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HISTORICAL HLP-35

Side 1.

EARL HiNES AND HIS ORCHESTRA

1. Every Body Loves My Baby* tk. S (3:12) 2. Good Little, Bad Little You** tk. 3 (2:32) 3. Beau-Koo Jack tk. 2 (2:45) 4. Sister Kate* tk. 3 (3:03) Shirley Clay-George Mitchell (cnt), William Franklin (tbn), Lester Boone (cl-as-bar), Toby Turner (cl-as), Cecil Irwin (cl-ts), Earl Hines (p-vcl (scat*), Claude Roberts (bjo-gtr), Hayes Alvis (bb-vcl**), Benny Washington (dms), Chicago, Feb. 13, 1929

BENNIE MOTEN’S KANSAS CITY ORCHESTRA

5. Just Rite* tk. 2 (2:38) 6. Ding Dong Blues** tk. 2 (3:05) 7. It’s Hard To Laugh Or Smile* tk. 4 (2:38)

Ed Lewis, Lamar Wright Cents), Thamon Hayes (tbn), Harlan Leonard (clt-alt), Herman Walder (clt-ten), LaForet Dent (alt-ten), Jack Washington (alt-bar), Bennie Moten (pno), Lercy Berry (bjo), Vernon Page (bbs), Willie Washington Cdms), Booker Washington (cnt replaces Wright*) vcl trio**, Chicago, June 12, 1927 £r Camden, N. J., Sept. 6, 7, 1928

Side 2.

TINY PARHAM AND HIS MUSICIANS

1. The Head-Hunter’s Dream tk. 2 (3:23) 2. Snake Eyes tk. 1 (2:42) 3. Fat Man Blues* tk. 2 (2:33) Punch Miller (cnt), Ike Covington (tbn), Charles Johnson (clt-alt), Tiny Parham (pno), Sam Tail-Mike McKendrick* (bjo), Quinn Wilson (bbs), Ernie Marrero (dms), Unknown (clt-alt-ten) * Chicago, July 2, 1928-Oct. 25, 1929*

BARON LEE AND THE BLUE RHYTHM BAND

4. Doin’ The Shake* tk. 1 (2:31) 5. Rhythm Spasm tk. 1 (2:45) 6. White Lightning tk. 1 (2:59)

Wardell Jones, Shelton Hemphill, Ed Anderson (tpts), Harry White, Henry Hicks (tbn), Crawford Wethington (alt-bar), Charlie Holmes (alt), Joe Garland (ten), Edgar Hayes (pno), Benny James (bjo), Hayes Alvis (bbs-sbs), O’Neil Spencer (dms), Baron Lee (dir), N. Y., Feb. 25*, & May 12, 1932

LUIS RUSSELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA 7. At The Darktown Strutter’s Ball tk. 1 (2:49) 8. 01’ Man River tk. 1 (2:45) Leonard Davis, Rex Stewart, Gus Aiken (tpts), Nathaniel Story, James Archey (tbns), Henry Jones, Charlie Holmes (alt), Bingie Madison, Greely Walton (tens), Luis Russell (pno), Lee Blair (gtr), Paul Barbarin (dms), Sonny Woods (vcl). New York, August 8, 1934

Cover Art: Fred Romary

Liner Notes: Chris Albertson

Discographical Notes: Brian Rust, Jazz Records, 1897-1942

Photo Front: Earl Hines & His Orchestra

PRODUCED BY: ARNOLD S. CAPLIN

Library of Congress Card Number: 73-751932

Name the five bands represented in this album to the average person who grew up jitterbugging to the sounds of the Swing Era and chances are that they have never heard of them. Yet, these and other black bands were to Goodman, Shaw, Miller Dorsey and Co. what such men as Robert Johnson, Skip James and Blind Lemon Jefferson are to today’s rock groups: the ulti¬ mate inspiration. Representing three geographical locations, Kansas City, Chicago and New York, these five bands of the late 20’s and early ’30’s illustrate the sounds that heralded the Swing Era.

Most jazz critics and historians agree that the era was ushered in by Benny Goodman when, in the early part of 1935, his band wound up an unsuccessful tour of one-nighters at Los Angeles’ Palomar Ballroom. “We had a ‘what’ve we got to lose’ attitude’’, Goodman later recalled, “and decided to let loose and shoot the works with our best things ...the boys dug in with some of the best playing I’d heard since we left New York. I don’t know what it was, but the crowd went wild, and then - boom! That was the real beginning.”

BLACK BANDS 1927-1934

It was, of course, not the beginning of a new music, but rather of its mass acceptance by a white audience which had not been exposed to the precursory sounds of black bands led by Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Andy Kirk, Chick Webb, William McKinney or the five leaders featured here. Unfortunately, the success of the big white bands did little for most of their black predecessors. Count Basie’s orchestra (an outgrowth of the Bennie Moten band) and the Duke Ellington orchestra flourished, as did Lunceford, Webb and Hines, but they were still segregated from white audiences, to the extent that they were unable to attain the wide popularity, which their generally superior output called for. They were big stars, but their imitators were superstars. In other words, it wasn’t their music, which kept them out of the broad limelight, it was White America’s attitude toward a people whom they had force¬ fully brought across the Atlantic some four hundred years earlier*,. The name for that is: racism. The early black bands represented here, form the bridge be¬ tween New Orleans Jazz and Swing. There have been attempts made to revive the both of these styles. The former re-blossomed successfully in the wake of the latter, mostly due to the fact that some of its pioneers never abandoned the style, and due to the efforts of such white N.O. enthusiasts as Lu Watters and Turk Murphy. It was a fairly long revival, its life having been extended in the form of the trad craze that hit post World War II Europe, with such musicians as Cy Laurie, Ken Colyer, Hum¬ phrey Lyttleton and Chris Barber leading the way.

Swing, on the other hand, saw only a mildly successful revival in the form of “Main Stream’’ jazz, while big band swing never got off the ground again. Curiously enough, the inbetween style, as heard here, was al¬ most totally neglected by the revivalists. Chris Barber made a handful of recordings in the early Ellington style, and that’s as far as it went. This seems odd, because this transitional music utilized the very best elements of two extremely popular jazz idioms and left a legacy of exciting arrangements. The Earl Hines sides, his first as an orchestra leader, are sparked by his fiery piano. Just the year before, Hines had made the last of a series of remarkable records with Louis Armstrong, who is said to have inspired his “trumpet-style” piano. Further Arm¬ strong influence can certainly be heard in Hines’ relaxed scatting on “Sister Kate.” Bennie Moten started his first big band in 1925. Count Basie played second piano and eventually took over the band, when Moten died, in 1935. As evidenced by these recordings, Basie took the band in his own direction, but the original orchestra was a fine, tight-knit group with some outstanding soloists. Fourteen Bennie Moten sides, ranging from small groups, re¬ corded in 1923, to 1925 and 1929 big band recordings, can be heard on a previous Historical release (HLP-9).

Tiny Parham, whose real name was Hartzell Strathdene Parham, also hailed from Kansas City, but most of his musical activity was centered around Chicago. The seven-piece band, heard here, produced a sound which belied its size, and featured outstanding ensemble and solo work. Most notable are trombonist Ike Cov¬ ington, who should have been recorded much more frequently than he was, and New Orleans trumpeter Punch Miller, who eventually returned to his home town to become a handyman with occasional part-time work as a musician. Two additional sides from the October 25th date are included in the album “Chicago South Side, Vol. 2” (Historical HLP-30). The Blue Rhythm Band was formed in 1929. It became Mills’ Blue Rhythm Band in 1930, when Irving Mills became its titu¬ lar leader. During the early part of 1931, leadersnip of the orchestra was taken over by Benny Carter, and, a year later, by Jimmy Ferguson (alias Baron Lee). Although it underwent drastic personnel changes, the Blue Rhythm Band continued to function as a unit until 1937. One of its last leaders was Lucky Millinder. Trombonist Harry “Father” White, who also did many of the band’s arrangements (including “Doin’ the Shake” and “White Lightning”) coined the word “jitterbug” which later was used to describe the acrobatic dance of the Swing Era, as well as those who performed it. White, who had played with some of the finest bands, including those of Duke Ellington and Cab Callo¬ way, died during the ’60’s, penniless and understandably bitter. Luis Russell was born on a small island near Panama, but came to the U.S. at 17, after winning $3000 in a lottery. He made his way to New York City by way of New Orleans, Chicago and St. Louis, a route which, at that time, was a jazz education in itself. By 1926, he was recording as a leader, and by the late ’20’s he had one of the finest bands in the country. A slightly changed version of the 1934 band, heard here, was taken over by Louis Armstrong upon his return from Europe the following year. Armstrong and Russell continued to work together until 1943, and Russell continued to lead a band until 1948, when he quit the music business to open a candy shop in Brooklyn. He died in 1963. Several pages could, of course, be written about each of the five bands that make up this album, but the music speaks eloquently for .itself and paints a lucid picture of the foundations which black bands Said for the Swing Era’s white stars.

Chris Albertson (Jan., 1971)

HISTORICAL HLP-35

Previous Releases HLP- 1 RARE BLUES OF THE TWENTIES-1924-29

Blind Richard Yates, Virginia Listen, Ethel Waters, etc.

HLP- 2 RARE BLUES OF THE TWENTIES-1927-30 Iva Smith, St. Louis Bessie, Lii Johnson, etc.

HLP- 3 RARE BANDS OF THE TWENTIES-1928-30 Oliver Cobb’s Rhythm Kings, King Mutt’s Tennessee Thumpers, etc.

HLP- 4 RARE BLUES OF THE TWENTIES-1927-35 Hazel Smith, Bessie Tucker, Memphis Sanctified Singers, Leadbelly, etc.

HLP- 5 RARE BLUES OF THE TWENTIES-1926-31 Roosevelt Sykes, Bo Carter, Lewis Black, etc.

HLP- 6 RARE BANDS OF THE TWENTIES-1926-31 Jabbo Smith’s Rhythm Aces, Chicago Hot Five, etc.

HLP- 7 RARE BANDS OF THE TWENTIES-1925-30 Blue Ribbon Syncopators, New Orleans Owls, etc.

HLP- 8 RARE VERTICAL JAZZ-1926-27 Red Nichols (Edislon)

HLP- 9 BENNIE MOTEN’S KANSAS CITY ORCH.-1923-29 HLP-10 CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE-1926-32

Jimmie Noone, Roy Palmers Alabama Rascals, etc. HLP-1 1 COLLECTORS' ITEMS-1922-30

Kansas City Five, Cab Calloway’s Orch., etc. HLP-12 RARE AND HOT BANDS-1925-30

Memphis Jazzers, Blue Rhythm Orch., etc. HLP-13 FLETCHER HENDERSON’S ORCHESTRA-1923-24 HLP-14 RARE AND HOT VOCALS, BANDS-1923-26

Monette Moore, Choo Choo Jazzers, etc. HLP-15 RARE AND HOT VOCALS-1924-30

POT HOUND BLS. Cannon and Woods, Rooseveldt Graves, etc.

HLP-16 JAZZ BANDS-1926-30 The Chocolate Dandies, Kentucky jazz Babies, etc.

HLP-1 7 THEY SANG THE BLUES-1927-29 Mississippi John Hurt, Cotton Top Mt. Singers, etc.

HLP-18 FLETCHER HENDERSON’S ORCHESTRA-1923-24 HLP-19 NEW YORK JAZZ-1928-33

Earl Jackson’s Musical Champions, The Harlem Hot Chocolates, etc.

HLP-20 COLLECTOR’S ITEMS-1925-27 Oscar Celestin Original Tuxedo Jazz Orch., Dixie Washboard Band, etc.

HLP-21 CLARENCE WILLIAMS ORCHESTRA-1928 HLP-22 THEY SANG THE BLUES-1927-34

Skip James, Jellyroll Anderson, Robert Wilkins, Big Boy Cleveland, etc.

HLP-23 THE THREE JOLLY MINERS-1925-28 HLP-24 TERRITORY BANDS-1926-31

Zach Whyte’s Chocolate Beau Brummels, Alphonse Trent’s Orchestra

HLP-25 HOT CLARINETS-1924-29 Tony Parenti, Buster Bailey, Jimmy Lytell, Goodman

HLP-26 TERRITORY BANDS-1926-31 Dave Nelson’s Harlem Highlights, Waiter Page’s Blue Devils, etc.

HLP-27 TRUMPET BLUES-1925-29 Ben Norsingle, Texas Alexander, Chippie Hill, etc.

HLP-28 HOT TRUMPETS-1924-37 Bix, McPartland, Berigan

HLP-29 HOT PIANOS-1926-40 Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Montana Taylor, etc.

HLP-30 CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE, VOL 2-1927-29 jimmy Noone Orchestra, The Chicago Footwarmers, Jimmy Blyth, etc.

HLP-31 MASTERS OF THE BLUES-1928-40 HLP-32 I’M WILD ABOUT MY LOVIN’ (blues)-1928-30 HLP-33 JAZZ FROM NEW YORK-1928-32-Feat.

Oliver, Goodman, Ellington, H. R. Allen, etc. HLP-34 CHRIST WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS MORN

McTell, etc. HLP-35 BLACK BANDS-1927-34-Hines, Russell, etc. HLP-36 THE GREAT JUG BANDS-1926-34

Gus Cannon, etc. MLP-7324 PARTY BLUES, JEFFERSON, BLAKE, HURT COUNTRY SERIES 8001 EARLY COUNTRY MUSIC

FIELDS WARD’S BUCK MOUNTAIN BANK 8002 EARLY COUNTRY MUSIC 8003 TRADITIONAL COUNTRY CLASSICS-1927-29 8004 ERNEST V. STONEMAN £r HIS

DIXIE MOUNTAINEERS-1927-28

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HISTORICAL RECORDS INC.

Box 4204, Bergen Station

Jersey City, N. J, 07304

BLACifKNDS (1921-1934)

TINY PARHAM AND HIS MUSICIANS 1. The Head-Hunter's Dream 2. Snake Eyes 3. Fat Man Blues

BARON LEE AND HIS BLUE RHYTHM BAND •4. Doin' The Shake 5. Rhythm Spasm 6. White Lightning

LUIS RUSSELL AND HIS ORCHESTRA At The Darktown Strutter's Ball Ol'Man River