LENA HORNE — The Young Star (2002) RM | MONO | Bluebird's Best Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Lena Horne became an international celebrity as a teenager -- making her first record at 18 with Noble Sissle and his orchestra -- and in many ways her star never faded. Because her success as a singer and actress paved the way for so many African-American divas in later decades, it's easy to overlook the simple vocal magic that got the legend rolling. This is one of the new Bluebird series' best compilations, a compendium of early-'40s classics that define the era. Sometimes her approach was ironic. Even if the mood of "Stormy Weather" is dark, the innocence of her voice conveys a rich optimism and whimsy. On these selections, which include "What Is This Thing Called Love?" and a hypnotic take on the Rodgers & Hart gem "Where or When?," her tone is light and flowing, with a gentle, sexy lisp in certain spots. The last three tracks, from January 1944, are so rare and obscure that the location of the recording and the backing orchestra are unknown. A must for the Horne fan or for folks who think Judy Garland and Billie Holiday were the only vocal standard setters of the time. Jonathan Widran   

Tracklist :
1    Stormy Weather 3:25
Composed By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
2    What Is This Thing Called Love? 2:43
Composed By – Cole Porter
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
3    Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good) 2:33
Composed By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
4    The Man I Love 3:23
Composed By – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
5    Where Or When? 2:45
Composed By – Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
6    I Got A Right To Sing The Blues 3:14
Composed By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
7    Mad About The Boy 2:59
Composed By – Noel Coward
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
8    Moanin' Low 2:45
Composed By – Howard Dietz, Ralph Rainger
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Lou Bring
9    As Long As I Live 2:51
Composed By – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Horace Henderson
Drums [Featuring] – Big Sid Catlett
Guitar [Featuring] – Dave Barbour
Piano [Featuring] – Lennie Hayton
Tenor Saxophone [Featuring] – Illinois Jacquet
10    I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues 2:56
Composed By – Don George, Duke Ellington, Larry Fotin
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Horace Henderson
Drums [Featuring] – Big Sid Catlett
Guitar [Featuring] – Dave Barbour
Piano [Featuring] – Lennie Hayton
Tenor Saxophone [Featuring] – Illinois Jacquet
11    I Didn't Know About You 3:09
Composed By – Bob Russell, Duke Ellington
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Horace Henderson
Drums [Featuring] – Big Sid Catlett
Guitar [Featuring] – Dave Barbour
Piano [Featuring] – Lennie Hayton
Tenor Saxophone [Featuring] – Illinois Jacquet
12    One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) 3:25
Composed By – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Conductor [Orchestra Conducted By] – Horace Henderson
Drums [Featuring] – Big Sid Catlett
Guitar [Featuring] – Dave Barbour
Piano [Featuring] – Lennie Hayton
Tenor Saxophone [Featuring] – Illinois Jacquet
13    Suddenly It's Spring 2:37
Composed By – Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke
14    Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me 2:58
Composed By – Bob Russell, Duke Ellington
15    I'll Be Around 2:40
Composed By – Alec Wilder

FRANKIE TRUMBAUER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1928-1929 | The Chronogical Classics – 1216 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracks one through 19 of this second volume in the complete works of Frankie Trumbauer represent the last recordings that "Tram" made in the company of his friend Bix Beiderbecke. For generations each of these performances has been studied and savored primarily for the cornet passages (check that intro to "Borneo"!) and for Trumbauer's gentle handling of the C melody saxophone. During this period, most of Trumbauer's records were decorated with vocal passages of sometimes laughably puerile quality, as heard here on "Lila" and "Our Bungalow of Dreams." This anonymous vocalist, a staunch advocate of the "gee-whiz" style of singing, hid behind the pseudonym of Noel Taylor, used by the OKeh company to camouflage their sometimes questionable talent. Other singers include Scrappy Lambert, a cottony specimen by the name of Charles Gaylord, Smith Ballew, and Trumbauer himself. Be advised that "Bless You! Sister," "Dusky Stevedore," and "Take Your Tomorrow" are each thickly larded with Jim Crow racial stereotyping, as white men in audio-blackface carry on in minstrel show fashion. Ethically speaking, together with Lambert's assessment of "bamboo babies" on "Borneo," this is a low point in the Trumbauer story, even if "Take Your Tomorrow" does contain some measure of humorous theatrical timing. What endears lovers of early jazz to this spotty body of works is the presence of Bix Beiderbecke and guitarist Eddie Lang. Recorded on April 30, 1929, "I Like That," Bix and Tram's last recorded collaboration, is rosy and uplifting. Despite the absence of Bix on the remaining tracks, the positive vibrations continue and before you know it violinist Matty Malneck has been replaced by the inventive Joe Venuti. "What a Day!," "Alabamy Snow," and the zany "Shivery Stomp" are tasty instrumental foxtrots that bear repeated listening. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :

FRANKIE TRUMBAUER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1929-1931 | The Chronogical Classics – 1245 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

C-melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer will always be most famous for the recordings that he made with cornetist Bix Beiderbecke but he also led a series of fine sessions after Bix had departed the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. This CD features Trumbauer leading a large combo filled with Paul Whiteman sidemen during 1929-30 and a nonet in 1931. While some of the numbers are a bit commercial and there are vocals by Smith Ballew, Art Jarrett and Trumbauer himself, there are also some fine jazz solos from the leader, cornetist Andy Secrest, violinist Joe Venuti and trombonist Bill Rank. Among the better tracks are "Manhattan Rag" (which has Hoagy Carmichael on piano), "Happy Feet," "Get Happy" and "Honeysuckle Rose." Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :

JOE VENUTI – 1930-1933 | The Chronogical Classics – 1276 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :

RED NICHOLS – 1927-1928 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1241 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Loring "Red" Nichols was an expert cornet player, a solid improviser, and apparently a workaholic, since he is rumored to have appeared on over 4,000 recordings during the 1920s alone. One of the ways he managed this feat was by appearing under countless different names, and in the case of this collection covering the years 1927 and 1928, he made recordings as Red Nichols & His 5 Pennies, the Six Hottentots, Red & Mill's Stompers, and Red Nichols' Stompers. Pay no attention to whether there were five Pennies or six Hottentots, since Nichols' groups tended to be eight or ten pieces or more, no matter what the moniker read, and usually featured longtime associates Miff Mole on trombone, Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet or alto sax, and the marvelous Dudley Fosdick on mellophonium. This collection features one of the biggest hits of Nichols' career, "Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider," and like "Cornfed," also collected here, it effortlessly combines a sophisticated arrangement with a kind of easy, down-home feel that masks its complexities. Although critics often brush right by him, Nichols was always a fresh and innovative arranger and bandleader. Steve Leggett  
Tracklist :
1    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Bugle Call Rag    2:51
2    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Back Beats    2:50
3    The Six Hottentots–    I'm In Love Again    2:48
4    The Six Hottentots–    Sometimes I'm Happy    3:05
5    The Six Hottentots–    Rosy Cheeks    2:55
6    The Six Hottentots–    The Memphis Blues    3:09
7    The Six Hottentots–    Melancholy Charlie    2:57
8    The Six Hottentots–    Hurricane    3:01
9    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Cornfed    2:50
10    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Five Pennies    2:48
11    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Mean Dog Blues    3:11
12    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Riverboat Shuffle 3:01
Arranged By – Fud Livingston
13    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Eccentric 2:58
Arranged By – Fud Livingston
14    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider 2:47
Arranged By – Lennie Hayton
15    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Feelin' No Pain 2:54
Arranged By – Fud Livingston
16    Red And Miff's Stompers–    Slippin' Around    2:45
17    Red And Miff's Stompers–    Feelin' No Pain    3:04
18    Red Nichols' Stompers–    Sugar    3:17
19    Red Nichols' Stompers–    Make My Cot Where The Cot-Cot-Cotton Grows    3:18
20    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Nobody's Sweetheart    3:05
21    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    My Gal Sal    3:08
22    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Avalon    3:07
23    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Japanese Sandman    3:16
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Max Farley (tracks: 18, 19)
Bass Saxophone, Instruments [Goofus] – Adrian Rollini (tracks: 9 to 15, 18, 19)
Brass Bass – Jack Hanson (tracks: 16 to 19), Joe Tarto (tracks: 3 to 8)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Jimmy Dorsey (tracks: 1 to 11)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Fud Livingston (tracks: 11 to 17, 20 to 23), Pee Wee Russell (tracks: 11 to 23)
Drums – Chauncey Morehouse (tracks: 18, 19), Vic Berton (tracks: 1 to 17, 20 to 23)
Guitar – Carl Kress (tracks: 16 to 23), Dick McDonough (tracks: 12 to 15), Eddie Lang (tracks: 1, 2, 9 to 11)
Mellophone – Dudley Fosdick (tracks: 20 to 23)
Piano – Arthur Schutt (tracks: 1 to 11)
Piano [Either/Or] – Arthur Schutt (tracks: 18, 19), Lennie Hayton (tracks: 18, 19)
Piano, Celesta – Lennie Hayton (tracks: 12 to 17, 20 to 21)
Saxophone [C-Melody] – Frank Trumbauer (tracks: 18, 19)
Trombone – Bill Rank (tracks: 18, 19), Miff Mole (tracks: 1 to 15, 18 to 23), Unknown Artist (tracks: 18, 19)
Trumpet – Bo Ashford (tracks: 18, 19), Leo McConville (tracks: 12 to 15), Manny Klein (tracks: 12 to 15), Red Nichols
Violin – Joe Venuti (tracks: 1, 2, 9 to 11)
Vocals – Charlie Farrell (tracks: 18, 19), Irving Kaufman (tracks: 3 to 5), Jim Miller (17) (tracks: 18, 19)

RED NICHOLS – 1928-1929 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1270 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This collection, drawn from recordings done by Red Nichols in 1928 and 1929, finds him in transition, struggling to deal with the advent of Dixieland and the coming big-band era. Nichols worked best with midsize bands (six to ten pieces), and his most successful arrangements (the lead track here, "Poor Butterfly," is a good example) feature unusual tonal placements that give each piece an edgy, cinematic feel. Dixieland made such touches far too subtle, and Nichols was unable to play to his strengths as the 1930s progressed. A valuable record of an interesting jazzman at the crossroads, this compilation will find its greatest appeal with serious jazz buffs, historians, and collectors. Steve Leggett
Tracklist :
1    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Poor Butterfly (Vocal)    3:58
2    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Poor Butterfly (Instr.)    4:01
3    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Can't Yo' Hear Me Calling, Caroline? (Vocal)    4:05
4    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Can't Yo' Hear Me Calling, Caroline? (Instr.)    4:04
5    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Panama    3:02
6    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    There'll Come A Time    3:14
7    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Dear Old Southland (Vocal)    4:27
8    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Dear Old Southland (Instr.)    4:31
9    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Limehouse Blues (Vocal)    4:38
10    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Limehouse Blues (Instr.)    4:32
11    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Whispering    3:03
12    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    I Can't Give You Anything But Love    2:49
13    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Margie    2:56
14    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Imagination    2:57
15    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Original Dixieland One-Step    2:46
16    Red Nichols And His Orchestra–    Harlem Twist 2:51
Vocals – Chauncey Morehouse
17    Red Nichols And His Orchestra–    Five Pennies    3:25
18    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody    3:03
19    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    I Never Knew    2:58
20    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Who's Sorry Now?    3:01
21    Red Nichols And His Five Pennies–    Chinatown, My Chinatown    3:13
Credits :
Bass – Art Miller (tracks: 1 to 15)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Benny Goodman (tracks: 19 to 21), Jimmy Dorsey (tracks: 5, 6, 18)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Fud Livingston (tracks: 1 to 18, 21)
Drums – Vic Berton (tracks: 1 to 12, 18)
Drums, Vibraphone – Chauncey Morehouse (tracks: 13 to 17, 19 to 21)
Guitar – Carl Kress (tracks: 1 to 6, 13 to 21), Eddie Lang (tracks: 7 to 10)
Mellophone – Dudley Fosdick
Piano – Arthur Schutt (tracks: 1 to 20)
Piano, Celesta – Lennie Hayton (tracks: 21)
Trombone – Miff Mole
Trumpet – Leo McConville (tracks: 1 to 11, 13 to 17), Manny Klein (tracks: 1 to 10, 13 to 15, 18 to 21), Red Nichols
Violin – Joe Venuti (tracks: 11, 12), Murray Kellner (tracks: 1 to 10, 13 to 15)
Vocals – Scrappy Lambert (tracks: 1, 3, 7, 9)

MIFF MOLE – 1928-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1298 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Less jaunty than Kid Ory and not as funky as Charlie Irvis, Miff Mole's trombone had a sound all its own. His calm, assertive presence transformed any ensemble, and the bands he led were usually dependable and solid. If you're not yet a devoted follower, this excellent package might grab you for keeps. The opening session features an inspired Frank Teschemacher, who really shines on "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble." The rest of the material from 1928 is delightful, sounding a lot like fully arranged small band swing from the mid-'30s. The piano lineup is marvelous throughout: Joe Sullivan, Arthur Schutt, and Frank Signorelli, composer of "I'll Never Be The Same" and "A Blues Serenade." Tuba legend Joe Tarto anchors three different ensembles and sounds particularly comfortable behind the trombone solos. Because they wisely chose not to feature any vocalists on the 1928-1929 sides, the magical interaction between instrumentalists proceeds without interruption. We get a good taste of Jimmy Dorsey's clarinet while Matt Malneck saws away on a hot violin. Dick McDonough's guitar solo on "Playing the Blues" is dazzling. Eddie Lang, however, plays hardly audible straight rhythm guitar on the April 19, 1929, session, restraining himself while the horns bubble and smoke out front. "That's a Plenty" is a prime example of how hot these guys could blow, and Dorsey is joined by tenor man Babe Russin for a wild version of "After You've Gone."
Those 14 hot sides are followed by a session from 1930. It's amazing how ensembles began to congeal and sweeten once the new decade (and the Great Depression) was on. Mole does some stuffy work with a mute and Scrappy Lambert's vocals are a bit fluffy, but the exciting presence of Adrian Rollini's bass saxophone is consoling, much as it was on the Venuti/Lang recordings from this same period. Luckily, we are given the option of skipping the vocal selections and choosing instrumental alternates, which were originally issued on Odeon instead of Okeh. These are as worthy as any of the other instrumental numbers included here.
The material from 1937 is thicker and more heavily arranged, with vocals by Midge Williams, who could be charming, and Chick Bullock, who wasn't. This is an entirely different world from the earlier sides. The presence of Glenn Miller constitutes a manifestation of mainstream big band music ready at that point to seize the market. Mole sounds great once Bullock runs out of lyrics, and even six marginally appealing vocal episodes cannot detract from the simple majesty of this chronologically stacked retrospective. Mole deserves to be remembered and Classics is to be commended for having the gumption to issue his music in this manner. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Miff Mole's Molers–    One Step To Heaven    2:58
2    Miff Mole's Molers–    Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble    3:00
3    Miff Mole's Molers–    Crazy Rhythm     2:58
4    Miff Mole's Molers–    You Took Advantage Of Me    3:16
5    Miff Mole's Molers–    You're The Cream In My Coffee    2:56
6    Miff Mole's Molers–    Wild Oat Joe    2:58
7    New Orleans Black Birds–    Red Head    3:01
8    New Orleans Black Birds–    Playing The Blues    2:37
9    Miff Mole's Molers–    I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling    2:54
10    Miff Mole's Molers–    That's A Plenty    2:46
11    Miff Mole's Molers–    Birmingham Bertha    3:10
12    Miff Mole's Molers–    Moanin' Low    3:15
13    Miff Mole's Molers–    You Made Me Love You    2:58
14    Miff Mole's Molers–    After You've Gone    3:18
15    Miff Mole's Molers–    Navy Blues (Vocal)    3:26
16    Miff Mole's Molers–    Lucky Little Devil (Vocal)    3:28
17    Miff Mole's Molers–    Navy Blues (Instr.)    3:21
18    Miff Mole's Molers–    Lucky Little Devil (Instr.)    3:28
19    Miff Mole's Molers–    On A Little Bamboo Bridge    2:43
20    Miff Mole's Molers–    How Could You?    2:49
21    Miff Mole's Molers–    I Can't Break The Habit Of You    2:13
22    Miff Mole's Molers–    Love And Learn    2:24
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone – Toots Mondello (tracks: 19 to 22)
Bass – Sid Weiss (tracks: 19 to 22)
Bass Saxophone – Adrian Rollini (tracks: 15 to 18)
Bass Tuba – Joe Tarto (tracks: 3, 4, 7, 8)
Clarinet – Frank Teschmacher, Paul Ricci (tracks: 19 to 22)
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone – Jimmy Dorsey (tracks: 7 to 16)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Fud Livingston (tracks: 3 to 6)
Drums – Gene Krupa, Sam Weiss (tracks: 19 to 22), Stan King (tracks: 3, 4, 9 to 14), Ted Napoleon (tracks: 7, 8)
Guitar – Carl Kress (tracks: 3, 4, 15 to 22), Dick McDonough (tracks: 7, 8, 13, 14), Eddie Condon (tracks: 1, 2), Eddie Lang (tracks: 9, 10), Tommy Felline (tracks: 11, 12)
Mellophone – Dudley Fosdick (tracks: 3, 4)
Piano – Arthur Schutt (tracks: 3 to 6, 9 to 14), Frank Signorelli (tracks: 7, 8, 19 to 22), Joe Sullivan (tracks: 1, 2), Lenny Hayton (tracks: 15 to 18)
Tenor Saxophone – Babe Russin (tracks: 13, 14)
Trombone – Glenn Miller (tracks: 19 to 22), Miff Mole, Vincent Grande (tracks: 19 to 22)
Trumpet – Gordon Griffin (tracks: 19 to 22), Harry James (tracks: 19 to 22), Leo McConville (tracks: 3, 4, 9 to 12), Manny Klein (tracks: 9, 10), Phil Napoleon (tracks: 11 to 14), Phil Napoleon (tracks: 5 to 8), Red Nichols (tracks: 1 to 4), Tony Tortomas (tracks: 19 to 22)
Violin – Matt Malneck (tracks: 7, 8)
Vocals – Chick Bullock (tracks: 21, 22), Scrappy Lambert (tracks: 15, 16), Midge Williams (tracks: 19, 20)