Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 3, No. 12 (1929-09)

The Phonograph Monthly Review 429 September, 1929 VS * Bill the Sailor—No. 2 by Bud and Joe Billings; and V-40101, nonsense songs by Harry McClintock (Ain’t We Crazy?) and “Peg” Moreland (He Never Came Back). The last-named song is decidedly amusing. Novelty Victor (International list) V-15 Forest Concert, Popular Melodies accompanied by Nightingales and Warblers in Reich’s Aviary, Bremen, Germany. Another record of birds in the famous Reich Aviary of Bremen. Undoubtedly it will be of considerable value to owners and trainers of canaries. The recording is clear and the birds seemingly in excellent voice. Dance Records The new Edison needle-cut records promise some ex- cellent dance fare for the future. They have several very good orchestras playing for them and the recording is exceedingly sonorous and vibrant without the heaviness and blare of over-amplification. B. A. Rolfe and his Lucky Strike Orchestra are featured in five releases, all of them smoothly, effectively played, and with good vocal choruses: The Toymaker’s Dream and Underneath the Russian Moon (11043), Fioretta and Dance of the Paper Dolls (14003), Blue Hawaii and Mean to Me (14006), Am I Blue? and Birmingham Bertha (14012), True Blue Lou and The Flippity Flop (14033). Oreste and his Queensland Or- chestra turn in a very effective coupling of Me and the Clock and Tear Drops, done in sturdy, very sonorous fashion (14009) ; the Picadilly Players have a good Hittin’ the Ceilin’ coupled with an only fair Painting the Clouds with Sunshine by the California Ramblers (14034) ; the Campus Cut-Ups provide hotter bluer fare with interesting versions of Wabash Blues and Farewell Blues (11049); the Seven Blue Babies play a sprightly Heigh-Ho Everybody on 14016, and again the California Ramblers are less note- worthy in the coupling, Wedding of the Painted Doll; Phil Spitalny does well with Someday Soon and I Want to Meander in the Meadow (14035) ; and both Harry Reser’s Rounders and the Picadilly Players are good on opposite sides of 14032, a peppy I’m Still Caring and spirited The One in the World, respectively. Brunswick has one of the month’s winners, Am I Blue? and Let Me Have My Dreams (from “On With the Show”) in subdued but interesting performances by Tom Geruno- vich and his orchestra (4429—a very appealing disk). And just as nice is Hal Kemp’s ingeniously arranged versions of Hush of the Night and Where Are You, Dream Girl? (4124). Jack Denny does well in vigorous but very dance- able versions of Sleepy Water and Finding the Long Way Home (4406) and Let’s Dream and At Peep of Dawn (4405). Meyer Davis also has two commendable full-voiced disks, 4410 (An Eyeful of You and Every Moon’s a Honey- moon) and 4414 (Am I a Passing Fancy and Miss You), but Ben Bernie is the hardest worker of the month, with three records to his credit. All the performances are pleasant, but none is distinctive: Seventh Heaven and Little Pal (4353), Why Can’t You and Used to You (4354), Baby Where Can You Be? and Out Where the Moonbeams are Born—the prize title of the month (4438). Tom Geruno- vich provides a melodramatic thriller in the Boogeyman is Here coupled with a sonorous but not exceptional There’s a Sugar Cane Around My Door (4430) ; Earl Burtnest has nice resonant versions of Now I’m in Love and Sweet Music; the Cotton Pickers provide rather conventional ver- sions of Moanin’ Low (coupled with A1 Goodman’s After Thinking It Over, on 4446, He’s a Good Man to Have Around and Shoo Shoo Bogey Boo on 4447. In each the chorus by Libby Holman is the feature. A1 Goodman does rough and ready versions of Or What Have You and I’ve Made a Habit of You (4383) ; Carter’s Orchestra is dull in the Naughty Waltz and Three O’Clock in the Morning (4433); Bob Haring plays very heartfelt performances of At Close of Day and Ich Liebe Dich (4458); Roy Fox doesn’t get very much animation into his versions of Painting the Clouds and Tip-Toe Through the Tulips (4419); Carl Fenton does quite well with Maybe—Who Knows? and What a Day (4421);; and Abe Lyman is considerably less stimulating than usual in Ain’t Misbehavin’ —Bashful Baby on the other side has more of his usual swing (4443). The best of the race disks is 7087, fine per- formances of Crooning the Blues and Lina Blues played by Jabbo Smith’s Rhythm Aces. As usual there is some grand trumpeting and pianism. Okeh provides some noteworthy dance music, leading off with Frankie Trumbauer’s singular Shivery Stomp and smooth but ingeniously arranged Reaching For Someone (41268). Both pieces boast original beginnings and interest- ing treatment throughout. Joe Venuti and his New Yorkers take Little Pal and Seventh Heaven for their material so too much is not to be expected of them this month (41263). However the usual praise goes to Joe’s fiddling and Smith Ballew’s vocal choruses. Lous Armstrong’s offering is Muggles and Knockin’ a Jug (8703) and the piano and trumpet playings is as exciting as ever. Ed Loyd plays a pleasing One in the World coupled with the Travelers’ Am I Blue?, done in much bluer fashion than the other recorded versions to date (41259). The Travelers, directed by James Dorsey, are heard alone on 41260 in good but not exceptional versions of Breakaway and Baby Where Can You Be?. Clarence Williams’ Washboard Four does some inspired and very blue washboarding in High Society and Whoop It on 8706; Sugar Hall’s It Ain’t No Fault of Mine has some fair nonsense verses (41269—A Four Leaf-Clover is the coupling); the New York Syncopators play smooth and rather pleasing versions of Now I’m in Love and The One I Love Loves Me (41264), and the Roy Smeck Trio brings up the rear with Honey and I’ll Always Be in Love With You (41267), strongly featuring the Hawaiian guitar. The two Columbia winners are 1903-D and 1891-D. On the former the Ipana Troubadours provide fair versions two fine songs from Gershwin’s Show Girl music, Do What You Do and Liza; on 1891-D, the Charleston Chasers make a welcome reappearance in Moanin’ Low and Ain’t Mis- behavin’, fine blue playing and fine vocal choruses. Ted Lewis’ offering is his own Lewisada Blues and I Love You (1916-D), his clarinet stars in the former and in the latter his singing—waxing very tenderly amorous. Clarence Williams is right up with the leaders with his catchy not- too-hot versions of Whoop It Up and I’m Not Worrying (14447-D); the choruses deserve special praise. Paul Specht has a fine coupling of Ich Liebe Dich and At Close of Day (1890-D), performances that are romantic and yet vibrantly alive . Lombardo’s Royal Canadians are more sentimental and subdued than is there wont; I Get the Blues When It Rains and Kids Again (1888-D). Ernie Golden plays hearty, energetic versions of You’re My Silver Lining and In the Hush of the Night (1906-D); Fletcher Henderson provides sizzling performances of Blazin’ and the Wang Wang Blues (1913-D); Anson Weeks does smoothly well in Tear Drops and Now I’m in Love (1894-D), but less well with Only for You and Some- day Soon (1915-D) ; Ben Selvin is frankly mediocre in Am I Blue? and Song of the Nile (1900-D) ; Fred Rich does fairly well with Song of the; Moonbeams and Don’t Hang Your Dreams on a Rainbow (1893-D) ; the Knickerbockers provide lively versions of Where Are You, Dream Girl? and If I Were You; Ted Wallace plays the Moonlight March and Sweetness (1908-D), and the Cavaliers offer for their monthly waltz coupling If We Never Should Meet Again and When You Come to the End of the Day (1904-D). The Victor list maintains a good average, but few disks are specially outstanding. Ted Weems is perhaps the leader with an amusing Piccolo Pete and Here We are (22037). The former piece gives free rein to a piccolo virtuoso and the latter boasts a good sturdy tune. Weems also does well in a lively Good Morning Good Evening Good Night, coupled with Pancho’s ingratiating, highly danceable version of Peace of Mind. A third Weems disk is 22038, coupling What a Day. and Am I a Passing Fancy done in his customary forthright vigorous fashion. Leo Reisman couples two good pieces. Moanin’ Low and Ain’t Misbehavin’, on 22049, but although quite blue, neither per- formance is in his best vein. The High Hatters do very well with their peppy infectious performances of Low Down Rhythm and Gotta Feelin’ for You on 22041, and