The best Swing band you've never heard ?

[Ian Thumwood]

Prompted by Calum's posting of the Jimmie Lunceford tracks, been staggered to find some classic big band recordings from 1939-41 that I used to have on LP but have never been able to find on CD. This band was in existence from the early thirties right up until the mid forties when the line up included both Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Although the orchestra did make some very rank recordings with a girl singing group, the jazz side of the repertoire was well served by the likes of Jimmy Mundy and was always peppered with brilliant solo talent like Budd Johnson or the neglected Scoops Carry. In the leader, the band had one of the greatest piano soloists of his day. To my ears, this band seemed to have a very large and dark sound under-pinned by the great drums of the likes of Alvin Burroughs. In addition, singer Billy Eckstine could produce great perfomances like "Jelly, jelly."

Try to find some of this bands's most killing records on cd and you will fail. The band with Bird and Diz made no commercial recordings.

Here are some clips of this band in full flight albeit only a very small proportion of what they commited to wax.

"Grand Terrace Shuffle"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwpFrM47XEM&feature=related

"XYZ"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBqO8xY78d8&feature=related

"Ridin' & jivin'"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecf9GJaRXRg&feature=related

"Swingin' on C"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_0TUrsvkHU&feature=watch_response_rev

"The Fatha jumps" (Well, actually they are be-bopping in 1941! This band was right at the forefront of the movement.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sXVPXwWYuw&feature=related

"Second Balcony Jump" ~ The original recroding of the Gerry Valentine arrangement later recorded by Dexter Gordon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiyexXuk__g&feature=related

Criminal that this band is so little considered these days.

Enjoy

[Anna]

Thanks for those clips Ian (a few of them don't work for me unfortunately) but I love swing/big bands. To me the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon listening.

[Ian Thumwood]

Anna

Me too.

Calum kindly e-mailed me the link to a site whereby you can access much of this material called "Jazz-on-line.com. Many of the Hines tracks are available there.

Unfortunately, if you are as keen as me, this site is fatal as I've spent the last few evenings searching tracks my some really obscure big bands of the 1930's such as "Boot and his buddies" and the "St. Louis Crackerjacks" which have proved to be fascinating. I will have to ration my time on this site as I won't get anything done!

Hines' band was terrific but seems to have been largely ignored by companies like Proper. Granted that the commercial material it recorded in the early 40's was on a par with Glenn Miller for shear woefullness, the jazz / instrumental records pack a clout that could probably only be equalled by the Basie band in full wail. What I love about Hines' band was how it managed to fully absorb the best elements of swing but quickly picked up the changes that were on-going around the early 40's so that the records sound about 3-4 years ahead of everyone else. This was one of the first bands to have a be-bop influence.

Cheers

Ian

[Anna]

Ian,

Boots and his Buddies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX6NnxrGLN0 All great stuff

[Ian Thumwood]

Anna

Thanks for that link.

Gunther Schuller mentions Boots and his Buddies in his book "Swing Era" and comments on the fact that the early recordings were very good but the band declined around 1937-8 which is apparent from the records which do sound out of tune. However, I love the energy of their recordings even if they seemed to rely on contra-facts or less than subtle borrowings of other people's music and passed them off as originals! This is a band that I have always wanted to hear but had never come across until Calum posted the link. the best tracks by Boots are full of enthusiasm and energy and it is difficult not to enjoy. I would love to hear a band like Steve Bernstein's MTO perform this stuff!!

Here is a brief extract from a broadcast that celebrates the music of Boots as well as that of another big band from San Antonio, Don Albert, the first band leader to bill his group as a "swing band."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpLt261NRZI