The record changer (Mar 1946-Feb 1947)

JAZZ ON RECORDS By John Lucas SACRED AND SINFUL At shouting the gospel Florida-born Sister Rosetta Tharpe has today no equal and only one prospective rival, Sister Ernestine Washington, whom very few have as yet had an opportunity to hear. The latter's Jubilee sides, recorded a year ago with accompaniment by Bunk Johnson's band, may not be available for a long time to come. In the meanwhile, fortunately, Decca can offer a number of records by Rosetta Tharpe. Three of her latest are among her very best: Strange Things Happening Every Day and Two Little Fishes and Five Loaves of Bread (Decca 48004), Stand By Me and There is Something Within Me (Decca 48010), Jonah and Jesus is Here Today (Decca 48013). On the first and third couplings Rosetta is backed by piano, bass, and drums, while her own guitar supplies the only support on the second. All six of these gospel songs are splendidly sung, so that choosing among them actually resolves simply into a preference for solo guitar backgrounds or rhythm section accompaniments. Despite the very effective, completely sympathetic work of Sam Price, I happen to prefer Sister Tharpe when she sings with nothing but her own simple and powerful strumming behind her. Stand By Me and There is Something Within Me are therefore my personal favorites in this particular group of selections. Perhaps the strangest gospel record to date pairs Dese Bones A'Gwinna Rise Again with On the Jericho Road by Wally Fowler and the Oak Ridge Quartet (Capitol 315), a perplexing union of Negro and Western folk elements. Obviously the two are not Altogether " compatible, yet this unusual hybrid is really inoffensive enough. Others worth hearing include: Low Down Chariot and Who's That Hammering hy the Golden Bell Quintet (Victor 20-1939), On the Jericho Road and Just a Little Talk With Jesus by the Harmoneers Quartet (Victor 20-1979), Jonah in the Belly of the Whale and Standing by the Bedside of a Neighbor by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet (Decca 48004), Take My Hand Precious Lord and I Feel Like My Time Ain't Long by the Selah Jubilee Singers (Decca 48003), Royal Telephone and / Want Jesus to Walk Around My Bedside by the same group (Decca 48007). SINGING THE BLUES The best blues coupling of the month, Tell Me Why and I'm in Love With Love by Lonnie Johnson (Disc 5060), inaugurates a new series of single records designed by Disc especially for juke box trade. Scheduled for the near future are releases featuring such familiar race, folk, and jazz artists as Lead Belly, Sonny Terry, Brown McGhee, Champion Jack Dupree, and Muggsy Spanier. Lonnie gets the series off to a flying start offering two originals with all his customary intimacy and inimitable ease. Singing offhaadedly, in no hurry, with apparent unconcern, Lonnie always gives the effect of complete spontaneity and perfect effortlessness. He is entirely relaxed, like Jelly-Roll Morton, like New Orleans — the very antithesis of Kansas City, Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson, Walter Brown and Jay McShann. Lonnie is a singer, not a shouter, but a real blues man nonetheless. His guitar, the most eloquent in the business, is pure blues, pure folk, pure jazz. Behind him all the way is the sincere, forthright, wholly convincing piano of blind John Davis, one of the year's real discoveries. Johnson and Davis do it the easy way, which proves once again to be the best way. They keep the blues simple and direct, steadily rhythmic but not frantic, constantly interesting yet never affected. They keep the blues — the blues! Incidentally, Lonnie also sings My Love is Down and Somebody's Got to Go (Victor 20-1890). Big Bill provides Lonnie's leading competition this month with Cell Number 13 Blues and You Got the Best Go (Columbia 37164), Hard Hearted Woman and I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town (Columbia 37196). The reliable Broonzy, a powerhouse blues shouter of the first rank, maintains a level of consistency matched by few of his race rivals and surpassed by none. These four sides furnish no exception, especially Cell Number 13, a dark, gripping blues with a sombre story, a morbid cast, a bitter flavor. It finds Big Bill at his very best, backed as always by that very appropriate unit, his Chicago Five. Other notable blues singles: Milk Cow Blues and Old Original Kokomo Blues by Kokomo Arnold (Decca 48000), Your Worries Ain't Like Mine and You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now by Georgia White (Decca 48001), Big Leg Woman and Louise Louise Blues by Johnny Temple (Decca 48002), Tired of Your Line of Jive and Who's Been Here Since I Been Gone by Le Roy's Buddy (Decca 48005) , Alley Boogie and / Just Want Your Stingaree by Georgia White (Decca 48006) , Confessin' the Blues by Jay McShann (Decca 48008), The Dirty Dozens and Sweepin' the Blues Away by Sam Price (Decca 48011), Big Road Blues and Don't Be a Fool No More by Big Maceo (Victor 20-1870), You're an Old Lady and Early in the Morning by Sonnyboy Williamson (Victor 20-1875), Drifting by Memphis Jimmy and Mercy Mama by Tampa Red (Victor 20-1887), Sunny Road and That's My Gal by Roosevelt Sykes (Victor 20-1906), Mean to Me and Osculate Me Daddy by Etta Jones (Victor 20-1941), Ethel Mae and So Glad You're Mine by Big Boy Crudup (Victor 20-1949), Maybe Some Day and Crying Won't Help You by Tampa Red (Victc 20-1988), / Need My Baby and Hoi That Train Conductor by Doctor Clay ton (Victor 20-1995), Little Sam and Any time is the Right Time by Roosevel Sykes (Bluebird 34-0745), She's Gone an, I'm in the Mood by Big Boy Crudu] (Bluebird 34-0746), Keep On Sailifig am Fast Woman Blues by Jazz Gillum (Blue bird 34-0747), Drifting by Memphi \[. Jimmy and / Can't Get Along With YoiW by Tampa Red (Bluebird 34-0748), Yoi Satisfy and Kansas City Mama by Jesst Price (Capitol 295), T-Town Jump anc The Kaycee Kid by Geechie Smith (Capitol 303), Lies and Gotta Gimme Watcho Got by Julia Lee (Capitol 308), .Sweel Man Blues and Sleepy Baby Blues b>| Jessie Price (Capitol 326). On many of these blues records the accompaniments are even more interesting than the vocals. Outstanding examples: Honey Hill's piano with Bill Gaither (Le Roy's Buddy) ; Jay McShann's piano behind Walter Brown; Tampa Red's guitar and Chick Sanders' bass backing up Big Maceo; Tampa Red's guitar, Big Maceo Merriweather's piano, and Chick Sanders' bass with Sonnyboy Williamson; Big Maceo 's piano and either Tyrell Dixon's or Alfred Elkins' bass behind Tampa Red; the Honeydrippers with Roosevelt Sykes; and J. C. Heard with Etta Jones. BARRELHOUSE AND BOOGIE Barrelhouse Blues by Montana Taylor (Circle Album 2), another significant project of Rudi Blesh, contains some of the hottest, bluest piano ever recorded; v In the Bottom andLndiana Avenue Stomp (Circle 1008), / Can't Sleep and Low Down Bugle (Circle 1009), Fo Day Blues and Sweet Sue (Circle 1010). The first five .sides, all originals, are Taylor solos, j Sweet Sue is an interesting duet — Montana on piano, Almond Leonard on washboard— played at a wonderful mediumfast tempo instead of breakneck, with plenty of tapdancer's stop-time for Leonard, who proves a genuine artist on the old spasm-band rhythm-maker. Both men take their time. Consequently Sue, who has known, a full decade of hectic days and frantic nights, moves with the easy grace, the undulant, unhurried motion of her youth. Paradoxically Sue is hotter this way, in fact far hotter than sweet! All five of Montana's originals are based on traditional blues themes, and some of the variations are characteristic barrelhouse while others are typical boogie. (The set's title is, truly, no misnomer.) Indiana Avenue is an old-fashioned stomp number, performed in the manner of the early eccentrics of hot piano, fast in tempo, light in touch, rather jerky in movement. This has been up to now the one tune for which Montana Taylor was known, the boogie stomp that has made him a legend. Somehow this new version is not quite so compelling or exciting as the one he recorded so many years ago. The four originals presented here for the first time are, on the other hand, even more intriguing and catching than the early Indiana Avenue Stomp. In other words, Taylor has been far from idle through ali these years of obscurity. He 8 THE RECORD CHANGER