Bass – Johnny Frazier
Alto Saxophone – Kenneth Anderson 
Clarinet – Dalbert Bright
Drums – Tubby Hall
Piano – Jerome Carrington
Tenor Saxophone – David Young
Trombone – Preston Jackson
Trumpet – Bob Shoffner, George Mitchell, Guy Kelly
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
17.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon* And The Harlem Hamfats–    The Dirty Dozen 2:56
Acoustic Bass – Ransom Knowling
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
18.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon* And The Harlem Hamfats–    She Brings Me Down 2:45
Acoustic Bass – Ransom Knowling
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
19.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And The Harlem Hamfats–    Take It Easy, Greasy 2:53
Acoustic Bass – Ransom Knowling
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
20.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And The Harlem Hamfats–    Wet It (Let The Good Work Go On) 2:43
Acoustic Bass – Ransom Knowling
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
21.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And The Harlem Hamfats–    No Need Knockin' On The Blind 3:07
Acoustic Bass – Unknown Artist
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
22.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And The Harlem Hamfats–    You Certainly Look Good To Me 2:28
Acoustic Bass – Unknown Artist
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
23.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And The Harlem Hamfats–    She Sends Me 2:33
Acoustic Bass – Unknown Artist
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
24.    Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon And The Harlem Hamfats–    Chocolate To The Bone (I'm So Glad I'm Brownskin) 2:59
Acoustic Bass – Unknown Artist
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Drums – Pearlis Williams
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Unknown Artist
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon 

FRANKIE "Half-Pint" JAXON — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 3 · 1937-1940 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After cutting records with the Harlem Hamfats in Chicago during the years 1937 and 1938, Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon made his final recordings in New York City in 1939 and 1940 with bands that included trumpeters Jonah Jones and Henry "Red" Allen, Ellingtonians Barney Bigard and Wellman Braud, and veteran pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong. Although Half Pint's old-time sense of humor is fully present with songs like "They Put the Big Britches on Me," "Take Off Them Hips," "Turn Over," "Let Me Ride Your Train," "You Know Jam Don't Shake," and "You Can't Put That Monkey on My Back," he came across more smoothly backed by some of the Apple's best instrumentalists playing Harlem-styled swing. The highly sexualized "She Loves So Good" is an update of a profoundly lewd and libidinous original that Half Pint recorded a few years earlier with Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band, along with a steamily erotic version of Leroy Carr's "How Long, How Long Blues." The third and last volume in Document's chronological history of Frankie Jaxon also contains a boogie-woogie adaptation of Half Pint's theme song, "Fan It," which was fast becoming a hit for artists as diverse as Woody Herman and Bill Boyd's Cowboy Ramblers. Jaxon is said to have quit performing in 1941, whereupon he secured a steady job as a United States government worker in the Pentagon. Transferred to Los Angeles in 1944, he either died there shortly afterwards or survived all the way into 1970, depending upon which biographical sources you wish to believe. When in 1994 Document reissued no less than 69 recordings by this amazing entertainer, few people realized what a precious gift had been bestowed upon an unsuspecting public. Watch out for Half Pint, this little guy is dynamite. His sense of humor and passionate delivery is likely to grow on you. arwulf arwulf

Tracklist :
1.    Prince Budda And His Boys–    When A Woman Gets The Blues 3:00
Acoustic Bass – Unknown Artist
Guitar – Unknown Artist
Piano – Unknown Artist
Vibraphone – Prince Budda
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
2.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon* And The Harlem Hamfats–    She Loves So Good 2:44
Acoustic Bass – John Lindsay
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Fred Flynn
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
3.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon* And The Harlem Hamfats–    Riff It 2:37
Acoustic Bass – John Lindsay
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Fred Flynn
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
4.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon* And The Harlem Hamfats–    Some Sweet Day 2:46
Acoustic Bass – John Lindsay
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Fred Flynn
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
5.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon* And The Harlem Hamfats–    I'm Gonna Steal You 2:31
Acoustic Bass – John Lindsay
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Fred Flynn
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
6.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon And The Harlem Hamfats–    I Knocks Myself Out 2:54
Acoustic Bass – John Lindsay
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Fred Flynn
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
7.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon* And The Harlem Hamfats–    They Put The Big Britches On Me 2:34
Acoustic Bass – John Lindsay
Clarinet – Odell Rand
Drums – Fred Flynn
Guitar – Joe McCoy
Guitar, Mandolin – Charlie McCoy 
Piano – Horace Malcolm
Trumpet – Herb Morand
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
8.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon–    Don't Pan Me (Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone) 2:44
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Barney Bigard
Drums – Sid Catlett
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
9.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Callin' Corrine 2:50
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Barney Bigard
Drums – Sid Catlett
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
10.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon–    You Can't Put That Monkey On My Back 2:40
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Barney Bigard
Drums – Sid Catlett
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
11.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Fan It Boogie Woogie 2:26
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Barney Bigard
Drums – Sid Catlett
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
12.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon–    When They Play Them Blues 2:43
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Henry "Red" Allen
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 
13.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Something's Goin' On Wrong 2:36
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Henry "Red" Allen
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 
14.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon–    Wasn't It Nice 3:03
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Henry "Red" Allen
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin
15.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    You Know Jam Don't Shake 2:40
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Henry "Red" Allen
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 
16.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Let Me Ride Your Train 2:27
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet [possibly] – Fess Williams
Clarinet [probably] – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 
17.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Be Your Natural Self 2:22
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet [possibly] – Fess Williams
Clarinet [probably] – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 
18.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Turn Over 2:42
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet [possibly] – Fess Williams
Clarinet [probably] – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 
19.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Take Off Them Hips 2:33
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet [possibly] – Fess Williams
Clarinet [probably] – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon*
Washboard – Walter Martin 
20.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon*–    Gimme A Pig's Foot And A Bottle Of Beer 2:28
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet [possibly] – Fess Williams
Clarinet [probably] – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 
21.    Frankie (Half Pint) Jaxon–    You Can't Tell 2:52
Acoustic Bass – Wellman Braud
Clarinet [possibly] – Fess Williams
Clarinet [probably] – Rupert Cole
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Frankie "Half-Pint" Jaxon
Washboard – Walter Martin 

JOHNNY DODDS – 1928-1940 | The Chronogical Classics – 635 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

By 1928 and '29 jazz was beginning to mature and recording technology was growing up along with it. Even taking into account his remarkable accomplishments on phonograph records from 1923 through early 1928, the exciting material gathered together on this disc represents -- without question -- some of the very best jazz ever recorded by New Orleans/Chicago clarinet archetype Johnny Dodds. On the first 11 selections, Natty Dominique blows one tough little cornet, and Bill Johnson's bull fiddle comes across more clearly and dramatically than ever before. Throughout the 1920s, many bands relied on the tuba to provide the bassline on their recordings. Bolstered by the Victor Record company's superior equipment, Johnson's pulsing, visceral viol carries everyone along on a tonal current of unforgettable intensity. Anybody interested in trombonist Honore Dutrey should listen closely as this has got to be some of his best work on record. There's nothing quite like hearing Baby Dodds using the washboard as a neat, precise percussion tool. All the same it's refreshing when he switches to the drum kit and Lil Hardin Armstrong presides at the ivories. "Heah Me Talkin'" is a triumph, "Goober Dance" is pleasantly weird, and "Indigo Stomp" a wonderful ritual for piano, clarinet and bass fiddle. At that same session Johnny's group backed blueswoman Sippie Wallace on one song. This would be the only time Sippie and Johnny would collaborate in the studio. "I'm a Mighty Tight Woman" is a remarkable document, one of the strongest performances that this singer ever put across. The Paramount Pickers and Beale Street Washboard Band sessions are a delight, the sort of music you can go back and revisit regularly. The crowning glory of this collection is the inclusion of eight Decca recordings from 1938 and '40 that constitute the phonographic last will and testament of Johnny Dodds. Hearing his noble clarinet resounding in the same company as Charlie Shavers, John Kirby, Lonnie Johnson, Teddy Bunn, and the mighty Richard M. Jones brings out all of the best qualities in each musician. With O'Neill Spencer singing, drumming and rubbing on a washboard, we're faced with fully half of the John Kirby Sextet, a decidedly modern contingent mingling perfectly with players whose experience reached back towards the very beginnings of recorded jazz. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :