Volume 1: Singin 'the Blues

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Volume 1: Singin 'the Blues
Compilation album by Bix Beiderbecke

Publication
(s)

1990

Label (s) Columbia Records

Format (s)

CD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

20th

occupation

production

Tommy Rockwell (Original Sessions), Michael Brooks (Reissue)

Studio (s)

New York City

chronology
- Volume 1: Singin 'the Blues Volume 2: At the Jazz Band Ball

Volume 1: Singin 'the Blues is a compilation album with music by jazz cornet player Bix Beiderbecke . The recordings were made with changing line-ups from February 4 to September 30, 1927, e.g. T. under the direction of Beiderbeckes, and initially appeared on the labels Okeh and Harmony Records . The album was released as a compact disc in 1990 on Columbia Records in the CBS Jazz Masterpieces series .

background

The compilation contains records that Bix Beiderbecke made in addition to his membership in the Jean Goldkette Orchestra, e. Sometimes under his own name, also under the direction of Frank Trumbauer .

Trumbology - February 4, 1927

The first tracks of the compilation, Trumbology and Clarinet Marmelade , were written on February 4, 1927 for Okeh Records ( Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang ), the most successful track by far was Singin 'the Blues (OKeh 40772), with Beiderbeckes impressive Solo; the instrumental number arranged by Paul Mertz reached position 9 on the US charts, where it stayed for six weeks.

Frankie Trumbauer's orchestra consisted of Bix Beiderbecke, Bill Rank (trombone), Jimmy Dorsey (clarinet, alto saxophone), Paul Mertz (piano), Howdy Quicksell (banjo), Eddie Lang (guitar) and Chauncey Morehouse (drums). Lester Young later emphasized how much Beiderbecke and especially this record had influenced him.

Ostrich Walk - May 9, 1927

After a tour with Jean Goldkette , Beiderbecke returned from the east coast to New York City on May 8; the next OKeh session took place on May 9, 1927, again under Frankie Trumbauer's direction, with a slightly different line-up (Beiderbecke, Bill Rank, Trumbauer , Don Murray, Doc Ryker (as), Itzy Riskin (piano), Eddie Lang, Chauncey Morehouse) created Ostrich Walk , a number by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band from 1918, and Riverboat Shuffle by Hoagy Carmichael , first performed in 1924 by Bix Beiderbecke & The Wolverines recorded.

The two tracks had been selected by Beiderbecke for the session, the cornetist first rehearsed the numbers on the piano. The Beiderbecke biographer Jean Pierre Lion wrote about this recording:

“In the absence of a bass player, he gave the ensemble an irresistible drive . The introduction he developed had several breaks , followed by a chorus written for three saxophones . Bix's solo, built over 16 bars, is very radiant; the whole thing ends with a phrase that is played lovely - the musical equivalent of a smile. "

The ensemble around Beiderbecke and Trumbauer Riverboat Shuffle plays with the same energy ; guitarist Eddie Lang contributed short fill-ins to the ensemble's breaks for the quick introduction. Bix Beiderbecke begins his solo, deviating from the usual practice at the time, with a high note in order to then play a melodic and dynamic descending line. For Lion, the 1927 version illustrates how far the cornetist had come in recent years; "In just over thirty seconds, it reveals an astonishing palette full of nuances and feelings, from the most vibrant colors to subdued reflections, while always maintaining pure sound and flawless offensive."

For No Reason at All in C - February 14, 1927

Bix Beiderbecke 1924

The third session took place five days later, again under Frankie Trumbauer's direction with the same cast; on May 13, 1927, Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke first recorded the ballad I'm Coming, Virginia (OKeh 40843) popularized by Ethel Waters in 1927 , as well as Way Down Yonder in New Orleans (OKeh 40843) and with a smaller cast For No Reason at All in C , (OKeh 40871), with Frank Trumbauer ( C melody saxophone ), Bix Beiderbecke (piano, cornet) and Eddie Lang (guitar).

I'm Coming, Virginia was similar to their hit song Singin 'the Blues ; "Eddie Lang is very present on the cover and contributes a remarkable accompaniment," said Jean Pierre Lion; “Tram's 16-bar solo on the chorus leads to radiant, bell-like tones from Bix. The cornetist has the longest solo in the piece, a section that continues up to the soft recapitulation of the ensemble. "

Way Down Yonder in New Orleans , popular in the early 20s and later jazz standard , is played at a rather slow tempo; “The heart of the record side are again the choruses of Bix and Tram, the saxophonist spreads out an elegant melodic line over twenty bars - one can easily imagine the impression this made on the young Lester Young. Bix doesn't seem to be very inspired: His solo is skillful, but it sounds as if it was composed of elements that have already been worked out and tested, things that the musician could easily build on. "

Beiderbecke, Trumbauer and Eddie Lang stayed in the studio for the last number of the day ; For No Reason at All in C was a trio improvisation based on the chord progression of I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (If I Knew I'd Find You) , a song by Lew Brown and Sidney Clare , with Al Jolson 1926 was successful in the US charts. This method of melodic diversion , which bebop musicians would later use frequently, was an innovation in 1927. "Tram is at its best on this important recording, which marks the beginning of a new form of jazz that should only be explored in the near future: chamber jazz, a form in which a warm and intimate playing posture is preferred."

Three Blind Mice - August 25, 1927

Adrian Rollini at the vibraphone with guitarist Allen Haulon, probably in the 1940s
Photo: William P. Gottlieb

After touring with the Goldkette Orchestra to St. Louis, Detroit and Atlantic City, Trumbauer's and Beiderbeckes' next OKeh session did not take place until August 25, 1927, when the musicians with gold chains came to New York for new recordings. The bass saxophonist Adrian Rollini was added ; The result was the instrumental number Three Blind Mice (OKeh 40903) and the vocal titles Blue River and There's a Cradle in Caroline , a 1927 successful hit by Sam M. Lewis , Joe Young and Fred E. Ahlert (OKeh 40879), both with singer Seger Ellis.

The results of the August session were mixed; Chauncey Morehouse's composition Three Blind Mice (OKeh 40903) was arranged by Bill Challis ; the addition of Rollini's bass saxophone to the band turned out to be beneficial for the sound foundation of their music. Jean Pierre Lion comments on this recording with qualifications:

“Though things are off to a good start, Bix's chorus ends with an astonishing silence, probably explained by a lack of breath control; Eddie Lang follows with a harmonious, but somewhat thin solo. "

About Beiderbecke's qualities as an accompanying musician, Lion said that this was never the cornetist's strength, "his stuffed counterpoint in Blue River deliberately ignores Seger Ellis' vocal part, showing little respect for its progression or pauses."

In a Mist - September 9, 1927

On September 9, 1927, Bix Beiderbecke recorded the piano solo number In a Mist for OKeh , also known as Bixology (OKeh 40916, Vocalion 3150). With the recording, which was supposedly influenced by Claude Debussy , in fact melodically shaped by ragtime and only partially improvised , Beiderbecke even achieved a brief chart success; on February 11, 1928, the title hit # 20 on the US charts for a week. In later years, she was inducted into the American NARAS Hall of Fame.

Wringin 'and Twistin' - September 17, 1927

A week later, on the morning of September 17, 1927, Trumbauer, Beiderbecke and Eddie Lang recorded another title; under the band name Tram, Bix and Lang , the medium-tempo instrumental number Wringin 'and Twistin' emerged and was published as the B-side of In a Mist (OKeh 40916). This time Bix Beiderbecke placed more emphasis on ensemble playing on the piano; again he only takes up his usual cornet at the end of the piece. Stéphane Grappelli later stated that the two trio numbers For No Reason at All in C and Wringin 'and Twistin' had a great influence on his aesthetic development.

Humpty Dumpty - September 28, 1927

After the dissolution of the Jean Goldkette Orchestra, Adrian Rollini managed to book an engagement for the former musicians of the orchestra around Trumbauer and Beiderbecke in the newly opened New Yorker nightclub on Broadway; the bar opened on September 22nd. Rollini had put together an all-star band (including violinist Joe Venuti as the front man), but it was only short-lived as the club closed its doors on October 15, 1927.

On September 28th and 29th, Trumbauer went to the OKeh studio with parts of the New York band and recorded a total of five records. In Frankie Trumbauer's orchestra, the bandleader and Bix Beiderbecke played trombonist Bill Rank, Bobby Davis (alto saxophone), Don Murray (clarinet, tenor saxophone), Joe Venuti (violin), Adrian Rollini (bass sax), Frank Signorelli (piano), Eddie Lang (guitar) and Chauncey Morehouse (drums). On the first day when the trumpeter Sylvester Ahoha was forgotten, the numbers Humpty Dumpty (also Yale Blues ; OKeh 40926), Krazy Kat (OKeh 40903) and (The) Baltimore (OKeh 40926) were written.

"With Humpty Dumpty and Krazy Kat , the sophisticated arrangements dominate , whereby the musicians display an intellectual rather than an emotional playing stance." According to Richard Hadlock, Beiderbecke operates with unusual tonic scales in the first title, while in the second he used unusual chord changes; on the other hand, the last number of the session ( The Baltimore ) was surprisingly simple, with unsurprising chord changes, which meant that the title was ignored by the jazz community for a long time, but still has its charm.

There Ain't No Land Like Dixieland to Me - September 29, 1927

Harmony 78s from There Is not No Country Like Dixieland to Me of Broadway Bell Hops led by Sam Lanin , 1927

Beiderbecke recorded the vocal number There Ain't No Land Like Dixieland to Me, which came from the composer Walter Donaldson , shortly before the introduction of the electronic recording process for the Columbia sub-label Harmony Records (# 504-H), still using old acoustic methods . The session was produced by Sam Lanin . Irving Kaufman acted as the band singer of the group called The Broadway Bell Hops around the cornetist . The line-up was largely identical to the previous recordings of the Trumbauer Orchestra.The band included Hymie Farberman , Bill Rank, Don Murray, Frankie Trumbauer, Bobby Davis, Joe Venuti, Frank Signorelli, plus the banjoist John Cali, the tuba player Joe Tarto and the drummer Vic Berton . The second track of this session with Irving Kaufman was the number There's a Cradle in Caroline (by Sam M. Lewis , Joe Young and Fred E. Ahlert), which this year was replaced by the versions of Gene Austin , Sam Lanin ( The Radiolites ), Nat Shilkret and Sophie Tucker was popular.

According to Lion, Kaufman managed to conjure up the charm of the old southern states in There Ain't No Land Like Dixieland to Me , but There's a Cradle in Caroline became an artistic disaster for him; Bix Beiderbecke played this song with elegance. […] As Eddie Condon used to say, He could squeeze lemonade out of any old lemon .

Just an Hour of Love - September 30, 1927

On the morning of the following day, September 30, 1927, the so-called New Yorker band around Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke went to the OKeh studio again; both of Joseph H. Trent and Peter De Rose's "light-weight" vocal numbers Just an Hour of Love and I'm Wonderin 'Who (OKeh 40912) were first marketed by Columbia under the pseudonym Benny Meroff and His Orchestra , but later under Trumbauers Names published. Only Just an Hour of Love is important for Lion because of the interesting interplay between Trumbauer and Beiderbecke.

Track list

  • Bix Beiderbecke: Volume 1: Singin 'The Blues (CBS - 466309 1 - Columbia Jazz Masterpieces)
  1. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang: Trumbology (F. Trumbauer) 2:59
  2. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang: Clarinet Marmalade (HW Ragas, Larry Shields) 3:13
  3. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang: Singin 'the Blues (C. Conrad, JR Robinson , Joe Young, Sam Lewis ), 3:00
  4. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra: Ostrich Walk (Original Dixieland Jazz Band) 3:05
  5. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra: Riverboat Shuffle (D. Voynow, Hoagy Carmichael ) 3:07
  6. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra: I'm Coming Virginia (D. Heywood, W. Cook) 3:09
  7. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra: Way Down Yonder in New Orleans (H. Creamer, J. Turner-Layton) 2:50
  8. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra: For No Reason at All in C (B. Beiderbecke, F. Trumbauer) 3:02
  9. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang: Three Blind Mice ( Chauncey Morehouse , F. Trumbauer) 3:01
  10. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang: Blue River (A. Bryan, Joseph Meyer) 3:16 - vocals Seger Ellis and J. Crawford
  11. Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang: There's a Cradle in Caroline (Fred Ahlert, Joe Young) 3:00
  12. Bix Beiderbecke: In a Mist (B. Beiderbecke) 2:44
  13. Tram, Bix and Lang: Wringin 'and Twistin' ( Fats Waller , F. Trumbauer, Jo Trent) 2:53
  14. Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra: Humpty Dumpty ( Fud Livingstone ) 3:02
  15. Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra: Krazy Kat (C. Morehouse, F. Trumbauer) 3:00
  16. Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra: The Baltimore (D. Healy, Irving Kahal , Jimmy McHugh ) 2:59
  17. Broadway Bellhops: There Ain't No Land Like Dixieland to Me (Walter Donaldson) 3:02
  18. Broadway Bellhops: There's a Cradle in Caroline (Fred Ahlert, Joe Young) 2:54
  19. Benny Meroff And His Orchestra: Just an Hour of Love ( Albert Von Tilzer , WJ Trent, P. DeRose) 2:51
  20. Benny Meroff And His Orchestra: I'm Wonderin 'Who (A. Von Tilzer, WJ Trent, P. DeRose) 2:49

reception

In the Rough Guide to Jazz , Ian Carr praised the two Columbia editions ( Vol. 1: Singin 'the Blues and Volume 2: At the Jazz Band Ball ); they contain all the classic recordings from Bix Beiderbecke's most productive period in the recording studios and are "essential and wonderful."

For Richard Cook and Brian Morton , who gave the album the highest rating in The Penguin Guide to Jazz , this chronology contains Beiderbecke's recordings "his greatest year in the studios"; they illustrate why Lester Young identified Beiderbecke as his main influence. Among the highlights of the album, the authors included in addition to the title song Singin 'the Blues the pieces Clarinet Marmalade and the trio piece For No Reason at All in C ; Another bonus is the contributions of Jimmy Dorsey and Eddie Lang .

The National Public Radio took the two editions Columbia ( Volume 1: Singin 'the Blues and Volume 2: At the Jazz Band Ball ) in their NPR Basic Jazz Record Library on.

Notes and individual references

  1. ^ A b Gerhard Klußmeier : Jazz in the Charts. Another View on Jazz History. Liner Notes and Companion Book of the 100 CD Edition. Membrane International GmbH. ISBN 978-3-86735-062-4
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Tom Lord: Jazz discography (online)
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Jean Pierre Lion: Bix: The Definitive Biography of a Jazz Legend: Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke . New York City: Continuum, 2005. pp. 158 ff.
  4. ↑ Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra: Bix Beiderbecke (cnt), Bill Rank (tb), Frankie Trumbauer (c-mel), Don Murray (cl, as), Doc Ryker (as), Itzy Riskin (p, arr), Eddie Lang (g), Chauncey Morehouse (d, harpophone)
  5. ↑ Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra with Bix and Lang: Bix Beiderbecke (cnt), Bill Rank (tb), Frankie Trumbauer (c-mel), Doc Ryker (as), Don Murray (cl, bar), Adrian Rollini (bassax) , Itzy Riskin (p), Eddie Lang (g), Chauncey Morehouse (d), Seger Ellis (vcl).
  6. ↑ Cast: Bix Beiderbecke (cnt), NN (tp), Bill Rank (tb), Frankie Trumbauer (c-mel), Bobby Davis (as), Don Murray (cl, ts), Joe Venuti (from left), Adrian Rollini (bassax), Frank Signorelli (p), NN (git), Chauncey Morehouse (dr) and Irving Kaufman (vcl).
  7. ^ Rough Guide to Jazz, 1995, p. 46
  8. ↑ Quotation Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 , p. 118.
  9. ↑ Murray Horwitz and AB Spellman : Conversation about Bix Beiderbecke: 'Singin' the Blues, Vol. I '&' At the Jazz Band Ball, Vol. 2 ' (2001/2012) in NPR Radio