LOUIS PRIMA AND HIS NEW ORLEANS GANG – 1934-1935 | The Chronogical Classics – 1048 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louis Prima came up in his hometown gigging steadily in the clubs and doing his best to emulate Afro-American musicians. His number one role model was Louis Armstrong. After playing Cleveland with Red Nichols in 1932, Prima began recording in 1934 and thoroughly established himself on 52nd Street in New York City the following year. Prima was good looking and sang in a pleasantly hoarse voice. His humor was often heavy-handed, and his bands pushed hard to generate excitement among live audiences and the record-buying public. Prima's 1934 bands had strong players in George Brunies, Claude Thornhill, and Eddie Miller. "Jamaica Shout" is a rare example of instrumental Louis Prima: hot jazz with nobody yelling. "Breakin' the Ice" was the first in a series of Prima interpretations of songs made popular by Fats Waller. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson performed a lively version of "I'm Living in a Great Big Way" with Waller during the last reel of the 1935 RKO motion picture Hooray for Love. Waller never managed to make an actual phonograph recording of this song. Prima had fun with it and with every tune he grabbed onto, sometimes maybe too much fun. During "Let's Have a Jubilee," which was recorded twice during November of 1934, Prima spits out weird nicknames for each bandmember, including "Baboon Face" and "Liver Lips." This sort of talk was not uncommon among Afro-Americans, but it is particularly unsettling coming out of the (big) mouth of a (Southern) white musician. The real gold on this CD lies in the last six tracks, ground out by a band that had Pee Wee Russell as its artistic nucleus. Prima was the handsome leader, Prima sang and blew his trumpet, but Pee Wee was the light, the emulsion, and the pigment in this picture. "The Lady in Red" just might be the very best record that Louis Prima ever made, largely because of the magical presence of a gifted clarinetist with poetic sensibilities and a tone like nobody else. arwulf arwulf  
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WINGY MANONE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1934-1935 | The Classics Chronological Series – 798 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

You know what? Wingy Manone's best records were instrumental. That doesn't mean he wasn't a great singer. It's more of a commentary on the excellent bands he led, and the apparent ease with which the players interacted. Take for example the OKeh session of October 3, 1934. You've got Wingy the one-armed trumpeter, a New Orleans clarinetist by the name of Sidney Arodin (co-composer of the song "Lazy River"), and trombonist Santo Pecora, who wrote two of the four tunes recorded on that day. Wingy could have sung on any of these numbers -- even "Royal Garden Blues," which does in fact have lyrics. Instead, here is an opportunity to savor the sound of seven men swinging together, listening carefully and measuring out their individual contributions without having to work around a vocal line. Wingy seems to be savoring the experience, too. If Wingy's vocals alter the structural dynamics of the songs, Nappy Lamare's falsetto interjections distract and even detract. Nappy, who impersonates a nagging child during "On the Good Ship Lollipop," tended to come across that way regardless of subject matter. This Shirley Temple hit, by the way, does have redeeming social value when swung by Wingy's septet. But "Lollipop" would have been really outstanding without any vocals. If only they had recorded each song twice, side A as a vocal, backed with an instrumental take on the flip. Then listeners could have had it both ways. Fats Waller did up a few tunes in this manner, and the results were wonderful. Speaking of Waller, the great Wingy/Waller parallel of this package is a pretty love song with the title "I Believe in Miracles." Utilizing the Hammond organ, Fats recorded a sweet version on January 5, 1935. Wingy's more danceable interpretation was waxed on the 8th of March. Both artists seem to have enjoyed every word and in both cases the poetry makes for very pleasant listening. Four tunes, realized on the 8th of April 1935, are very satisfying instrumentals. It is easy to imagine what the effect would have been had Wingy sung the lyrics to these Tin Pan Alley creations. Some would smile at the naïvely rhyming stanzas, and everyone's ears would perk up when the instruments would take brief solos in the precious time remaining after an entire chorus had been eaten up by words, words, words. Instead, Wingy is heard putting all of his energy into blowing trumpet, Eddie Miller booting around with his tenor sax, and Matty Matlock garnishing the melody with attractive little clarinet runs. Without a doubt, a lot more from the piano of Gil Bowers is featured, simply because no space is taken up by vocals. When Wingy sings on two songs from May 27, 1935, it's nice to hear him again. "Every Little Moment" is charming and "Black Coffee" is a harrowing tale of misbehavior and confusion. Vocally or instrumentally, Wingy was always ready to show the people a good time. arwulf arwulf  
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WINGY MANONE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1935-1936 | The Classics Chronological Series – 828 (1995) FLAC (tracks), lossless

1935 and '36 were red-hot years for Fats Waller, and many musicians deliberately chose to record songs which had quickly become closely associated with him. Wingy Manone was capable of covering such tunes without sounding like an imitator. Unlike Waller's slow, almost erotic version, Wingy's "Sweet and Slow" trots along as briskly as "Lulu's Back in Town." Other songs popularized by Waller and revisited here are "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" and the cheerful "I've Got My Fingers Crossed." Wingy's bands during this time period featured reedmen Bud Freeman, Eddie Miller, Matty Matlock and Joe Marsala, and two of the sessions were bolstered by the presence of trombonists Jack Teagarden and George Brunies. Teagarden plays exceptionally fine trombone on the records made in October of 1935. His vocal contributions, however, consist only of spoken interjections. Johnny Mercer is heard making his own remarks during both takes of "I've Got a Note." Teagarden engages in a bit of conversation with Wingy on take one. Take two is markedly faster and hotter. Wingy was capable of singing and playing practically any song that came along. He performs "The Music Goes 'Round and Around" as if it had been written just for him, and takes on Louis Armstrong's "Old Man Mose" without flinching. "The Broken Record" comes as a pleasant surprise, giving the singer and band a chance to imitate a skipping record as the phrases "you're gorgeous," "I kiss you" and "I love you" each get stuck and are repeated six times apiece. (Note that this immortalizes the hasty rate at which 78 rpm records skip. It's much different from a 33-and-1/3 rpm skip.) Finally, as the trombone gets stuck in the same repetitious manner, Wingy says "Man, take that broken record offa there, and throw it out the window!" arwulf arwulf
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WINGY MANONE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1936 | The Classics Chronological Series – 849 (1995) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The Classics series (along with the unrelated Collectors Classics label) has been reissuing all of trumpeter Wingy Manone's recordings of the 1930s, many of which did not even reappear during the LP era. By 1936, Manone's records were getting a bit predictable, but taken in small doses they are still quite fun. Manone sings on all of the 22 selections except "Panama," verbally urges on his sidemen (which at times include clarinetist Joe Marsala and tenor saxophonist Eddie Miller) and takes some Louis Armstrong-inspired solos. This CD is the fourth Manone set put out by Classics and has four sessions from a four-month period; highlights include "Is It True What They Say About Dixie," "Dallas Blues," "Swingin' at the Hickory House," "Sing Me a Swing Song" and "Panama." Scott Yanow
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