[Dixielandjazz] Blind Willie Dunn's Gin Bottle Four

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

Don Mopsick wrote (in part):
> I'm still looking for more opinions or information. I think Brian Rust
> credits King Oliver as the cornet player on Jet Black Blues by Blind Willie
> Dunn's Gin Bottle Four recorded for Okeh in April 1929. I believe the cornet
> player is Tommy Dorsey. You can hear the recording here:
> http://www.redhotjazz.com/Songs/Lang/jetblack.ram 
> 
> For a recording of Tommy Dorsey playing cornet, check out Tiger Rag here:
> http://www.redhotjazz.com/tommy.html
> 
> What do you think?? King Oliver or Tommy Dorsey??

and Glen Page responded :
 > I'm sticking my neck out here.
 >
 >The tpt player on Tiger Rag does not seem to use the same flexibility 
 >in timing or phrasing that the better non Caucasian,  I hate to use 
 >that terminology but I do not know what is acceptable these days, 
 >musicians would employ.
 >
 >I could not vouch for Oliver being the man on the Blind Willie Dunn 
 >sides but he/ she is a different player to the one on Tiger Rag and in 
 >all probability of a different hue.
 >
 >Let the games begin!!

Ah, how can one resist the invitation  :-)

First, some discographical basics:

"Jet black blues" (w401842-B) and "Blue blood blues" (w401843-B) were 
recorded in NYC on 1 May 1929 and issued on both Okeh and Columbia. Most 
Columbia issues have "with King Oliver, cornet" on the label.

The only thing that the pundits agree-on is that the guitarists are 
Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson. "Blind Willie Dunn" was a nom-de-disc of 
Eddie Lang's.

There are at least 4 players (trumpet, piano, 2 guitars) and the vocal 
and/or percussion may be by 1 or 2 others. The received opinion has had 
it that Hoagy Carmichael is the vocalist/percussionist.

Carmichael has denied that he was present, as has Clarence Williams.

I agree with Laurie Wright, who notes that "the trumpet range .. is 
greater than that employed by Oliver and the vibrato is found on no 
authenticated Oliver recording".

So, if not Oliver, who? The vibrato is the clue. The player does sound 
like Tommy Dorsey (cf "Tiger rag" of 10 November 1928) and Dorsey has 
twice acknowledged his presence on this date.

Why go further? In the absence of new information, the answer is "not 
King Oliver; probably Tommy Dorsey"

All the best,
Anton