Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 2, No. 2 (1927-11)

The Phonograph Monthly Review 76 November, 1927 same orchestra—which has not recorded for several months —also releases Brunswick 3612 (Down South and Call of the Desert). For the hot jazz enthusiast, however, the event of the month will be the release of three new records by Red Nichols’ little band of maestri: from Brunswick comes 3597, Mean Dog Blues and Cornfed—the former re- markable for a piano solo quite unlike anything that has ever appeared on records before ; the latter for remarkable timpani playing by Vic Berton, who shone to such excellent advantage in the recent Victor release of Delirium. Okeh re- leases Imagination and Feelin’ No Pain (inspired title!) under the labelling of Miff Mole’s Little Molers (40890) ; both have more of the piano solos than have made Arthur Sciiutt famous among the hot jazz fans—who are looking forward so eagerly to a record devoted to his piano playing alone. Brunswick 3626 also contains a version of Feelin’ No Pain, not as effective as the O ceh one, although Ida Sweet as Apple Cider on the reverse does much to amend matters. The Columbians always provide smooth entertainment, but they quite outdo themselves on Columbia 1120-D, Sailin’ On and Moonlit Waters; the former selection is still another version of the all-suffering Largo from Dvorak’s New World Symphony—surprisingly enough this fox-trot re-vamping is far more successful than the choral one, Goin’ Home! Also outstanding on the Columbia list are three records of Vorhees’ Orchestra 1129-D (Soliloauv and My Blue Heaven) ; 1123-D (Baby’s Blue—coupled with the Radiolites’ the Calinda; both are from “A la Carte”); and 1124-D (Highways are Happy Ways and When the Morn- ing Glories Wake Up in the Morning Then I’ll Kiss Your Two Lips Good Night). Two race records deserve special mention : 14244-D (Clarence Williams’ Jazz Kings in I’m Goin’ Back to Bottomland and You’ll Long for Me), and 14247-D (Johnson’s Jazzers in Can I Get Now? and S addle De Scow). Two Okeh leaders are 40893, Red Mackenzie’s Music Box (with Venuti and Lang) playing there’ll be Some Changes Made and My Syncopated Melody Man; and 40898, Venuti’s Blue Four in another of their inimitable master- piece couplings—this time the titles are A Mug of Ale, and Cheese and Crackers! Frankie Trumbauer’s Orchestra is rather below its usual standard this month in Blue River and There’s a Cradle in Caroline (40879). There is no truly outstanding Victor dance record this month, although perhaps the following should be mentioned here rather than later: 35845 (Ziegfeld Follies Medley— Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra, twelve-inch, $1.25) ; 20883 (Five Step and It Won’t be Long Now— Whiteman); and 20901 (Marvelous— Ted Weems, and I’d Walk a Mil- lion Miles— Jack Crawford). Returning to Brunswick again, we have the A & P Gyp- sies after a considerable absence, playing their radio hits, Temple Bells Ring On and Madam Lu! Lu ! (3543). Kenn Sisson’s Orchestra releases its second Brunswick recording (3595—Bamboola and Blue Heaven) ; the Six Jumping Jacks play I’m Gonna Dance Wid de Guy Wot Brung Me and She’s What the Doctor Ordered (3623) ; Vincent Lopez is heard in Just a Memory and Someday You’ll Say “O.K!” (3633) ; Ben Selvin in 3634 (Cherrie-Berrie-Be and I Could Waltz on Forever) ; Ben Bernie in Miss Annabelle Lee and Swanee Shore (3631) ; Ernie Golden in A Night in June and All by My Ownsome (3629); Bennie Cummins in Whoo? You-oo, That’s Who! and Who Was the Lady? (3625); Abe Lyman on 3648 (Did You Mean It and Charmaine !) ; Frank Black on 3619 (I’d Walk a Million Miles and High- ways are Happy Ways) ; and finally, the Royal Hawaiians, on 3620 (Hula Blues and Don’t Play Aloha Oe When I Go). Completing the Okeh list, there are: Rube Bloom in a noteworthy piano coupling of Dancing Tambourine and Silhouette (40901) ; the Okeh Melodians playing My Blue Heaven and There Ain’t no Land on 40898; Arnold Frank’s Orchestra in Black Maria and Rain (40986) ; the Royal Music Makers on 40881 (Worryin’ and I Love No One But You); Irwin Abrahms’ Orchestra on 40880 (Shakin’ the Blues Away and It All Belongs to Me) ; the Goof us Five coupling Clementine and I left My Sugar (40886) ; The New York Syncopators in Dawning and Just a Memory (40885) ; Mike Market’s Orchestra in It Was Only a Sun Shower and A Night in June (40884) ; and The Texans in Barbara and Baby Feet Go Pitter-Patter (40892). The two remaining disks are 40891 and 8503; the former by Fred “Sugar” Hall and his Sugar Babies (Is it Possible and Someday You’ll Say “O.K!”), the latter by Louis Arm- strong’s Hot Seven (Put Em Down and Potato Head Blues). On the Columbia lists (beside those already mentioned) are the folowing: Gerald Marks and his Orchestra in Slow River and Polly (1121-D; the Ideal Serenaders in Dawn- ing and A Shady Tree (1131-D) ; Leo Reisman coupling Cheerie-Beerie-Be and Waters of the Perkiomen (1112-D); Cass Hagan playing The Varsity Drag (coupled with the Radiolites’ Dancing Tambourine) on 1114-D, and Manhat- tan Mary and Broadway on 1138-D; Paul Specht (as ef- fective as ever) in Barbara and Who’s that Pretty Baby (1117-D); Ben Selvin in two hits from The Sidewalks of New York (Play-Ground in the Sky and Wherever You Are—1133-D) ; A1 Lentz and his Orchestra coupling Oh Doris and When I Ring Your Front Door Bell (1134-D) ; and finally, the always dependable Cavaliers in 1137-D (Molly Malone and Like the Wandering Minstrel) and After I’ve Called You Sweetheart, coupled with Eddie Thomas’ Collegians in You Only Want Me When You’re Lonesome, on 1136-D. For Victor, Shilkret couples Zulu Wail with Goldkette’s Slow River on 20926, and has both sides of 20902 to himself, with Pull Yourself Together and Where Have You Been All My Life (from “Alez-Oop”), also both sides of 20899 (Are You Happy? Are You Thinking of Me Tonight?), and one of 20883 (Baby’s Blue—coupled with Whiteman’s The Calinda; Ted Weems couples Highways are Happy Ways and It Was Only a Sunshower (20910) ; Johnny Hamp’s Kentucky Serenaders are heard in Dawning and I Fell Head Over Heels in Love (20923) and in It All Belongs to Me and Someday You’ll Say “O.K.” (20900; The Trouba- dors couple two popular waltzes, Roses of Picardy and Kiss Me Again, on 20922, but while the playing is smooth, it is quite undistinguished. Rufus. Victor 4020 (D10, $1.00) America, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic, readings by Julia Arthur. The noted actress’ records here her readings of two American patriotic songs, to organ preludes. The recording is admirably done and Mme. Athur’s voice shows to good advantage. The dramatization, however, seems unneces- sarily overdone. Victor 20921 (D10, 75c,) Cohen on the Telephone, by Julius Tannen. The Victor Company evidently was not content to sit back and do nothing when the Columbia Company was “electrifying” our old friend, Cohen, so the noted comedian Julius Tannen was chartered to re-edit the familiar ad- ventures on the telephone for new process release. Re- cently at the Studio, in digging up the old favorites, it was found that the most effective successor to Hayman’s old acoustic Columbia version—the great pioneer, was a com- posite one made up of the first part of Tannen’s Victor and the second part of the new Columbia release of a few months ago. Try it and hear for yourselves ! Columbia 1094-D (D10, 75c) Two Black Crows, Parts 3 and 4, by Moran and Mack. One’s first thought on hearing of a continuation of Moran and Mack’s masterpiece, Two Black Crows, was that they never could succeed in equalling their sensational debut- disk ; no matter how good they, were, they would still fail to come up to their previous high water-mark. But such fears didn’t have even as much basis as Moran’s belief in dreams. One can hardly say they are funnier than ever— that would be impossible—but they are just as funny. And in addition, this second disk is even more clearly and effec- tively recorded, and piano accompaniment is still more piquantly interesting, and Mack (if he is the inquisitive and Moran the tired one) gets a chance to show to better ad- vantage here. One or two of the quips might be a little weak if anyone else said said them;—but anything has real humor when spoken by the Black Crows! If you haven’t heard the first record, be sure to get both, it and this one. They grow funnier with every hearing for