[Dixielandjazz] Charlie Barnet (was DJ Themes).

Fri Nov 9 17:19:30 EST 2018

Yes, Bill, I had the Apollo 78rpm. I guess we'll never know who, specifically, did the damage with those trumpet and sax solos. The satire inherently blocked out any ID according to styles. Thanks for eh TMI—I read ia all, though I didn't fully digest it.

Charlie

> On Nov 9, 2018, at 3:48 PM, Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
> 
>> Charles Suhor <csuhor at zebra.net <mailto:csuhor at zebra.net>> wrote [in part]:
>>  I'm wondering if you can track down who the trumpet and sax soloists were on Barnet's "Darktown" record. They're wickedly clever. 
> 
> Dear Charlie,
> Never the easy ones.  <big grin>
> 
>> One clear recollection is Block playing Charlie Barnet's merciless put-on of traditional jazz on "Darktown Strutters' Ball," also linked below. He preceded it by saying. "Whenever Charlie Barnet is asked to record a Dixieland tune, he sticks out his tongue and says, 'NYAAAAH!" I liked it so much, I bought it! (The flip side was “Caravan,” with a young Maynard Ferguson.) 
> 
> I therefore assume that you had/have the Apollo 1070 10" 78rpm disc.
> For which we now have a choice of two recording/location dates and three personnels:
> 
> Sorting out what tunes were recorded on which day also seems to have resulted in discographal misinformation over the years as the 78s came out on various labels. So I've reconstructed the following discography based on information from the 78s and early LPs.
> 
> Charlie Barnet And His Orchestra
> *as Charlie Barnet and His Cherokees
> +as Charlie Barnet
> Charlie Barnet and Band on V-Disc
> 
> (Trumpet) Al Killian, Art Robey, Ed Stress, Everett McDonald, George Seaberg, Paul Webster; (Trombone) Ed Fromm, Frank Bradley, Porky Cohen, Tommy Pederson; (Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone) Charlie Barnet; (Alto Saxophone) Gene Kinsey, Ray DeGeer; (Tenor Saxophone) Dave Matthews, Kurt Bloom; (Baritone Saxophone) Bob Dawes, Johnny McAfee; (French Horn) Guy Kee; (Piano) Bill Miller; (Guitar) Dennis Sandole; (Double Bass) Chubby Jackson; (Drums) George Jenkins.
> New York, August 12, 1946.
>    or
> Al Killian, Jimmy Pupa, Everett McDonald, Guy Chiaveri, Paul Webster (t) Art Robey (t,vcl); Sammy Nestico, Porky Cohen, Ed Fromm, Frank Bradley (tb); Charlie Barnet (sax,ldr) Rae De Geer, Gene Kinsey (as) Kurt Bloom, Dave Matthews (ts) Danny Bank (bar) Johnny McAfee (bar,vcl) Bill Miller (p) Irving Lang (b) George Jenkins (d) ; Andy Gibson, Billy May, Billy Moore, Ralph Burns (arr). Vocal on 6196 & 6198 by Margie Reed [Martha Raye].
> New York, NYC, August 12, 1946. 
> [This one seems to be the generally accepted personnel.]
> 
> 6194  	AP3098-A3	Bunny					Apollo 1065	
> 6195-204				The New Redskin Rhumba		Cardinal 25001+, National 2500, Cosmo 513	
> 6196  	AP3100		I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good	Clef MG C-164 (10"LP)
> 6197-306				Cherokee					Cardinal 25001+, National 25001, Cosmo 513
> 6198  	AP3102		As Long As I Live			Clef MG C-164 (10" LP)
> 6199  	AP 3101-A2	Atlantic Jump				Apollo 1065
> 	 	AP 3101 (alt)	Atlantic Jump				V-Disc 823				
> 
> Al Killian, Irving Lewis, Everett McDonald, Shorty Rogers, trumpet; Art Robey, trumpet, vocals; Frank Bradley, Burt Johnson, Tommy Pederson, Phil Washburne, trombone; Gus McReynolds, Frank Papalardo, alto sax; Kurt Bloom, Don Raffell, tenor sax; Charlie Barnet, tenor, soprano, alto sax; Bob Dawes, baritone sax; Billy Miller, piano; Barney Kessel, guitar; Ed Mihelich, bass; Dick Shanahan, drums.
> Los Angeles, CA, February 3, 1947
> 
> 		AP3095		Power Steering				Clef MG C-165 (10" LP)
> 		AP3096 745-1	Blue Lou					Apollo 1082*, 
> 		AP3097		Juice Head Blues [Baby on LP]	Apollo 1082*
> 		AP 3099-A2	Caravan					Apollo 1070, Monogram 116
> 		AP 3100-B2	Darktown Strutter's Ball		Apollo 1070, Monogram 116	
> 
> Apollo Records was a Harlem, New York-based record company with a large catalogue of rhythm & blues, gospel, jazz and popular music but did not, so far as I can find, have its own live recording facilities and used material recorded by others.
> So the sources for the above sessions, later to be used for Clef, Mercury and Verve LPs is unknown. 
> 
>>  (The flip side was “Caravan,” with a young Maynard Ferguson.) 
> 
> It certainly would be logical to assume so back then. However, a check of Ferguson's biography indicates the he did not get to the US from Canada until 1948 and did not make his first recording with Charlie Barnet until 24 April 1949.
> ["In 1948, Ferguson moved to the United States, intending to join Stan Kenton's band. But it no longer existed, so Ferguson played with the bands of Boyd Raeburn, Jimmy Dorsey, and Charlie Barnet. The Barnet band included Doc Severinsen, Ray Wetzel, Johnny Howell, and Rolf Ericson."]
> 
> ***
> A trivia diversion: Maynard Ferguson was featured on Charlie Barnet's Capitol C 843 recording of "All The Things You Are" (16 August 1949) by Jerome Kern that so enraged Kern's widow that it was withdrawn from sale. 
> Have a listen at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRCFUXR7rl0 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRCFUXR7rl0>  to hear why she objected.
> ***
> 
> Based on the above record dates and personnels the high-note trumpet player on "Caravan" may be Shorty Rogers and the other trumpet work by Art Robey.
>    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG744P77VnI <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG744P77VnI> 
> On "Darktown Strutter's Ball" it could be the fine trumpeter Al Killian or Shorty Rogers, or both and/or Art Robey.   
> Based on his biography, Shorty Rogers does not seem to have worked with the Barnet band and probably added for the Hollywood record session.
>    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX_RtUOo6cM <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX_RtUOo6cM>
> The "You better cut your toenails - you're rippin' the sheets!" interjection on "Darktown Strutter's Ball" has been named elsewhere as trumpet player Everett McDonald. 
> So far as the the tenor sax solos on both tunes, I have always assumed it to be Charlie Barnet, and on current listening, see no reason to revise my opinion.
> But, will leave that one to you and our more knowledgable Listmates.
> The Apollo record labels do not include any helpful recording or personnel information, other than the matrix numbers.
> 
>> Thanks for the Chubby Jackson sendup, too. They pulled it off in amusing ways (especially Teddy Wilson) but didn't raise parody to the level of outright insult, as Barnet did. Charlie Shavers don't really seem to be trying very hard. For the most part he was playing a fiery swing stay trumpet, with no nanny-goat vibrato, corny cliches, etc.
> 
> I believe that deep down the wonderful Charlie Shavers was a purist and not given to hokum playing.
> 
>> Re Spike Jones, I knew he hired good jazz musicians but never hear them attempting jazz without corny razzmatazz. Do you have links to any of his jazz stuff? 
> 
> Apart from his somewhat boring 'big band' all Spike Jones; jazz recordings included some corn.
> To hear what I was getting at start with these five:
> "The Charleston" 	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb1uqPTMFnY <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb1uqPTMFnY>
> "Black Bottom"  	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sewdSi8s0Lc <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sewdSi8s0Lc>
> "Varsity Rag"		https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPZXDb0Tkbc <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPZXDb0Tkbc>
> "Doin' The Racoon"	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgCC43EDe0k <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgCC43EDe0k>
> "I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight"	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DXRAqbvTjI <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DXRAqbvTjI>
> 
> Spike Jones and His City Slickers.
> George Rock, t; King Jackson, Arthur Most, tb; Arthur 'Doc' Rando, reeds; Paul Leu, p; Frddy Morgan, bj; Roger Donley, tu; John Cyr, d; Lou Singer, xyl; Spike Jones, perc effects; Del Porter, Eddie Maxwell, vocals. 
> New York, 17 December 1949.
> Happy listening.
> Cheers,
> Bill
> 
> 

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