DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #97: Some Of These Days
“Some Of These Days” was originally composed and written in 1910 by Shelton Brooks but it is associated with Sophie Tucker, because it became her signature song. It has been recorded by many other artists and it is also very popular among contemporary bands playing in the New Orleans tradition. As a regular reader of this series you know, that I like swing songs played with uncommon instruments, here it’s a harp, played by Mario “Harp” Lorenzi. I got introduced to this Song of the Week by Mitya Kuznetsov – a great swing DJ from Moscow! – at The Snowball [...]
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #96: Flaming Reeds and Screaming Brass
This is a song I have in my library since a long time but interestingly I didn’t play it until last Saturday at The Snowball in Stockholm. It’s an uptempo song with unexpected breaks and sound patterns. First, you wait until the song really starts when you realize, that you are already in the midst of it. Interestingly, “Flaming Reeds and Screaming Brass” was a test recording by the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra from 1933 for Columbia and not released before the late 1960s on LP! James Melvin “Jimmie” Lunceford (6.6.1902 – 12.07.1947) was a multiinstrumentalist but mostly famous as bandleader. [...]
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #95: Four Or Five Times
From a few songs, I like to collect different versions. “Four Or Five Times” is one of them and this week’s song is one of my alltime favourite swing tunes. A recording from 1937 by Jimmie Noone (23.04.1895-19.04.1944). Beside Johnny Dodds and Sidney Bechet, Jimmie Noone is considered one of the three top New Orleans clarinetists of the 1920s. Noone had a smoother tone and his style influenced many musicians of the Swing era of the 1930s and 1940s, such as Benny Goodman. As a child, he played the guitar before he started to take clarinet lessons at age 15. [...]
Top Swing Albums of 2011: Doctor Bernard and His Swing Orchestra “Let’s Dance”
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #94: Petite Fleur
During this week, my son will celebrate his first birthday! I dedicate this Song of the Week to him. Petite Fleur means “Little Flower” and I think, it suits perfectly to him. This beautiful and sentimental song was composed by Sidney Bechet, my personal king of the soprano saxophone. He recorded it several times in the fifties with different formations. After performing as a soloist at the Salle Pleyel Jazz Festival in Paris, Bechet decided to move to France in 1950 where he spent the rest of his life. There he was a major celebrity and national hero. Before his [...]
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #93: Moonglow
I’m a big admirer of Benny Goodman’s small group recordings from 1935 to 1939. He recorded with different group sizes and what I like is the relaxness in the songs, there is so much joy of play hearable. The sound is full and often, you get the feeling, there were many more musicians involved than actually were. Most of the recordings were done as a quartet, with Gene Krupa on drums, Teddy Wilson on piano and Lionel Hampton on vibes. Please note, that two of the musicians (Wilson and Hampton) were black. It was quite uncommon at that time to [...]
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #92: Little Sir Echo
With “Rexatious” [SOTW #89] we have learned, that Rex Stewart was famous for his talkative style (among other styles). This week I would like to feature a song where this technique is more hearable. But before, I need to introduce another jazz musician who had perfected a similar sound but with a different instrument. William “Dickie” Wells (10.06.1907/09 – 12.11.1985) was a leading black American trombonist noted, especially in the swing era, for his melodic creativity and expressive techniques. [source: biography.com] Scott Yanow on allmusic.com describes Wells as follows: “One of the more adventurous trombonists of the swing era, the distinctive [...]
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #91: ‘Tain’t What You Do
When you are an experienced dancer, then you know this song for sure. If you are a beginner, then here is a song you have to know! It was one of Frankie Manning‘s favourite songs and it is very often used for the Shim Sham. It Ain’t What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It) was composed by Melvin “Sy” Oliver and co-written with Trummy Young. It was first recorded in 1939 by Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra. Sy Oliver (17.12.1910 – 28.05.1988) was a trumpeter, vocalist, composer and arranger. In 1933 he joined Jimmie Lunceford’s orchestra to [...]
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #90: Stompin’ At The Riverside
A genre I haven’t touched so far is Western Swing, the forerunner of American Country music. One of its big stars was Spade Cooley – self proclaimed as the “King of Western Swing“. Donnell Clyde “Spade” Cooley (17.12.1910 – 23.11.1969) was an American Western Swing violinist and big band leader. He also was a successful actor in western films and TV host. Unfortunately, he was convicted of murdering his wife Ella Mae Evans in 1961. In 1969 he suffered a fatal heart attack. You can find a biography on Wikipedia or on biography.com. Stompin’ At The Riverside is great tune [...]
