ROY ELDRIDGE – 1943-1944 | The Classics Chronological Series – 920 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Roy Eldridge worked with Gene Krupa for a couple of years, then made a series of hot sides with a great seven-piece band, featuring tenor saxophonists Ike Quebec and Tom Archia. "After You've Gone" begins with a funny false-start introduction that Eldridge seems to have developed while working with Krupa. "The Gasser," a hot-to-trot walking blues, was based on the chord changes of "Sweet Georgia Brown." Also included here are two lovely, passionate ballads and an incomplete take of "Oh, Lady Be Good." The Esquire Metropolitan Opera House V-Disc Jam Session turned into a real all-star blowout on "Tea for Two," the conglomerated ensemble sounding pretty crowded by the time it works up to the out chorus. Eldridge's next adventure occurred with Lionel Hampton's V-Disc All-Stars. "Flyin' on a V-Disc" is, of course, Hamp's big hit "Flyin' Home." He hammers the vibes while saying "heyyy!' and keeps on saying it, clapping his hands and braying like a goat throughout all subsequent solos by the horn players, eventually leading the pack into an inevitable grandstand conclusion. The Little Jazz Trumpet Ensemble is heard on one of the earliest of all Keynote sessions, and the very first of producer Harry Lim's instrument-oriented dates, setting a precedent for the Coleman Hawkins Sax Ensemble and the Benny Morton Trombone Choir. Emmett Berry's inspiration was Roy Eldridge himself, while Joe Thomas patterned himself after Louis Armstrong. "St. Louis Blues" in particular is amazing. They work it up to a fine finish. Eldridge's working relationship with Decca Records bore fruit briefly in June of 1944 with another big-band date. This particular group included former Fats Waller trumpeter John "Bugs" Hamilton, ace trombonist Sandy Williams, and a pair of strong tenor players -- Franz Jackson and Hal Singer. Two dramatic ballads resulted, along with yet another patented stampede version of "After You've Gone." The orchestra assembled on October 13, 1944, had a formidable trombone section, as Williams found himself flanked by noteworthy slip horn agents Wilbur DeParis and Vic Dickenson. This band was also fortified with the presence of trumpeter Sidney DeParis, drummer Cozy Cole, and flashy amplified guitarist Napoleon "Snags" Allen, who is heavily featured on "Fish Market," a rocking blues that sounds a bit like "Tuxedo Junction." After Eldridge savors a pretty air called "Twilight Time," he leads a charge through "St. Louis Blues." Running the changes as fast as he can through a muted horn, Eldridge fires off a rapid stream of lyrics, turns Franz Jackson loose for a scorching hot tenor solo, and heads up an explosive hot finale. arwulf arwulf
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ROY ELDRIDGE – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 983 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As far as Roy Eldridge's big bands go, this was the peak. With arrangements by Buster Harding and a stable of powerful young players, the Roy Eldridge Orchestra must have been formidable in live performance. Most of the recordings they made for the Decca label represent the ultimate in extroverted big-band swing. The explosive "Little Jazz Boogie" is one of the hottest records Roy Eldridge ever made. The flip side, "Embraceable You," bears witness to his profound abilities as an interpreter of ballads. Three sides by the Roy Eldridge Little Jazz Band recorded for V-Disc on November 14, 1945, allow for more intimate interplay. "Roy Meets Horn" -- the title is a takeoff on "Boy Meets Horn," Ellington's feature for Rex Stewart -- and "Old Rob Roy" are late-period swing or "prebop" numbers, anticipating stylistic changes that were in the wind at the time. With Nick Caiazza blowing tenor sax, Ernie Caceres wielding a clarinet, and Trigger Alpert and Specs Powell in the rhythm section, this was one exciting little jam band. "I've Found a New Baby" is a full-blown stomp employing traditional swing polyphony. Contrary to what the discography claims, there is no spoken introduction by Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Back in the Decca studios on January 31, 1946, the big band generated huge gusts of sound, employing lots of in-your-face brass. "Ain't That a Shame" is a fine cool blues graced with one of Eldridge's hippest vocals. The session of May 7, 1946, opened with the rowdy "Hi Ho Trailus Boot Whip" and eased into "Tippin' Out" -- the apparent obverse of "Tippin' In," a big hit for Erskine Hawkins. During his solo on "Yard Dog," tenor saxophonist Tom Archia quotes from Fats Waller's hit record "There's Honey on the Moon Tonight." On the other hand, "Les Bounce" is not a very inventive melody. The band compensates by blowing hard and Eldridge tries using a portion of the melodic line from his famous "Little Jazz." The material recorded on September 24, 1946, signals a return to dependable jazz standards of the day. This band had alto saxophonists Sahib Shihab and Joe Eldridge, Cecil Payne on baritone, and pianist Duke Jordan. The disc closes with the WNEW Saturday Night Swing Session broadcast live on May 31, 1947. "Honeysuckle Rose" is played by just the rhythm section of Al Casey, Eddie Safranski, and Specs Powell. "Flip and Jazz" is nearly nine minutes of hot jamming in the company of tenor saxophonist Flip Phillips. "How High the Moon" is, well, a visit to bop city as Eldridge brings in the melody known as "Ornithology." "Lover" is played bright and fast with lots of block chords hammered out by pianist Mike Coluchio's right hand. "Buck Still Jumps," played once again just by the rhythm section, is Al Casey's sequel to "Buck Jumpin'," his famous feature number from Fats Waller days. arwulf arwulf
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HELEN HUMES – 1945-1947 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1036 (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This second installment in the excellent Classics Helen Humes chronology covers the exciting material she recorded for the Philo (soon to become Aladdin), Black & White, and Mercury labels, first with her All-Stars in Los Angeles during 1945-1946 and then with Buck Clayton's band in New York in 1946 and 1947. Alternating between ballads, blues, and boogie-woogie, the singer exudes a wonderful passionate glow that sometimes borders on the sensual. The front lines of her West Coast bands were richly staffed with excellent players in trumpeter Snooky Young and saxophonists Willie Smith, Tom Archia, Corky Corcoran, Maxwell Davis, Wild Bill Moore, and -- fresh out of the Army -- Lester Young! Dig his beautiful solo on "Pleasing Man Blues." Note also the presence of some of the top rhythm section men in the Los Angeles area at that time: guitarists Allan Reuss, Dave Barbour, and Irving Ashby; bassist Red Callender; drummers Chico Hamilton and Henry Tucker Green; and pianists Arnold Ross, Eddie Beal, and the great Meade "Lux" Lewis, who adds a little mustard to the singer's sequel to her earlier hit record, "Be-Baba-Leba." Over on the East Coast, the Buck Clayton-led ensembles had equally strong support in tenor saxophonist John Hardee (his velvety introduction to "Blue and Sentimental" is nothing less than a tribute to Herschel Evans), pianists Ram Ramirez and Teddy Wilson, and the winning Kansas City combination of bassist Walter Page and drummer Jo Jones. Is this the best of Helen Humes? Pretty close to it; she's in the prime of her early maturity and the musicians are uniformly excellent. arwulf arwulf  
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WYNONIE HARRIS – 1947-1949 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1139 (2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The third in the Classics label's series of the recordings of Wynonie Harris traces the blues/early R&B singer's career from just before the recording strike of 1948 up until the end of 1949. The seven sessions (all originally recorded for King) are not as well-known as Harris' earlier material, but they definitely have their moments of interest. Harris is typically exuberant throughout, and the highlights include "Wynonie's Boogie," "Good Morning Mr. Blues," "Crazy Love," "Good Rockin' Tonight" (a major hit), "Grandma Plays the Numbers," "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee," and "All She Wants to Do Is Rock." Heard from in the impressive backup groups are trumpeters "Hot Lips" Page, Jesse Drakes, Cat Anderson, and Joe Morris, along with tenors Hal Singer, Tom Archia, and Johnny Griffin. Highly recommended, as are the first two Harris Classics CDs. Fun music. Scott Yanow
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