[Dixielandjazz] Dick Robertson + Peanut vendor

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

Good one, Bill!

The "Peanut vendor"/"Is that religion?" issue is interesting for a
couple of reasons.

1. When the Don Azpiazu band (from Cuba) opened in New York in April
1930 it made an enormous impression with El manisero (The peanut vendor)
- the song was a hit and every Tom, Dick and Harry took it up. What
stands out, from the evidence of recordings, is how lumpy most of the
American performances were. Red Nichols' effort was a good one but we
had to wait for Stan Kenton to show us how it could be done as jazz. The
best that can be said of Ellington's effort is that it is better than
Louis Armstrong's.

2. The latest edition of Brian Rust's "Jazz records" continues the error
of showing Frank Marvin as the vocalist on "Is that religion?"

All the best,
Anton

> Dear John,
> Found it!
> Your friend's reference to Cadence Magazine set me thinking again.
> I 'googled' Cadence with no luck but then wondered what other jazz mag 
> in 1979-80 would bother to record the death of singer/songwriter Dick 
> Robertson.
> Jazz Journal? Probably, but no index available, although I have access 
> to the late Mike Sutcliffe's complete bound set up to 2007.
> Laurie's Wright's 'Storyville' magazine? Possibly and I do have the 
> published Index, lovingly compiled by German enthusiast Bernard H Behncke.
> Eureka!
> Issue 87 (February-March 1980) page 106.
> Another old friend and Ellington specialist Jerry Valburn, in commenting 
> about the identity of the vocalist and band for "Is That Religion/The 
> Peanut Vender" by Earl Jackson and His Musical Champions, recorded on 20 
> January 1931, wrote [in part]:
> "I had a conversation with Dick Robertson last winter (at that time he 
> was not 'the late Dick Robertson' as reported in an earlier issue but, 
> sadly, he passed away on 13 July 1979). Dick remembered the session 
> welll, that it was Ellington, and that "Is That Religion" was one of his 
> favourite sides."
> Very kind regards,
> Bill.