Satchmo and Edmundo Rivero

Photographs of musicians watching other musicians playing are always of interest, at least for me, as they can show concentration, excitation, wonderment, adoration, inattention and even scorn. This photograph of Louis Armstrong watching Argentinian tango singer Edmundo Rivero, probably from Satchmo's South American 1957 tour, is now up for auction on ebay.

I am not sure how to describe Armstrong's not very expressive face. Poetical (and not so poetical) adjectives are welcome!

Duke Ellington is coming to town!

In 1939, a certain concert in a certain place within a long string of one-nighters could be just another point in the map and another nightly routine for a famous big band such Duke Ellington’s. But, for a small city like Madison (capital of Wisconsin and, as of the 2000 census, with a population of 208,054), Ellington’s orchestra coming to town was such a sensation!

Here’s the local press coverage for the October 17 and October 18, 1939, concerts at the Orpheum Theatre (Madison).

- Previews of the concerts, published in the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times (October 15, 1939):

- Several advertisements published in the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times from October 14 to October 18:

- Brief reviews of the October 17, 1939 concert, published in the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times on October 18, 1939:

Happy New Year

With the wonderful Maxine Sullivan, Mule Walk & Jazz Talk wishes its readers the best for the New Year!

80 years ago - Ethel Waters in London...

... and the Queen of Spain was among admirers!

Baltimore Afro American, Dec. 28, 1929

Donald Lambert transcriptions

Paul Marcorelles has just published a book with transcriptions of 15 original piano solos by Donald Lambert. It is available from Blue Black Jack, both on paper and as a pdf file.

It includes the four sides recorded in 1941 for Bluebird ("Anitra's Dance", "Pilgrim's Chorus", "Elegie" and "Sextette") and some other classic performances, such as his arrangements of "Tea For Two" or "Russian Lullaby".

Paul Marcorelles had previously published four books with transcriptions of Fats Waller (two books), Willie The Lion Smith and James P. Johnson piano solos, to be found here, here, here and here.

James P. Johnson in the U.S. Census, 1930

In 1930, James P. Johnson (36 at the time) was living in Queens on 108th Avenue (house number 17108), with his wife Lillie Mae (39) and their son James P. Jr. (4) and daughter Arceola (1). As declared, his home was owned, with a value of $ 9,000.

Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930

Population Schedule

State: New York

Incorporated Place: New York City

County: Queens

Township or Other Division of County: Jamaica

Enumeration District Number: 41-1161

Supervisor's District Number: 34

Sheet: 11 A

Enumerated on April 21, 1930

Satchmo and ebay craziness...

Do you have some spare money to share? Check this ebay auction, prepare some 1,350 dollars and enjoy this poster from a 1957 gig of the Louis Armstrong All Stars with Billy Kyle, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall... at the Pershing Municipal Auditorium. The closest experience to having been there... really?

Bunk Johnson on Buddy Bolden's band

"Now here is the list about that Jazz Playing. King Bolden and myself were the first men that began playing Jazz in the city of dear old New Orleans and his band had the whole of New Orleans Real Crazy and Running Wild behind it. Now that was all you could hear in New Orleans, that King Bolden's Band, and I was with him and that was between 1895 and 1896 and they did not have any dixie land Jazz Band in those days. Now here are the Bands that were in their prime in them days: Adam Olivier Band, John Robichaux, old Golden Rule, Bob Russell Band. Now that was all. And here is the thing that make King Bolden Band be the First Band that played Jazz. It was because it did not Read at all. I could fake like 500 myself; so you tell them that Bunk and King Bolden's Band was the first ones that started Jazz in the City or any place else. And now you are able to go now ahead with your Book."

Preface to Jazzmen (1939), edited by Frederic Ramsey Jr. and Charles Edward Smith, from a letter to the editors by Bunk Johnson

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"Aquí está la lista de esa música de jazz. King Bolden y yo fuimos los primeros que empezamos a tocar jazz en la vieja y querida ciudad de Nueva Orleans y su banda volvía loca y salvaje de verdad a toda Nueva Orleans. Esa banda de King Bolden es todo lo que se podía oír en Nueva Orleans y yo estuve con él entre 1895 y 1896 y no había ninguna banda de dixie land en aquellos días. Éstas son las bandas que estaban en la cumbre: la banda de Adam Olivier, John Robichaux, la Golden Rule y la banda de Bob Russell. Eso es todo. Y aquí está la causa por la que la de King Bolden fue la primera banda que tocó jazz: porque no éramos capaces en absoluto de leer. Yo podía improvisar unas 500; así que díganles que Bunk y la banda de King Bolden fueron los primeros que empezaron con el jazz en la Ciudad o en cualquier otro sitio. Y ahora ya pueden seguir con el libro."

Prólogo a Jazzmen (1939), editado por Frederic Ramsey Jr. y Charles Edward Smith, de una carta enviada por Bunk Johnson a los editores.

"Hitler hates jazz... and that suits us fine" - Duke Ellington at the Hotel Sherman, 1942

From July 17, 1942 to August 13, 1942, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra held a residency at the Hotel Sherman (Panther Room and Bamboo Room). From the Panther Room, the orchestra was broadcast every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday over NBC Blue (WNER) or NBC Red (WMAQ) in the 11 or 11:15 p.m. time slot. Many of these programs are circulating among collectors, and a few tracks have been issued on LP (Jazz Archives JA 15 & Black Jack LP-3004) and CD (Natasha Imports 4016 & Archives of Jazz 3801152).

This curious ad for that engagement, reading "HITLER HATES JAZZ... and that suits us fine", was published in Music & Rhythm (August 1942).

Joe Turner from INA's vaults [&4] - James P. Johnson tribute

And finally, to end this series of Joe Turner gems to be found at INA's website, here's his daring and virtuoso tribute to the great James P. Johnson, broadcast on February 28, 1969:

-James P. Johnson's medley

After the 8-bar introduction, Joe Turner plays a very uptempo rendition of the A strain from James P. Johnson's "Fascination" (check the more relaxed version by the composer from his June 14, 1939 Columbia session). Then he turns to the first strain of "Keep Off the Grass", inserts the last strain of "Over The Bars" ("Steeplechase Rag"), and finally gets back to "Keep Off The Grass" again.

Thanks to Bernard Creton for his help identifying the different sections of this medley.

Joe Turner from INA's vaults [3]

The third installment of this "Joe Turner from INA's vaults" series brings two videos from the 1958 Cannes Jazz Festival, held at the Palais des Festivals:

-Besides Joe Turner, the first one presents Albert Nicholas on clarinet, Arvell Shaw on bass and J.C. Heard on drums, playing a vivid version of "Rouse Rouge".

-On the second video, regrettably not complete, Joe Turner plays James P. Johnson's "Harlem Strut" at an amazingly fast tempo, accompanied by J.C. Heard and Arvell Shaw (both are not seen on screen, and the second one is barely audible).

Two Joe Turner tracks from this 1958 Cannes Jazz Festival have been released on CD a few weeks ago, as part of Jazz sur la Croisette: Cannes 1958 (INA IMV 082): "Blues En Si Bemol" (with Albert Nicholas) and "Viper's Drag".

According to most reliable sources from RTF, in the mamooth jam session that took place in the last day of the festival, six pianists (Yvonne Blanc, Claude Bolling, Tete Montoliu, Sammy Price, Henri Renaud & Joe Turner) played "Boogie Woogie Blues" on three four-handed pianos. This performance was also recorded by RTF and the tape was not destroyed, so there's still hope that this footage may see the light of day sometime.

Joe Turner from INA's vaults [2]

Here's more jazz treasures from INA's vaults: Joe Turner playing and singing "Honeysuckle Rose" (May 8, 1971):

"Honesuckle Rose"

Joe Turner from INA's vaults [1]

The French Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA) has opened its jazz vaults. They include about one hundred hours of video and audio archives, that can be enjoyed online or purchased (by download and by transfer to DVD at reasonable costs). According to INA, this process is all legal, claiming that they cleared the legal problems with the various right-holders and musicians unions. However, videos of musicians whose estates are notoriously difficult to deal with, are mostly absent for now (let's think about Charles Mingus).

A few Joe Turner gems have been added. Let's start with these two solo piano performances, recorded on August 10, 1963 for the RTF and produced by Jean Christophe Averty:

"Sunday Girl"

"Carolina Shout"

I have tried to embed the videos on this blog, but the code provided by INA didn't worked. Any help on this technical issue would be much appreciated!

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El Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA) francés acaba de hacer accesibles sus archivos de jazz, que incluyen alrededor de cien horas de video y audio, y que pueden disfrutarse online o adquirirse mediante descarga o grabación en DVD, con unos costes más o menos razonables. Según el INA, todo este proceso es legal, puesto que han solucionado los problemas legales con los distintos propietarios de los derechos y los sindicatos de músicos. Sin embargo, por ahora se echan en falta videos de algunos músicos cuyos herederos son "difíciles de tratar" (un claro ejemplo es Charles Mingus).

Algunas joyas del pianista stride Joe Turner ya están accesibles, como estos estos dos temas a piano solo, grabados el 10 de agosto de 1963 para la RTF y producidos por Jean Christophe Averty:

"Sunday Girl"

"Carolina Shout"

He tratado de incluir los videos en este blog, pero el código que facilita INA no ha funcionado, así que se agradece cualquier ayuda en este sentido.

Chesterfield Presents... Paul Whiteman

From Linda Fitak's inexhaustible wizard's hat of jazz treasures, here's a matchbook advertising Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. From 1937 to 1939, Whiteman broadcast for the CBS Radio Network, the program being called Chesterfield Presents. A sample of these programs can be found at the Red Hot Jazz website.

Sax ads [3] - Selmer saxophones... All of one mind!

This ad for Selmer saxophones, courtesy of Linda Fitak, comes from Rhythm magazine (March, 1931). It pictures Jack Hylton's alto sax trio (Andre Ekyan, E. O. Pogson & Chappie D'Amato) and mentions other big bands' sax sections using Selmer only, among them Paul Whiteman's (Frankie Trumbauer, Chester Hazlett & Charles Strickfadden).

Sarpila, Heitger, Allred, Lhotzky, Parrott, Locke - 21st Century caviar

For our listening and visual pleasure, here's a couple of videos ("I Think You're Wonderful" and "Linger Awhile") from the First Annual Arbors Records Invitational Jazz Party that took place in Clearwater, Florida on January 16, 2009. The very cosmopolitan and international line-up is a who's who in the traditional jazz scene of the 21st Century: Antti Sarpila (cl), Duke Heitger (t), John Allred (tb), Bernd Lhotzky (p), Nicki Parrott (b) & the late Eddie Locke (d).

Donald Lambert - Bells in your head for two weeks

Jim Maher (collaborator with Alec Wilder on American Popular Song) is quoted in James Lester's Too Marvellous For Words: The Life & Genius Of Art Tatum (Oxford University Press, 1994), remembering about the ragtime and stride pianists of the late 1920s and early 1930s:

"I can remember going out to New Jersey to hear Donald Lambert with either Lennie Kunstadt of maybe Rudi Blesh. You'd ask for something, say "Twelfth Street Rag", and instead Donald would launch into "The Bells Of St. Mary's" and he'd go on and on through one variation after another. (...) Sometimes I think about Art Tatum and Eubie Blake and Donald Lambert, and the common thread of their virtuosity. But that was an essential part of the ragtime tradition -pure showmanship and entertainment. They really loved to enthrall you. Oh my God, Donald Lambert could do "The Bells Of St. Mary's" until you'd have bells in your head for two weeks."

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En Too Marvellous For Words: The Life & Genius Of Art Tatum (Oxford University Press, 1994), James Lester cita a Jim Maher (que colaboró con Alec Wilder en American Popular Song) recordando a los pianistas de ragtime y stride de los años 20 y primeros años 30:

"Recuerdo ir a New Jersey a escuchar a Donald Lambert con Lennie Kunstadt o quizás con Rudi Blesh. Pedías algún tema, por ejemplo "Twelfth Street Rag", y en vez de tocarlo, Lambert se lanzaba con "The Bells Of St. Mary's" y seguía interpretando variación tras variación. (..) A veces pienso en Art Tatum, en Eubie Blake y en Donald Lambert, y en el nexo común de su virtuosismo. Pero esa era una parte esencial de la tradición del ragtime: pura teatralidad y diversión. Realmente les encantaba cautivarte. Dios mío, Donald Lambert era capaz de tocar "The Bells Of St. Mary's" hasta que te resonaran las campanas en la cabeza durante dos semanas".

Leonard Feather on swinging the classics

"The main danger of the whole business of swinging the classics lies in the fact that jazz is laying itself open to an accusation that it lacks new material of its own and is obliged to draw on these themes. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jazz does not need the classics any more than the classics need jazz".

[Leonard Feather - NYTimes, May 18, 1941]

[Click on image to see full size version]

Rex Stewart - Jazz Festival Time in Old Barcelona

After moving to California in the early 1960s, Rex Stewart contributed jazz reviews regularly to the Los Angeles Times. This one was published on November 12, 1966 and was part of a series of reports on the European jazz scene.

"Traveling Blues: Life and Music of Tommy Ladnier"

Traveling Blues: Life and Music of Tommy Ladnier by Bo Lindström and Dan Vernhettes has just been published by Jazz'Edit in a limited edition of 500 copies. As an option, you can additionally get a CD containing an archive of the 189 Tommy Ladnier recordings, in mp3 format.

I have already ordered the book but haven't received it yet. However, I have read the Fletcher Henderson chapter, which was published in the two latest IAJRC Journals (Vol.42 nº2 - June 2009 & Vol.42 nº3 - September 2009), and it combines outstanding biographical research and thorough musical analysis (Lindström and Vernhettes have been working on this biography for ten years!). So, the book should be a must-read!

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La editorial Jazz'Edit acaba de publicar Traveling Blues: Life And Music of Tommy Ladnier, de Bo Lindström & Dan Vernhettes, en una edición limitada de 500 ejemplares. Opcionalmente, se puede adquirir un CD con las 189 grabaciones en las que participó Tommy Ladnier, en formato mp3.

Pese a que todavía no he recibido el libro, he podido leer el capítulo dedicado a la época en la que Tommy Ladnier formó parte de la orquesta de Fletcher Henderson, ya que fue publicado en los dos últimos ejemplares del IAJRC Journal (Vol.42 nº2 - June 2009 & Vol.42 nº3 - September 2009). Dicho capítulo combina, a partes iguales, una magnífica investigación biográfica con un concienzudo análisis musical (Lindström y Vernhettes han trabajado durante diez años en esta biografía). Sin duda, ningún aficionado a la música de Tommy Ladnier puede perderse este libro.

Louis Armstrong & the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra (June 1929)

After his brief stay at the Savoy in New York in March 1929, which had been promoted by OKeh's Tommy Rockwell, Louis Armstrong returned to Chicago, where work was scarcer than before for the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra. From June to late 1929, Louis Armstrong and Dickerson's band would be billed in the New York City musical Connie's Hot Chocolotes, showing at Broadway's Hudson Theater and Connie's Inn.

Here's a hand program from a concert at the Graystone Garden in Detroit, with Satchmo featured as "Lou Armstrong, World's Greatest Trumpet Player", courtesy of Linda Fitak.

Jelly Roll Pete - mystery solved!

In my post from February 28, I reported on an unknown pianist by the nickname of Jelly Roll Pete and his obscure recording on a label called Hilarity. The identity of this pianist seemed to have been an unsolved mystery for years.

Well, in fact this mystery was solved on August 2008 by Max Keenlyside from the very interesting and scholarly focused Yahoo group "Elite Syncopations".

The pianist is a gentleman named Peter Fahrenholtz, who lives in Denmark. According to the experts from Elite Syncopations (most of them reputed ragtime and oldtime jazz pianists), the playing style is identical, right down to the sustained final chord in each piece, an so are the tone of the piano and the audio quality.

Here's Peter Fahrenholtz's website and his page at youtube.com.

Sax ads [2] - Martin Handcraft from Hammann-Levin

As these advertisements in the Afro American (from 1928) read, "America's only truly handmade saxophone"...

Old jazz magazines - record ads [4]

Getting back to my series on old record advertisements from vintage jazz magazines, here's a new installment. Clef magazine (April to July 1946) is the source and labels are West Coast Recordings, Excelsior and Cadet.

James P. Johnson's last rent party - reviewed

The James P. Johnson Foundation, the Johnson family and Smalls Club organized an all day “rent party” to raise money to buy a monument to commemorate this great musician who so far rests in peace in an unmarked grave in Maspeth, Queens, Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

The concert took place last Sunday, October 4, at Smalls Jazz Club, and Ben Ratliff has reviewed it for the New York Times. Some excerpts are reproduced here:

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Raising Roof and Headstone for Pioneering Pianist
By BEN RATLIFF
Published: October 5, 2009

"A definition of righteousness: about 75 people, crammed into the West Village club Smalls, watching a series of pianists play James P. Johnson on a grand piano in a benefit concert to buy a headstone for his grave.

(...)

Johnson died in 1955 fairly isolated after four years of illness, and his body lies in an unmarked grave in Maspeth, Queens. The spot was found in February by Scott Brown, a Johnson scholar, and the idea was hatched for “James P. Johnson’s Last Rent Party,” a daylong blowout of Johnsonia at Smalls on Sunday, with historical talks and performances.

The day ended with five hours of solo piano — by 12 performers — and a little bit of four-hands playing. Unlike the Harlem rent parties Johnson used to play, it wasn’t remotely a competition. Though several pianists wrestled with the same material (especially the charging “Carolina Shout”), the emphasis was not on besting one another but on beneficially knocking the tunes around, treating fairly neglected music like common repertory.

Ethan Iverson, the pianist from the Bad Plus, announced that the beginning of his set would be “classical”: an earnest shot at Johnson’s style. He played “Carolina Shout” with sensitivity and clarity, keeping the stride rhythm steady in the left hand. Then he went off into his own updated, posteverything style, full of explicit dissonance, repetition and strange dynamics.

“The Charleston” was his killer: it started with deliberately messy tone rows, his two hands playing at cross-purposes, the left staccato and slow, the right flowing and medium-tempo. Inevitably, and with humor, he finished in the song’s proper style.

Mike Lipskin, a pianist based in San Francisco who studied with the stride pianist Willie (The Lion) Smith, played stride-piano songs as if they were his drinking buddies: his versions of Johnson’s “It Takes Love to Cure the Heart’s Disease” and Luckey Roberts’s “Pork and Beans” were rowdy and familiar, and he made Johnson’s “If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)” mellifluous and lovely, smiling at the audience rather than monitoring the difficult variations in his left-hand stride patterns.

The evening’s revelation was Aaron Diehl, a pianist in his mid-20s who has played with Wynton Marsalis and Wycliffe Gordon. His style, on “Scaling the Blues,” “Over the Bars” and the second movement of Johnson’s “Jazzamine Concerto,” was modest, secure and insinuating, with an iron sense of time. A few different pianists worked in their own tunes as Johnson tributes; Mr. Diehl’s was a slow, gorgeous blues.

Ted Rosenthal and Dick Hyman closed the night. They performed some pieces together at the keyboard, including “Twilight Rag”; then Mr. Hyman, one of the world’s great specialists in early jazz piano, performed Johnson’s music with well-practiced dynamic shifts, elegant and sometimes a bit too showy for the circumstances. But complaining is pointless. Mr. Hyman smoothly played the entire 10-minutes-plus solo-piano version of Johnson’s “Yamekraw,” a rhapsody with classical flourishes and stride interjections. Who else does that?"

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