The record changer (Feb-Dec 1948)

] Records Noted (Continued from Page 10) ■ a night club entertainer's impression of a hot vocalist in a needle pad. This is inhibition removed to the extent that it's about as grating as seeing a blowsy stripper lewdly go all the way off, screaming and hollering filthy words the while. This is music, if you will allow the expression, for the frustrated, keyed-up, nervous, scared, drunk, superficial, and tawdry. Have you an inferiority complex? Do you wish you could let yourself go? Would you like to go a little mad ? Here's your release. No wonder hundreds of thousands of copies of Nellie Lutcher's records are being bought as fast as they come out in the U. S. of A. in these gloriously botched-up times. (Capitol 40042 and 40063.) Novelty Johnny Mercer & King Cole Harmony Save the Bones for Henry Jones Whaddeya know — Johnny Mercer and King Cole come up with something worth listening to a few times. Harmony is an amusing twist on the idea of the pre-war corn favorite, Friendship, with Cole playing an old-fashioned nickelodeon. The mistakes he and his guitarist slip in are quite entertaining. Reverse is an excellent novelty by the New Orleans-New York guitarist, Danny Barker, with an "everybody-join-in" refrain on "Save the bones for Henry Jones, 'cause Henry don't eat no meat." You'll just have to pardon me ; I like good clean fun. (Capitol 15000.) Ten Cats and a Mouse Three O'Clock Jump Ja Da Just about eleven years ago, on one of Benny Goodman's Camel broadcasts, the band had some fun by doing a number in which Helen Ward played piano, Harry James was the drummer, Ziggy Elman borrowed a trombone, Goodman switched instruments with his tenor sax man, Art Rollini, and nobody recorded the hodgepodge that resulted. The Capitol record people are more publicity-wise than that, though. They got ten house men and Peggy Lee (hence the band's name) to do the same thing on a couple of sides. The results are not successful by any standard. Red Norvo, imitating Teddy Wilson at the piano rather creditably, is the most capable of the lot. (That makes three instruments for Red on Capitol dates this month.) Everyone else sounds somewhat lost, and even Benny Carter, sounding like himself on tenor sax, is out of place. The conception of the medium-tempo blues (Three O'Clock Jump, that is) is about as uninteresting as you would expect most Hollywood musicians to be on a serious recording — and incidentally, the performances are quite earnest and without humor, although Paul Weston's clarinet could pass as a take-off on Pee Wee Russell. In case you're wondering what Peggy Lee does, she's responsible for the wandering beat emanating from the drums. (Capitol 15015.) NEW RELEASES FOR COMPlirt CATALOG WRITE TO BLUE NOTE RECORDS 767 LEXINGTON AVENUE RE 4-4167 NEW YORK 21. N. Y. FEBRUARY, 1948 17