[Dixielandjazz] Harlem Hamfats

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

It's good that my reminiscence of Peter Clayton -- by way of mentioning his 
response to what had been a fresh discovery for him -- brought up the question 
of the McCoy brothers unmarked graves.  I would have thought some Peggy Lee fan 
might send a dollar or three for the grave of the author of one of her famous 
recordings. 


I do take issue with Dave Richoux a little, since there wasn't that much hokum 
on their recordings, just vocals and one might suppose clarinetists could refer 
to the very odd tone of Odell Rand's clarinet. So dark the addition of a 
trombone would leave it nowhere to go.  
They were a recording band somewhat tip-of-the-iceberg representative of what 
went on in less expensive Chicago joints in the 1930s and Herb Morand was a 
serious New Orleans trumpeter who recorded with Johnny Dodds and went back home 
around 1940 and was recorded by American Music -- I suppose the vague report of 
Bechet offering him a job might have something to do with the replacement for 
Bunk Johnson in Boston. Unlike Bunk, I gather Herb was into solids and reputedly 
emulated Irving Fazola in attempted all-roundness of physique. The butcher cut 
both down a little too early.  
The recordings of the band follow a pattern like that of the Waller Rhythm, jazz 
with vocal refrain (as labels used to say) and some decent instrumental numbers 
giving way to vocals with jazz band accompaniment. The first volume of the 
Document records CD set of their recordings is more than decent enough, and Joe 
McCoy was a respectable singer. Ace of Hearts brought out a budget price LP 
during a burst of inspiration, though the band's accompaniment to Rosetta 
Crawford seems to have come out as a 78rpm disc for elder collectors.
I would be interested to know more about Horace Malcolm, the pianist who caught 
Peter Clayton's ear. 
Has anyone asked Document-records.com to mention the McCoy memorial project in 
their newsletter?