Day Two featured the first seminar of the weekend, delivered by cornetist and Bix enthusiast Scott Black. Black has been working on a biography of Bix. He has at his disposal hundreds of hours of tape recorded by Bix biographer Phil Evans. The tapes preserve the voices and memories of Bix's musical associates, ranging from Bill Challis and Bill Rank to Frank Signorelli and Chauncey Morehouse.
Black played a number of interviews, which were striking because you actually get to hear the distinctive voices of these musicians, including Signorelli's thick Brooklyn accent. There was also an unintentionally hilarious interview with Lou Black, New Orleans Rhythm Kings banjoist, whose dreary monotone recited the various dead and alcoholic former members of the band.
Scott's site, kazoolips.com has some fascinating information.
Here is a YouTube video of Scott's cornet playing.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Archeophone: Bert Williams
I listened to the Archeophone Bert Williams CD, and it is excellent. Here is a song from the third volume, Williams' last recording, "Not Lately."
This clip is taken from the Internet Archive, not the CD itself.
This clip is taken from the Internet Archive, not the CD itself.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Day Two: The dealers
Day Two of the tribute began with a visit to the dealers' area. Dealers included mainstay Bob Koester of the Jazz Record Mart. It was Koester, actually, who turned me onto traditional jazz at his old store on Lincoln Avenue near Montrose. This was, um, 30-some years ago. I remember the first albums he sold me: the Jazz Treasury LP featuring Freddie Keppard and the two volume set of Jabbo Smith and his Rhythm Aces. From that point on I was a regular visitor (I also attended his Friday night screenings of vintage films).
I bought a couple things from Bob: a Frank Melrose CD and a collection of Jimmy Blythe piano rolls. Melrose, known as Kansas City Frank, was a great barrelhouse piano player who died young. Blythe also died young, but not before recording with all of Chicago's jazz giants and making his mark as one of the pioneers of boogie woogie.
I already had the Blythe piano rolls on LP, but Koester said the LP issue had the rolls played at a tempo that was much too fast. I later listened to the Blythe CD and was mildly disappointed, feeling the CD captured the rolls at a tempo that was slowed down way too much.
One vendor I discovered was a couple, Richard Martin and Meagan Hennessey from Champaign, home of my alma mater. The pair run the Archeophone label, which is doing some splendid reissues of rare material, including a 3-cd Bert Williams set that I bought.
According to the Web site, Archeophone "was founded in 1998 with the aim of preserving public-domain recordings of the acoustic era of the recording industry on digitally remastered media, together with extensive annotations, discographies, and rare graphics in attractive, modestly priced packages."
One jewel was a new set of King Oliver recordings that is reputed to contain the best sound yet obtained from those classic recordings. I haven't listened yet, but I'm sure they live up to their billing.
One of the buyers in the dealer's area was my friend Jamaica, who actually brought her bird along with her (and her husband).
We both looked at sheet music (I wound up buying a booklet of Fats Waller compositions. One of the dealers also sold vintage jazz books, including the notorious "Really the Blues," the "autobiography" of clarinetist/marijuana peddler Milton "Mezz Mezzrow" Mesirow.
Here was a short video where I display my treasure trove in my room in Racine.
I bought a couple things from Bob: a Frank Melrose CD and a collection of Jimmy Blythe piano rolls. Melrose, known as Kansas City Frank, was a great barrelhouse piano player who died young. Blythe also died young, but not before recording with all of Chicago's jazz giants and making his mark as one of the pioneers of boogie woogie.
I already had the Blythe piano rolls on LP, but Koester said the LP issue had the rolls played at a tempo that was much too fast. I later listened to the Blythe CD and was mildly disappointed, feeling the CD captured the rolls at a tempo that was slowed down way too much.
One vendor I discovered was a couple, Richard Martin and Meagan Hennessey from Champaign, home of my alma mater. The pair run the Archeophone label, which is doing some splendid reissues of rare material, including a 3-cd Bert Williams set that I bought.
According to the Web site, Archeophone "was founded in 1998 with the aim of preserving public-domain recordings of the acoustic era of the recording industry on digitally remastered media, together with extensive annotations, discographies, and rare graphics in attractive, modestly priced packages."
One jewel was a new set of King Oliver recordings that is reputed to contain the best sound yet obtained from those classic recordings. I haven't listened yet, but I'm sure they live up to their billing.
One of the buyers in the dealer's area was my friend Jamaica, who actually brought her bird along with her (and her husband).
We both looked at sheet music (I wound up buying a booklet of Fats Waller compositions. One of the dealers also sold vintage jazz books, including the notorious "Really the Blues," the "autobiography" of clarinetist/marijuana peddler Milton "Mezz Mezzrow" Mesirow.
Here was a short video where I display my treasure trove in my room in Racine.
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