Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 5, No. 8 (1931-05)

252 The Phonograph Monthly Review POPULAR Gold Medalist F ATS WALLER, a Negro py-anist and jazz organist, turns in the best record of the month—and several months in his debut disc for Columbia (14593-D), on which he plays and sings his own I’m Crazy ’Bout My Baby and Draggin’ My Poor Heart Around. Waller has been heard in some fine hot records in the past (mostly for Victor), but his delivery of the incomparable I’m Crazy song is superb, a performance that is genuinely amusing, tuneful, and packed full of both jazzical intricacies and personality. One of the rare discs in the popular lists that will be remembered and played long after the vogue of the song itself has vanished into thin air. Ensembles Columbia lists the only entrants, the best of which is the Rondoliers' crisp, vivid singing, to exceedingly bright accom- paniments, of Childlins (from Tibbet’s film variously entitled “The Southerner” and “The Prodigal”). The coupling is an in- ferior sentimental duet by Rowland and Small, You’ll be Mine (2435-D). The other two discs are of hymns: Voice that Breathed o’er Eden and The Day Thou Gavest sung simply and with dignity by the Columbia Vocal Ensemble (2433-D), and You Can Smile and Rainbow Shining Somewhere in bombastic evangelical performances by Homer Rodeheaver and his singers (2432-D). Starred Songsters Chevalier and Lee Morse lead the field by a wide margin, the Frenchman in brisk performances of two peppy American hits, Hello Beautiful and Walkin’ My Baby Back Home (Vic- tor 22634), and the southern girl in her best recording for many months, Walkin’ My Baby and I’ve Got Five Dol- lars (Columbia 2417-D), sung with the infectious gusto and virtuoso command of falsetto wa-was that have been so con- spicuously missing from her recent output of sentimental bal- lads. Crooners Brunswick lists three Seger Ellis discs, 6050, 6076, and 6078, all well recorded, but not overly striking. The best is Handy’s Loveless Love and Tie a Little String, on 6050. For the same company the three Boswell Sisters do baby voiced harmoni- zations of Wha’d Ja do to me and When I Take my Sugar to Tea, chiefly noteworthy for the Dorsey Brothers' accompani- ments (6083). Ukulele Sam makes a good bid for Ukulele Ike’s crown with When I Take My Sugar, but Vic Lewis' coupling—When Your Lover Has Gone—is negligible (Okeh 41494). The rest are ordinary: Bing Crosby making his first appearance under the Victor label (22701), Gene Austin (Vic- tor 22635), Lee Morse in husky sob stuff (Columbia 2436-D), Charles Lawman in his own Prairie Skies (Columbia 2420-D). DANCE Rumba-Bolero Stuff E NRIQUE MADRIGUERA and his Havana Casino Or- chestra, Wayne King, and the Brunsuhck Hour Orches- tra cater to the Spanish craze. The first has a fine band, and the elaborate percussion work is interesting but the con- ventional vocal choruses mar the effectiveness of the play- ing. The director’s own Adios is a graceful piece; it and the familiar Siboney are smoothly played on Columbia (2434-D). More striking is the catchy, erratic Mama Inez (recently re- corded for Victor as Oh Mama!) and an African Lament that gives good opportunity to the multitudinous percussion choir (Columbia 2422-D). Brunswick’s orchestra furnishes elabo- rate jingle obbligatos to Amapola and Padilla’s Who’ll Buy My Violets (6067). Much more effective is a deft American adaption of the bolero, Speak Easy, played in very dapper fashion by Wayne King, and coupled with Shilkret’s attrac- tive performance of a very catchy tune, The Moochi, on Vic- tor 22645. The Wonder Bar The hits from Jolson’s new show have been represented earlier by European recordings. The first American perform- ances of Oh Donna Clara, a slow tango, and Elisabeth, a gay fox trot, are furnished by Lombardo's Canadians for Colum- bia (2423-D) and Emil Coleman for Brunswick (6082). Lom- bardo does well with the fox trot, a resonant big-toned re- cording, but Coleman is nearly equally bright in this piece, and more neatly songful in the other. Neither disc compares too favorably with the original German versions. Side-Show The most interesting novelty of the month is Egyptian-Ella, done in very amusing fashion by Reser's Jumping Jacks on Brunswick 6081. The introduction of a barker’s spiel and echoes of Luigini’s Suite Egyptien are cleverly managed. The coupling is a rowdy, wise-cracking version of I’m the Last One Left on the Corner. Ted Lewis does well with a quite different arrangement of Egyptian-Ella, featuring a charac- teristic chorus of his own, and coupling a good but not ex- traordinary dance version of Waller’s great I’m Crazy ’Bout My Baby (Columbia 2428-D). Leaders Victor’s batch evidence unusually clean and reverberant re- cordings this month. Besides the King-Shilkret coupling above, I like best Shilkret's magnificent performance of that grand tune, I’m One of God’s Children, coupled with a com- ing best-seller, By Special Permission of the Copyright Owners, done here in smooth yet attractive fashion (22632); Wayne King's vigorous Hello Beautiful! (featuring some nice fiddle and trumpet playing) and graceful One Little Raindrop (22642); and Johnny Hamp's All on Account of You and Rockin’ Chair (22636). The chorus in the last piece cannot compare with the earlier versions by Louis Armstrong, Paul Tremain, and Red Nichols, but the orchestral tone is unus- ually fine. Columbia’s best are Ben Selvin's dapperly treated Learn to Croon and You Said It (2426-D); and Emerson Gill's catch- ily played, sonorously recorded hits from “America’s Sweet- heart”—I’ve Got Five Dollars and We’ll be the Same (2416- D). Brunswick is best represented by Hal Kemp (a highly original version of Would You Like to Take a Walk? and a spirited Bj' Special Permission of the Copyright Owners— 6055, and a very snappy Sweet Somebody to Love Me and smart performance of Little Joe—6071; Ben Bernie (a dark- toned You’re Just a Lover and a bright I Have to Laugh— both exceedingly well constructed—6069; and Loring Red Nichols (a peppy Keep a Song in Your Soul and a very catchy Things I Never Knew—6068). Okeh’s leaders are the Casa Loma Orchestra in a fine fast Casa Loma Stomp, coupled with David Edward's amusing, adept performance of Just a Crazy Song (41492—one of the month’s best dance discs); Buddy Campbell in a cheerful Hello Beautiful! and a good vigorous treatment of Lonesome Old Town (41491); and Fred Rich's smooth, dark-colored Were You Sincere and I Surrender (41488) a melodious version of Would You Like to Take a Walk?, coupled with Ed Parker's bland Wabash Moon (41482). The Field Noble Sissle makes a welcome return with competent but not extraordinary performances of Loveless Love and Got the Bench (Brunswick 6073); and Phillips' Louisville Jug Band has some amazing sotto-voce, rippling playing in Sing You Sinners and Tiger Rag (highly original arrangements) on Brunswick 7194. For Columbia the Pods oj Pepper turn in shrill versions of Get Off Stuff and You’ve Had Your Way (14590-D); Fletcher Henderson plays vigorous, not too torrid arrangements of Sweet and Hot and and I’ve Found What I Wanted (2414-D); and the Charleston Chasers, now under Bennie Goodman's direction, are heard in good, very slow and hot versions of the famous Beale Street Blues (2415-D). The remaining Victors are the Memphis Stompers' smoothly flow- ing I’m Happy and Love is Like That (22629), and Dave Nelson's rather colorless When Day is Done and I Ain’t Got Nobody (22639).