Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 4, No. 10 (1930-07)

358 The Phonograph Monthly Review July, 1930 Stein Song Chasers The amazing popularity of the Stein Song has brought out a flood of follow-up pieces, principally a mild burlesque, the Mug Song, and a splendid revival, Anchors Aweigh, the Annapolis Naval Academy song. The High Hatters do both on Victor 22424 and do them extremely well. The chorus of the Mug Song is sung more amusingly in Johnny Walker’s Columbia Version, but the playing itself, while good, is not quite as effective. Paul Tremaine does a very martial performance of Anchors Aweigh (Columbia 2200-D, with Rockin’ Chair, to be mentioned later). Records of the Month The Victor Record of the Month Club nominates Leo Reisman’s Rollin’ Down the River and Mia Cara (22433) for the place of honor this month. Reisman well deserves the award, for there is scarcely a disc he turns out that is not well up among the best in recorded dance music. Mia Cara is not in his most characteristic vein, but Rollin’ Down the River is done with fine aplomb. My own nominations for other (hypothetical) record of the month prizes are: Frankie Trumbauer’s good-humored, irresistibly rhythmed performance of Happy Feet, coupled with an easily loping I like to Do Things for You (note the fine freedom to the melodic line) on Okeh 41421; Ben Selvin’s bold, big toned Cheer Up—an inspirational piece that ac- tually does make for exuberance—coupled with a quieter I Remember You from Somewhere, with Ruth Etting for Chorister, on Columbia 2207-D; and Andy Kirk’s piquant, sprightly versions of Loose Ankles and I Lost My Gal from Memphis (Brunswick 4803), hot but exceedingly sparkling and with highly effective choruses. Hot A special gold medal goes to the Victor Race list of June 20th ,containing some six dance discs, all of them wows. Duke Ellington leads off with a fine performance of his Double Check Stomp with great double bass work, and a highly characteristic Jazz Lips (V-38129). His I Was Made to Love You and My Gal is Good for Nothing But Love (V-38130) is also good, boasting a fine surging tunes, but the treatment is more conventionalized and I miss the inimitable singing that helped to rank such early Ellington works as Blues I Love to Sing and Creole Love Call among the greatest hot performances of all time. Close on the Duke’s heels is Fess Williams with hotly spirited versions of ’Leven-Thirty Sat- urday Night and I’m Feelin’ Devilish (V-38131—note the grand clarinetting). King Oliver does well with a catchy Mule Face Blues and a Boogie Woogie, featuring some prodi- gious tuba playing (V-38134); McKinney’s Cotton Pickers do more mildly well with I’d Love It and Peggy (V-38133); and Bennie Moton plays smoothly attractive blue versions of Just Say It to Me and When Life Seems So Blue (V-38132). The leading hot discs from the other companies include Andy Kirk’s Brunswick coupling mentioned above, plus a graceful Blue Clarinet Stomp and vivid Mess-a-Stomn on 4694—fine zestful playing; and the usual strong Okeh list. Louis Armstrong is not up to his best work this month as his Exactly Like You and Indian Cradle Song provide les.* original and striking material than some of his earlier re- leases, but as always his, own choruses are not to be beaten: the Cradle Song is a welcome revival and it is interesting to get a new angle on the usually sugared Exactly Like You (41423). Clarence Williams’ Novelty Band provide a clever mixture of patter and music (the restrained yet hot orches- tral accompaniments are exceedingly deft) in You’re Bound to Look Like a Monkey When You Get Old and He Would- n’t Stop Doing It—titles which sneak for themselves (8798). The Chicago Footwarmers are shriller than usual in Sweep ‘Em Clean and My Girl (8792), but there is ample livliness and some notable washboarding. More effective is the white hot jazz of Tom Dorsey and his orchestra in Daddy Change Your Mind and You Can’t Cheat a Cheater, done in free style with some great trumpeting and a good command of pace changes (41422). Southern Style Paul Tremaine’s Rockin’ Chair was given passing mention above (Columbia 2200-D). Here it can be described in more detail as one of the most unusual variants on the hill-billy- spiritual type of song, played here to fine effect, with first honors going to the chorister who has an original stvle of delivery and who makes the most of the curious words and melodic turns. More straightforwardly old-fashioned are Sugar Hall’s Georgia Home and Maw and Paw and Me (Okeh 45450), with not much deviation from steady pumping away in the best backwoods accordion manner. Highly Danceable The leading discs among the straight dance performances include: Be Careful with Those Eyes, played in charming fashion by Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians —a very neat study in rhythmic animation. The coupling, Singing a Song to the Stars, is in the good, but more familiar lyrical man- ner of this deservedly popular orchestra (Columbia 2205-D). Isham Jones returns from a too long recording vacation with a smoothly modulated brace of seductive dances—What’s the Use? and Song Without a Name (Brunswick 4810). Carl Fenton does vigorous performances of hits from Song of the Flame (Brunswick 4818). Arden and Ohman do very very well with Ro-Ro-Rollin’ Along, coupled with Shilkret’s broad- ly songful, yet interestingly rhythmed Kiss Me With Your Eyes (Victor 22417). Leo Reisman couples a lively,, good- humored version of Washing Dishes with My Sweetie with a broadly melodic I Remember You from Somewhere (Vic- tor 22426), and Shilkret gets a gay exotic flavor into his per- formances of Dark Night and Into My Heart (Victor 22420). For Brunswick Jack Denny puts in a fine month’s work with a whole series of dances: Girl Trouble and a slow but sharply rhythmed Leave It That Way (4789); a lyrical if somewhat methodical Dream Avenue (4788)—coupled with Bob Haring’s full-voiced version of I Still Remember; and a sonorous, nicely swinging Whippoowill (4794—coupled with the Regent Club’s less colorful waltz, Because There’s a Change in You). Marche Miniature Style The Anglo-Persions under Katzman’s direction cultivate the novelty styles with Toy Town Admiral on 4792, coupled with a neat Nola variant, Dancing Butterfly, and again in Alice in Wonderland, distinguished by the chorister’s com- petent handling of the tricky words (4787). The coupling is (incongruously) Red Hot Chicago done with spirit but not great distinction by A1 Goodman. Various Brunswick: Red Nichols and his Pennies are good but not exceptionally so in a lively Nobody Knows and a slower, hotter Smiles (4790). The Castle wood-Marimba Band pur- veys bland performances of My Reveries, Night of Love in Hawaii, Melancholy Moon, etc., on 4791, 4820, and 4821. Roger Wolfe Kahn becomes intensely lyrical in Dark Night and Into My Heart (4811). Tom Clines does neat, catchy versions of Be Careful With Those Eyes and Wasn’t It Nice? (4813). Loyd Hunitley provides suave, rather colorless per- formances of Take Me and Just Another Night, Promises and Blue and Moonless Night (4797 and 4784). Columbia: Ben Selvin rounds out a busy month with an expressive Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (chorus by Ruth Etting) and When It’s Springtime in the Rockies (2206-D). Kiss Me With Your Eyes and You Darlin’ (2197-D). Fred Rich does well with romantic yet well animated versions of Dream Avenue and For You (2195-D). The Columbia Photo-Players do a bright performance of Dust and a less individual one of Dark Night (2196-D). Ray West gets some good melodic turns into his coupling of When the Sun Goes Down and Love is Like That (2190-D). Will Osborne offers very songful and dreamy versions of Song Without a Name and Down the River of Golden Dreams (22120-D). The California Ramblers play I’m Needin’ You and Washin’ the Blues from My Soul without great individuality or color (2208-D); and Anson Weeks is heard in competent enough versions of Ro-Ro-Rollin’ Along and If I Had a Girl Like You (2211-D). Victor: Shilkret’s Ragamuffin Romeo is matched with Reisman’s expansive Singing a Song to the Stars (22432). Rudy Vallee waxes mildly humorous in Kitty from Kansas City (22419), but returns to his customary sugared crooning in the coupling, and in Reminiscing, Song Without a Name, etc., on 22412 and 22435. Ted Weems does a vivacious Col- legiate Love, coupled with Shilkret’s To My Mammy (22406). The High Hatters * strongly stressed You Brought a New Kind of Love contrasts with the briskness of Cummins’ Livin’ in the Sunlieht (22409) : and Shilkret’s lachrymose version of Dancing With Tears in My Eyes finds an equally songful double in Cummins’ Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder (22425). Rufus.