Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 4, No. 3 (1929-12)

December, 1929 The Phonograph Monthly Review 105 Band Columbia 2021-D (DIO, 75c) Crosley: Navy Blue and Gold, and Zimmermann: Anchors Aweigh, played by the Columbia Band, with male quartet choruses. The band is not large but it plays with great verve and vigor. The male quartet choruses are so highly amplified as to be less pleasant and effective than the playing of the band alone. Columbia 50184-D (D12, $1.25) Schubert (arr. Godfrey): Marche Militaire, and Meyerbeer: The Huguenots—Bene- diction of the Poignards, played by H. M. Grenadiers Guards Band, under the direction of Captain G. Miller. The Schubert arrangement is a competent one, played with firmness and a commendable absence of ostentation. The Meyerbeer excerpt is more in the old-fashioned tradi- tion of operatic transcriptions for band. It is not particular- ly effective. Victor (Italian list) V-62005 (D12, $1.25) Mascagni Cavalleria Rusticana—Motivi, played by the Corpo Musicale della Regia Marina Italiana. This current addition to an interesting series of operatic potpourris is brilliantly if somewhat heavily played and recorded. R. O. B. Popular Vocal and Instrumental Most of last month’s leaders are back again at or near the top. This month Annette Hanshaw is gracefully plain- tive rather than peppy, as befits the sad moods of Right Kind of Man and If I Can’t Have You (Okeh 41327). Of all the practitioners of the “intunate” style, Miss Hanshaw is my favorite by long odds, but a popular star Ruth Etting, does her most pleasing work in a long time in two songs that might well have been written for her alone, What Wouldn’t I Do for that Man and Right Kind of Man (Columbia 1998-D). Columbia boasts two other lead- ers in Irene Bordoni, who sing a piquant Believe Me and more soulful Just an Hour of Love to Rube Bloom’s ac- companiments (2027-D), and Lee Morse— somewhat more stilted than is her wont, but still good, in Look What You’ve Done and If I Can’t Have You (2012-D). Heading the Victor feminine contingent is Helen Morgan, always ‘‘to be heard”, this month it is in More Than You Know and What Wouldn’t I Do for That Man! (22149), the latter piece from her first talking film. Bebe Daniels, making her record debut, follows with You’re Always in My Arms and If You’re in Love You’ll Waltz from Rio Tita (22132) ; she sings pleasingly enough, but her transplantation from films to disks is far less successful than those of Dolores Del Rio and Gloria Swanson. Brunswick’s star is again Frances Williams with her hits from the Scandals, Bottoms Up and Bigger and Better, both infectiously sung (4503) but Lee Sims is not far behind with another coupling of his always interesting piano transcriptions, Pagan Love Song and Vagabond Lover (4572). Turning from the more conventional songsters to the novelty and hot recorders, first place goes to the Monarch Jazz Quartet on Okeh 8736, who do amazing vocalizations of What’s the M_atter Now and Four or Five Times. Is this perhaps the same unaccompanied Negro male quartet who starred last month for Brunswick under the name of the Four Pods of Pepper? What’s the Matter Now bears a striking resemblance to Ain’t Got No Mamma Now on the other record. Possibly Columbia’s Four Dusty Travellers are the same four under a new alias, but I doubt it. At any rate their performances of Me an’ Mah Pardner and Po’ Mourner, to piano accompaniment, are more conven- tional. Helen Savage does very peppy performances of It’s Bad for Your Soul and Just a Little Love (Brunswick 4536) but honors are shared if not stolen by the accom- panying Divie Syncopators who boast maestri on the piano and clarinet, and a keen blade for arranger. From the same company come two “sensational trick pianists,” Speckled Red and Arnold Wiley. The former does a monologue and some odd but repetitive playing in the Dirty Dozen and Wilkins Street Stomp (7116), but Wiley is by far the more interesting in uncommonly original and effective Arnold Wiley Rag, very much off the beaten track of jazz pianoing. The bustling Windy City piece on the other side is also good but less striking (7113). In the same group is Omer Simeon, novelty clarinetist, in a fleet Beau-Koo Jack and a less interesting Smokehouse Blues (7109). Victor’s novelties are the indefatigable Happiness Boys in a fair version of Sergeant Flagg and Sergeant Quirt (still not very funny), and a more amusing and heartfelt I Can’t Sleep in the Movies Any More (22150); Jimmie Rodgers, forgetting his Blue Yodling for a while to sing the famous Frankie and Johnny (22143); and Jules Allen, “The Singing Cowboy”, who sings much better than most of his recording pards, in two quiet “Fragments’’ in the Southern series. Other Victors: Chick Endor in It’s Unanimous Now and That’s Where You Come In (22152), Johnny Marvin in Aren’t We All and If I Had a Talking Picture of You (22148) and again in Melancholy and Satisfied (22180), Jimmie Rodgers with his fifth Blue Yodel (22072), the Tietge Sisters in sacred songs (22156), and Jesse Crawford and his organ on 22129. Columbia: Bing Crosby in pleasant, but rather heavy bass versions of Can’t We Be Friends and Gay Love (2001-D), Buddy Morgan and his Veterans making vocal horseplay with St. Flagg and Don’t Get Collegiate (2011-D), Ford and Glenn in Piccolo Pete and That’s Why I’m Jealous (2013-D), Pete Woolery and Oscar Grogan in ultra-senti- mental songs on 2004-D and 1995-D respectively, and George Bias in smooth versions of Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Dixie’s Prodigal Son (14470-D). The race list is unusually strong, topped by hot disks from Bessie Smith, waxing very sad in Wasted Life and Dirty No-Gooder Blues (to Jimmie Johnson’s incomparable pianism) on 14476-D, Liza Brown, solo, relating domestic and other difficulties in Peddlin’ Man and If Papa Has Outside Lovin’ (14471-D), and in spirited give and take with Ann Johnson on the subject of borrowing and gossiping (14478-D). Okeh: Lew Bray, growing more and more sentimental, in Where Are You and When the Real Thing Comes Your Way (41307), Merrill Doyle, a new and exceedingly syrupy songster in My Desire and Can’t We Start All Over Again (41311), Seger Ellis, singing smooth versions of Aren’t We All and If I Had a Talking Picture of You to accompaniments that merit special praise (41321), Charles Hamp in Perhaps and Sweetheart’s Holiday (41308), Richard Jordan in conventional movie organ solos (41314), and—among the race disks— Spivey and Johnson in You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now (8733), Swan and Lee in lively duets, It Sure is Nice and Fishy Little Thing (8732) Brunswick: Belle Baker is up to expectations in a gay I’m Walking with the Mbombeams (4558), but in the coupl- ing, and in both sides of 4550 (Aren’t We All and If I Had a Talking Picture of You) she waxes pretentious and over- sings unpleasantly. Vaughn de Lea,th is kittenish in He’s So Unusual and more lyrical in Chant'of the Jungle (4533), Scrappy Lambert and Eddy Thomas share sides of 4560, Freddie Rose sings Congratulations and Just as Long as I Have You (4564), Lew White plays movie organ versions of How Am I to Know? and Just You (4565), and Murray and Scanlon are last (and least) in the quite un-humorous Lolly-Pop Song and My Wife is on a Diet (4597). Dance Records There are few really outstanding dance disks this month, but almost any number of good -erage performances. The Okeh list is rich as always in hot records, led by Trumbauer again in My Sweeter Than Sweet, with a marvellous but brief piano solo, coupled with the Carolina Club’s dapper and highly danceable version of She’s So Unusual (41326). Trumbauer cannot be expected always to maintain his high