COW COW DAVENPORT — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 1 • 1925 to 1929 | DOCD- 5141 (1992) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The complete output of pianist/singer Cow Cow Davenport as a leader has been made available on two CDs by Europe's Document CD; his sideman dates are also available on two other CDs. Because Cow Cow (named after his famous "Cow Cow Blues") is often categorized as a member of the blues world, it is sometimes overlooked how strong a jazz/blues pianist he was. On this first volume, Davenport is heard collaborating with singer Dora Carr, playing duets with cornetist B.T. Wingfield, interacting with singer Sam Theard, and performing heated solos which are sometimes commented upon by his partner Ivy Smith; in addition, there are a few solo instrumentals that really show what Davenport could do. The highlights include "Chimes Blues," "Atlanta Rag," "Back In the Alley" and four versions of "Cow Cow Blues." Scott Yanow

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Through the efforts of early jazz enthusiasts we know more about Charles “Cow Cow” Davenport than any of the pioneer blues and boogie pianists. Born in 1894 in Anniston, Alabama into a religious and musical family, he taught himself on the church organ. A brief sojourn at the Theological Seminary, Selma was terminated in 1910 when he played piano too freely for a function where the students marched (dancing was not allowed) and “the girls got so frisky they couldn’t march in time”. This incident was to inspire his most popular and enduring song, Mama Don’t Allow No Music Playing Here while the general disapproval of church people for the music he wanted to play led to his coining the term “boogie woogie”. As badly behaved children would be threatened with the “boogie man” (“bogey man”) Davenport said, “I called my music ‘Boogie’ music”. Note that in Davenport’s dictionary the phrase covered all the music “in the honky tonks, joints where nice people did not go”.

A short-lived (one year) marriage to a blues singer pianist Helen Rivers led to Cow Cow Blues (Railroad Blues) his most famous song: “I was so blue I commenced to get drunk. I went from honky tonk to honky tonk drinking everything I could get my hands on. When I walked out on stage that night I could hardly stand up straight. But I had sense enough to pretend like it was part of the act. I made up some words right there on the spot and began to sing my sadness:
Lord I woke up this morning, my gal was gone Fell out my bedside, hung my head and moaned Went down to state and I couldn’t be satisfied Had those Railroad Blues I just too mean to cry

His despair was short-lived too for he met singer Dora Carr who “pestered” him until they teamed up and worked the T.O.B.A. circuit as Davenport And Carr. Laid off in New Orleans they met Ralph Peer who sent them to New York and the first recordings as a vocal duo for Okeh followed in 1924 with Clarence Williams on piano and it was to be a year before Cow Cow Davenport was to play piano on record. Even then the session for Gennett went unissued (possibly because of the Okeh contract?) and it was later that year that Williams allowed him to accompany Dora on Cow Cow Blues. One more Davenport And Carr duo the next year (see BDCD-6040) and the relationship with Dora and, it seems, Okeh broke up. A Paramount session in 1927 with new partner Ivy Smith had violin accompaniment from Leroy Pickett and cornet by B. T. Wingfield who was in Pickett’s band at the Apollo Theatre, Chicago but 1928 and ’29 were the boom years with over twenty sessions for Vocalion and Gennett with Ivy Smith, novelty numbers with his new discovery Sam Theard, accompaniments to Hound Head Henry, probably Jim Towel and Memphis Joe (BDCD-6041) and brilliant solo sessions in a rich variety of styles. Along the definitive Cow Cow Blues and State Street Jive, great classics of Blues piano, Alabama Strut and Atlanta Rag were consummate ragtime while Mootch Piddle hinted at his vaudeville comedy routines. Cow Cow Blues was his most influential number but Dirty Ground Hog was even recalled by John Lee Hooker at his 1952 Chess session. Constantly in demand Cow Cow Davenport must have thought the good times were going to last for ever. DOCD-5141
Tracklist :
1        Cow Cow Blues    2:53
2        Alabama Mistreater    3:01
3        Jim Crow Blues    3:07
4        Goin' Home Blues    3:18
5        New Cow Cow Blues    2:53
6        Stealin' Blues    2:38
7        Cow Cow Blues [Take 1]    3:05
8        Cow Cow Blues [Take 2]    3:10
9        State Street Jive [Take 1]    3:01
10        State Street Jive [Take 2]    3:04
11        Chimin' The Blues    3:11
12        Alabama Strut    2:52
13        Alabama Mistreater    2:53
14        Dirty Ground Hog (Blues)    2:51
15        Chimes Blues    3:19
16        Struttin' The Blues    3:07
17        Givin' It Away    2:28
18        Slow Drag    3:15
19        Atlanta Drag    3:11
20        That'll Get It    3:22
21        I'm Gonna Tell You In Front So You Won't Be Hurt Behind    3:24
22        State Street Blues    2:49
23        Back In The Alley    2:56
24        Mootch Piddle    2:53

KOKOMO ARNOLD — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 3 : 1936-1937 | DOCD-5039 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Another invaluable offering from the blues archivists at Document, Kokomo Arnold's Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 3 (1936-1937) compiles 22 performances, recorded between May 1936 and March 1937. Despite the inclusions of a few Arnold classics, including "Dark Angel" and "Wild Water Blues," the disc is a mixed blessing. The combination of a long running time, chronological sequencing, and poor fidelity make for a difficult listen. While serious blues listeners won't have a problem with any of these factors, beginners are advised to look elsewhere first. Thom Owens

Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. On 22 May 1936 Decca proposed to record sessions with two of its female artists and needed a backing group. Both of the ladies came from a St. Louis background and belonged to the same loose aggregation of performers that included primitive trombonist Ike Rogers, pianists Henry Brown and Roosevelt Sykes, Charlie Jordan and… Peetie Wheatstraw. One of them, “Signifying” Mary Johnson had achieved her current surname by being married to blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson between 1925 and 1932. Alice Moore had a similar story, having recorded for Paramount during 1929-30 and joining Decca in 1934. She had worked with Peetie Wheatstraw before, so he was an obvious choice to back her up. And for a guitarist? Wheatstraw usually worked with Charlie Jordan or Casey Bill Weldon though, of late, Mayo Williams had paired him off with Kokomo Arnold. The results open this 3rd volume of the complete works of Kokomo Arnold. His efforts, both before and after this session, in the support of Peetie Wheatstraw and Roosevelt Sykes will be found on volumes dedicated to those worthies. Alice Moore had a somewhat nasal voice nicely set off by Wheatstraw’s rolling piano and some untypical single string work from Kokomo who only busts out with his trademark bottleneck rushes here and there on Three Men and I’m Going Fishing Too (a title that must have appealed to the angler in Arnold). Only one of the Mary Johnson tracks was issued; an ode to Delmar Avenue (actually Boulevard), formerly Morgan Street, a famous St. Louis thoroughfare running west from the Mississippi. Mary was just as tough voiced as her nickname made her out to be. Decca decided on a little experiment in July of 1936 when they incorporated Kokomo into Oscar’s Chicago Swingers a sort of Harlem Hamfats set-up backing the vocals of Lovin’ Sam Theard. Just how successfully Kokomo’s unique sound fitted in with a group that consisted of two guitars, a clarinet, piano and drums you can judge yourself. Kokomo’s career had about two years to run at this date. He was still recording under his own name and if his performances were getting to be a little stereotyped he could still pull minor blues masterpieces like Wild Water Blues out of the bag and was far from being a burnt out case. He was always a strong personality and in the final analysis would do what suited him best. At the moment he was sitting pretty, he worked for money as much as any enjoyment he might gain, and with his booze business to fall back on he could take or leave the music game at his choice. DOCD-5039
Tracklist :
1    Alice Moore–    Grass Cutter Blues 2:54
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
2    Alice Moore–    Telephone Blues 2:55
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
3    Alice Moore–    Dark Angel 3:06
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
4    Alice Moore–    Money Tree Man 3:02
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
5    Signifying Mary Johnson–    Delmar Avenue 3:02
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
Piano – Roosevelt Sykes
6    Alice Moore–    I'm Going Fishing Too 3:04
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
7    Alice Moore–    Three Men 3:08
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
8    Kokomo Arnold–    Shake That Thing 2:38
Piano – Unknown Artist
9    Oscar's Chicago Swingers–    Try Some Of That    2:57
10    Oscar's Chicago Swingers–    My Gal's Been Foolin' Me    2:40
11    Kokomo Arnold–    Running Drunk Again 3:06
Bass [String Bass] – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
12    Kokomo Arnold–    Coffin Blues 3:15
Bass [String Bass] – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
13    Kokomo Arnold–    Lonesome Road Blues 2:57
Bass [String Bass] – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
14    Kokomo Arnold–    Mister Charlie 2:40
Bass [String Bass] – Unknown Artist
Piano – Peetie Wheatstraw
15    Kokomo Arnold–    Backfence Picket Blues    3:05
16    Kokomo Arnold–    Fool Man Blues    3:05
17    Kokomo Arnold–    Long And Tall    2:45
18    Kokomo Arnold–    Salty Dog    2:47
19    Kokomo Arnold–    Cold Winter Blues    3:08
20    Kokomo Arnold–    Sister Jane Across The Hall    2:37
21    Kokomo Arnold–    Wild Water Blues    3:12
22    Kokomo Arnold–    Laugh And Grin Blues    3:07
Credits :
Clarinet – Odell Rand (tracks: 9, 10)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Drums – Unknown Artist (tracks: 9, 10)
Guitar – Kokomo Arnold (tracks: 9, 10), Unknown Artist (tracks: 9, 10)
Piano – Albert Ammons (tracks: 9, 10)
Vocals – Alice Moore (tracks: 1 to 4, 6, 7), Signifying Mary Johnson* (tracks: 5), Sam Theard (tracks: 9, 10)
Vocals, Guitar – Kokomo Arnold (tracks: 8, 11 to 22)

TINY PARHAM AND HIS MUSICIANS – 1929-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 691 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second of two Tiny Parham CDs has the pianist's final two sessions from 1929, his two dates from 1930, and his three very obscure titles from 1940, cut three years before his death. There are many highlights among the 1929-1930 numbers, including "Sud Buster's Dream," "Dixieland Doin's," "Doin' the Jug Jug," and "Nervous Tension." Milt Hinton is heard on tuba, and even if most of the soloists (other than cornetist Punch Miller, who is on some of the songs) never became famous, the ensembles and frameworks make this music consistently memorable. The 1940 selections are played by a quartet with Parham doubling on organ and Darnell Howard the lead voice on clarinet and alto, and they are historically interesting. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :