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Friday, June 25, 2021

Instrumental Music Of The Southern Appalachians

 

John Henry

Instrumental Music Of Southern Appalachians
Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Dulcimer and Harmonica
Recorded by Diane Hamilton, Liam Clancy and Paul Clayton
Summer 1956
Jacket Art: Darth
Tradition Records TLP 1007

From the back cover: This album is the result of a folk-song collecting trip made during the Summer of 1956 by Diane Hamilton, Liam Clancy and Paul Clayton. All of the selections on this recording were recorded in Virginia and North Carolina. Out of considerable instrumental material, these selections were chosen as being most typical and best performed. The instrumentals represented are the five-string banjo, the guitar, the fiddle, the dulcimer and the harmonica. These instrumentals are the ones which have been played for the longest time in the South, and have been handed down traditionally in families (unlike, for example, the mandolin which is of comparatively recent introduction in the South, and has been played for the most part in connection with string bands under professional circumstances, rather than as a home instrument to be picked up and played in the evenings.)

The performers here play their instruments in traditional style, and, with one exception, have never been recorded before. The exception is Mr. Hobart Smith who has been recorded by the Library Of Congress, and who a number of years ago accompanied his sister, Mrs. Texas Gladden, famed Virginia folk singer, in an album no longer available. On this record he plays one 5-string banjo solo and four fiddle tunes. Mr. Smith, who lives in Saltville, Virginia, where these recordings of him were made, is a fine instrumentalist, and his driving, vigorous performances have been heard for many years at dances in that area. Having had no banjo with him at the time these recordings were made, Mr. Smith borrowed one from a relative. It's frets have been purposely removed in order that it might be played like the old fretless banjos (which are still being homemade today in the mountains.) The unique effect of a fretless banjo can be clearly seen in his Pateroller Song.

The rest of the banjo pieces, and all the guitar pieces are played by members of a very musically talented family living in Gamewell and Morganton, North Carolina. We first visited Mrs. Etta Baker and recorded the guitar solos on this record at Morganton. Later we met more of her family, and other selections played by them were recorded at Morganton or Gamewell. Mrs. Baker used no finger picks in playing the guitar, and in John Henry tunes it to an open chord and plays with a jackknife blade. She started playing the guitar when she was three years old, plays two banjo solos on this record. Sourwood Mountain and Johnson Boys. The other banjo pieces were recorded by Lacey Phillips, Boon Reid's son-in-law.

The harmonica solos are played by Mr. Richard Chase of Beech Creek, North Carolina. Mr. Chase is an authority of folk-tales, songs and dances. The tunes he plays are all familiar melodies used in play-party games and folk-dancing. His technique of playing the harmonica is consistent with the tradition of the harmonica as it is most often played – an instrument to carry a melody with changes and variations from verse to verse, but without the virtuostic trick-playing commonly represented on recordings which seem intent not upon melodic line, but upon how many varied and unusual sounds can be produced by the harmonica.

The dulcimer solos are played by Mrs. Edd Presmell of Banner Elk, North Carolina, upon an instrument made by her husband. Mrs. Powell has her dulcimer (the traditional three-string southern mountain dulcimer) tuned with the strings sol, sol, sol, the third string being an octave lower than the other two. Her dominant chord then is do, sol, sol. She plays with a fretting stick and a lighter supple stick as a pick.

Cripple Creek
Pateroller Song
One Dime Blues
Sourwood Mountain 
Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad
Amazing Grace
The Girl I Left Behind Me
Marching Jaybird
John Brown's Dream
Sally Goodman
Railroad Bill
Soldier's Joy
Molly Brooks
Pretty Polly
Johnson Boys
John Henry
Drunken Hiccups
Shady Grove
Bully Of The Town
Skip To My Lou

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

What Is There To Say? - The Gerry Mulligan Quartet

 

Festive Minor

What Is There To Say?
The Gerry Mulligan Quartet
Arrangements by Gerry Mulligan
Photograph by Burt Goldblatt
Columbia Records CL 1307 & CS 8116
1959

Art Farmer - Trumpet
Bill Crow - Bass
Dave Bailey - Drums

From Billboard - April 6, 1959: Gerry Mulligan bows his new quartet with A. Farmer, B. Crow and D. Bailey, with happy results on this new waxing. Mulligan is playing in the happy, attractive style that makes him a pleasure to listen to and Farmer's fine and conservative trumpet work makes a perfect complement for Mulligan. It's quiet, meaningful jazz that flows continually and easily. Tunes include a group of standards and some originals with "Just In Time" and "My Funny Valentine," two of the best tracks. This should be a strong seller.

What Is There To Say - Recorded January 15, 1959
Just In Time - Recorded January 15, 1959
News From Blueport  - Recorded January 15, 1959
Festive Minor  - Recorded January 15, 1959
As Catch Can - Recorded December 23, 1958
My Funny Valentine - Recorded December 23, 1958
Blueport Recorded December 23, 1958
Utter Chaos - December 17, 1958

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

The Hawaii Calls Deluxe Set

Aloha Oe

Webley Edwards Presents:
The "Hawaii Calls" Deluxe Set
Three All-Time Best-Selling Hawaiian Albums
36 Famous Performances By Alfred Apaka and Other Favorite Sings and Instrumentals Of The Island
Produced by Webley Edwards and Bill Miller
Recorded in Duophonic and Stereo
"Favorite Instrumentals Of The Island and "Alfred Apaka" in Duophonic
Capitol Records 2182

And "deluxe" this package is! This 3 disc set comes bound inside a burlap covered "book jacket" that includes 6 printed inside pages.

The Hawaii Calls Orchestra and Chorus with Al Kealoha Perry

Blue Hawaii
Hiilawe
Hawaiian Wedding Song
Beyond The Reef
The Hukilau Song
Song Of The Island
Lovely Hula Hands
Hawaii War Chant
King's Serenade
Mama's Muu-Muu
Sweet Leilani
Aloha Oe (Queen Liliuokalani - Arrangement: Webley Edwards)

Imi Au Ia Oe (King's Serenade)
Blue Hawaii
My Little Grass Shack
Sweet Leilani
Hilo March
To You Sweetheart, Aloha
Drifting And Dreaming
Hawaiian War Chant
My Isle Of Golden Dreams
Songs Of The Island
On The Beach At Waikiki
Aloha Oe (Queen Liliuokalani - Arrangement: Webley Edwards)

Here (In The Enchanted Place)
Blue Hawaii
Pohai Kealoha (Encircling Love)
I Want To Learn To Speak Hawaiian
Tiare O Tahiti
Hawaiian Paradise
Honolulu Eyes
There's No Place Like Hawaii
Paoakalani (The Queen's Song)

Country Giants - Norma Jean

 

Here Comes My Baby Back Again

Country Giants
Norma Jean
Produced by Bob Ferguson
Recording Engineers: Chuck Seitz, Tom Pick and Bill Vendevort
Recording Technicians: Milton Henderson and Leslie Ladd
Recorded in RCA's "Nashville Sound" Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
RCA Victor STEREO LSP-4146

Hey, Good Lookin'
Make The World Go Away
Harper Valley PTA
Slowly
Don't Come Home A Drinkin'
Here Comes My Baby Back Again
Dusty Road
Still
Yours Love
Crazy Arms
Once A Day
Tiger By The Tail

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Today's Romantic Hits For Lovers Only Vol. 2 - Jackie Gleason

 

From Russia With Love

Today's Romantic Hits
For Lovers Only - Vol. 2
Jackie Gleason
Arrangements: George Williams
Produced by Dick Jones
Cover Photo: Capitol Photo Studio - George Jerman
Capitol Full Dimensional STEREO SW 2056 & W 2056
1964

From the back cover: The orchestra is actually two-in-one – twin string sections, doubly rich, doubly romantic, backed by a rhythm section, with accordion, English horn and oboe. And to complete the Gleason magic, there are two great soloists alternating on the various selections: Charlie Ventura on tenor saxophone and Pee Wee Erwin on trumpet, adding those special touches of free-flowing charm that make this kind of music that lovers love and understand.

Charade 
Deep Purple
Theme From "The Cardinal"
For You
Since I Fell For You
Maria Elena
Fools Rush In
From Russia With Love
There I've Said It Again
Blue Velvet
Have You Heard

It Might As Well Be Swing - Frank Sinatra & Count Basie

The Best Is Yet To Come

It Might As Well Be Swing
Frank Sinatra
Count Basie and His Orchestra
Arranged and Conducted by Quincy Jones
Produced by Sonny Burke
Cover Photo by Ted Allen
Engineer: Lowell Frank
Reprise F-1012
1964

The Orchestra:

Count Basie - Piano
All Porcino, Don Rader, Wallace Davenport, Al Aarons, George Cohn and Harry "Sweets" Edison - Trumpet
Henry Coker, Grover Mitchell, Bill Hughes, Henderson Chambers and Kenny Shroyer - Trombones
Frank Foster, Charles Fowlies, Marshal Royal, Frank Wess and Eric Dixon - Reeds
Emil Richards - Vibes
George Catlett - Bass
Freddie Green - Guitar
Sonny Payne - Drums
Gerald Vinci, Israel Baker, Jacques Gasselin, Thelma Beach, Bonnie Douglas, Marshall Session, Erno Neufeld, Lou Raderman, Paul Shure and James Getzoff - Violins
Virginia Majewski, Paul Robyn, Alvin Dinkin and Stan Harris - Violas
Edgar Lostgarten and Ann Goodman - Cellos

The performances of Count Basie on this album are by courtesy of Verve Records, a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.

Quincy Jones appears through the courtesy of Mercury Records

From the back cover: Prior to the recording of this album, arranger and conductor Quincy Jones set up a temporary private studio within the Sinatra offices at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California. At the studio Jones wrote his arrangements; at the same time, Sinatra acted in and, for the first time, directed his new film, "None But The Brave." To prepare for the recording sessions, Jones (whom Sinatra nicknamed "Q") often worked lat into the night framing his arrangements, occasionally sleeping at the Sinatra offices.

Fly Me To The Moon
I Wish You Love
I Believe In You
More
I Can't Stop Loving You
Hello, Dolly!
I Wanna Be Around
The Best Is Yet To Come
The Good Life
Wives And Lovers