Interracial Jazz Recording (#21) Bessie Smith & Eddie Lang

Bessie Smith earned her title as Empress of the Blues. She managed to be both powerful and able to express a wide range of emotion. Clarence Williams was a whirlwind-pianist, songwriter, producer, promoter, singer and publisher. As noted on previous posts, white guitarist Eddie Lang shows up on many mixed sessions. 

Suggestive doesn't really cover the "blue-ness" of the lyrics in all these tunes. 

Bessie Smith (vcl) acc by Clarence Williams (p) Eddie Lang (g) New York, May 8, 1929.

• I’m wild about that thing- Col 14427-D, CG30126, Swag (Aus)JCS3374, CBS(G)LSP14100, Jass 5;
• You’ve got to give me some- Col 14427-D, CG30126, Swag (Aus)JCS3374, BBC (E)602;
• Kitchen man- Col 14435-D, CG30126, Bilt 1040, HJCA 613, Murray Hill P315996;
• Note: Mx 148486 misprinted on some labels as “You’e got to give me some”
• All above titles also on Roots (Eu) RTS43015 [Cass], Columbia C2K-52838 [CD]

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

Interracial Jazz Tune (#20) Lang, Johnson, Dorsey (not Oliver) & Carmichael

Blind Willie Dunn was a pseudonym used by guitarist Eddie Lang when he played in black sessions, including the sessions he did with his pal, guitarist Lonnie Johnson. Johnson is the only non-white player on the 5 sessions done by this group in spring, 1929 and is probably the soloist you hear, as he was more deft at single-string playing than Lang.

Lang and Johnson

King Oliver is listed on the label but Tommy Dorsey, known of course as a trombonist, is actually the trumpet player and he sounds excellent. Hoagy Carmichael is the pianist, does some light scatting and probably slipped in the little bit of the xylophone we hear in "Jet Black Blues" and the wood blocks in "Blue Blood Blues." 

I'll go crazy and post both. What the hell.  

Blind Willie Dunn’s Gin Bottle Four: Tommy Dorsey (tp) Eddie Lang, Lonnie Johnson (g)  Hoagy Carmichael p,vcl, percussion New York, May 1, 1929.

• Jet black blues- OKeh 8689, Swag (Aus)33717, Par (E)PMC7106, Col C2L24;
• Blue blood blues- OKeh 8689, Swag (Aus)33717, Par (E)PMC7106, CBS (F)63610

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

"Early Guitar" Radio Show

Lonnie Johnson

A quick look at the early great jazz guitar players, aired on the DuPlex Mystery Jazz Hour of 5.5.16.
Check out the playlist and give a listen.

LISTEN HERE (Sorry for the minor hum, audible at a low level when I speak, not during the music))

Sam Moore "Chain Gang Blues" 1921 on Okeh

Lonnie Johnson "Four Hands are Better Than Two" 1927 on Okeh

Eddie Lang "Add a Little Wiggle" 1928 on Okeh

The Chocolate Dandies "Paducah" 1928 on Okeh

Frank Trumbauer & His Orchestra "I'm Coming Virginia" 1927 on Okeh

Lonnie Johnson and Blind Willie Dunn "Deep Minor Rhythm Stomp" 1929 on Okeh

King Nawahi's Hawaiians "Hawaiian Capers" 1929 on Columbia

Eddie Edinborough & His New Orleans Wild Cats "Brown Baby" 1933 on Columbia

The Five Cousins "I've Got the Word on a String" 1933 on ARC Test

Candy and Coco "Kingfish Blues" 1934 on Vocalion

Dick McDonough "Honeysuckle Rose"1934 on Test recording

Frank Trumbaier & His Orchestra "S'Wonderful" 1936 on Brunswick

Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys "White Heat" 1937 on Vocalion

Katy Grey and her Wampus Cats "Baton Rouge Rag" 1937 on Vocalion

Jon Sodja's Swingtette "Limehouse Blues" 1937 on Varsity

Kansas City Five "Love Me or Leave Me" 1938 on Commodore

Benny Goodman and His Sextet "Wholly Cats" 1940 on Columbia

Slim Gaillard And His Flat-Foot-Floogie-Boys "Palm Springs Jump" 1942 on Columbia