What a delightful album! What a great band! And what a super singer! Not exactly trad, not quite mainstream more what my friends from the north side would call Classic Jazz and it's certainly music for a themed party.
The repertoire is a reminder of how, back in the mid-twenties/early thirties, black popular music was a heady mixture of jazz, blues and theatre and the more risqué the lyric the more the audience loved it - they'd have loved this record!
Panama Limited Blues: A harmonica intro leads Russell into a 'my man's gone' train blues. Hancock wails on cornet.
Cake Walkin' Babies (From Home): This good old good one used to be a favourite of an old friend of mine, the late Tyneside clarinetist John Saxelby. It is fitting that Christopher blows a fine clarinet solo that John would have loved whilst, at the same time, wondering what magical combination of mouthpiece and reed he used.
Telephoning the Blues: Composed by Victoria Spivey, another unrequited telephone song with some growling trombone from Tucker. Russell captures the mood as she always does.
You've Got Everything a Sweet Mama Needs But Me: Vince Giordiano guests on this one, his bass sax contrasting with Hancock's C-melody sax. For some reason the C-melody never caught on after its 1920s' heyday. They're still manufactured so maybe one day I'll get around to having a test 'drive'. Hancock sounds good.
Gypsy Blues (Intro: Serenade Blues): Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake combined for this instrumental which stomps merrily along with solos by cornet, banjo and piano.
Elevator Papa, Switchboard Mama: Originally featured and recorded by Butterbeans and Suzie. Paxton and Russell give it their treatment and it's a hoot with a double entendre on every floor and every call as well as a convincing cornet solo from Colin.
West Indies Blues: Despite the title this isn't a blues but, like so many songs of the day, by adding blues to the title usually added more money in the bank. Nevertheless, it's still a catchy Caribbean coconut with a second showing by Giordano.
Everybody Mess Around: Written by Perry Bradford for Alberta Hunter, Russell does the song justice and Kerry Lewis has an extended blast on tuba.
Going Crazy With the Blues: Mamie Smith picked up on this piece by Andy Razaf and J.C. Johnson and as such it was a natural for Catherine.
Crazy Blues: Another Perry Bradford composition with great solos augmenting the vocal.
Carolina Shout: James P. Johnson's famous piano solo is arranged by Hancock for the whole band with Jon Thomas, naturally, being well featured.
Sweet Man: Ethel Waters made an early version of Maceo Pinkard's tune that has stood the test of time. Catherine Russell takes up the baton and, by adding her own distinctive take, ensures that the song and the singer(s) will live on.
All in all, not an album to be overlooked. Lance
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