[Dixielandjazz] Lee Castle

[Stan Brager]

Jim;

I have Lee Castle blowing nice trumpet with Ray McKinley's Dixie Six. 
Peanuts Hucko (cl), Dean Kincaide (bar), Mickey Crane (p), and Trigger 
Alpert (b) are the rest of the band on this 1957 Jazztone LP.  Will 
Bradley's Jazz Band plays 8 of the 12 tunes on the LP.

The McKinley group plays "Jeepers Creepers", "Sugar Foot Stomp", "Royal 
Garden Blues", and "Hard Hearted Hannah". I would say that the music sounds 
more like Chicago style.

The liner notes by George Simon give only a little information about Lee 
Castle.

Stan
Stan Brager
Trombonist-in-Training

-----Original Message-----
From:	Jim Denham [SMTP:james@jiming.demon.co.uk]
Sent:	Saturday, August 03, 2002 11:05 AM
To:	dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com
Subject:	[Dixielandjazz] Lee Castle

One of my favourite latter-day "dixieland" (hate that term!) sessions
has long been "Dixieland Heaven", by Lee Castle with Lou McGarity, Dick
Carey, Bob Haggart, George Wettling, Peanuts Hucko (1954) and Bob Wilbur
(1957). It's on the 'Joe Davis' label.

Does any listmate know anything about this session (or, to be precise,
sessions), and how Lee Castle came to lead a "dixieland" band? As I
understand it, he was a fine trumpet player who worked with the big
bands of Tommy Dorsey and Jack Teagarden. He also did one recording
session with Lester Young in the forties. He ended up fronting the
"Dorsey Brothers" ghost band. How did he come to record that one,
brilliant "dixieland"  record? And how come it's recorded in two
sessions, three years apart?
--
Jim Denham