“What is this?”
“What dreams are made of.
Humphrey Bogart, The Maltese Falcon
One of the aspects of jazz that attracted me to it the most was that it offered a way to time travel. Just by putting on a record album (back in those days), I could be transplanted to the Roseland Ballroom in 1937 with Count Basie and Lester Young, to Carnegie Hall in 1938 with Benny Goodman’s orchestra or even 52nd Street to hear Charlie Parker or Charlie Christian. This 6 cd set is the apotheosis of that excitement, as these never before released (on cd) recordings capture essential and iconic radio broadcasts when jazz was not only the most popular music of its era, but the best.
The background story is that a jazz fan and studio engineer named Bill Savory furtively recorded radio broadcasts of “live” jazz performances from clubs all over the US, but mostly in NYC, such as Café Society, Famous Door, Panther Room and Onyx Club . This was the way most people got exposed to “Hot Jazz” or “Swing” during the Depression as there was no TV, let alone internet. Because of his tenacity and dedication, he was able to collect a cache of artists in their absolute prime of life, creating the music and pulse that swept the world, and performing songs that we all have come to know and love (and more!) and in enthusiastically inspired “live” performances. Can it be true?
YES!
Gathered here are sumptuous morsels as a 1939 Coleman Hawkins performing his classic “Body and Soul” just 7 months after his famous recording. Vintage Count Basie with the two tenor team of Lester Young & Herschel Evans, who’s life was tragically cut short by heart disease. Even more amazing is a Martin Block Jam Session from WNEW which has Evans delivering a tour de force solo. Bassist John Kirby, who lead an impressive but underappreciated septet with Charlie Shavers/tp and Buster Bailey/cl, gets a second chance to be recognized as well.
What is such a gas about this collection is that so much of the material that we now consider “classic” and “timeless” were then being introduced to the world. For instance, Glenn Miller’s “Tuxedo Junction” is presented here a day before he actually recorded it. Jack Teagarden delivers a gorgeous rendition of “Jeepers Creepers” when the tune was only a month old!
Then, you’ve got a collection of casual jam sessions (artists did that on the radio?!?), or recordings from private parties, such as Joe Sullivan’s relaxed and intimate solo improvisation that is a jaw dropper. Fats Waller is captured relaxed and loose for a handful of hard swinging stride performances like “Honeysuckle Rose” and “China Boy.” Count Basie, with his arguably best orchestra, is in inspired mode for his two discs of 39 tunes with sparkling renditions of pieces such as “Every Tub” and “Roseland Shuffle” and the rarely heard “Harlem Shout” as well as a jam session on “Rosetta” will make Basie fans scream for joy. The fact that these recordings feature Lester Young with his favorite tenor teammate, Herschel Evans (who is volcanic on “Blue and Sentimental”) before the latter’s untimely death make these recordings an uncalculable delight.
John Kirby’s highly influential “Orchestra” with Charlie Shavers/tp, Russell Procope/as and Buster Bailey/cl is bouyant on Front and Center” and “Blues Petite.” Other sometimes overlooked artists like Bobby Hackett, Joe Marsala, Carl Kress (in guitar duet mode) and Emilio Caceres (with his brother Ernie on two clarinets!) get some deserved exposure, and larger names like Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Mildred Bailey, Roy Eldridge, Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald get a chance to reflect in their youth, with glittering pieces of joy such as “Dinah” “Body and Soul,” “Liza” and “A-Tisket A-Tasket”, respectively. Even if you’ve heard these songs a gazillion times, there is a freshness, energy and enthusiasm produced here that can and will never be reproduced.These hard hitting albums capture the mood of swing as it was being created and perfected, sparkling with an energy that can only be produced during one’s nascent days, before formula and formality eventually kicked in.
The sound quality is surprisingly good, and the liner notes by Loren Schoenberg are illuminating. Producer Scott Wenzel’s article on Bill Savory is a fascinating read, both for musical and personal inspiration. Historical album of the Year? This is one for the ages!
Mosaic Records