WILLIE "THE LION" SMITH – 1925-1937 | The Chronogical Classics – 662 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Willie "The Lion" Smith, one of stride piano's Big Three of the 1920s (along with James P. Johnson and Fats Waller), recorded a lot less than his two friends. In fact, with the exception of two selections apiece with the Gulf Coast Seven in 1925 (which features trombonist Jimmy Harrison and clarinetist Buster Bailey) and 1927's Georgia Strutters (starring singer Perry Bradford, Harrison, and cornetist Jabbo Smith), along with the rare and originally unreleased 1934 solo piano showcase "Finger Buster," this CD does not get started until 1935. Smith's Decca recordings of 1935 and 1937 were formerly quite obscure, showcasing his piano with three different versions of "His Cubs." The Lion is heard with a Clarence Williams-type quartet which includes cornetist Ed Allen and clarinetist Cecil Scott, matched up with trumpeter Dave Nelson and clarinetist Buster Bailey in a septet; and temporarily heading an early version of the John Kirby Sextet on a session dominated by drummer O'Neil Spencer's vocals. Highlights of this historic and enjoyable CD include "Santa Claus Blues," "Keep Your Temper," "Blues, Why Don't You Let Me Alone," and the earliest recording of the Lion's most famous composition, "Echo of Spring." Scott Yanow
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JAMES P. JOHNSON – 1921-1928 | The Classics Chronological Series – 658 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Oh man, this is it. The very earliest phonograph records ever made by the guy who taught Fats Waller how to stride with a piano. How much really great jazz is there on record dating from 1921? Not a hell of a lot, by anybody's estimation. Classics 658 opens up with three 1921 piano solos, one originally issued on the Black Swan label and two bearing the trademark OKeh. Johnson was already famous for his player piano rolls, which he'd begun to produce back in 1916. Getting to hear an audio recording of him at the keyboard so early in the game is an experience not to be missed by anyone who truly loves this part of our cultural heritage. Yet if the solo piano version of "Carolina Shout" makes for nearly three minutes of joyous listening, the impossibly rare eight-piece band rendition might cause vertigo among those who take this kind of historical material personally. Jimmie Johnson's Jazz Boys and James P. Johnson's Harmony Eight sound a bit like Eubie Blake's early-'20s ensembles, with that precious sort of pit orchestra ambience belonging to those distant days. Contemporary ensembles may reinterpret the material, but nobody will ever be able to re-create the sound of jazz in 1921 as heard on these historical recordings. Spread across three different recording labels, the six piano solos from 1923 provide a fascinating glimpse at where Johnson was at in his musical evolution during this important year. A quick jump to 1927 yields gorgeous solo readings of "Snowy Morning Blues" and Perry Bradford's "All That I Had Is Gone." Bradford himself makes a bit of noise kicking lyrics around on two sides by a seven-piece mob called the Original Jazz Hounds and two more by Johnson's Jazzers, consisting only of Johnson and cornet man Louis Metcalf. Four sides from 1928 round off this wonderful retrospective. Cornet ace Johnny Dunn leads his Original Jazz Hounds with reedman Garvin Bushell backed by both James P. Johnson and Fats Waller at the piano. "What's the Use of Being Alone?" is late-'20s New York jazz at its very finest. Two slow drags by Jimmy Johnson's Orchestra feature Fats Waller, Cootie Williams, and Charlie Holmes, along with train conductor impersonations by Perry Bradford. The entire ensemble sobs its way through "Mournful Tho'ts" without divulging the name of the trombonist, who momentarily does a marvelous job of submerging the mood under several inches of murky water. A staggering assortment of rare recordings covering seven years out of a decade that never ceases to amaze those who take the time to listen back on those recordings that have managed to survive. arwulf arwulf
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JAMES P. JOHNSON – 1928-1938 | The Classics Chronological Series – 671 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Welcome to a dizzying tour of one man's adventures in the recording studios of New York over the span of ten very eventful years. This segment of the James P. Johnson chronology begins with the "Daylight Savin' Blues," a magnificent instrumental recorded in October of 1928. The Gulf Coast Seven were essentially an Ellington quintet with Perry Bradford and James P. Johnson. The most stunning component here is the soprano saxophone of Johnny Hodges, who had come up under the direct influence of Sidney Bechet. Perry Bradford does his share of singing, sounding particularly mellifluous in duet with Gus Horsley on "Put Your Mind Right on It." The key phrase in that song is the immortal refrain: "let's misbehave." There is something about these 1929 ensembles that tickles the brain. Two sides recorded for Victor on November 18 bear a strange resemblance to recordings made under the heading of Fats Waller & His Buddies nearly two months earlier, on September 24. For vocalists, Waller used three reed players and the banjoist from his band to form a sort of barbershop quartet, billed as the Four Wanderers. Johnson's orchestra featured King Oliver, had Waller sitting in with James P. at the piano, and crackled with frantic vocals by an unidentified group calling themselves the Keep Shufflin' Trio. Both singing groups are fairly outrageous and corny to almost bizarre extremes. The word "Modernistic" had exciting connotations in 1929, as culture and technology raced headlong into the unknown. Both the solo piano rendition and the almost ridiculous vocal version convey some measure of that excitement. This collection contains no less than six outstanding piano solos, including the first recording ever made by anyone of Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?." Recycling a discarded melody from the Clarence Williams publishing catalog, "How Could I Be Blue?" is a priceless vaudevillian piano duet with comical cuckold dialogue between JPJ and Clarence Williams himself. While this precious recording has recently found its way on to various James P. Johnson reissues, seldom has the flip side been heard. "I've Found a New Baby" focuses upon Clarence's indigestion. James appears to have a half-pint of liquor in his hip pocket but after administering the "cure" he informs Clarence that he's been given a shot of foot medicine! This disc includes three vocals by Fats Waller's lyricist Andy Razaf, and then concludes with five smoky sides from 1938 under the banner of Pee Wee Russell's Rhythmakers. Convening on behalf of the Hot Record Society, this magnificent ensemble had elements of Eddie Condon, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, which is to say Chicago, New York and Kansas City. You'd also need to include New Orleans in the schematic, as Wellman Braud and Zutty Singleton represented everything that was strongest and best about the Crescent City. "Horn of Plenty Blues" is a majestic slow drag with vocal by the drummer. "There'll Be Some Changes Made" received such an in-depth treatment that it was recorded in two parts, allowing extra solo space for the more expressive members. Pee Wee's group swings like the dickens, finishing off this amazing retrospective with crowing vigor and collective enthusiasm. arwulf arwulf
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