Interracial Jazz Recording (#43) Bud Freeman and Sid Catlett

This group, organized by Eddie Condon, is white except for drummer Sid Catlett, who leads a rhythm section that cooks. Black arranger Alex Hill provided the arrangement for the tune I'm featuring here, "The Eel." 

Bud Freeman

Sid Catlett

                                              

"The Eel," written by Bud Freeman, is an interesting tune. Although the solos are over blues changes, the actual tune is very different harmonically. The changes are stepwise or static and the modal implications are obvious. There's good trombone work by Floyd O'Brien, a typically idiosyncratic Pee Wee Russell solo and a nice muted Kaminsky solo. But the recording is known as a showcase for the fine tenor work of Bud Freeman.

Eddie Condon and his Orchestra: Max Kaminsky, t / Floyd O’Brien, tb / Pee Wee Russell, cl / Bud Freeman, ts / Joe Sullivan, p, a / Eddie Condon, bj / Artie Bernstein, sb / Sid Catlett, d. New York, October 21, 1933.

• The Eel: Br 02006, Col 35680, Dec M-30368;
• The Eel: Br (E)02006, Philips (Eu)436008A-JE, Family (It)DP697;
• Tennessee Twilight– aAH: Br 01690, A-500406, Col 36009, DS-1574;
• Tennessee Twilight– aAH: Col 36000;
• Madame Dynamite: Br 01690, A-500406, Col DS-1574, UHCA 64, Par R-2938;
• Madame Dynamite- Col 36009; Home Cooking- Col 35680, JZ1, Family (It)DP697, Tax (Swd)m-8019

All entries are from my book “As Long as They Can Blow. Interracial Jazz Recording and Other Jive Before 1935.”

Interracial Jazz Recording (#42) Eva Taylor and Ben Selvin

Eva Taylor, nee Irene Joy Gibbons, was a singer and actress who as a young girl traveled widely in vaudeville. Billed by Black Swan Records as "The Dixie Nightingale," she married and recorded often with Clarence Williams-producer, composer, pianist and publisher.

Eva Taylor

Ben Selvin

She performs here in a kind of stage/dance/jazz hybrid arrangement reminiscent of those played by Paul Whiteman. The orchestra is led by the prolific Ben Selvin, who recorded something like 15,000 78's. Some of the musicians were studio musicians and some could handle jazz. 

There are disagreements in discographies about the personnel for this Rodgers and Hart tune. I'm giving Rust's version, as others don't reckon with how large this ensemble is and Rust's seems feasible to me.

BEN SELVIN AND HIS ORCHESTRA: Ben Selvin, vn, dir: Leo McConville, Manny Klein, t / Tommy Dorsey, tb /Andy Sannella, cl, as / Louis Martin, as /Hymie Wolfson, cl, ts / ? Irving Brodsky, p / Tony Colucci, bj, g / ? Hank Stern, bb / Stan King, d / Eva Taylor, v. New York, December 9, 1929.

• My Man Is On The Make - vET Col 2067-D, CB-65, Re G-20852
• When I'm Housekeeping For You - vET Col 2072-D, CB-33
• My Man Is On The Make Par R-658
• When I'm Housekeeping For You Par R-661

All entries are from my book “As Long as They Can Blow. Interracial Jazz Recording and Other Jive Before 1935.”