[Dixielandjazz] FW: "Georgia Sunset Cakewalk"

[Bill Haesler]

Dear friends,
Thanks to the kind graces of Bob Ringwald, Jazz Jerry and Nancy Giffin, I
have received, direct from Dan Barrett, the answer to my query regarding the
unknown title he recorded with a Watters' style group when he was 16.
And a thank you to all the others who offered help in trying to identify
this elusive item.
Now all I need is a CD/tape copy of the other titles on the EP.
8>)
Anyone?
Very kind regards,
Bill.
PS: I have since established with Dan that I met him on his trip to Oz in
Oct 1994, which was commemorated with a great CD (Arbors ARCD 19143)
featuring Dan with Tom Baker, Bob Barnard, Chris Taperell, Ian Date, Don
Heap and Lynn Wallis.
 
Dear Mr. Haesler,
Bob Ringwald forwarded me your most recent e/mail regarding the "mystery"
tune recorded in my youth. It's from a recording--probably my first--from
1972. I was sixteen years old.
I'm sure that the song to which you refer, included on the cassette tape
from the late Tom Baker, is "Georgia Sunset Cakewalk." The band is Hal
Smith's Down Home Jazz Band, and included cornetists Bryan Shaw (now with
the High Sierra Jazz Band) and Tom Barneby. The clarinetist was Larry
Wright, who did a remarkable job of "channeling" Bob Helm. Robbie Rhodes,
from the South Frisco Jazz Band, played piano, and the leader of the South
Frisco band, Vince Saunders, played banjo. Ted des Plantes (whom I just saw
at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee) was on tuba, and contributed one
arrangement.  We recorded in Fred Throop's living room in Newport Beach,
California. Fred, sadly, is no longer with us. He was a great guy and a
good friend of ours. Fred loved jazz, and played drums, tuba, some bass,
and basically "pinch-hit" in local Southern California trad bands. He
worked a lot with George Probert. Whatever the band needed on a given
evening, Fred would play.

The four songs we recorded that night were "Georgia Sunset Cakewalk,"
"Skag-A-Lag"(Ted des Plantes's contribution), "Heebie Jeebies," and
"Messin' Around." (The last title was the Johnny St. Cyr composition
recorded by Doc Cooke, not the Jimmy Blythe song of the same name).

The tunes were issued on the "Chanticleer" label, and were released on a 7"
LP; two songs on each side. I believe that this was in fact one of Bryan
Shaw's earliest recording efforts. He now of course owns and operates his
own recording company, "Digital Brothers," with a state-of-the-art studio
and beautiful Steinway grand piano in Costa Mesa. Bryan does much of the
work for the Arbors Records label, and specializes in recording traditional
and acoustic jazz for bands around the country.

More information can be obtained directly from Hal Smith, of course. I hope
this helps solve the mystery. Thanks for giving me an excuse to reminisce
about what, after all, were some very good old days.

--Dan Barrett.



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