A Big Sid Catlett Show

The Duplex of 10.19.17 featured the work of the great drummer Sid Catlett. As the playlist shows, he could play in any jazz style and make it work. He was also a master showman with the sticks. To see him in action, go here:  Enjoy the show.

LISTEN HERE

PLAYLIST

Benny Carter - "Swing It" Benny Carter, vocal, as, ‪Buster Bailey (cl as) Omer Simeon (as) Elmer Williams Chu Berry (ts cl) Horace Henderson (p) Bob Lessey (g) Israel Crosby(b) Sidney Catlett (d)‬, Columbia 1933

Fletcher Henderson - "Jangled Nerves" Dick Vance Joe Thomas Roy Eldridge (tp) Fernando Arbello Ed Cuffee (tb) Buster Bailey (cl as) OmerSimeon (as) Elmer Williams Chu Berry (ts cl) Horace Henderson (p) Bob Lessey (g) Israel Crosby(b) Sidney Catlett (d) Victor 1936

New Orleans Feetwarmers and Sidney Bechet "Shake it and Break It" S. Bechet (ss), S. de Paris (tp), S. Williams (tb), C. Jackson (p), B. Addis (g), W. Braud (b), S. Catlett (d) 1940 on VIctor

John Kirby Sextet "Jumping in the Pump Room" Charlie Shavers,cl:Buster Baily,as:Russel Procope,p:Billy Kyle, b:John Kirby,big sid catlett-d 1940 on Okeh, 1940

Benny Goodman "Pound Ridge"-Benny Goodman, cl, dir: Billy Butterfield, Jimmy Maxwell, Cootie Williams, Al Davis, t / Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall, tb / Skippy Martin, as, a / Clint Neagley, as / Vido Musso, George Berg, ts / Charles "Chuck" Gentry, bar / Mel Powell, p, a / Tom Morgan, g / John Simmons, sb / Sid Catlett, Chicago, 1941.

Eddie Condon w. Lee Wiley "Down With Love" from The Town Hall Concerts Forty-Four and Forty-Five-Eugene Schroeder-p· Sid Weiss-b· Sid Catlett-d· Lee Wileyv· Billy Butterfield-tp Eddie Condon -guitar, Monmouth Evergreen1944

Teddy WIlson Sextet "Don't be that way" The Onyx Club Original Live Recordings 1944, Teddy Wilson (piano), Edmond Hall (clarinet), Emmett Berry (trumpet), Benny Morton (trombone), Slam Stewart (bass), Sidney Catlett (drums) 1944 on Columbia

Esquire All Stars jazz concert "Rose Room," Art Tatum - piano, Big Sid Catlett-drums, Oscar Pettiford - bass, Barney Bigard - clarinet,  Christy Records 1945

Big Sid Catlett's Band, "Love For Scale" -Joe Guy (tp), Bull Moose Jackson (as), Bumps Myers and Illinois Jacquet (ts), Horace Henderson (p), Al Casey (g) and John Simmons (b). Capital 1945 

Big Sid Catlett and His AllStars "Humoresque Boogie"- Catlett, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (ts), Bill Gooden (org,celeste,vcl), Pete Johnson (p), Jimmy Shirley (g) and Gene Ramey (b). Manor 1946 

Dizzy Gillespie with Charlie Parker, "Salt Peanuts," Sidney 'Big Sid' Catlett, Al Haig, and Curly Russell. 1945 Guild

John Kirby Sextet Musicomania-Charlie Shavers - trumpet, Buster Bailey - clarinet, Charlie Holmes - alto saxophone Billy Kyle - piano, John Kirby - bass, film-Sepia Cinderella, 1947

JATP "Sid Flips His Lid," Sid Catlett, d., Charlie Shavers, tpt, Hank jones, P, Verve 1947

Tunes From Swing Street

Playing pre-war music from some of the denizens of 52nd St. on the Duplex Mystery Jazz Hour WZBC with Steve Provizer 08/27/2015.

LISTEN HERE.

 Eddie Condon and His Orchestra "The Eel" 1933 on Brunswick 

 Eddie Condon and His Orchestra "Home Cooking"  1933) on Brunswick 

 Eddie Condon and His Orchestra "Tennessee Twilight" 1933 on Columbia 

 Eddie Condon and His Orchestra "Madame Dynamite" 1933) on Columbia 

 Frank Froeba & His Swing Band "The music goes round and round" 1935 on Columbia 

 Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang "Let's Have a Jubilee" 1934)on Brunswick 

 Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang "House Rent Party Day" 1934 on Brunswick 

 Stuff Smith And His Onyx Club Boys "Old joe's hittin' the jug" 1936 on Vocalion 

 Stuff Smith And His Onyx Club Boys "Your'e a Viper"  1936 on Vocalion 

 Red McKenzie and his Rhythm Kings "What's the reason I'm Not Pleasin You" 1935 on Vocalion 

 Red McKenzie and his Rhythm Kings "You've Been Taking Lessons in Love" 1935 on Vocalion 

 Wingy Manone & His Orchestra "Isle of Capri" 1935 on Vocalion 

 Wingy Manone & His Orchestra "Nickel in the Slot" 1935 on Okeh 

 Henry Allen And His Orchestra "Every Minute of the Hour" 1936 on Vocalion 

 Henry Allen And His Orchestra "Lost" 1936 on Vocalion 

 Frank Newton & His Uptown Serenaders "You showed me the way 1937 on Variety 

 Frank Newton & His Uptown Serenaders "The Onyx Hop" 1937 on Variety 

 The Three Peppers "Swing Out, Uncle Wilson" 1937 on Variety 

 The Three Peppers "The Duck's Yas Yas Yas" 1937 on Variety 

 Joe Marsala & His Chicagoans "Jazz Me Blues" 1937)on Variety 

 Fats Waller and his Hot Piano "I'm Crazy About My Baby"1931 on Columbia 

 Art Tatum "Tea for Two" 1933 on Brunswick 

 Art Tatum "Sophisticated Lady" 933 on Brunswick 

 Teddy Wilson "Rosetta" 1935 on Brunswick 

 Teddy Wilson Between the devil and the deep blue sea" 1937 on Brunswick 

 Clarence Profit Trio "Don't Leave Me" 1939) on Previously Unissued 

 Maxine Sullivan and Her Orchestra "loch lomond" 1937 on Vocalion 

 Bunny Berigan and His Boys "A Little Bit Later On" 1936 on Vocalion 

 John Kirby and His Orchestra "Can't We Be Friends ?" 1940 on Columbia 

 John Kirby and His Orchestra "Coquette"1940)on Columbia 

 Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra "I Hear Music" 1940 on Okeh 

 Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra "Overheard in a Cocktail Lounge" 1937 on Variety 

 Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra "Practice Makes Perfect" 1940 on Okeh 

 Mildred Bailey and Her Orchestra "More Than You Know" 1936 on Vocalion 

Charlie Shavers Re-Mix

[I first wrote about Charlie Shavers a couple of years ago and since then, have noticed signs that increased attention is being paid to this great trumpet player (pure coincidence, I'm sure). I have expanded that piece, added new links and new commentary]

I first heard Shavers many years ago playing on Billie Holliday''s Verve LP "Solitude"- my favorite Lady Day record. Charlie's playing, both open and muted, was beautiful. I don't know why I didn't pursue his discography at that point; it just kind of spun out over time and I have grown to increasingly dig Shaver's facility, creativity and tone.

The only other swing trumpet players who could give Charlie Shavers a run for his money as both soloist and lead player were Roy Eldridge, Harry Edison and Buck Clayton. If you happened to like the particularities of their sounds, you might say Harry James, Cootie Williams, Bunny Berigan or Red Allen were in his league. Shavers' tone was basically 'poppin', but rounder, slightly less edged and with a touch more vibrato than the others. His range was unsurpassed, except by Eldridge. He used mutes to great effect throughout his career.

Shavers was an alumnus of the Tiny Bradshaw, Lucky Millinder and John Kirby, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman bands and Jazz at the Philharmonic. He recorded and sounded perfectly at home in many styles-blues, traditional, swing, semi-bop.

There's a dearth of info out there about the man. There is one very cool interview with him here, and what he says about the trumpet will surprise you. In this interview with Bobby Shew, there is a reference to Charlie's having what seems to be narcolepsy.

Whether or not he had that kind of medical condition or not he seems to have been an extremely laid back possibly even passive, guy. It's interesting to speculate on how his personality interacted with his career-especially his recording career-as many of the recordings he made in mid-to-late career (he died at age 50) were not very good. Producers put him in settings they thought would make him appeal to a bigger audience. On some of these, he is simply a high note guy and on some, a "beautiful music" guy. He probably had neither the clout nor the personality that would have made him push back against any of these musical follies.


Here's Charlie with Johnny Dodds in 1938 playing the mistitled tune "Melancholy."

This is the Charlie Shavers Quintet in 1947 doing "Dizzy's Dilemna."

Here's Charlie and Lady Day, 1952, on "Moonglow."

Here he is in 1952 with Eldridge in one of the classic JATP "battles."

One of the few clips of Charlie has him here in another fantastic "battle" with Buck Clayton:

Here he is holding down the solo and first chair at the same time for the Dorseys:



Here he is with his first major gig-John Kirby. Sid Catlett is fantastic:




And finally, here he is not long before his death. Dig the violinist Svend Asmussen. You might also recognize the bass player and the tenor player:

The Young Sassy

My personal predilection is for early to middle-period Sarah Vaughan. Her voice was golden from beginning to end, but I believe the amount of ornamentation she used later in her career sometimes overwhelmed the material itself. 

On this edition of the Duplex Mystery Jazz Hour (08/21/2014), I played only early recordings, starting with her first session in 1944 with the Eckstine band and ending in 1948, with her a cappella version of Nature Boy, which, at that time, challenged Nat Cole's version in popularity. 

Ballads dominate here. My take is that record producers wanted Sarah to crossover and thought this was the way to sell female talent (unless it was targeted to the "race" audience).

Go HERE to hear the show.

Billie Eckstine "I'll Wait and Pray" (1944) on Deluxe 

Dizzy Gillespie And His All Stars Quintet "Signing Off" (1945) on Continental 

Dizzy Gillespie And His All Stars Quintet "Interlude" (1945) on Continental 

Billy Eckstein Orchestra "No Smoke Blues" (1945) on Continental 

BIlly Eckstine and His Orch. "Don't Blame Me" (1945) on Spotlight 

Sarah Vaughan "Lover Man" (1945) on Guild 

Sarah Vaughan "What More Can A Woman Do"  (1945) on Continental 

Sarah Vaughan "I'd Rather Have A Memory Than A Dream" (1945) on Continental 

Tony Scott & his Down Beat Septet "All Too Soon" (945) on Gotham 

John Kirby and His Orchestra "Time and Again"  (1946) on Musicraft 

John Kirby and His Orchestra "I'm Scared" (1946) on Crown 

John Kirby and His Orchestra "You Go to My Head" (1945) on Crown 

John Kirby and His Orchestra "I Could Make You Love Me" (1945) on Crown 

Sarah Vaughan w. Dicky Wells' Big Seven "We're Through" (1946) on H.R.S. 

Georgie Auld and His Orchestra "A Hundred Years From Today" (1946) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. Tadd Dameron "If You Could See Me Now" (1946) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. Tadd Dameron "I Could Make You Love Me" (1946) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. Tadd Dameron"My Kinda Love" (1946) on Musicraft 

Georgie Auld and His Orchestra "You're Blase"  (1946) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "I've Got a Crush on You" (1946) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "Everything I Have Is Yours" (1946) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "Body and Soul" (1946) on Musicraft 

Teddy Wilson Quintet "September Song"  (1946) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "I Cover The Waterfront" (1947) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "A Ghost of a Chance (I Don't Stand - With You)"  (1947) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "Tenderly"  (1947) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. Ted Dale Orch. "I Can 't Get Started" (947) on MGM 

Sarah Vaughan w. Ted Dale Orch. "Love Me or Leave Me" (1947) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. Ted Dale Orch. "I Get a Kick Out of You" (1947) on Musicraft [I didn't have much info on the Ted Dale Orchestra, so if anyone has anything interesting to say about them, please chime in].

Sarah Vaughan "What A Difference A Day Makes" (1947) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. Earl Rodgers Choir "Nature Boy" from "Nature Boy" (Jazz, 1948) on Musicraft