STUFF SMITH – 1939-1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1054 (1999) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This segment of the Stuff Smith story finds the fiddler facing personal and professional difficulties that prevented him from recording as much as he'd have liked to. The music that did get committed to wax is more or less uniformly satisfying. The first five selections heard here benefit greatly from the presence of trumpet ace Jonah Jones. "Big Wig in the Wigwam," a song with little redeeming social value when presented by Lionel Hampton, became a solid piece of swing when Stuff's band got a hold of it. Here it bristles with elements of "Diga Diga Doo" and Stuff's earlier rowdy masterpiece "Old Joe's Hittin' the Jug." Four titles released on the budget Varsity label in 1940 include a Grenadine-flavored sob story by Stella Brooks, two high-spirited group vocals, and a wild "Crescendo in Drums," with violin improvisations that seem like premonitions of the sound currents that Leroy Jenkins would be generating with his violin many years later. In November of 1943, Stuff Smith & His Trio made ten sides for the World Broadcasting Service, with Stuff's solos resembling some of Eddie South's best work, with flourishing touches worthy of Florian Zabach. Featured here and on the following two sessions were bassist John Levy and pianist Jimmy Jones, both excellent improvisers who were perfectly suited to Stuff Smith's style and persona. A quartet date with amplified guitarist Mary Osborne sports a pair of modernistic studies in blue, and the vocal duet between Stuff and Osbourne is deservedly famous among people who are interested in historical collaborations. This fine CD closes with six additional trio sides produced by Moses Asch, sounding pleasantly progressive for 1944. arwulf arwulf       Tracklist + Credits :

TEDDY HILL AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1935-1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 645 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Saxophonist, bandleader and entrepreneur Teddy Hill is often remembered mainly as the organizer of informal after-hours jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem during the early '40s. Those who delve a bit more assiduously into the history of jazz eventually learn that Teddy Hill led an excellent big band during the '30s. He started out playing drums and trumpet, then took up clarinet, soprano and tenor saxophones. Hill developed his chops during the '20s accompanying the Whitman Sisters then worked with George Howe, Frank Bunch & His Fuzzy Wuzzies and the Luis Russell orchestra, a fine band in which he nevertheless found few opportunities to solo (this almost certainly inspired his later decision to organize open-ended blowing sessions at Minton's). Hill put together his own band in 1934; this group secured steady employment broadcasting over the NBC radio network. All of their 1935 and 1936 recordings were derived from their radio work; they began making records in the Victor studios in 1937. Some of the singing may seem quaint or even saccharine; "Big Boy Blue," however, is full of pep and the stylized group vocal on "The Love Bug Will Bite You if You Don't Watch Out" is a bubbly delight. Note the inclusion of several Hill originals and a perfectly matched pair of atmospheric novelties: Larry Clinton's "Study in Brown" and Raymond Scott's "Twilight in Turkey." Some of Hill's players have become jazz legends -- Roy Eldridge, Bill Coleman, Frankie Newton, Shad Collins, Dicky Wells, Russell Procope and Chu Berry. Yet some folks will consider the presence of young Dizzy Gillespie on the session of May 17, 1937 as the main attraction; "King Porter Stomp" contains his very first recorded solo. Teddy Hill's entire recorded output fits neatly onto one compact disc. While this exact body of work has also been reissued on the Hep and Jazz Archives labels, the easy-to-consult layout of the Classics discography speaks strongly in its favor. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist + Credits :

SLIM GAILLARD – 1937-1938 | The Classics Chronological Series – 705 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Slim's story begins in Detroit, where Bulee Gaillard was born on January 4, 1916. He seems to have inherited a bizarre sense of recklessness from his father, an absent-minded cruise-ship employee who at one point misplaced little Bulee, sailing off and leaving the boy stranded on the island of Crete for half a year. Multi-instrumental and able to sing and tap dance, Slim began his performing career in the early '30s. He invaded New York in 1937 and made his first appearance on records in April of that year with Frank Newton's Uptown Serenaders. These two rare sides were issued on Classics 643, the Chronological series' outstanding Frankie Newton volume with the title 1937-1939. Their reappearance at the beginning of Slim's chronology is fortuitous rather than redundant. Slim had a warm and pleasant voice. He was archetypically hip; he scatted with ease and sounded perfectly at home in the company of Frankie Newton, Edmond Hall, Russell Procope, and Pete Brown. Slim Gaillard's most famous tune materialized ten months later, on February 17, 1938. This was the very first in a long series of lively duets with bassist Slam Stewart. Bolstered by piano, percussion, and an occasional saxophone, the act became known as Slim & Slam. Their bottle-rocket hit record was originally supposed to be called "Flat Foot Floozy" but the word "floozy," denoting an inexpensive prostitute, seemed immoral to the folks in charge at Vocalion Records, so Slim changed it to "Floogie." Confusing things even further, Vocalion issued the song as "The Flat Fleet Floogee." None of this interfered with the success of Gaillard's magnum opus. Its rowdiest incarnation was recorded in London on August 21, 1938, by Fats Waller & His Continental Rhythm, with all the subtlety of a merry brawl. Slim & Slam's original version set the pace and established a pattern for their many subsequent collaborations, which continued until Gaillard was inducted into the armed forces in 1943. These 1938 recordings are the freshest and most endearing of all. "Chinatown," in spite of its ethnic slurring, demonstrates Gaillard's incredible ability to run his mouth in hilarious and surprising ways. The two men's unique voices -- surrealistic Slim and bowing, singing Slam -- mingle most pleasantly. "Tutti Frutti" and "Look-A There" are good examples of the kind of a groove these guys liked to glide with. "Vol Vist du Gaily Star" is strangely attractive. "Laughin' in Rhythm" was attempted by other musicians, but nobody ever came close to the outrageousness of this recording. Gaillard's lifelong involvement with cannabis seems to be documented here in high relief. The hilarity is authentic, and Gaillard is in the throes of a coughing fit as the record fades out. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1    Frank Newton And His Uptown Serenaders–    There's No Two Ways About It 2:53
Vocals – Slim Gaillard
2    Frank Newton And His Uptown Serenaders–    'Cause My Baby Says It's So 2:40
Vocals – Slim Gaillard
3    Slim & Slam–    The Flat Foot Floogie    2:47
4    Slim & Slam–    Chinatown, My Chinatown    2:35
5    Slim & Slam–    That's What You Call Romance    2:47
6    Slim & Slam–    Ti-Pi-Tin    2:31
7    Slim & Slam–    8, 9, And 10    2:39
8    Slim & Slam–    Dancing On The Beach    3:04
9    Slim & Slam–    Oh, Lady, Be Good    2:39
10    Slim & Slam–    Ferdinand The Bull    2:51
11    Slim & Slam–    Tutti Frutti    2:35
12    Slim & Slam–    Look-A There    2:12
13    Slim & Slam–    Humpty Dumpty    2:28
14    Slim & Slam–    Jump Session    2:33
15    Slim & Slam–    Laughin' In Rhythm    2:35
16    Slim & Slam–    Vol Vist Du Gaily Star    2:41
17    Slim & Slam–    Dopey Joe    2:01
18    Slim & Slam–    Sweet Safronia    2:07
19    Slim & Slam–    It's Gettin' Kinda Chilly    2:29
20    Slim & Slam–    Buck Dance Rhythm    2:38
Credits :    
Acoustic Bass – Richard Fullbright (tracks: 1, 2)
Acoustic Bass, Vocals – Slam Stewart (tracks: 3 to 20)
Alto Saxophone – Pete Brown (tracks: 1, 2), Russell Procope (tracks: 1, 2)
Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone – Edmond Hall (tracks: 1, 2)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Cecil Scott (tracks: 1, 2)
Drums – Cozy Cole (tracks: 1, 2), Pompey "Guts" Dobson (tracks: 3 to 20), Slim Gaillard (tracks: 3 to 20)
Guitar – John Smith (tracks: 1, 2), Slim Gaillard (tracks: 3 to 20)
Piano – Don Frye (tracks: 1, 2), Sam Allen (tracks: 3 to 20)
Tenor Saxophone – Kenneth Hollon (tracks: 14 to 20)
Trumpet, Alto Saxophone – Frank Newton (tracks: 1, 2)
Vibraphone [occasional] – Slim Gaillard (tracks: 3 to 20)
Vocals – Slim Gaillard