[Dixielandjazz] Hoagy Carmichael

[Stan Brager]

If you like early jazz and the music of Hoagy Carmichael, JSP has a
wonderful box set of 4 CD's "Hoagy Carmichael - The first of the Singer
Songwriters". I've just finished listening to the first CD and discovered
some happy surprises.

Among them were 3 cuts by Irving Mills and His Hotsy-Totsy Gang with Mannie
Klein (tp), Miff Mole (tb), Jimmy Dorsey (alto, cl), Pee Wee Russell (tenor,
cl), Hoagy (keyboards and vocal), Joe Tarto (tuba) and a couple of others.
Their version of "Star Dust" was new to me and I liked the arrangement.
Anyone know who wrote it? My guess was Jimmy Dorsey because the alto section
chorus was delicious and swung nicely. It sounds as if Pee Wee played the
clarinet solo but I could be wrong there also. Another interesting version
of "Star Dust" was by Mills Merry Makers - another Irving Mills unit. No
personnel was given nor could I did the Rust book list anything other than
the instrumentation.

Other discoveries were Hoagy Carmichael's February 19, 1928 recording of
"March of The Hoodlums" and Eddie Lang's recording of the same tune about a
year and a half later.

I'm looking forward to listening to the other 3 CD's.

Stan
Stan Brager